What do we know about adults now?

Well, we have the same kind of information applying to adults.

There's an Australian study that looked at people who experienced depressive episodes and whose diets were considered poor in quality.

And then they had those participants working with dietitians for 12 weeks.

And the goal was to improve the quality of their diet.

So, you know, they were eating more whole grain and vegetables and fruits and more lentils and chickpeas and that kind of thing.

And then some fish and lean meats and, you know, just more healthy, ordinary food like we would always tell people to eat.

But specifically, what are you looking for?

So in terms of getting that stimulation that you mentioned, is there a better type?

So in terms of tea, green tea and black tea generally contain less caffeine than coffee.

But tea also contains all those great antioxidant polyphenols, so it can have some really great health benefits.

But for everybody, the problem with caffeine and stimulants is that more is not necessarily good.

So Health Canada recommends limiting your caffeine intake to about 400 milligrams a day Which is roughly equivalent of three cups of coffee or eight cups of tea.

Eight cups of tea or three cups.

And that's assuming a 240 milliliter serving size.

So

But concretely, what can we do to winterize in a healthy way?

So one of the things we want to do, I always tell everybody, winterize your kitchen so it supports your goals.

So it's actually a great time, you know, there's so many different vegetables and different foods that are available that are nutrient dense, they're filling and they're perfect for colder weather.

So it's just to start, you know, just thinking about them a little bit differently.

So shift your attitude about comfort foods and And start by looking at them and say, okay, how can I make this a little healthier? So you can choose broth-based soups, and they can have beans and lentils and barley and all the different root vegetables, and maybe stay away from the more cream-based soups.

Or if you're going to choose a creamy soup, and I'm going to put that in quotations, you put a little bit of rice or potato in it to make it really creamy, but that's as creamy as it gets.

Swap out mashed potatoes for mashed cauliflower or at least do a 50-50 mix.

Kim, are there any foods we should be focusing on this fall?

Okay, what's that?

So the dairy matrix is, um, is a little bit different in it's basically that it's the droplets, the fat droplets, the proteins and minerals, fermentation, even the physical structure of actually the ch- the cheese or the yogurt, the, um, changes how the body, uh, handles the saturated fat.

Now we were, we think that, um, based on other studies, that the high fat milk behaves a little bit differently than the higher fat yogurt and cheese, with the yogurt and cheese usually being the better choice, not because of the fat, but because of that matrix, so because of how the nutrients are packaged in the foods.

And the fermentation is adding probiotics, and that changes the proteins, and that alters how things are absorbed, and so that makes it a b- a better option.

So we think that in particular if you're having, um, yogurt and cheese, it's better than high fat milk.

Although in the study from UFT they included the regular 3.25 milk and, and in the group, and it still was okay.

Okay, so what does this mean about saturated fat? I guess it's different in dairy.

Um, yeah, it seems to mean that saturated fat in dairy is going to be a little bit different.

When we say superfoods, do you think, first of all, there's a category or a type of food that can actually reset your body?

Well, I wish there was.

I wish there was.

I think that a lot of people ask me this.

Everybody's always asking me for this list of, you know, what they should be eating and if I could just tell them the top foods or the superfoods.

And there's really no such thing as a superfood.

It's kind of a marketing term.

Way better.

What happens in that situation when it comes to bloating?

Well, I think what's really important to remember is that your gut has its own nervous system, and it's actually called our second brain.

So whatever affects your brain is going to affect your gut.

So your stress level could slow your digestion, so food sits in your stomach longer or your intestine longer, and then it produces more gas.

Anxiety can make your gut more sensitive, so normal gas would feel more uncomfortable.

Poor sleep will make your digestion sluggish.

Mood changes shift serotonin levels, and most of the serotonin is made in your gut.

And lastly, we wanted to know, how do you know if it's something more serious than just bloating when it comes to stomach issues?

not actually reacting to

gluten.

That some of their symptoms were triggered by FODMAPs, which are other components.

Say that again, FODMAPs? FODMAPs.

Okay, explain.

Which we can talk about another time.

But FODMAPs are different sugars in different foods.

So just a reminder, like, Kim, can you remind us all what celiac disease is? This is serious.

Kim, how can someone figure out just how much protein they actually need? So what are the factors you put into the equation here?

Well, there's a few things.

First, no matter what your age is your activity level because we do know that people who are very active to maintain their muscle and to build muscle they need to eat more protein.

We also know as people get older they tend to suffer from something that's called sarcopenia which is where they have their muscle breaks down.

Basically what happens as we get older is we break down muscle faster than We tend to make it.

And in order to make sure we make it, we have to do two things.

Older adults have to increase their level of physical activity, but they also have to eat more protein.

So one of the takeaways here, as you mentioned and pointed out, it's got to go hand in hand with exercise, right?

Kim, how can someone figure out just how much protein they actually need? So what are the factors you put into the equation here?

Well, there's a few things.

First, no matter what your age is, your activity level, because we do know that people who are very active to maintain their muscle and to build muscle, they need to eat more proteins.

We also know as people get older, they tend to suffer from something that's called sarcopenia, which is where their muscle breaks down.

Basically, what happens as we get older is we break down muscle faster than we tend to make it.

And in order to make sure we make it, we have to do two things.

Older adults have to increase their level of physical activity, but they also have to eat more protein.

So one of the takeaways here, as you mentioned and pointed out, it's got to go hand in hand with exercise, right?

So what's the best sources?

There's two kinds of iron.

One is called heme iron, and your body absorbs that most easily.

And that's the kind of iron that comes from red meat and poultry and fish.

And so even a small amount will make a difference.

Now, plant-based foods can still provide iron, like you'll get iron in lentils and beets and pumpkin seeds and different dark leafy greens and fortified cereals.

But the thing is, that iron is not absorbed as well.

It

all right let's jump into the first one what did the first one take a look at

well it looked at about 100 people they were aged roughly 50, and they had a BMI usually about 32, or again, average of 32.

And they made up of an equal number of men and women, which I thought was really cool because we could really compare how they both did.

And they had a weight loss period, and then they had a one-year maintenance period.

And they had three groups that had three different eight-hour eating windows.

So one window started eating really early in the morning.

The other window started eating later, maybe noonish, one o'clock.

Okay, so did any study look at then the intermittent fasting to just people who are restricting calories? Did they find any significant difference there?

Okay, let's

talk about...

So yes, the flour is a little bit different.

That could be one issue.

And it could be because there's probably more gluten in the Canadian flour.

That's probably the biggest issue.

And then the second issue is how it's fermented.

If

Oh, okay.

So the science does line up with, you know, I always tell people this is one of those almost placebo effect things, where if you think you're helping yourself, And so you do it because you think it's good.

And then that also helps you to make better choices and everything.

Then it's a really great thing for you to include.

But it's not really like you can't be just doing that and think you can eat whatever you feel like.

And this is going to cause you to lose weight.

And you slow down.

Yeah, actually, that part actually has more evidence.

You know, that people think black tea or green tea, do those two categories of tea have the same amount of benefits?

Well, actually, they're going to be slightly different because of the processing.

So black and green tea are made from the leaves of the same plant.

So that's really, you know, they start out pretty well the same, but the difference is in how the leaves are processed.

So to make black tea, the leaves undergo this unique process that involves fermenting the leaves.

And green tea is made using a different process, and you don't do any fermenting.

So they'll both contain tea polyphenols, which are really important nutrients, and they're called catechins.

Kim, lots of people asking, I'm a senior, I'm over seven years old, is it still healthy to have tea at that age? Let's dive into the health benefits.

How important is that family meal?

It is super important, but I think it's really important to think about not, and even for your snacks, right? If you can sit with your kids, it's a great opportunity.

I know we can't always, but as much as we can.

And what's really interesting is you want to sit at the table, but nowadays everybody has distractions.

I mean, we go to restaurants and we see everybody at the table sitting there looking at their phones.

I was like, okay, put everything away, no screens.

Don't even listen to talk radio for that half hour.

They always

What was your takeaway from this study?

Well, I guess I had two takeaways.

One is that we have a lot of studies that show that's kind of what happens in adults.

So why wouldn't we think it would happen in kids, right? I mean, We know adults who consume a diet that's high in sugar, salt, fat, and highly palatable foods, they're going to have changes in appetite regulation, and it changes their food choice.

They're going to have changes in their gut microbiota.

So it's entirely possible it happens in children.

My only cautionary thing that I say about this study is that it was done in mice, and so sometimes mice studies are a little hot.

Kim, just as we wrap, if you had to give parents who are listening right now a few simple or doable strategies to help their kids build a healthier relationship with food, what would you tell them to focus on?

What was your takeaway from this study?

Well, I guess I have two takeaways.

One is that we have a lot of studies that show that's kind of what happens in adults.

So why wouldn't we think it would happen in kids, right? I mean, we know adults who consume a diet that's high in sugar, salt, fat, and highly palatable foods, they're going to have changes in appetite regulation, and it changes their food choice.

They're going to have changes in their gut microbiota.

So it's entirely possible it happens in children.

My only cautionary thing that I say about this study is that it was done in mice, and so sometimes mice studies are a little hot.

Kim, just as we wrap, if you had to give parents who are listening right now a few simple or doable strategies to help their kids build a healthier relationship with food, what would you tell them to focus on?

So I can, can we swap?

Yeah, a lot of times you can.

So cabbage is a really nutrient-dense food because we say that, we call it nutrient-dense because it's low in calories and high in nutrients.

And a one-cup portion is going to give you maybe 22 calories, which is not a lot, but you're going to get two grams of fiber, which is considered a good source of fiber.

And you're going to get like a lot of vitamin C and you're going to get a good portion of of your folic acid that you need for the day.

You're getting smaller amounts of things like potassium and magnesium, and those are both minerals that most Canadians are missing from their diet.

And even better, cabbage contains some of the most powerful plant nutrients that are linked to cancer prevention, especially colon cancer.

So what do we do about that?