Let's EAT for Mental Health, Physical Health, Gut Health & MORE!

Let's eat foods that meet so many physical, mental, gut health and more as Lisa Johnson with Homestyle Direct discuss the significance of hydration, gut health, and the roles of prebiotics and probiotics in maintaining a healthy digestive system. Lisa shares her expertise on maximizing nutrient intake, especially for older adults, and the value of an anti-inflammatory diet. Discover how food impacts mental health, with tips on incorporating vital nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin B12.

 Darleen and Lisa emphasize the convenience and nutritional value of medically tailored meals that are delivered, making healthy eating accessible and enjoyable. Don't miss out on this enlightening discussion that underscores the power of food as medicine.

 SeniorLivingGuide.com Podcast sponsored by TransMed Care Long Distance Medical Transportation

 The background music is written, performed and produced exclusively by purple-planet.com.

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 *SeniorLivingGuide.com Webinars and Podcast represents the opinions and expertise of our guests. The content here is for informational and educational purposes. It does not necessarily represent the views, recommendations, opinions or advice of Fairfax Publishing/SeniorLivingGuide.com or its employees

Transcript

Darleen Mahoney [00:00:03]:

And today we are joined by Lisa Johnson with Homestyle Direct. She has been a dietitian for 39 years, working in many areas of nutrition spectrum, including critical care, nutrition, veterans health, long term care, director of food service, diabetes care, eating disorders, and most recently, medically medical meals and menu development for homestyle Direct. I hope I said that correct. Thank you so much, Lisa, for joining the podcast today. I'm excited to talk more about nutrition and food because it really is such an important part of all of us, honestly, as we age, to make sure that we're eating correctly for different reasons. So thank you for joining us today.

Lisa [00:00:52]:

Well, thank you, Darleen. I'm glad to be here.

Darleen Mahoney [00:00:55]:

Yeah, absolutely. So why is food important? I mean, what is food to your body that makes it a healthier you? I know that seems like a broad question, but.

Lisa [00:01:12]:

So food is important because first off, without food and water, we wouldn't be able to exist. We need them for our bodies to function normally. We need them to have energy to be able to do the daily tasks that we accomplish, and we need food and the various building blocks that that food provides to be able to grow, develop and balance ourselves out. So each type of food that we eat provides different sources of nutrition, vitamins, minerals, and different amounts of caloric support in terms of energy. So without food, you would shrivel up like a raisin and die.

Darleen Mahoney [00:01:58]:

Yeah. I always used to joke with my kids. People say, oh, they're growing. I said, it's because I'm feeding them because they got so big so fast. You know how kids are. But anyway, it was just kind of a joke. But food really is such an important part of growth, physically and mentally. So a little bit about food on the side of mental health.

Darleen n Mahoney [00:02:23]:

Is that something that exists? Do you need food specific foods, or are foods really important? Because the problem I do see in this country is we're having more and more issues with mental health. So, and everybody is doing medications where I'm not going to say there's anything wrong with that, but can food be a positive impact for people that are having either mental health issues or potential?

Lisa [00:02:48]:

So, food is a really big part of mental health. And every year we learn more and more about how specific types of foods, or our diet in general, can affect our overall wellbeing, which obviously includes your mental health. What we know now today is probably that the average world diet, maybe even more so than just the american diet, is really important in terms of our being able to cope. Refined sugars, a highly processed overall diet, tends to make you more lethargic tends to maybe increase the chances that you'll have inflammation in the body. And the brain is just like any other muscle or tissue and can be susceptible to that. So highly processed, really sugary, a diet that doesn't maybe have a variety of vitamins and minerals, maybe is devoid of, let's say, fresh fruit and veggies, may be more likely to create what we call a brain fog.

Darleen Mahoney [00:04:02]:

You know, I find that interesting because I feel like all of the things that you mentioned were super affordable food versus probably what you need. And we can talk a little bit about some of the foods that are opposite of what you just said that would be helpful for mental health or just in general, they're more expensive foods, which I think that's one reason why people will gravitate towards that is based on cost.

Lisa [00:04:32]:

I think that cost plays a role. The other thing that I think plays a big role in, like the client population that we address is just ease of preparation. So you need something quick and easy, you need something maybe that you can grab off the shelf. We tend to gravitate toward things that may be higher, higher in sugar, higher in fats, have less of the fresh sources of vitamins and minerals. But things are changing. And if you have the time and obviously the wherewithal to purchase foods that are fresher and more colorful is the other way I like to look at it. So the more colorful the food, the more likely it is that it's going to have a variety of vitamins and minerals in it.

Darleen Mahoney [00:05:26]:

That is a good point.

Lisa [00:05:28]:

Yeah, yeah. And so, I mean, things like smoothies have taken off because they provide someone all of the nutrition, all of the vitamins, all of the minerals, the phytochemicals, maybe the pre and probiotics in a glass, and they can get everything all at once.

Darleen Mahoney [00:05:46]:

And they taste good.

Lisa [00:05:47]:

Yeah, yeah.

Darleen Mahoney [00:05:48]:

Typically they taste good. I've seen some green ones that don't look like they taste great, and they actually really do.

Lisa [00:05:53]:

Yeah. You add a little green apple to something that's like matcha and you get the sweet with the addition of the matcha and the additional vitamins and minerals added.

Darleen Mahoney [00:06:04]:

Yeah, absolutely. Those are great points. So, food with people that are experiencing a cognitive decline, and I know that we, a lot of times on the podcast, we talk about the mediterranean type of diet. My question is, is there certain foods that are, that help avoid the cognitive decline and help with people that have cognitive decline? Does that make sense?

Lisa [00:06:34]:

Yeah. So the big things that we know for cognitive decline are fresh foods, things that are rich in antioxidants. So sources of vitamin e, omega three acids. So things like salmon in your seafood, green leafies. So a lot of B vitamins, which is an interesting thing because I actually, as I was scrolling through my email the other day, I had a client that had called into customer service that they'd referred on to me for a MTHFR diet, which I had to do some searching to really discover what that is. But they were approaching it from, it's a methyl cysteine derivative. And at the bottom, at the end of the day for that, what it really is is they need to include more b vitamins in their diet. So they need sources of b twelve, folate.

Lisa [00:07:34]:

So green leafies, spinach, greens, those types of things. So if we can include more of those foods in our diet, which tends to be more of a problem as we age because your dentition gets worse, so you tend to be less into the crunch and munch, and we tend to maybe have sourcing issues, maybe can't get to the grocery store and buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Another option for those types of people is to grow those things at home if you're able.

Darleen Mahoney [00:08:06]:

Mm hmm. Yeah. But that is clearly something that is not available to a lot of people if they're living, especially in some types of independent living communities or assisted livings or they're living in dense populations. So, you know, putting a little thing out on your back patio can be difficult. But one of the things you mentioned is the b twelve. So I do know that for me myself, I don't absorb b twelve for some reason. My body just doesn't absorb it. So I can even take multivitamins, things like that.

Darleen Mahoney [00:08:40]:

And it still is not registering that I'm getting that b twelve in some of my results. So I do really struggle with that. So knowing what foods can help with that is really great because the medicinal side or the vitamin side isn't really working so great just because I'm not sure why. It just seems to be a struggle that I have with the b twelve s. And I know b twelve is incredibly important for the cognitive side. So I really focus on that. So, you know, the other thing with eating healthy, and I know we see a lot of this on television commercials, and if you're scrolling through Facebook, there's all these different things where they talk about healthy gut, healthy gut, healthy gut. So what does that mean? Because we can kind of get down and dirty.

Darleen Mahoney [00:09:28]:

Does that mean that you just have, that you're regularly able to use the restroom or exactly what does that look like?

Lisa [00:09:37]:

So think of your gut from your mouth to your bum. So when we're talking a healthy gut, we're talking the whole entire 30 foot tube. So we're talking from what goes in your mouth, what you digest and absorb in your tummy, which is really the beginning of it all, and then all throughout the intestine. So, yes, your bowel habits are a part of that, but it's also what's going on, specifically in the middle part. So from below your stomach to your bum, we're talking fluid. We're talking needing adequate hydration and fluids. We're talking about the types of food that you eat. And if you can think of that section of your body as, like, individual mini soldiers that are breaking down the food that you eat, putting it into building blocks that the rest of the body can use, and getting rid of the waste products.

Lisa [00:10:35]:

What we're trying to do is feed that army with appropriate nutrition. So we know that things that, again, are highly refined, tend to be higher in carbohydrates, maybe even good things like gas. Forming vegetables will create more tummy distress, more gut distress, be harder to break down, and also create more gas in the process of being broken down. So when we're talking healthy gut, we're talking about the normal bacteria that's in your stomach. Some people have trouble maintaining that. Some people, maybe because of a lactose intolerance, don't eat a lot of, let's say, dairy and yogurt, so they don't get rich sources of those pre probiotics. So focusing on those things, adding those things to diet, if you have a sensitive gut, if you will, can be really helpful. So there's food sources.

Lisa [00:11:38]:

Things like yogurt are good. Kombucha, fermented foods, kimchi, will also all add and promote healthy bacteria in the gut. And then maybe tweaking the diet enough to where you don't. Aren't heavy carb. Aren't heavy, refined carb, I guess, and getting adequate fluid will be helpful.

Darleen Mahoney [00:12:01]:

So I notice I notate, I should say that you didn't mention fiber because I feel like people talk about do more fiber to help with your healthy gut. Or maybe I have that incorrect. And then I hear about prebiotics. And probiotics are some of the things that you described kind of fit that category naturally.

Lisa [00:12:23]:

So fiber is really helpful. And fiber is built into the dietary guidelines for the elderly population. So 55 and above, we tend to not get adequate sources of fiber. And it can be something as simple as adding, say, metamucil or a fiber drink to the diet every day and or including those, those food sources, the pre and probiotics. If you eat a varied diet and if you don't have any gut issues going on so you don't have something, let's say, like Crohn's or other things that may alter your gut, gut's ability to digest and absorb food, you're probably okay if you eat yogurt. There are people that eat yogurt every day. So a serving of yogurt is probably going to give you enough pre and probiotics, but just adding those things to the diet may be enough to maintain an overall healthy gut bowel habits, those types of things, and make you feel more comfortable.

Darleen Mahoney [00:13:30]:

So in regards to yogurt, I just wanted to visit this for a second because I know that there's, you know, specific yogurts that advertise that that's what they are. Like, I won't name brands, but some of them, that's what they advertise. And you can watch the commercial. That's what it's all about. And then some it's not. And then some are just straight up greek yogurts. Is there a difference between any of those yogurts?

Lisa [00:13:55]:

There is, and depending on what you're trying to go for, if you're trying to go for pre and probiotics, and it's generally probiotics in yogurt, you want to specifically look at brand names for that and make sure that they have it. My son's a big proponent of kefir, so he drinks kefir every day, which gets those pre and probiotics into the diet. If you are trying to be mindful of, say, heart health, you want to be looking for a product that's either skim milk made or low fat milkmaid, as opposed to a whole milk or fat on food source. If you're concerned with diabetes, you want to look for something that is natural. So either has no sugar added, it's natural fruit, and you can go the spectrum. I mean, there are some yogurts that, to me, are like having dessert. A lot of sugar added, really tasty, pretty whole fat. And so knowing what you're looking to achieve and what other underlying health conditions you have is really important when you're choosing them.

Darleen Mahoney [00:15:10]:

Yeah. So maybe if you're trying to avoid the sugar, avoid the yogurts that have the cartoon character on the front of it. Maybe.

Lisa [00:15:17]:

Yeah. Or, and, or avoid the ones that are pretty pricey, maybe are written in a foreign language that you can't understand or have sugar listed in the top five ingredients.

Darleen Mahoney [00:15:32]:

Oh, sugar free, is that.

Lisa [00:15:34]:

But, yeah, sugar free or not. So if you have diabetes, you also need to be mindful of honey. And so looking in those first five ingredients, if it's an added sweetener or it's something like honey or, I don't know, cane sugar, you would want to be mindful of those to make sure that you're not getting a lot of added extra sweet to it.

Darleen Mahoney [00:16:02]:

Okay. Those are good notes because I know that yogurt is like a go to for some of that gut health that we talk about and people find so important and then kind of what is the best fit. So really reading the labels and maybe doing a little bit of research before just, you know, pulling them out of the. Off the shelf.

Lisa [00:16:18]:

Exactly. And, you know, if you're going for, say, a smoothie at a smoothie store, looking for something that's probably made with a yogurt as opposed to a sherbet or ice cream, is going to be a good source. It's going to be a good source of calcium and vitamin D, as well as providing building blocks for your intestinal health.

Darleen Mahoney [00:16:38]:

Yeah. Now, you mentioned something, and I kind of want to revisit this really quick. What your son drinks, what is that? Because I've never heard of that.

Lisa [00:16:46]:

So kefir. Kefir is a, I guess, an alternate milk source that generally provides pre and probiotics. Comes in flavors. So think of it like a liquid yogurt. And so instead of, let's say, having a yogurt portion, a solid yogurt portion, you could have a glass of kefir in the morning. I wouldn't recommend the unflavored variety. To me, it's pretty tart. And I mean, but you could put it in a smoothie and it probably would be fine.

Lisa [00:17:20]:

But they do have flavored, you know, boysenberry, strawberry flavors, and it's just like yogurt in a cup.

Darleen Mahoney [00:17:27]:

I did not know, and I love to hear, you know, different tips for different folks that, you know, might be able to benefit from that. So we talked a little bit about, like, the mental health side. So, which I think is great because people don't, a lot of times, I think, connect food with mental health, but we do connect it with physical health. So some of the things I wanted to talk about is, especially as we get older, our immune system. So are there foods that are specifically designed to help with immunity?

Lisa [00:18:02]:

So the common foods that we think of when we think of immunity are zinc and vitamin C. So foods that are rich in that. So on your vitamin C end, it would be your like citric fruits and things like tomatoes, potatoes. Zinc tends to be a really great source of zinc, actually is the bones. So people that like canned, like say salmon, canned fishes, where they're, they're packed and the bones are in them, will be good sources of zinc. But also various fruits and vegetables will provide that, as well as some of your meat choices and your dairy. So, yes, you can tailor the diet to include those types of things. We also are seeing that a diet that is less inflammation producing, if you will, can be helpful in terms of your overall immunity.

Darleen Mahoney [00:19:05]:

Yeah, I know inflammation seems to be a big concern these days, so that's good to know. So when you talk about protein, are you talking about lean protein or just protein in general, that would be more beneficial.

Lisa [00:19:18]:

So in the older adult population, obviously, as we age, our nutrient needs go, or not nutrient needs so much, but our overall caloric needs will go down. And so you want to maximize every bite that you take to provide all of the building blocks and nutrition that you need, as well as not overextending your caloric load, if you will. So in your protein category, lean meats and fishes would be your best choices to get the protein that you need, get the vitamin spectrum that you need, and not over provide extra calories in the diet. So I tend to look at white things. So fishes, your white meats, like pork, lean red meats, so lean beef, chicken is a good source, turkey is a good source. And really having a VariEty, so not eating any one thing, any one food group will be helpful.

Darleen Mahoney [00:20:22]:

Variety is the spice of life.

Lisa [00:20:25]:

Yes, it is.

Daleen Mahoney [00:20:28]:

So another thing I'm going to start, keep hitting on the stuff that I keep seeing that's on television, the things they keep talking about, and that's the mego, three fat acids. So a, what is that? I have no idea. And what does it do?

Lisa [00:20:45]:

So omega three fatty acids are a type of fat. And what we know is that it's a good fat for our body. So it promotes overall heart health. So it's not going to raise your bad cholesterol, it's not going to be harmful. Helps with HDL, helps with your overall fat InTake. Being from a heart healthy source, where we find omega three fatty acids primarily in the food source is in fIsh. So even though we would normally say stay with lower fat things in the fish world, we're actually talking about fattier fish. So omega three s are highest in things like sAlmon.

Lisa [00:21:31]:

Deep water ocean fish is where you would find it. You'll find them probably in any fish product. But deep water ocean fish are going to be the best source in terms of overall diet. A lot of people will actually take omega three s as a vitamin supplement, and you can do that, but you can also get it in the diet that you eat.

Darleen Mahoney [00:21:55]:

I was just going to ask you that question, because a lot of people may not eat fish. That may not be something that's part of their diet, literally getting zero of it from that source. So taking a supplement, you know, research that supplement, because we all know that supplements can be full of all kinds of different other byproducts. Just make sure it's a really good one. Is that what you would recommend?

Lisa [00:22:18]:

Yeah. If they're not getting any significant food source for omega three, and they do have issues, let's say cardiac issues. So maybe their ldl is high or their overall cholesterol is high, or triglycerides. Taking a fat supplement may be helpful to better manage the profile of the fats that they're getting in their diet.

Darleen Mahoney [00:22:42]:

Okay, that's interesting. So I did want to ask you, you mentioned the anti inflammatory, and how does that anti inflammatory cholesterol, all those different types of things, how do they mesh together in maybe the food that you can eat that can help decrease. For me, just off the top of my head, I always think of anti inflammatory or inflammatory types of foods are red meats and wine. To me, that just screams you're going to have inflammation issues. Is that something that makes sense?

Lisa [00:23:18]:

So as far as anti inflammatory, it's getting more precise. The thinking behind it is that if you eat or do things that cause your tissues to become inflamed, it makes it less likely for those tissues to be able to do their normal work. So putting away sugars or taking toxins out of the blood, those types of things. And so what you want to do is you want to calm those things down so they're not enlarged and they can do their work. The thinking today, I actually have a friend who had a very serious ski accident, ski injury and severed her spire, didn't sever the spinal cord, but just impacted the discs and ended up being paralyzed from the waist down. And one of the things that she aggressively followed after this was a anti inflammatory diet. So no soy, no sugar, no processed foods. It's a dairy free diet.

Lisa [00:24:28]:

So the wine and the red meats do fit into that. But it pretty much is back to a. I don't know if you want to call it a mediterranean diet, but very functional raw diet. Lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats lower on the spectrum as far as fats and no processed carbs. And it's made a big difference for her.

Darleen Mahoney [00:24:55]:

Yeah, well, I'm sorry to hear that that's happened to her. I honestly can't imagine. But I'm glad that she's doing something health wise that helps reduce some of the side effects or the pain or whatever that would be included with that type of injury.

Lisa [00:25:11]:

Yeah, no, it's been remarkable.

Darleen Mahoney [00:25:13]:

Yeah, for sure. So I did want to ask you one of the things that you work for homestyle direct, and they've been on our podcast before. We absolutely love everything that you do. Your company provides medically tailored meals that come pre made to your home, and you can heat them up and you can eat them. Am I explaining that correctly?

Lisa [00:25:37]:

Yeah. So the food we put, food we put together comes frozen to the client. They can store, I guess, however much they can store, generally we ship them one to two times a month. So you might have two weeks to a month in your freezer at a time.

Darleen Mahoney [00:25:59]:

Okay. And what I love is that you focus specifically on food as medicine because they're medically tailored to certain, to people, certain needs, whatever they may be. I don't want to use the word ailing, but different things that people have going on in their lives that they need specific food. So it kind of feeds into that super easy where they don't have to go to the grocery store, they don't have to do all of these different, and honestly, they don't have to figure it out. So I think that that's really great. But if you are looking at different ways in your own life, if you don't really feel like you need the meals coming to you or whatever the case may be, what are some ways that you can really embrace food as medicine?

Lisa [00:26:44]:

So the first thing I would do is figure out and focus on any specific challenges I might have. So let's say you're pre diabetic and you want to modify or watch your carbs, balancing those things out, trying to include a diet that is heavier in natural carbs and fresher carbs, so fresher fruits and vegetables, being mindful of the amount of carb that you're getting, including healthy fats and proteins in your meal, if you're trending toward, let's say, heart health, being mindful of the types of fats that you're getting, the quantity, how often you're having those things being mindful, maybe, of the amount of meat that you're eating, surprisingly enough, say, a portion of meat. Think of, like, the palm of your hand as a deck of cards, and that's about four to 6oz, which is the upper limits of what we should have at a meal with regards to meats. Looking at them maybe more as an accompaniment to a meal, and that the main course of the meal is things like your starches and your vegetables and maybe even fruit going with more crunch and munch. So salads, vegetables, bowls are all good sources of food in your diet.

Darleen Mahoney [00:28:14]:

So this is becoming also very popular. I feel like I'm on a trend mode here, but the plant based foods are something that is really trending. I know my son is a vegetarian, or he was a vegetarian, and he ate a lot of plant based foods, and he loved it. Is that something that you maybe want to switch out some of those proteins or kind of do a combination or. I mean, what are your thoughts on the plant based?

Lisa [00:28:37]:

So I think plant based is a great way to go. My kids are both what they like to call selectitarians, which means if they're home with me, they like nothing better than a good old lamb burger. But for the most part, they do select more plant based sources. I think the motivation in that generation is less about the diet per se, and more about looking at the longevity of the world and how long can we sustain eating a totally animal based diet and growing more cows and having fish that are sustainable, those types of things. But switching out where you can, I think, is really helpful. We know that, for the most part, if you manage a vegetarian diet, and so you're mindful of what you're eating, when you can get complete proteins from vegetable sources. If you are a vegetarian, and let's say you, your maybe lacto ovo, so you include milk and you include maybe chicken or eggs in your diet. It's extremely easy to get all of the vitamins and nutrition that you need from the food that you eat.

Lisa [00:29:55]:

And some of the new, I love hearing plant based stuff is super yummy. My kids always want to have, like, soy riso included in, like, an egg dish or whatever, and it's really tasty. So there is a way to include plant based, what I would call meat choices in the diet and switch those out for regular meat.

Darleen Mahoney [00:30:19]:

Yeah. And I know that there are restaurants that trend. Some of them are all plant based, and they have all kinds of different things that you would never imagine in a plant based diet. And then some restaurants, I know that we have a couple in my area that have plant based options. So they have multiple options, but then they also have, you know, your regular carnivore diet or whatever the case may be. So I think it's great that you're giving those options. And my son a lot of times chooses the plant based, even though he's come off the vegetarian a little bit. He can do some, like you said, white, lean proteins.

Darleen Mahoney [00:30:54]:

He can do that. And he can do some shellfish, but he does not do any red meat. But he did say that, you know, these things that he has, he actually really loves a plant based hot dog. That's like. He loves that. Yeah. So he says it's really great. I have not tried it, but, yeah, he loves it.

Darleen Mahoney [00:31:10]:

And one of the things that you mentioned as well is portion sizes. And I know you and I have talked a little bit about this in the past with portion sizes, I feel like we get, you know, in this country, the dinner plate is, what, twelve inches, maybe? It's twelve. Yeah, that's a lot of food. So I really do think you realize, and when you have a plate that that's large, you feel like you gotta fill it up or you're not getting a meal, whereas it just looks so small. Yeah.

Lisa [00:31:40]:

You know, and so if you can downsize the plate, I mean, maybe the portion size that you're putting on the plate is the same, but if you downsize the plate and use a dessert plate, you're gonna. Visually, it's gonna look like you are getting more. And so what we know about eating is that we eat with our eyes and we eat with our nose. And so if you take those senses away, it's difficult to enjoy a meal. And so what you want to do is try and incorporate things that make it. Make it look fuller. You know, maybe two or three slices of, let's say a meat on a salad may get you the protein amount that you need to have, but fluffing it up with extra greens and veggies is going to make you feel full.

Darleen Mahoney [00:32:33]:

Yeah, absolutely. And one thing I know you've said a couple times, and we're just going to hit on this one more time, is staying hydrated. I don't think. I mean, I think there's so many different fluid options, beverages that we tend to forget. The number one that we should be drinking, which is water.

Lisa [00:32:53]:

Yeah. So six to eight glasses of water a day, which, you know, think of a glass as an eight ounce portion. So we're talking somewhere in the neighborhood of 48 to 60oz of fluid a day. Water is obviously the best choice as a free fluid. That's what our body works with is water in the cells. But generally when I'm talking with a person, talking with a patient, I will tell them any non caloric source is okay. So coffee, tea, they are going to tend to dehydrate you because of the caffeine, but if they're unsweetened, they're going, they're going to give you good sources of fluid, but like a sugar free juice or something, like say a crystal light or something that provides liquid and not really any nutrition in it can fit in there. One of the things that you kind of have to watch as you age, maybe, and your disease process might be if you have any kidney issues, you may have some fluid restrictions as well.

Lisa [00:34:01]:

So one of the tricks there is to freeze water or freeze like an unsweetened, you know, like a flavored water, like say cucumber or strawberry or whatever, freeze ice cubes. And then you can suck on the ice cubes, get the fluid and not have as much volume, but it needs to be calorie free. So when you start to talk about fancy coffee drinks or you talk about smoothies or milk or juice, you are talking calories. And when you talk calories, it's not free fluid. Your body can't use that readily for its fluid needs.

Darleen Mahoney [00:34:43]:

Yeah, it kills me because I'll go through, you know, like a Starbucks or a coffee drive thru and I just do black coffee. That's it. I'm down and dirty and I see people at like 6730 in the morning and they're getting these big frappuccinos with whipped cream and I'm like going, that's your whole day, right?

Lisa [00:35:01]:

And it literally could be. I mean, if you figure that your caloric needs are, let's say, but on average, let's just say 1800 calories, you could straight up get six to 900 calories in a large grande drink.

Darleen Mahoney [00:35:18]:

When you have like a sugar crash later. I feel like if I drank that, I'd be like taking a nap by noon.

Lisa [00:35:26]:

Yes, I would argue that sugar and a caffeine rush probably. Yeah. People that eat that drink that a lot. They function because they go from one to the next. And so you're always supplying that caffeine load, which is why, you know, when people take that away, let's say you get pregnant and you want to avoid all caffeine. You really struggle for the first couple of weeks because you're taking away added caffeine, added sugar.

Darleen Mahoney [00:36:00]:

Yeah, yeah. And you'll have that migraine. I guarantee you that bounce back migraine, it'll come, been there, done that. So we're going to go ahead and wrap it up. Is there anything that you wanted to add that we haven't talked about?

Lisa [00:36:16]:

I think for me, the key and what I try to encourage with people when they call and ask about specifics for their diet is being mindful that this is all a process and being patient with oneself, especially if you have dietary restrictions, looking at things from the long run. So less about the day to day wins and losses and more about how did you do over the course of a week. So, yes, you had dessert one day or you had a higher fat meal one day, but what's the sum total at the end of like five to seven days? Seeking balance, making sure that you are mindfully eating. So you're treating eating as like an activity in your life and you're getting enjoyment and pleasure out of that. Sometimes I think that we get so caught up in being restrictive and taking away things that we forget that eating is a big part of our overall life, especially as we age. And so making that a pleasant, happy experience is a good thing.

Darleen Mahoney [00:37:30]:

It's a social experience a lot of times.

Lisa [00:37:32]:

Exactly.

Darleen Mahoney [00:37:33]:

Yes. Well, I really appreciate you joining us today. This has been so fabulous and so much great information. And I do want to encourage our listeners that if you do have any type of ailment or you're going through anything that might benefit you, to have a medically tailored meal for you to please reach out to your physician, homestyle direct. I'll include the link, homestyledirect.com that you can go to and get more information. And that's something that could be very turnkey for you to be able to have that meal come straight to you. You don't have to do all the prep. You don't have to do the thinking.

Darleen Mahoney [00:38:09]:

You don't have to do all of that kind of stuff that comes straight to you. And they're amazing meals. They're delicious, too, which, you know, that's always a bonus, as we just talked about. It's something that people like to eat. So, yeah. So anyway, so thank you so much for joining us today, Lisa, it was great.

Lisa [00:38:25]:

Thank you for having me. I appreciate it.

Darleen Mahoney [00:38:27]:

Absolutely. And if you enjoyed this podcast, please share and encourage others who might benefit from this podcast. Seniorlivingguide.com podcast is found anywhere you enjoy music or podcasts such as Apple, Spotify, even Alexa will play you our podcast. Thank you, everyone, for joining us.