Real Food. Real Conversations. By cover art

Real Food. Real Conversations.

By: Sophia DeSantis
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  • Summary

  • Plant-based and vegan diet topics, and all things related to the controversial online food world.
    © 2020 VEGGIES DON'T BITE, LLC
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Episodes
  • Where Am I Now?

    Where Am I Now?
    Jul 20 2022
    This is the 100th episode of Real Food Real Conversations and I can't believe it! I published my first episode almost two years ago, so much has changed since then. Listen in to hear updates of how we are doing and where we are now! Time can change people, especially after the last two years we have had. It most certainly has changed our family and life. Starting my podcast was something I decided to do after realizing life was slowing down with all happening in 2020 and business was going to change for me. Brand budgets were tight, the world was unsure of it's future. I needed something else and my awesome business coach (I interviewed her in the episode about exercise habits) suggested a podcast. I am thinking it's because I like to talk, LOL! She is not wrong. Starting a podcast helped me express the thoughts and ideas I had without the pressure of social media. I liked having a platform that I didn't have to worry about an algorithm for, I could choose what to say and how I wanted to say it. It was so freeing and really helped me get through 2020. I loved meeting so many new people, even if it was only online. But that was our new normal at the time, and it gave me avenues to be social when being social in life was harder. How Our Life Has Changed The last two years have taught me a lot. My life, my self, and my business have all gone through changes. Some experiences have been good, and some have been rough. But all in all, I am a better person today than I was two years ago. Changes in my business When the world shut down, unfortunately so did a lot of my income. I make the bulk of my money partnering with brands to share products I know, use and love with my audience. Because of the financial breakdowns with all that happened in 2020, many businesses put their budgets on hold. Which meant I my income was also put on hold. The good part was that my site traffic increased a ton as people now were home learning how to cook and bake, and having more meals at home. This was great and I loved sharing more with everyone! I even created some pantry meal videos and gave them out for free to my audience, this felt good because I love giving to the community. But overall, we took a hit financially so I had to make some changes. When you go through struggles, you learn a lot about yourself and are able to step back and see what it is you truly want. I realized how much I love food photography and the creative aspect in what I do, from the photos to the recipes. Which led me to a year long photography mentorship that I am doing now. I also learned that I love the health aspect about what I teach and got certified to be an ACE Health and Wellness Coach. I truly enjoy working with clients to help them meet their health and wellness goals! If you are looking for a coach that will guide you towards your goals and be by your side as you succeed, I'm your girl! Today, I am in a very good place with Veggies Don't Bite. Business is picking up again and I am focusing on partnerships that make me happy and fill me up. One thing that I have learned is that life is too short to be unhappy. Money isn't everything, you can adjust your budget to keep your mental health in a good place. Why I don't eat gluten If you have read about our journey with our diet changes, and what led me to start my business, you'll know that it all started with my husband's health. We began eating a plant-based diet for his heart health, and (mostly) haven't made a ton of changes. About two years ago, I started working with a functional medicine doctor (I had her on the podcast to chat about mental and physical health) after I went into early onset menopause. One of the first things I learned was that I needed to cut out gluten. Wow, what a life changer. I had dealt with seasonal allergies my entire adult life, being on one form of medication for many years.
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    19 mins
  • Why is Fiber Important?

    Why is Fiber Important?
    Jul 6 2022
    With the obsession over protein, we often miss the mark on what we really should focus on, fiber. This is why we are talking all about why fiber is important with our guest expert! Fiber is a necessary carbohydrate for our body. Everyone needs to include it in their diet in order to maintain physical health. Nichole Dandrea-Russert, MS, RDN, author of The Fiber Effect, has been a registered dietitian nutritionist for 27 years, specializing in heart disease, diabetes, sports nutrition and women's health. For the past 13 years, she has focused on plant-based lifestyles through inspiring and educating people about plant-based eating to optimize their health and the health of the planet. Nichole has been featured in Eating Well, Business Insider and Atlanta Journal Constitution. She is also a media spokesperson for The Weather Channel and local Atlanta television networks. She shares her passion through her website Purely Planted. She lives in Atlanta, GA with her husband and rescue dog, Mariposa. Grab her Free 5 Tasty and Simple-to-Make Plant-Based Dressings ebook here! What is Fiber? Fiber is a carbohydrate that is not digested by our body. We don't have enzymes to break down the fibrous components of plants, although chewing does help a bit. But overall, it moves through us undigested and whole. There are two types, soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber becomes a gel like consistency when we eat it as it absorbs with water. Insoluble is more like roughage that moves through whole. Why Do We Need Fiber? Fiber is so important for our body. It impacts us both directly and indirectly. While many people think that fiber is there mainly for your digestive system, it does impact many other things as well. What fiber does for your body Soluble fiber helps lower cholesterol and control blood sugar and feeds healthy bacteria in the gut. There is now newer research coming out that shows how fiber is the foundation for gut health. Gut health is being linked to many things, from digestion to mental health and moods. Fiber helps lower cholesterol by decreasing the absorption of bad cholesterol and pulling some of it out of our system. Also helps keep inflammation down by feeding bacteria in our gut and diversifying it. This keeps inflammation down both short term and long term, which helps prevent lifestyle diseases like heart disease, diabetes and also manage weight. This can also help indirectly by preventing types of dementia and cancers. Insoluble fiber helps to clear our toxins and carcinogens out of our body and pulls water into the large intestine and colon which helps you poop. What Happens if You Don’t Get Enough Fiber? Most of the population are not getting enough fiber, in fact more than 95% are not getting what they need. Women are supposed to get a minimum of 25 grams a day and men 38 grams. This is based on fiber's role in the prevention of heart disease. When your body isn't getting enough fiber, it can't function ConstipationStomach painsHeadachesBlood sugar swingsMood swingsCraving carbohydratesNot feeling satisfied with mealsOvereating leading to weight gainNot sleeping well Sources of Fiber Whole foods are the best source of getting fiber. You cannot get fiber in animal products. When making any change in your diet, especially with upping your fiber, make sure to up it slowly to minimize GI discomfort. There are different types of fiber, so eating a variety of foods is important. Some foods that contain fiber are: Beans (lentils, black beans, pinto beans, etc)Leafy greensWhole grains (brown rice, farro, quinoa, buckwheat, etc)Chia seedsFlaxmeal Also make sure to drink plenty of water when you are eating lots of fiber! While supplements can also be helpful, using whole foods to get fiber is best because with supplements you aren't getting the other healing benefits like the phytonutrients that come with fiber.
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    51 mins
  • Diet and Menopause

    Diet and Menopause
    Jun 22 2022
    Is there a connection between diet and menopause? There is a lot we can do as women while we go through this big change in our life! Join us today as we chat with a triple board satisfied OBGYN all about menopause and how we can tackle this time in our life to make it through in the best way possible! Having been through menopause myself (I was an early adopter yay me LOL!), this topic is such an important discussion to have. Learning the tools to navigate menopause in a way that works for you is the best thing you can do! Dr. Anna Cabeca, DO, OBGYN, FACOG, is triple-board certified and a fellow of gynecology and obstetrics, integrative medicine, and anti-aging and regenerative medicine. She has special certifications in functional medicine, sexual health, and bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. For the past 20 years, she’s served 10,000+ women in her private practice— and millions more through her books, online videos and articles. When her own health took a troubling turn during menopause, she sought out the wisdom of healers around the world. She learned that modern medicine and time-tested natural remedies are not at odds. Working together, they create indisputable results and true well being. Using delicious, healing foods and simple lifestyle changes, Dr. Anna reclaimed her health and life. Fueled by her belief that every woman deserves to be empowered and in control of their health and life, she developed the Keto-Green lifestyle, which has helped thousands of women opt out of menopause misery and experience a joyful transition to the next stage of their lives. With her methods, you, too, can breeze through menopause into your “second spring”, feeling the best you ever have. What is Menopause? While many think menopause is a period of time, it actually isn't. Menopause is the actual day that is 12 months from your last period. There are different stages you go through around the day of menopause, these are known as peri menopause and post menopause. This is a time of neuroendocrine vulnerability, your glucose uptake increase and your progesterone plummets. This can begin as early as our mid 30's and comes with a multitude of symptoms. Symptoms The symptoms during the stages of menopause can vary from person to person and in severity. Because we are all different, we can't pinpoint the exact things we will go through, but here are some common signs: hot flashesmood swings, depression and anxietyweight gainsleep disturbances and insomniairregular menstrual cycleschanges in hormones as seen through blood work Stages of Menopause As we said, the actual name menopause is the day that lies 12 months since your last period. Here are the stages that lie before and after that day: Pre menopause- this is the period before any symptoms of peri menopause begin. This is the time of main reproductive years for women. Peri menopause- this is the period of time when you are experience menopausal symptoms. It can be anything mentioned above and on average starts anywhere between 35-55. Menopause- the day that is exactly 12 months from your last period. Post menopause- this is the period of time after the day of menopause. However this all can be tricky because the terminology needs some work. For example, what happens when you've had a hysterectomy? Are you in post menopause even though you haven't naturally entered that stage? More work needs to be done in this area. How long does menopause last? The main stage of menopause, which is peri menopause, can last anywhere from 5-15 years. This again can vary from woman to woman. What Is the Best Diet for Menopausal Women? There are a lot of opinions when it comes to women and menopause, especially in the diet area. But according to Dr. Anna and the work she has done, she treats her patients with a keto green diet. This consists of: dark green leafy greensno sugarlow carbohydratesfoods t...
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    49 mins
Art Psychology Hygiene & Healthy Living Food & Wine
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