Hi friends! Happy Tuesday. I’m here today with the show notes for Episode 6 of The Grapefruit & Granola Podcast.

Goodbye Car

Guys! I sold my car this week :( It’s bittersweet, for sure. I know that this is not technically a bad thing but I did feel sad when I officially handed over my keys. I drove a Honda Civic and it was my first brand new car. It was also the first car that I bought all by myself (and I’m in my 30s, lol). I thought at the time I was going to drive it forever. I was also commuting an hour back and forth to work, so obviously life has changed so much over the past few years! B and I are officially sharing a car now since we don’t drive that much. I don’t anticipate it being that much  for us.

SkillPop Class in Charlotte

Last night I took a SkillPop class about water coloring here in Charlotte. It was so fun! Skillpop is a company that organizes different classes you can take if you’d like to learn a new skill. They have everything from art classes, cookie decorating, business development and even exercise classes. They are current in Charlotte, Greenville, Raleigh, and Nashville. We signed up for a Cactus water color class.

The class supplied us with everything we needed – brushes, paint, paper, etc. – and the instructor walked us through different water coloring techniques. So fun!

The Grapefruit & Granola Podcast Show Notes

Episode #6 is answering some of your reader questions! I’m hoping to do one of these shows every 4ish shows. If you have a question that you’d like answered on the podcast then please contact me!

Question #1: “What are some tips for getting your significant other on board with healthy eating? I’m trying to eat healthier in the new year and my husband has not really been supportive.”

This is a great question because having the support of a partner can be so helpful when you’re trying to make healthy lifestyle changes. A few things I point out in this discussion:

• It may be better to start out with smaller changes if your partner is not on board. For example, maybe add an extra serving of vegetables with dinner or plan a weekend activity that gets you on your feet. Completely overhauling your lifestyle may be a lot for someone to take in if they aren’t at a place where they want to make any changes. Making smaller changes is also much more maintainable in the long run, so it’s a win-win for both of you.
• Involve your husband: take a cooking class together, ask him what he would like for dinner, etc.
• Talk to each other: I find with many couples that the communication about why someone wants to be healthier is lacking. Rather than focusing on appearances, I would dig deeper… are you worried about developing a chronic disease? Did you just find out you have high blood pressure and you’re trying to avoid having to take medication… and developing more health issues? Do you want to have more energy? These are all reasons that can really resonate with a partner who wants the best for you.
• Remember that nutrition and wellness is not one-size-fits-all: finding joint foods and activities that you like may involve some trial and error. Not everyone likes a salad with dinner or to hit the gym in the evening- and that’s OK! Find some overlap between your preferences and go from there.
• No one likes being told what to do. It’s so much better to ask your partner, make their voice equally heard, and make compromises when something doesn’t work for both of you.

Question #2: “What are your thoughts about the ketogenic diet and intermittent fasting?”

I’m not going to get into TOO much detail here but I want to do shows on both. But here is a brief summary of how I feel.

As you guys know, I am a non-diet dietitian who focuses on women’s wellness, prediabetes, diabetes and PCOS. So in terms of my blog, the podcast and my own private practice, I am not a fan of either of these diets. I am NOT saying that the ketogenic diet cannot be used to treat other illnesses. I’m actually fascinated about some of the research that is going on right now about it. I just don’t feel like it’s effective long-term in my general client population.

Any type of diet that causes you to constantly think about what you can and can’t eat and makes you feel deprived is REALLY difficult to maintain in the long run. I find that a majority of my clients really just need to adopt some basic healthy eating principles and then they slowly achieve the results they want. In a culture that is all about instant gratification, I can see how trying a diet is more appealing than just making some small changes. But I think we should focus on long-term results, not instant gratification.

If someone is thinking about doing the ketogenic diet, especially for weight loss, I like to ask them to be honest with themselves and if they will still be on that diet in a year  from now. The answer is most likely “NO”. Most people who diet don’t stick with it long-term and gain back all of the weight (and then some). That isn’t healthy for your body either.

Stay tuned for more episodes about these topics. I’m planning on really delving in to the keto diet to explain what is happening in your body as well as going over the pros and cons of following it.

Question #3: “I really enjoyed your episode about stress and eating. What advice do you have to curb cravings if they are not coming from stress? I have a big sweet tooth but I don’t think it’s coming from being tired or stressed.”

Great question! I find that many food cravings come from restriction and feeling like certain foods are bad for us. As we restrict those foods, we tend to think of them more and more. Once we finally allow ourselves to eat that food, we are more likely to over indulge or binge.

My best piece of advice with cravings is to satisfy the craving. If you want chocolate then have some chocolate. A key to this is to NOT feel guilty about it. Satisfy your craving and then move on. You can do this while still being mindful, listening to your body and stopping when you feel satisfied.

A great activity to address food cravings is to do the following:

• Pick your craving! I’ll choose peanut butter as an example. I have had MANY clients who view peanut butter ias a bad food and don’t keep it in their house.
• Think of that peanut butter as something you can eat any time, all the time.
• Start having as much peanut butter as you want with every meal. Enjoy it! Be sure to have large servings for at least breakfast and lunch. Throw it in with dinner if you want!
• Do this every single day.

After a few days, you will likely not want crave peanut butter anymore. When we level out the playing field and allow ourselves to satisfy a craving, it builds a much healthier relationship with food.

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Thanks, friends!