Rotarian Rob Johnson introduced our speaker, Betsy Johnson, of Betsy’s Nutrition. Betsy is Rob’s sister-in-law; she is married to Rob’s brother Jonathan.
Ms. Johnson’s passion, and business, is nutrition, diet and exercise, and talking and teaching about them. Betsy is an ISSA (International Sports Sciences Association) certified nutrition coach.
With respect to diet and nutrition, she indicated that the key is to be intentional. She pointed out that three significant health problems in our country – hypertension, elevated cholesterol and diabetes/elevated A1C – are frequently self-inflicted. Diet has a lot to do with all three of them. She said that we need to be intentional about what we eat.
She focused on three important aspects of diet and nutrition. First, sodium is a huge culprit, particularly in processed foods and frozen foods. Salt is in everything, but in particularly high concentrations in those kinds of foods. She said it is far better to cook at home rather than to eat processed foods. That way we can better control salt intake.
The second culprit is sugar. She described sugar as a kind of drug that is usually not good for our bodies. She noted that many of us look for a quick energy boost late in the work day, and frequently get it from something that is high in sugar. She suggested spacing out eating during the day to avoid bottoming out late in the day. Be wary of processed sugar in lots of foods, including many that we think of as healthy, such as some yogurt. Natural sugar from fruit, berries and apples is much better.
The third topic was protein. Protein is very important, particularly for keeping muscles strong as we age. In addition, protein helps keep you fuller longer, and helps you avoid reaching for sugar or carbohydrates late in the day. Fish, poultry, eggs, lean beef, beans are good protein sources.
She noted that exercise is a mental relief to her, and is important for all of us. She pointed out, however, that eating poorly can overcome even good exercise. Eating is usually an all the time thing; exercise is just for relatively short periods, even if done every day.
In response to a question, she suggested that when eating out order proteins grilled “naked” with sauce or dressing on the side. She noted that many seasonings and dressings contain lots of salt, and some of them lots of sugar.
Ms. Johnson’s website is betsynutrition.com.