A Healthy Way to Release Fat with Brooke Rosenfeld, RD

You're listening to the PT Profit podcast, episode number 244. Today I'm sitting down with registered dietitian Brooke Rosenfeld, and we are discussing a healthy way to release unwanted fat. Are you ready? Let's get started.

Hi, I'm Beverly Simpson, former fitness manager turned online personal training business owner. And this podcast is where smart fitness professionals, including trainers and clinicians, discover how to increase client performance in movement, package and position their products and services, and get out of their own way so that they can increase their revenue to live a life that they love without sleazy sales. Welcome to the PT Profit Podcast.

What's up, coach? Thank you so much for pushing play on another episode of the PT Profit Podcast. I'm your host, Beverly Simpson, and if today is the first day you're hanging out with me, welcome. I'm super pumped that you're here. I'm really excited to bring to you a very, really insightful and passionate episode. I had the pleasure and privilege of speaking with Brooke, who is a registered dietitian, and she has shared with us inside of today's episode, her journey, how she's been able to use her systems and processes to help her clients actually get results without the expense of sacrificing self esteem. And I feel like this is a really, really important and nuanced conversation, and it's really important to remind us all that there are lots of rows and different ways to go to. To get to a desired outcome. And so in this episode, we're going through Brooke's approach, and she shares with us some really valuable nuggets that we can use to help and assist our clients. So without further ado, let's go ahead and roll that interview. What's up, Brooke? Thank you so much for joining me on the show today. How are you?

I'm good, thanks, Beverly. I'm so excited to be here.

This is so awesome. Thank you for your patience. Before I hit record, I just. My computer was having a huge malfunction. So I'm super excited to get into the episode today.

So for those of you I know.

Especially now, for some reason, I just. Anyway, so for those of you who have not been introduced to your work, I'd love for you to share with us a little bit about who you are, who you serve and how you got there.

Yeah. So I'm Brooke. I'm a registered dietitian, and I help people lose weight without eliminating any foods. Generally, the people I work with are mostly women in their 30s to, like, 60s, and a lot of Them have a history of doing lots of different yo yo diets and you know, you name the diet, they've tried it. So it's always really great when I get the opportunity to show them that they actually don't have to be keto, they don't have to do intermittent fasting, they don't have to do, you know, whatever, you name it that they've tried. Right. And you know, show them a different way and hopefully be able to instill the tools they need to eventually be able to, you know, part ways with me, but feeling confident that they have a, you know, much better understanding of nutrition and healthier lifestyle in general.

Hey, I love that. So how did you, how did you get there? What brought you to being a registered dietitian?

So I was very fortunate, Beverly to grow up with a very healthy mother. So I remember from a young age watching her first thing in the morning walk on the treadmill, you know, while we were sleeping, although I wasn't sleeping, like, and I would see her like, you know, she would keep the captions on, like, she would watch foreign films and she would like read the captions and be on the treadmill, like, you know, first thing in the morning. And I felt like she set such a good example as far as exercise and nutrition. Always had us eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, but also included fun foods all the time. You know, no foods were ever off limits. And I really did appreciate that because I know so many women I've worked with, you know, they tell me about how they watched their mothers, you know, struggle with different foods their whole life, different diets, saying, oh, I can't eat that, it's going to make me fat, you know, things like that. And I feel that that really leaves an imprint on people. So being that I had this awesome mother and then myself, you know, dealing with some health issues as I had gotten older, I have ulcerative colitis. So I had to really take things into my hands and learn how to take care of myself as best I can. Fortunately, been flare free for most of my life. I have had some times where it's been a little rocky. And ulcerative colitis is basically like, you know, ulcers in your large intestine. It's like an inflammatory bowel disease. It's not fun. But because I had to pay such close attention to my nutrition and fitness, I was like, wow, I'm super passionate about this. And so I decided to make it a career. But first I had actually been like thinking about studying history and then I made a complete change. I was like, wait, I can study nutrition. So I ended up transferring to a school that had a nutrition program, and the rest is history.

Oh, my gosh. That's amazing. Okay, so what I'm curious about is how did you discover that you had this? Like, were you just having excruciating pain all of a sudden every time you ate? Like, how did you discover this?

So it was funny. I felt fine. And I was actually. I was young. I was like 12, 13 years old. And one day I just got so sick. Beverly. Like, it was excruciating pain and like, not to be tmi, but, you know, like, going, I got it.

The colon.

Yeah.

Or the intestine, I got.

Yeah, yeah. So sorry to be, like, kind of gross there, but, you know, it is what it is, right? And finally they were able to figure out what was wrong with me. I was emaciated. I was skin and bones. It was terrible. But finally they figured it out. And, you know, with some. I was on, like, probably about 20 pills a day at first, and now I only have to take four. So I'm pretty pleased about that.

Yeah, that's great. I mean, that young. That must have been such a very different experience going through high school dealing with, you know, I have to take a gaggle of pills for breakfast. And then you're surrounded by girls that are already in indoctrinated by their parents or their mom, specifically of like, oh, I'm already on a diet. And you're like, dude, I just want a sandwich.

Oh, that. Plus, I. You know, another thing I wanted to mention too, with that you mentioned high school. You know, this was middle school. High school. And I in middle school was taking prednisone, you know, steroids. And that made me gain quite a bit of weight, you know, and it makes you gain weight in really strange places, too. So, of course, I got bullied by some of the kids at school, which was like, you know, not a fun experience. And it's just. It's just terrible how kids can be. And they're so, like. I don't know what the word is. It's. They're just blunts and they don't really think about what they say. And it's, you know, it's terrible that kids have to go through that. But I myself experienced that for a while, and it was not fun.

So as a mom of two young girls who are in this, you know, they're 8, 8 and 6, and it's very interest. Interesting to see how they learn the Skills to be cruel to people. Like, it's. It's, you know, they don't. They're blunt. And then they somehow transition because they learn it, which is heartbreaking to me. They transition to being critical and cruel, you know, and it's. That's hard to see. It is.

And it's hard to be on the receiving end of it.

Amen.

You know, and, you know, it is what it is, but I have to say that it taught me a lot. And I wouldn't change anything because it made me stronger. It made me who I am today. Right?

Yeah, for sure. And now you help a lot of people through nutrition.

Yes. Yes.

So, I mean, that's amazing. Okay, so now as a registered dietitian, you had to go through grueling education and internship and clinical hours. Working in a hospital, you're really using nutrition to help heal literal, like, literal diseases and food. I know this because I have a client that's a dietitian. And I went. I was. I was with her and she was going through this process and I was like, wow, this is intense. So I'm curious for you, as you came on the other side of that, like, what was some of the biggest. What were some of the biggest things that you saw in your education and in your practice that, Pete, when it comes to nutrition that coaches and people don't really see, they don't really, really have a full understanding. You know, it's like we go get this certification and then we think we're a nutritionist, but they don't realize the scope of practice that they're really, you know, looking at. So I'm curious, from your perspective, from a registered dietitian's perspective, what are some of the deep rooted sciences of nutrition experiences that you feel like most people don't fully understand, but it's important.

Wow. No one's ever asked me that before. That's a really great question. I mean, so in school, you know, we have to take biochemistry. I had to take like, you know, pre calc. I had to take biology, chemistry, like all. All that microbiology. But, you know, it's funny because I feel that I really learned so much. Not necessarily, you know, you can only learn so much in a classroom, but like, having to actually work hands on with people who are very sick. A lot of the time that I had spent, like, I've worked in nursing homes and hospitals outside of my internship for many years. I actually still do consulting work with a nursing home presently. And seeing people at the end of their life and seeing how big of an impact starting these healthier habits now? I don't think that people realize what can happen if they wait too long to start implementing healthier habits. And I think that. What am I trying to say here? I think that people over complicate things a lot. And I think that something that coaches should keep in mind is at least I feel from my experience, I'm trying to get people to simplify everything so they're not trying to take on too much. I think that people think they have to be so intense and so extreme and go hard, but in reality, it's a matter of getting people to do simple things consistently. And I hope that answered your question. I kind of went off on a tangent there. I feel.

No, you didn't. It did. And I think you were starting to go, you know, you're starting to talk about, you know, working with people when they're close to the end of their life. You know what I was hearing? You start to say, and, you know, correct me if it was wrong, but it's like people think they have time and they think that. They think that, oh, I'll start on Monday. And then we forget that there's only 51 Mondays in a year. And then how many years have we been saying that? And it has a compounding effect. And so I'm just curious, you know, when you're with these people that are at the end of their lives and they want to, you know, what are some of the things that they say to you or that you see in them that you're like, I wish you had just done X this. You know, what are some. What would you say, like, if they could go back in time, what would be some of the habits that you would want to simply put in?

Well, if. I mean, when people are at the end of the life depending on, you know, their. How they're feeling mentally. Unfortunately, a lot of the people that I work with aren't necessarily all there towards the end. You know, a lot of them have dementia and things like that. But I think that if people just focused on improving the quality of their diet, you know, by eating more plants, more protein, getting just moving more in general, learning how to manage their stress, these. I think that people don't realize that a lot of the conditions that people end up getting, you know, down the road, like very sick from and potentially dying from, they take a long time to manifest and to worsen. And sometimes these things aren't caught until it's kind of too late. You know what I mean?

I Do. I do.

But I just wish that there was more of an emphasis on just teaching people how to lead healthier lives, like, in simple ways. And I think it's a shame that it's not really taught in schools at all. Like, nutrition is really not taught to any of us unless we actively seek it out. You know what I mean?

I do.

I think that's terrible.

Oh, my gosh. I mean, they took out. I mean, I can't. I used to be an ra, and I can't tell you in college, I can't tell you how many people and kids go to school away. Like, the first time they're away from their families, and they have no idea how to do their laundry, no idea how to cook or eat, and they get dumped into these cafeterias that just are like, yeah, eat whatever you want. And they have no idea how to build a plate.

Yep. Yep. And it's like, little things like that can go such a long way with people. You know, just like, basic stuff. Like, even home economics.

Yeah. Oh, my gosh.

That's. Those are, like, important skills, like, you know, that I think I know in a lot of schools, they pull stuff like that, and they don't, you know, want to have that as part of the curriculum anymore. And I'm like, we need this.

Yeah. I mean, the three. I feel like the essential skills we no longer learn in school anymore, like manage money, manage. Like, dude, I laugh because we think it's so easy. But listen, these are some of the things I've learned the hard way. I wish.

Yeah. And I think people get frustrated because they might compare themselves to a fitness professional. Right. And it's like, I eat, sleep, breathe this stuff.

Yes.

It comes very easily to me.

And it's years of compounding, effective muscle building.

Right. So, you know, I try and tell people. I'm like, I know that it might seem frustrating, but if you keep showing up every day, these things that seem hard are going to feel so much easier in time.

Yes.

So I feel like that's a big part of my job, is in continuing to encourage my clients. Break things down as simple as possible and try and get them to kind of push, pump the brakes and understand that it's okay to screw up.

Yes, totally. Totally. That's part of it. Yeah. So now what? I'm curious, you know, since, you know, I'm curious your perspective, and I feel like I'm going to bring up something that's a little bit controversial, so, you know, feel free to take your time with this. But you Know, right now in the day and age, we see a huge trend in the fitness industry around, you know, conversations around fat loss and self esteem loss and this idea of feeling like, you know, be. If you are promoting fat loss, you are dealing with, you know, body image and that you are, you know, maybe you don't have a healthy relationship with food or healthy lifestyle versus, you know, just a very like body positivity, fat loss is bad. And then the other side of the spectrum, which is like, you know, promoting unhealthy lifestyles to, to be at body fat percentages that are just plain and simple, not realistic or healthy. If we want to talk about health and the spectrum of health. Right. And so then what happens is that the messy middle ends up feeling very neglected, confused where most people live. So I'm just curious your perspective in terms of how you navigate the nuances between what is healthy when it comes to body fat and what is, what needs to be addressed and then what is not healthy?

Well, that's a big topic to discuss. I feel like I, well, it, I mean there's so much that can be said with this. What I will say is there are just, it's undeniable that there are certain negative effects that can come from obesity down the road. And I think that when you're younger, certain things aren't going to affect you the same way as they would as you get older. You know what I mean? Just because you're young and you just feel a lot. But I mean, shoot, 20 years ago I feel a lot different than I do now. You know what I mean? Like, things are starting to kind of hurt. I have aches and pains, you know, here and there. But that, I think that's just a normal part of aging. And I do the best I can to take care of myself. But the fact of the matter is, you know, well, first of all, it's okay to want to lose weight. And I have and there are a lot of people that want to and the people that want to, that are going to seek out my services, you know, I don't, I have never had personally a client feel badly for contacting me or feel like any shame for wanting to lose weight. And a lot of times they'll say, you know, I want to be able to play with my grandkids when I get older and you know, move without much difficulty with less weight on my joints and things like that. You know, they have. And of course it could be aesthetic too, you know, that it's okay to have an aesthetic goal But I think a lot of times it's a lot deeper than that. And I think that even small changes to someone's lifestyle can improve their health, their lab markers, whatever, without necessarily losing like a ton of weight. It really just depends on the person to determine what healthy for that person would be. But, yeah, that's. That's a complex topic. And I know that a lot of people are definitely, like. It's very, like, polarizing.

It's polarizing, it's confusing. And I think a lot of people just feel really conflicted about it. You know, I was. And for me personally, it's like this idea of, you know, what comes first? The chicken and the egg. Right. Meaning that Ari is the messaging. Is what's being taught, how people are learning part of the problem? You know, like.

Yeah, I.

It is.

And then, you know, the whole intuitive eating thing.

Yes, that intuitive eating isn't.

Well, I mean, I feel like you have to kind of talk about that if you're talking about the whole, like, body positivity thing. So what I say in my content, like, sometimes I'll talk about this on my stories or in my posts sometimes. But I find that a lot of people who promote intuitive eating, and I'm not saying everybody, but a lot of people who promote intuitive eating have a history of tracking their food meticulously for one reason or another. Perhaps they were, you know, in bodybuilding shows, or maybe they went to school for however many years studying nutrition, so maybe they don't even have to track their food. You know, a lot of dietitians have gone through how many food science classes, this, that and the other thing, you know, so for me, to eat intuitively is a lot different than someone who has zero idea about nutrition. Right. So I think that when people demonize tracking their food, it's one of the most cheap ways of educating yourself around your food choices. Do you know what I mean?

I do. I mean, for me, it's three things, right? For me, it's three things. I always think to myself, intuitive eating isn't intuitive. Most people do not have, in my opinion. Okay. Yeah. And what I mean by that is that I think you can get there, but that's step four. That's like asking a toddler to run a marathon when they just learned how to walk. I'm not saying that it's not possible, and I'm also not even saying that we have to get them to count, but we have to get them to have a level one awareness of just getting in tune with their body. Hunger cues, because most people are not awake to those cues.

Yes, and you said it perfectly. Intuit. To be able to like, eat intuitively is a skill that needs to really be developed. And my end goal is for all my clients to get there, you know, and I always will try and transition my clients off tracking. I do have some people that do love to track, but, you know, that's their choice. But for like 99% of the people I work with, the goal is to get them to transition away. But for a time, you know, it's going to teach them so much about the foods they eat, the portions that are appropriate for them and their goals without eliminating anything.

Yes, yes, yes, yes. And I think too that, that I.

Think it really just comes down to.

The education is that most people are, you know, do it my way, this way, this is the best way. When in reality we just need to help people understand themselves, get to know themselves a little bit better and then have the tools so that they can strategically eat with ease, essentially, in my opinion.

Yes, I agree with you 100%. And yeah, it's not that tracking their food is the only way, of course not. Like there's other methods that I would use with people that, you know, maybe are more behavioral. Maybe it's like using hand sizes or plate portions, whatever. But the, the majority of my clients do track and they actually end up enjoying it and they're like, wow, I had no idea that an avocado was so high in calories. And like, I had no idea I was putting hundreds of calories of oil on my salad every day. You know what I mean? It's like things like that it's important for, like you said, building the awareness.

And I think too that a lot of people think, and this is, this is not shade. Right. It's. I think that we just forget that our context box is very small. So we are all following a million hundred fitness professionals because we are fitness professionals and that's within our raz. That's within our context box. When most people are following you and Jillian Michaels, like, yeah, they're not, they're not even your super conscious people who are like fitness enthusiasts. They're still maybe following five fit pros.

Yeah, yeah. And. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cut you off.

No, no, so, and it's just so true. It's like I don't count anymore, but I can, I know what a 6 ounces of chicken looks like cooked and.

Right. Probably because you tracked for at least some time, right. Yeah.

Yes.

And that's the thing. And I get kind of frustrated when I see people promoting intuitive eating to people with no nutritional knowledge whatsoever. And like you said, you know, they're. They don't know, like, how to listen to, like, different hunger fullness cues. Like, they've been yo yo dieting for how many years? Like, I don't know. You know what I mean? So I think that tracking is so important, not only if you're trying to lose weight, but maybe it's to make sure, like, you're actually eating enough. There's many different uses for it.

So, I mean, yeah, especially because you mentioned stress. And for me, everyone has different stress responses. Stress is the invisible killer. Right. So I will completely just stay in the head and out of the body. So I have found myself going an entire day without eating, not because I wasn't hungry, but because I wasn't listening. And that stress.

Yep. And I myself, my stress response is generally I don't eat. Like, I just, you know, if I'm really busy, like, I can honestly forget to eat sometimes. So I'm actually currently tracking, to be transparent, just because I just wanted to check in with myself and see how I'm doing. And periodically I will, but I don't do it all the time, but I currently am right now. But also, too, talking about stress. This is something that I work with my clients on as far as making sure that they are getting the help they need from a mental health professional. That is something I stress with most of my clients. And I feel that getting that kind of help in conjunction with coaching is so huge. And I think that people don't realize how much of how we are, you know, can be traced back to different patterns we have that maybe we built, like, from when we were younger as, like, you know, different responses that we have and stuff. And to work with a therapist on identifying, like, certain triggers and having to learn better ways to manage our stress outside of food, because. And I'm sure, you know, like, so many people, they do turn to food when they're stressed as, like, as a coping mechanism. And maybe it's drinking a lot on the weekends and things like that. So I think taking that time to, you know, speak with my clients about seeing a therapist, they're always so thankful that they did, and it's really been a game changer.

So it's interesting that you bring this up because I do want to talk about this because it kind of alludes to scope of practice. And you hear a lot of coaches talking about how, you know, if you're not a registered dietitian, then make sure you refer out because there's only so much you can do. You cannot treat meal plan, blah, blah, blah, blah. Right. And then I'm curious in just in terms of like mental health, because when we start dealing with food, we're also inevitably discussing disordered eating. Potentially. We're. And which is where this whole like intuitive eating came from. Right. Is this we're discussing disordered eating and we're also discussing, you know, mental health. And so how much of that is scope of practice even for an rd? Right. So like when, when you start seeing, okay, maybe we've got some disordered eating, where's your line for you?

Yeah.

When it comes to I need extra support or this is outside my scop.

Yeah. So I mean, this is really person dependent. But you know, just thinking back to a couple of people that I've worked with, you know, this, this one woman was having like really significant binge eating issues. And I told her, I said, listen, I said, I, I want to help you, but I really think that you need to work with a therapist right now. I don't think that this is the right time for you to be actively trying to lose weight. And what I would do is I was like, listen, if you don't know a therapist in your area, I will help find one. Like, I'll, you know, I'll do a little Google search. I'll try and hook them up with someone that can help them. Because, like, there's certain, like, that's definitely not within my scope of practice. There are dietitians who are trained in dealing with this kind of thing. I am not one. So I wouldn't even try, you know what I mean? And I would absolutely refer out. And then there's betterhelp.com I always talk about that as well in my content and with my clients because I'm so passionate about people getting the help they need. But if someone's telling me that they're. This one woman said that she's petrified to get on the scale using verbiage, like that is a bit, you know, alarming for me. And I'm like, listen, like, I, I really think that you need to work with a mental health professional because I don't think someone who's using words like petrified to step on the scale should really be trying to be working on weight loss at the moment. So if I feel that I'm not appropriate to work with someone at the moment, I have absolutely no Problem, making sure that they are matched with someone who is and make sure that they get the help they need. So, yeah, I very much feel that way.

So now I also. It is also interesting, too, you're bringing this up, and I know that you're like, whoa, Beverly, this is sideways. But it's related to this in the sense that, you know, as a mom, okay, so now I'm a mom of two, and you had brought up your relationship with your mom, and we know that, that how people see you or how your children see you as a leader has a very great influence and depth of responsibility.

Yeah.

Okay. And so now with that, you see a whole bunch of messaging about, like, children getting weighed in, you know, with your pediatrics and how you should be navigating this conversation. And so I'm curious your opinion and take on how, as parents, we can be responsible, a responsible influence for our children.

Well, I love that question. So, you know, I think. And I'll talk to my clients about this, because I think that I hear, at least from a lot of the women I work with, that they feel guilty taking time to exercise and not be with their kids. And I'm like, why don't you have them work out with you? Like, you know, they can get, like, whatever little kind of toy weights they have out there, and, like, maybe they could, you know, pretend to, like, lift weights with you. Or I just think back again to what my mom did and how she set a good example for me. And I think that by just doing. By lifting weights, by going for walks, by taking them for walks, by, you know, making sure you're careful surrounding, like, certain words you use in regards to certain foods, like, oh, I'm going to be so bad, I'm going to have a cookie. You know what I mean? Like, that kind of stuff really, like, stays with the kids. And then I think throughout their whole life or even, you know, you can't get up from the table until you finish your meal. I have clients who tell me now, oh, my gosh, I just realized that I can't ever not, you know, not clear my plate because as a kid, I would get in trouble if I left food on my plate. So things that we say absolutely resonate with kids. And I. I don't have kids, but, you know, my. My friends do. And, you know, my, you know, there's kids in my family that I'm around as well. But my friend the other day was telling me that her daughter came home and said, I can't eat this because it is Too many cavities. But she meant calories. She's like, this is too many cavities. And she's, by the way, like, five years old.

Yeah.

So her friend at school was saying how a food that whatever food it was, had too many cavities, so she couldn't eat it. And it, like, it resonates. So, I mean, it's not even just what we're saying, but what other people are saying. And of course, now we have to add social media into the mix. Like, oh, my God, it's hard. I can imagine. It's really tough to have those conversations when your kids come home saying things like that. Like, that's. Actually. She is a therapist, so I can imagine that she handled that very well. But that's tough.

Oh, for sure, for sure, for sure. I mean, it is interesting, too. It kind of goes back to what we were saying in terms of the bullying, is that my kids come home all the time, my eldest daughter, Gwendolyn, and she'll do something and then ask me, like, are you gonna ground me? And I'm looking at her, and I'm like, I have never grounded you in your life. Like, where did you even get that context? How did you even hear that? That's something that could be possible. I've never grounded you.

They hear everything.

Yeah, you know, it's. I was like, oh, we need to stop watching tv.

Yeah. But, I mean, you know, I talk about this all the time, you know, just in friendly conversation, whatever. Like, friends, family. I can't even imagine growing up in the age of social media. Like, I can't. I cannot even imagine. I didn't have my first phone until I was like. I think, like. Like 13 or something. Like, I don't know. But now I'm seeing little kids on phones, and they're better at using it than I am. And I'm like, what's going on here? And, like, I just can't imagine what they're getting exposed to. So.

Yeah, I know. It's unreal.

Yeah, it's unreal.

But, you know, they. They do have these, like, cute nutritional television shows that are like, oh, really?

Oh, well, see, that's good. Like, I like that, and I think that that's really smart, and I think that's a great way, you know, to, like, engage the kids, like, with nutrition. But, you know, as far as everything else goes, like, I mean, I can only imagine what they're seeing, what they're hearing. But I. I think the more that. Again, setting a good example, I think Goes such a long way. I know for me personally, it did tremendously. So I'm like forever grateful to my mom for that.

It's amazing. So now, you know, on the flip side of this, right, I want to talk about how, how it's how you know, and I'll share personally and they, they all know so they can, you know, we all joke about it. Even though I tell them all the time it's not funny. The reverse side of this, right, Is like my husband, for example, he. He will not eat a vegetable. Like, eating a vegetable is like, not really. Yes, we'll do it, right? It is like giving him poison is how he feels. He hasn't said it like that, but he might as well, right? And his family all jokes because they're like, oh, when he was a kid, we have to just give him cells and cheese. And it was so funny. And I'm like, it was not funny because look at, look at the impact now. It's not funny.

Yeah, yeah, but.

And I don't even mean that from a fat loss perspective, right. I'm talking about, like your immune system not being down, always being fatigued. I mean, it has such a huge impact. The fact that you won't eat vegetables.

Oh, yeah, absolutely. And I mean, my mom would sneak them into pancakes. I'm not kidding. She would. But she had us, like, she'd puree fruit in the morning and give it to us with breakfast. Like, we always had fruits and vegetables. So I think starting kids young with their fruit and vegetable intake is so. And I feel like fruit, it's a little different because it's sweet. And I feel like sometimes more. Well, yeah, I, I don't know. Like, I feel like that would be more a more pleasurable experience than like a vegetable that's like, not sweet. But even so, like, there are ways you can sneak in vegetables. But I think the younger you start kids eating vegetables, the better, you know? And obviously, you know.

Oh, my gosh. I do. So I'm. And I asked. So funny is that I started. I, I bought one of those cookbooks, the, like, sneak it in cookbook. Yeah. And so one time I made him such a funny story. He still, like, almost barfs when I tell this story. But one time I made him shells and cheese, but it wasn't. It just looked like it. It was butternut squash, right?

Oh, yeah.

And it was beautiful. It looked like a perfect replica of shells and cheese. The Velveeta shells and cheese. Yeah. So it was just a context switch. Like, I didn't warn him or tell him. So he took this giant bite, thinking it was one thing, and then, like, it was not. It was, like, such a funny story. But now, ever since then, he won't touch anything. So I'm curious, like, for your. I know that he can't be the only one. So when you're working with adults that maybe, or, or even kids that, that hate the tastes of things that are good for them, what do you do? How do you navigate that?

Yeah. So, I mean, I think in my opinion, whatever way you can make eating vegetables a more pleasurable experience is a win. So, you know, like, if you will eat vegetables with some ranch dressing, I'm all for it. You know, like, and I think that people just need to also learn how to freaking cook a little bit. Like, you know, try some recipes. The air fryer is a game changer. A little bit of seasoning, like, condiments. Like, it really can make a bland vegetable taste better. Even salt itself. You know what I mean? Like, I love vegetables, but I know that that's not the case for everybody. But, hey, a little bit of cheese, a little some kind of dressing, dip of some kind. Like, whatever it is, if that's gonna make you eat more vegetables, like, that's good. And, you know, in the grand scheme of things, you know, again, I'm, I have, like, an all foods fit type of approach, and I'm all for that. And I think the more plants that we can have, the better, because for the most part, people are just not eating enough at all.

So I'm also curious, you know, what about, like, V8s and people drinking their, their veggies?

Yeah, I, I mean, so V8, like, I, I, I've never actually had any client that drinks V8. I actually forgot about V8, but I think that. Oh, really? I feel like that's like, I know my dad used to love drinking V8, but. So gross.

I do not. I'm not going to ever die. It's so gross. I want, like, it's just gross.

It's kind of like chilled tomato soup. But I mean, I think that also blending, like, smoothies are great for masking vegetables or, like, pureeing them in soups, putting them in stews, blending them up into, like, sauces like you tried to do, which obviously didn't work, but it can. And that's a great way to bump up your veggie intake without really noticing so much. Or maybe in the case of your husband, not so much. But I think I should have told Him.

If I had told him that this is not shells and cheese, then you're caught. It's kind of like that. I don't know where I heard this story, but it's like you close your eyes and tell someone that they're gonna get ice cream, and you give them lasagna even though it's good. Yeah, they can't. They're like, what?

Yeah, yeah. I. The expectation. It's like, oh, yeah. Oh, yeah.

So I should have told them.

Yeah, but, I mean. But things like that, I mean, I think that's actually a really good idea. So if you're someone that really doesn't like vegetables, it's probably because you're not preparing them in an appetizing way. And, I mean, I don't know. I. I would encourage people to even try to go to, like, a cooking class or something, or try and, like, watch YouTube videos. You can learn how to do almost anything on YouTube. So, like, teach yourself how to cook. Basic stuff.

Yes. Do you cook?

Oh, yeah.

What's your favorite? Like, how often? Oh, what. What do you mean by cook? Yeah, tell me.

Yeah, so it's funny because my clients are always like, post more recipes. Post more recipes. I'm like, you guys would not want to probably make the food that I make. It's, like, pretty boring, but at the same time, I like it. I, you know, like, I eat a lot of the same stuff, but, you know, I eat a lot of air fryer stuff. Like, I love chicken tenders that I put in the air fryer. Salmon, like, frozen salmon filets. I'll air fry those. I'll roast chickens at the beginning of the week. I love ground beef. Like, I just. I make, like, very, like, basic meals. I'll pair meats with different veggies and some kind of starch, and then I'll put some kind of, you know, seasoning or condiment. Like, that's how I eat. And that's how I try to encourage my clients to eat, too. I'm like, keep it simple. The more simple, the better. The easier it'll be to track. But my meals aren't, like, gourmet or anything. Like, they're definitely not works of art. I mean, I try sometimes, but it's. It's just not me.

I. It's. It's funny because most people either. They're always asking for the recipes, but really, if you really look at your behaviors, you. You maybe eat five different things. Maybe.

Yes, and. Yes. And that's the thing I always say, like, in my content, I'm like, being boring is beneficial. Boring has benefits. I'm like, yes, if you eat the same breakfast and lunch most days, which you probably do anyway, you can have dinner as more of a wild card if that's the time that you eat with your family. And then, you know, you could switch that up. But keeping it, like, constant is going to just make things so much easier. And then, of course, you have less room for error with tracking, the more simple you keep your meals. And that's what I try and stress with them, too, because the more you change it up, the more likely you are to mess up with your tracking and throw things off.

And right now, how do you navigate going out to eat and restaurants?

Yeah, so I just tell my clients, you know, I say, try to minimize how often you go out to eat, if possible. If they do go out to eat, I just tell them to find an entry in my fitness pal that, you know, makes the most sense. I tell them to maybe add like a tablespoon or two of olive oil to their tracker to account for the extra calories that might be. That will be probably in the restaurant meal. I would never expect anybody to take a scale out to eat ever. So, you know, I just tell them to estimate the best they can. I send them like a. A hand portion estimator just for them to keep in their phone or whatever for their reference. But, yeah, I just tell them to do the best they can with that. The restaurant meals are really not going to be accurate. I mean, whatever's listed there is likely going to be off because, of course, it depends on who's preparing it and all that. But what was the other thing? I was going to say they could also look at the menu ahead of time and kind of go in with a game plan. You know, I think that that takes a lot of stress out of it as well and kind of the rest of their day around what they might have. And something I tell them to keep in mind, which they like is. Is a choice a hell yeah, or is it a myth? And if it's more of a meh, give it a pass. But if it's a hell yeah, then go for it.

Now, I'm also curious, you know, because this kind of thinking, too, has also taught a lot of people.

Yeah.

Or can teach a lot of people like, okay, so I'm going to hoard all my points or I'm going to hoard all my calories. Like, yeah, how do you navigate those conversations of like, hey, no, no, it's a Christmas and you're going to go to a party and eat breakfast.

Oh, yeah. So what I tell them is, you know, if you know that you're going to be having a more indulgent meal, don't skip meals. But I would just stick to more, like, protein, produce heavy meals, so, you know, those are going to be still filling, but, you know, leave you a little bit more wiggle room for later. And going into event starving is going to lead to overeating, likely. So I would never encourage them just get meals. And that's something that I absolutely work with my clients on because it's kind of like getting away from that mentality of, like, oh, I'm going to skip meals to, you know, save calories for later. Never works out well for the most part.

So good. So good. Well, Brooke, I want to. I really want to be mindful of your time. So thank you so much for pouring into me, pouring into the community. I'd love to. I'd love for you to share just a little bit about, you know, if someone wants to go deeper with you, where are the best places I can send them?

Well, Beverly, thank you so much for having me. I loved speaking with you today. And if anyone wants to, you know, reach out to me, I'm on Instagram. Well balanced with Brooke. That's the best place to reach me. And I'd love to talk to you. So, you know, give me a follow there if you like what I had to say. I'd love that.

I love it so much. Okay, we'll be sure to link all of that up inside of the show notes. So thank you so much.

Thank you, Beverly. Take care.

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