Everything in life is connected. Food impacts the way that we live and the way that we feel but there’s no one size fits all approach. In today’s episode we’re diving into the world of the controversial plant-based eating with NTA certified health coach, Hannah Haines…
Resources Mentioned In This Episode:
Connect with Jackie @whole9family
Connect With Hannah on IG @organiehannie
This Episode Discusses:
Hannah’s story transitioning to a plant based diet and switching professions from teaching to being a health coach.
The importance of being able to research different perspectives when making health decisions.
The difference between plant based and vegan diets.
The benefits of eating a plant based diet.
How to make transitioning to a plant based diet more simple.
Picky Eaters and introducing new foods.
The mindset of eating healthy and how to instill that in your children.
DON’T HAVE TIME TO LISTEN? HERE’S THE EPISODE ALL TYPED OUT:
Hey everyone. I’m your host Jackie and in todays’s episode I have my good friend Hannah on the show. Hannah is a health coach that works with people trying to get relief from their symptoms through whole foods. Today we are talking about plant based eating. This is a great episode with a ton of info on this very controversial topic. Let’s dive in!
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Hi Hannah!
Thanks for having me! It's great to be here.
I feel like you were a big part of my transitioning into eating healthier. I'm so excited. I think this is like a perfect place where you ended up…teaching other people how to live a healthier lifestyle.
Yes! So it definitely has been part of my story for a really long time. I grew up with my mom’s side of the family always being very healthy and like growing their own vegetables and like just really being thoughtful about everything that they were doing whereas my dad’s side was not and so as a little kid was like all very aware I think of like how it was affecting people because I could even see like my grandparents thriving you know? And so I my interest was piqued very young and just like that food impacts the way that we live and the way that we feel. So I was on a little bit of a journey from there but as I got older I was more interested in like different types of like refining how I eat and refining what makes me feel best so I tried a lot of different things. Mostly like I was really into more of like a whole 30/paleo kind of way of eating for awhile, but I honestly did not feel very good and that's a lot of what led me to experiment with a plant based diet. I liked not eating dairy and I had done that for a while but after doing like my final time of ever doing whole 30 and feeling really like heavy and horrible and just like not like my digestion wasn't working really well, I was like something is not right like I would like to experiment with some different things so I started experimenting with doing more meatless options at home and just cooking more plant based and I just felt amazing. So I kind of started before I even really knew why I was doing it and then more understanding kind of followed and then I just became more and more excited about a plant based way of eating and I became more and more informed about why it was doing it and just really like inspired to be able to help other people do that and to be able to help like my body and any symptoms that do come up be able to really target that better with a plant based diet. So it really was gradual it really was a process but I'm happy to be where I am now.
That’s great so where did you study? Where did you end up studying about this?
So I did a certification through the nutritional therapy association and that is a program that's actually very not plant based, in fact it is very animal foods focused and I was the only person there who really, maybe not the only student, but definitely like none of the teachers cared about plant based eating and a lot of them really didn't even think that it was a good thing so it was a little bit funny to be in that environment but it was really good for me because it helped me to not be too black and white so I was able to really learn from and grow through working with people who had a lot of different perspectives and we all really had the same mission to help people feel better and believed in real whole food in some different way you know? But while I was doing that I also did an online course through eCornell and that was also in plant based nutrition so I felt like I was really able to refine both different parts of me, and my client work and my knowledge of plant based food and kind of how I wanted to approach clients as well.
It's really cool and like you know just that perspective taking two different classes at the same time and kind of seeing what's out there and looking at the research on all different sides like that's the type of thing I think all of us should be teaching our kids if you're listening it's really important that we're not…I think sometimes we grow up a certain way and then we take our knowledge and we teach our children right? And then it almost becomes too black and white sometimes if we're not careful we want to make sure that we're showing them that there are so many different ways of you know doing something? And I think sometimes we do that without even realizing it so I love that you've done you know research on different areas 'cause this is a pretty controversial topic in the healthy living world.
One thing that I really valued that the NTA, where I went to school said, over and over again…it was one of their top beliefs and I really appreciated this was that they would always say there's no one size fits all diet and that really helps so that I even did feel respected as someone who wasn't exactly the same as everyone else but we know that everyone's bodies are really different and that everybody will react differently to different things and so like being able to think differently and interact with different ideas but also know that our bodies are different with all like really foundational for me and kind of coming to the way that I do things now.
So what research have you found out about plant based? Why do you believe that might be a good option for some people?
Yeah. I did a lot of reading prior to my course and one of my favorite nutrition doctors is Doctor Gregor. He's from nutritionfacts.org and that was some of my foundational research that I did. And then I did a bunch of other books as well as the course and all of them were really research based. And one of the things that I really appreciate about plant based nutrition research is that all of these doctors that I had found, value doing double blind placebo controlled trials and if you're not sure what that is, that would mean that nobody including the researcher knows which participants are getting a placebo and which ones are getting the real thing and that the results would then be like the most reputable I guess. They would show the most clarity as to how something works and so that really helped me as I was doing this research.
But some of the really exciting things that I found through it is that really like all-cause mortality is lowered by 25% with a plant based diet so really not even getting into specific things and people really live longer and that is something that I think is really exciting to see and really inspiring for people that sometimes I think dietary changes feel like small things, like they're not doing much for us and I think when you think about like life and you can imagine the trajectory of your life it's inspiring to be like, this will help me in the long term you know?
So really like it gets specific like eating a plant based diet is very very high in fiber and very low in saturated fat and the combination of those two things does really good things for your blood sugar as well keeping that balanced. It can also kind of lower your cholesterol and your blood pressure as well and another great benefit is that because of the high amount of fiber it's amazing for your digestive health. That you can feel great but being able to have regular bowel movements it also helps with your detox your natural detox organs to be able to be working well so you also have less toxins just in your body as a baseline. Reduced risk of cancer. Reduced risk of heart disease especially due to the lower saturated fat intake. Brain health, liver health, kidney health…all of these things really can show improvement. Prostate and breast cancer as well especially without dairy you see a lot of improvement in both prostate and breast cancer so it's really amazing when you dig into these different studies you can see really so many different causes of death are reduced through a plant based diet and some of that is through including specific ingredients in a plant based diet but some of that is just through the general pattern of eating if that makes sense.
Wow! Yeah that's kind of what I've heard too…longevity is a big thing when it comes to plant based eating. I know plant based diets aren't very appetizing to a lot of people and also I think there's so much now with like the beyond meat brand that I don't particularly like and you know like those kind of like processed plant based foods that people might consider as being healthier but yet I don't personally believe that those are healthier at all. I'd rather eat something that says it's 100% meat instead of a packaged you know plant based product that's full of additives so how can we transition into a plant based diet if that's something that we'd want to do? How would you transition and actually make it appetizing and like you know it's not something that is easy for a lot of people.
Totally! So I think one thing that's helpful to sort of define is that there's a difference between vegan and plant based not like a really real difference in terms of like you could use those terms sort of interchangeably but vegan is defined by what you're not eating right? So that's saying I'm not eating animal products but eating whole food plant based is defined by what you are eating and that would say that you are eating fruits, vegetables, legumes, seeds, nuts all in their whole food form and greens sorry I didn't say that. So when you focus on the whole foods that are plant based and make that the primary focus, that's where we really see these health benefits so there are a lot of people who prefer to be vegan for environmental reasons that's great as well but those are typically where you're going to see a lot more focus on the beyond meat and you know vegan pizzas and all that kind of thing which I enjoy sometimes when you know to celebrate things and have fun and we all eat junk food occasionally but it is helpful to look at that as like treat food I guess compared to normal food.
So just a few tips…One of them is don't think of eating plant based as eating like a whole different kind of food. What I would say is think of it as the foods that you already want to eat. Try to think of how you can make them in a way that incorporates more Whole Foods so for some people that's not going to entirely avoid meat that could mean adding cooked lentils to your ground beef for your tacos. It could be adding veggies to soups you know? It could be just adding more vegetables to foods that you're already eating or more beans, whatever it is so that's one thing that I think people oftentimes think, I need to do something 100% or I'm just not going to do it at all and then when they don't do it 100%, they go like totally back in the other direction and I think it's helpful for people to think of making small changes like think of meat more as a garnish rather than a meat dish and you know the rest of your plate can be more full of other things or think of try meatless Mondays well one day a week where you can try to make a vegetarian dish. But something that I really loved is like thinking of meals that we really want to have and making them really appetizing but also keeping them whole food plant based like enchiladas or something. That has been really fun because that's not something that's inherently not plant based so we don't need to just think of it as you know covered in cheese and full of shredded chicken. So I oftentimes will think of meals that I want to have and the Internet is so full of recipes so whenever you're thinking of what you want to have like just search the Internet like plant based or vegan Taco recipes and you could even be more specific like chickpea tacos and you'll find so many different options and I have found that is the most helpful way to do things because then you're not left having salads at every meal. Like that really like is not a sustainable way to eat and it's not really very fun and so and that was especially helpful for me to learn as I was getting married and really like thinking about more than just myself so I feel like it is so much fun for me to explore different recipes.
But when you don't have the energy and time to make something more exciting, like enchiladas for example, something that I love to stick to is picking like a bean or lentil or chickpeas or like a legume, a vegetable and a grain and seasoning them well. Like season them the way you would anything else like don't feel like you have to do nothing to these things. You don't just steam broccoli and then eat it you know? So being able to like really roast things while roasted chickpeas are so good but use your seasonings and use all different kinds of spices and herbs in your cooking as well as salt and pepper and you'll really get things to taste good. I think that we oftentimes will make meat like we'll do we'll put a lot of energy and attention into meat. You marinate it and you season it and you do all these different things you put in the slow cooker and then you think like oh like meat taste so good but really like if you eat it plain it doesn't taste good like if you just steamed or boiled chicken and you boil broccoli they're both gonna be equally not as interesting.
I think that that's the big part of it but I think that people just need to be prepared with their expectations of don't like I said go gradually or like sometimes you can think of me as you already have like a good rule of thumb is to do three meals you already have that are like almost entirely vegetarian for example spaghetti is and easy one like you could use lentil spaghetti or lentil pasta and you already know how to make your pasta how you want it there you go there's a meal that's already vegetarian three to find 3 like that then find 3 that you can easily adapt so you could change like a few different things about it maybe sub some beans instead of the meat whatever it is and then you have a new one and then find 3 new recipes and then you have nine different dinners in a rotation and you could kind of get yourself competent with those so it doesn't have to be as I guess drastic as it seems and really like have a lot of fun with it you know? That's kind of my best encouragement to anyone.
Yeah I think it's so much harder as a mom who's been feeding my kids a certain way right and then try to transition them into you know changing up their diet and getting them to explore new things without freaking out you know? Do you have any tips on how to help picky eaters and you know get kids to eat a little bit better?
Definitely. So I think that it's very difficult. This is difficult so I don't want to sound like oh like here's a quick solution because picky eating kids are a really difficult thing to deal with but I think one of the things that you can do, and I know I've seen you do this a lot, is helping your kids get involved in the preparation that they can see like feeling it and seeing it and smelling it and touching it, that they can just really like experience that this is what we're going to be having for dinner and this is what the process is like for it. Especially with younger kids I think you can get them more invested in the final outcome.
Another thing I like to try is making foods that they like. There are really good recipes for you know Mac and cheese that's not like full of processed foods. It's full of really good stuff that you can try making that for your kids or just really getting to exploring. Another thing I really like to do is to kind of combine foods all together like I'm really into soups and stews and even when I make something like enchiladas I will often times kind of make them mixture to fill it with veggies and beans and different things like that so that kind of when you're eating the final product you're eating it altogether rather and it tastes you know really good with the sauce and everything and that way you're not just looking at your you know cauliflower on the plate or something like that. Obviously like you make specific foods your kids don't like specific foods so you would know that better like what they would like and wouldn't like so you would know that better than anyone but an account on Instagram that I have found really helpful for that is @plantbasedjuniors on Instagram. They have a lot of tips for helping your kids just be able to like eat the food that you put in front of them but also being able to help raise people who are intuitive eaters and really aware of like how hungry they are at the same time so lots of helpful content on that page.
That's great. I'll add that to the show notes and I'll also add where you studied because I think that what's amazing about this is that this is kind of what I've been teaching my kids and what I'm trying to do with them. l want them to find out what really lights them up and what makes them excited to talk about something and then to go learn you know? And we should be modeling that too like I know his is a topic that I'm very interested in just healthy living in general so I'm incorporating that into my podcast and stuff because this is just who we are you know? Eating is such a big part of life and you know when you feel better, when you find the way of eating that's going to make you feel your best, you're going to be your best in whatever you're doing and I want my kids to be the same way. It's a lot harder when they're older and set in their ways to get them to like kind of realize well maybe the way you've just been eating for the past two weeks…maybe this is not the most optimal way of eating for you? They kind of look at you like yeah OK. It's not true. But you know I think as teenagers get older I think there's going to come a time where all of the work that we've been doing to talk to them and get them to like you know to realize that eating this way will make you feel drained and maybe you should switch it up sometimes they're not gonna actually understand it truly and like take ownership of that until they're way older but we're still like planting seeds you know? So it is a lot easier I feel like to start when they're younger and like I'm that way but I just know that with maturity they will remember this stuff.
And like their bodies will not be able to tolerate everything forever like I think when you're a teenager especially you feel so invincible with like Cheetos and soda and like you could eat however you want but like once you start to like feel tired and feel like you can't just do anything you start to like really see that food does affect you think and so like I don't know like I think you're right about that and I think that the seeds are very meaningful and that that would go with anything right and I like you said that that you said that earlier like we are whole people were not just isolated to food Is over here and this is over here like it's all like one thing 'cause we're a person so everything is so connected so it'll be interesting I think for you especially because your kids are pretty spaced out in age so you'll get to kind of see how that impacts all of them as they get older too.
Yes! Well thank you! I would love to if you could tell us your Instagram and I know you work with clients that are struggling in different areas. Can you tell us more about what you do and then I will add everything that you share in the show notes.
Yes my Instagram is @organiehannie and I started that a year ago while I was in school and on there I mostly share just tips for your health or hormonal awareness and regulation as well as implementing some of these different strategies that I mentioned in today and I work with clients one on one remotely so I work with people anywhere and we work primarily at targeting different underlying symptoms that people are dealing with or conditions using nutrition to be able to achieve relief from those so none of my clients eat plant based so don't think that that's all that I do. I just want to help people feel their best no matter what we have to do to get there so I'm really enjoying working with clients. It is fun to get to really see improvement and to get to see real freedom come from the relief they get from their symptoms.
That's great! I think you're in the perfect spot. I've always said to you like years back, your Instagram even before you started your program it's always been beautiful and so aesthetically pleasing and I've always said that you would be amazing at this. I’m so excited for you and I think that you found like the perfect place to be. You didn’t go to school for this right?
Yes! I was a teacher before which has actually been really fun because I think as I've learned more about nutrition and then the teaching background kind of comes in with that it's been fun to like kind of morf those skills I guess together.
Yeah and it's interesting because I think this is happening more and more where I'm seeing people are going to school for a specific skill and then they decide yeah I don't really wanna do this, this way and then you know that's kind of what happened to me too like you know I was teaching and it just wasn't what I thought I wanted you after awhile and that's OK you know? We don't have to stay stuck in one place. We can always try new things!
Well thanks again Hannah! I think this is a great topic and I am so excited to have you on the show and I really appreciate you taking the time to be here.
Well thanks for having me! It was great to be here and it's fun that like you said we've known each other a while. It's fun to get to be here together!
Thank you so much for listening to the Simply Freeing Podcast. Come connect with me on Instagram @whole9family.