Episode 52
Don't Give Up the French Fries and Other Unconventional Nutrition Advice
Keri Gans is a no-nonsense New Yorker who happens to be a registered dietician. She's also a bit of a celebrity.
She's been interviewed by or quoted in Forbes, Prevention, Women's Health and Newsweek, to name just a few. In part because she's an expert in nutrition and charismatic. But also because she has unconventional ideas about how to be healthy. (Sounds like someone I know...)
"Like, could you imagine life without French fries?"
This is a woman with a long list of happy clients who admits her healthy eating plan includes french fries but not kale (she hates it), Brussels sprouts (loves them) and a martini now and then.
She believes we focus too much on what we should leave out rather than what we can add. Diets like Keto (she has opinions), Paleo, and others like them, limit your food choices down so as to make that diet unsustainable.
"Nothing is a silver bullet."
And don't get her started on apple cider vinegar!
Keri introduced me to the concept of "post" biotic. Not pre, no pro, post.
"Why I love the idea of the postbiotics. This whole process happens outside your body. Fermentation creates these metabolites. And then they get dried into a powder, put into a little capsule."
Vs having to eat fermented foods like kimchi or yogurt.
All of the variations on this theme are tied not just to gut health but to immunity.
The brand she recommends and is an influencer for is EpiCor. Like me, Keri would only consider representing a company that had compelling scientific data to back up their claims. If science data is your thing, read the research here.
Keri's approach to a healthy diet is to look at the whole lifestyle of a person then the foods. Her book, The Small Change Diet, is about making small changes for lasting big change.
"The Small Change Diet isn’t about creating unrealistic, unsustainable rules—like counting calories, restricting choices, or eliminating entire food groups. It’s about turning smart habits into second nature."
She makes such a good point about how most people approach going on a diet. Pick a plan, like keto, follow the plan for say two months, see weight loss, get excited, fall off because who can really eat just meat and cheese forever?
And after all of that, what has the person learned? Nothing.
Keri's way, and those of us who teach people how to eat a healthy diet that includes their favorite foods with fads and deprivation, may take longer to see results but it will last a lifetime. You will have learned about foods but more importantly, you'll learn about yourself and how to create habits that last.
Keri also drinks chocolate milk. People might say "Oh no, I can't drink that, too much sugar." But she counters, "what else is in that milk? Calcium, Vitamin D, protein. We get so hung up on one nutrient but we don't eat single nutrients, we eat food.
Yes, too much sugar is to be discouraged but it's all about balance.
You can find Keri and sign up for her newsletter here.
