7. LIVE from Today’s Dietitian Symposium

As a community of health and wellness professionals, we understand the power of knowledge and the importance of sharing it. Our work is constantly evolving and can often feel overwhelming, which is why it’s crucial to create spaces where we can come together, share experiences, address challenges, learn from one another, and provide support. One such space is at conferences and symposiums, where experts and professionals gather to exchange ideas and insights. Last month, I had the privilege of attending the Today’s Dietitian Symposium in Savannah, where I interacted with some of the most influential nutrition professionals in the country. As I mentioned in Episode #5, I had set up a booth resembling a kitchen, where I invited experts to engage in conversations about their work, their target audience, their approach to serving them, and the exciting developments they see in the field of nutrition. In today’s episode, I bring these insightful conversations directly to you. You’ll have the opportunity to hear from these experts, gain valuable knowledge, and gain a deeper understanding of the exciting advancements happening in the world of nutrition. These conversations provide a unique perspective and offer a glimpse into the passion and dedication that drives these professionals to make a positive impact on people’s lives through nutrition. Whether you’re a fellow professional, a health enthusiast, or simply someone interested in staying informed about the latest trends and breakthroughs in the field, this episode promises to be a valuable resource. So, join me as we delve into these engaging conversations and explore the inspiring world of nutrition together. Get ready for an episode filled with valuable insights, thought-provoking discussions, and a renewed sense of inspiration. Welcome to this special edition of our podcast, where we bring the symposium experience directly to you. Let’s dive in and learn from the experts who are shaping the future of nutrition.  Interviews with:

• Andrea (Andy) Mathis MA RDN LD, Beautiful Eats and Things
• Jill Mongene, MAcc RD LDN, The Aviation Dietitian
• Dr. Felicia D. Stoler, DCN, MS, RDN, FACSM, FAND Diplomate ABLM/ACLM
• Jasmine Westbrooks, MS, RDN/LDN, CDCES, and Ashely Carter, RD/LDN
• Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN
• Vandana Sheth, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
• Eloise Moran from Nerva
• Jocelyn Wells, MS, RDN from Fodzyme

Andrea (Andy) Mathis MA RDN LD

Beautiful Eats and Things @beautifuleatsandthings   Jeanne Petrucci: Hello, and welcome to Today’s Dietitian Symposium. I am on the floor of the symposium, and I’m with a celebrity today. This is so exciting. I’m so excited. I’ve done this before where I’ll just pull somebody off the floor and say, go live with me because there are so many influential dietitians here and I want to share their messaging with you. I would like you to introduce yourself. Please tell our guests who you are.  Andy Mathis: I’m Andy Mathis and I am a food blogger and owner of Beautiful Eats and Things. I also have another blog, which is Little Eats and Things, which is more for kids. Mostly women that look like me in plus size bodies, people in larger bodies who may have experienced some food shaming, body shaming in their lives and just letting them know that it’s okay to be themselves and that health comes in all different sizes.  Jeanne Petrucci: Love that. How do you serve them? You’re trying to reach this community, how do you reach them? What do you offer them and your messaging, how do you get to them?  Andy Mathis: Well, I offer lots of different recipes, practical recipes that still taste good and they’re Jeanne Petrucci: Your videos are amazing. Your recipes are amazing.  Andy Mathis: Thank you. And I also offer just encouraging messages. I know sometimes we don’t see a lot of that in today’s media, so I try to offer some encouraging words to people that may not fit the typical stereotype of society’s standards. So I try to offer that message to say it’s okay to be yourself. It is okay.  Jeanne Petrucci: And how is that resonating with people?  Andy Mathis: It’s been really positive. I’ve had a lot of really good feedback, which allows me to continue to do it, and it just encourages me to put out more of those messages. But yeah, it’s been received very well.  Jeanne Petrucci: And our community of dietitians, values what you’re doing, so thank you so much.  Andy Mathis: Thank you. I appreciate it.  Jeanne Petrucci: So please share with us what is exciting you the most right now in the area of nutrition.  Andy Mathis: I’m always excited about the new trends that I see because I like to debunk those trends if that makes sense.  Jeanne Petrucci: Yes. And you’re so good at that.  Andy Mathis: I see so much stuff on social media, so if I see something that’s new and say, “This is the new power food that’s going to make you drop 10 pounds in two days,” I love to see it so that I can provide the correct information.  Jeanne Petrucci: Because you are an evidence-based practitioner.  Andy Mathis: Yes. Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: So what are you looking forward to learning at Today’s Dietitian while you’re here?  Andy Mathis: Well, just to absorb as much information as I possibly can and what’s new in the nutrition world and how I can just relate that information to my audience.  Jeanne Petrucci: Thank you so much for your time and I really value you being here.  Andy Mathis: Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: And I want you to let our guests know where they can find you.  Andy Mathis: Sure. On all platforms, Beautifuleatsandthings. Beautifuleatsandthings.com is my blog. So, just look me up and follow.  Jeanne Petrucci: Thank you so much. It was such a pleasure seeing you. T Andy Mathis: Of course.  

Jill Mongene, MAcc RD LDN

The Aviation Dietitian @pilot.nutritionist Jeanne Petrucci: Welcome back to Today’s Dietitian Symposium. I’m Jeanne Petrucci, and welcome to my kitchen on the symposium floor. I am grabbing influential colleagues and celebrities and all kinds of really interesting people from the floor and bringing them here in front of you so that you can learn from them. I have someone I’m really excited to introduce you to – it’s actually our first time meeting in person, right?  Jill Mongene: It is, yeah.  Jeanne Petrucci: So I’m going to let you introduce yourself in a minute here. What excites me the most about what Jill’s doing is that she has not been afraid to niche down. Now, when you hear about her niche, it’s just going to blow your mind. But you are such a great role model for not only all dietitians but specifically for our community of Living Plate Rx members who use our content and are really just trying to figure it out like how do I niche down? So let’s start with who you are.  Jill Mongene: I’m Jill Mongene. I’m known on the internet as Pilot Nutritionist or The Aviation Dietitian.  Jeanne Petrucci: I love that. So we now know her niche, but tell us, who do you serve? Jill Mongene: I serve commercial airline pilots.  Jeanne Petrucci: Why that niche?  Jill Mongene: I’m 18 years married to an airline pilot.  Jeanne Petrucci: Oh, I didn’t know that.  Jill Mongene: Yeah, he came through the door in 2020 with a retina detachment, high blood pressure, and prediabetic, and I thought, “If he’s this sick, there’s got to be others out there.” And they just came to me in droves.  Jeanne Petrucci: So you serve specifically pilots.  Jill Mongene: Just airline pilots.  Jeanne Petrucci: Why is nutrition so important to pilots? Jill Mongene: Nutrition is really important to airline pilots because they have to pass a strenuous medical exam by the Federal Aviation Administration every single year. If you’re over 40, then it’s every six months. So think about when you’re in the airport when you’re traveling back from this event this week, and watch your pilots. Are they carrying food? No, they’re not. They’re not getting fed. They can rarely use the lavatory. All of those things contribute to poor health for our airline pilots.  Jeanne Petrucci: And you want your pilot to be in top shape.  Jill Mongene: You want your pilot to be in top shape.  Jeanne Petrucci: Yes, but also their jobs depend on it. Jill Mongene: Their job depends on it. Absolutely.  Jeanne Petrucci: So how do you serve them?  Jill Mongene: I serve them in multiple ways. Mainly, I work one-on-one with airline pilots. Because their schedule is so intense, they never know where they’re at, where they’re going to be, so I do one-on-one service. But the biggest part of my business has been what STRING Marketing, who’s standing over there has told me about, is custom concierge. And we developed this together. So I’m doing meal plans for my airline pilots, and of course, I couldn’t do it without Jeanne because I’m using Living Plate Rx too. I’m using her social media, I’m using her plants and her recipes, and it makes it so much easier for me.  Jeanne Petrucci: And you’re doing it brilliantly. And I think what does make it easier for you to modify the content is that you do have this well-defined niche.  Jill Mongene: I do. I do. I’m so grateful for my niche. People think about niching down, but honestly, if you take your market into this much, you would be amazed at how many people you’d get because your message is so clear. Someone sees me and they immediately know exactly what I do.  Jeanne Petrucci: Amazing advice. Thank you so much for giving me your time today.  Jill Mongene: You’re welcome.

Dr. Felicia D. Stoler, DCN, MS, RDN, FACSM, FAND Diplomate ABLM/ACLM

@feliciastoler Jeanne Petrucci: Welcome back to Today’s Dietitian Symposium. I’m Jeanne Petrucci, and I am broadcasting with friends, RD celebrities, and colleagues. I’m just super happy to have Dr. Felicia Stoler with us again today. You’ve always been, let me just say before we get started, you have been really, really gracious and kind to me. I’m a relatively new dietitian. I’ve only been a dietitian for about seven years. And right from the get-go, I reached out to you, fellow Jersey girl. Felicia Stoler: Yes, exactly.  Jeanne Petrucci: … and you’ve just always been so generous and kind, and I want to thank you for that.  Felicia Stoler: Thank you. It means a lot to me because I’m also a career dietitian that’s changed careers. This is my third career. So I think there’s a value in recognizing that we all didn’t know exactly what we wanted to do when we were 18 years old.  Jeanne Petrucci: I’m still figuring it out. So for those of you who don’t know you, can you please tell us who you are?  Felicia Stoler: Okay, I am Dr. Felicia Stoler. I am a registered dietitian, nutritionist, and exercise physiologist. I am among the first cohorts of people to be board certified in lifestyle medicine. And my area of interest right now is cannabinoid medicine in psychedelics because I’m so intrigued by the umbrella of lifestyle medicine, about mental health, and physical health. Mental health’s really important. And even something like cannabis and cancer with appetite, people are always cool with that, but what about all the other potential health benefits of utilizing these plant-based compounds? And it’s just so fascinating Jeanne Petrucci: Can you define that, for our guests who don’t know? So you’re talking about cannabinoids and psychedelics. Let’s start with cannabinoids. What is that?  Felicia Stoler: So basically cannabis, AKA marijuana, pot, weed. The politically correct term to use really is cannabis. All the other stuff is considered slang. And there are opportunities for dietitians, there are a lot of dietitians in the space that are working in cannabinoid medicine, that are making recommendations, that are making products. We are so good as dietitians at translational science. We make the science easy for consumers to understand. So I know because I’ve probably been to five medical conferences just on cannabinoid medicine and psychedelics in the last year and a half, and the nurses are getting into the space. There is no reason why dietitians should not be going into this space. I just got asked to be on the medical advisory board for a dispensary in my community. So I’ve been tied to a license. They need healthcare professionals on licenses to do education.  Jeanne Petrucci: I didn’t know that.  Felicia Stoler: And counseling and wellness. So yes, there are opportunities. I’ve had a municipality ask to keep me on reserve as a subject matter expert to come in and give unbiased scientific information about cannabis.  Jeanne Petrucci: And what about psychedelics? What are those?  Felicia Stoler: So psychedelics, while there’s a whole gamut of them, the one that’s most popular that I think will probably see, probably the easiest entry point for something in a non-clinical setting would be psilocybin or shrooms, magic mushrooms. And I highly recommend, if you’re remotely interested, watch How to Change Your Mind with Michael Pollan on Netflix, its three one-hour episodes. He goes into everything about psychedelics, and he also talks about all the politics behind it and why there are so many problems. But I think psilocybin is among the most interesting. Something called ketamine, which people may have heard of, it’s actually a legal anesthetic, an anesthesia that is used often with children because it doesn’t harm the cardiorespiratory system. It does not suppress that, but it does allow them to pretty much be knocked out and not remember what’s going on. And my former boyfriend’s mom was an ER doc, and she told me that kids would wake up with the most vivid dreams when they would use ketamine on them. So that was crazy. Things like LSDM, MDMA, and DMT, there are all these compounds. People have heard of Ayahuasca, which is a blend of different compounds put together into a tea that is used to help people have these experiences. And I just think if we can give people something to help ease their mind, and some of the areas of research, like specific to nutrition that’s important are eating disorders. There’s a lot of work being done with eating disorders, which we don’t really have a magic bullet for. And some people have had really significant life-changing moments as a result of using these compounds. So right now, Stanford University and Johns Hopkins have psychedelic research centers. So academic centers are doing real research Jeanne Petrucci: That makes you want to sit up and listen, right?  Felicia Stoler: How can you not? I think Yale and Harvard, and I think NYU is also doing some research. I think in New York, Mount Sinai, the mind, there’s so much we have to learn and we have so much to know.  Jeanne Petrucci: How do registered dietitians educate themselves on this type of topic?  Felicia Stoler: So there are certifications that are out there. There are also degree programs. So John Patrick University has a master’s program in functional and integrative medicine with a concentration in cannabinoid medicine and Janice Bissex Newell is the department chair for that. So one of our dietitian colleagues who’s been a big advocate for it is out there doing that. There’s another master’s program at the University of Maryland also. So you can get a graduate degree if you choose to. You can do a certification program if you choose to right now.  Jeanne Petrucci: And maybe just dip your toe into different conferences and just online too.  Felicia Stoler: Yeah, and then one of the things that, I am the CEO of the Cannabis for Better Health Foundation, and we have the Mind Manifesting for Better Health Foundation. And in addition to creating the WebMD for consumers, we are going to have a peer-to-peer education portal. And the reason for that is if you think about the pharmaceutical drug industry, they send out drug reps to educate doctors and healthcare professionals. The same with the over-the-counter drug market. Who’s doing that in cannabis? Nobody. Who is doing that in psychedelics? Nobody. And I want to see people being able to utilize these compounds without it being a prescription, because the minute pharma gets their hands on it, it’s going to become ridiculously overpriced and inaccessible. And honestly, my whole thing too, which is kind of fun, is I’m really into the ingest component of it. Putting it in food, using it in food, and not smoking. Because I got to tell you, I still can’t advocate that smoking is healthy for you. But I think there are other delivery mechanisms that we can get involved with. Even teaching patients how to use it in food so that it can be beneficial.  Jeanne Petrucci: What resources can you share with our guests?  Felicia Stoler: M-A-P-S.org, they are an organization of psychedelic researchers. That would be where I would start with that. But as I said, I would definitely start with Michael Pollan. You could either read his book, How to Change Your Mind or if you want to watch something on Netflix there’s that. There’s also Fabulous Fungi, which I think is very cool because, beyond psychedelic mushrooms, I’m very into adaptogen mushrooms. I think that there is a lot of science that’s emerging in that space. I know from going Expo West, and I’ve been really throwing myself into learning more about adaptogenic mushrooms, which technically are not plants, they’re fungi, they’re their own category. And just eating them doesn’t necessarily release all the beneficial properties. So what’s also intriguing to me too, is to learn more about it and how mushrooms as fungi, and what their role is on the planet is really fascinating. So I don’t want to give too much away. I think these are tremendous opportunities because, during COVID, I was trying to figure out how to differentiate myself.  Jeanne Petrucci: Nice.  Felicia Stoler: Because everybody was doing recipes and working out, going grocery shopping, or showing what they’re making at home. And I was like, “Ah, I’m not an actress. I can’t do some of this weird stuff that other people are doing. I just don’t have the bandwidth for it.” So I decided to dip my toe in the water and explore this because I see this as a tremendous opportunity where I feel like I’m a little ahead of the curve right now.  Jeanne Petrucci: You are and you’re so generous that you’re sharing it with all of us because it is a tremendous opportunity for everybody.  Felicia Stoler: And I think that dietitians, again, as healthcare professionals, we are so darn good at translational science. So we need to get in there and help translate it. And then we can also be the people to go talk to the physicians. They already trust us with nutrition and now we can Jeanne Petrucci: It’s not a huge leap to cannabis and mushrooms.  Felicia Stoler: It’s really not. It’s really not.  Jeanne Petrucci: Well, thank you so much for your time Felicia Stoler: Always a pleasure. Thank you.   

Jasmine Westbrooks, MS, RDN/LDN, CDCES, and Ashely Carter, RD/LDN

@eatwellexchange  Jeanne Petrucci: I’m so excited. So these two showed up at the booth. I’m like, I know them from somewhere. If you’ve never met a celebrity, like you’ve seen them on screen, but you’ve actually never seen them? And so when they told me who they were, I was like, “Oh, of course.” I’m a huge fan. So I’m going to ask you to introduce yourself. So please tell us who you are.  Jasmine Westbrooks: I’m Jasmine Westbrooks, and this is Ashley Carter.  Ashley Carter: Hi, I’m Ashley Carter. Jasmine Westbrooks: And we are the co-founders of Eat Well Exchange. So we teach people how to eat healthily based on their culture.  Jeanne Petrucci: How long has Eat Well Exchange been active?  Ashley Carter: Since 2017.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yes, it’s a long time. Yes.  Jeanne Petrucci: But you guys have made such an impact so quickly. So proud of all the work that you’re doing. So tell our guests, who do you serve?  Ashley Carter: So we work with lower socio-economic communities of different ethnic backgrounds. And we teach them how they can take their cultural staples, the food they grew up with, whatever their grandma used to cook for them, and just be a little bit healthier.  Jeanne Petrucci: And how do you do that? Give me an example of how you would do that.  Ashley Carter: The number one thing is to meet people where they are. So ask them what they like, what’s their favorite food? What do they enjoy about eating this dish? Take that dish, and make small modifications so that way they can still maintain the integrity of their dish, but just be a little bit healthier.  Jeanne Petrucci: And as part of Eat Well Exchange, how are you serving people?  Jasmine Westbrooks: We are serving people in so many different ways. So it started out as nutrition education classes for the community, just learning about Jeanne Petrucci: Like boots on the ground?  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yeah, just boots on the ground.  Jeanne Petrucci: Where?  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yeah. So we started out in Florida and we’re also just spreading our wings out to North Carolina as well. And not just boots on the ground, but just nutrition education classes, but cooking demonstrations. We have different cooking or culinary classes and programs. And so exciting to also mention our meal delivery program for seniors as well. And gardening.  Jeanne Petrucci: I just got goosebumps.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yes. Ashley Carter: Gardening classes. Jasmine started a garden in Sebring, Florida when she was living there. So just access, culinary, and also nutrition education.  Jeanne Petrucci: So how long were we talking before we actually put together a collaboration? 10 minutes? It was awesome. So I love meeting people who just want to take action. So we are going to be collaborating for our community. Let’s tell them, what are we going to do? What are we thinking?  Ashley Carter: We are going to focus on a different culture, their recipes, and how we can represent those recipes in a visual form.  Jeanne Petrucci: Cooking videos.  Ashley Carter: Cooking videos, yeah.  Jeanne Petrucci: What do we talk about? I think we’re going to do 30-minute, one-pot meals.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yep, one-pot meals.  Ashley Carter: Yep.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Very important. Because who wants to dirty up all these dishes and have to clean them up and store them? So the one-pot dishes are essential. It’s actually one of the most common things that are asked for. What’s simple, what’s quick, what’s healthy, but most importantly, what tastes really good?  Jeanne Petrucci: Right. Exactly.  Jasmine Westbrooks: And what also reflects my culture? Are these foods familiar? Do I have to go to a separate grocery store from what I would typically go to? So little things like that make, I guess habits a little bit easier to do, to actually put into action.  Ashley Carter: It’s all about breaking barriers. That’s the way we see it. Whatever barriers you have towards a healthy lifestyle, we can tackle them one at a time and then before you know it, it’ll be easy. Jeanne Petrucci: That’s one of my taglines, barrier busters.  Ashley Carter: Yes. I like that.  Jeanne Petrucci: As dietitians, we are barrier busters.  Ashley Carter: BB.  Jeanne Petrucci: BB. Right. We just created a new business.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Yes.  Jeanne Petrucci: I absolutely adore you guys, and I love watching everything that you’re doing on social media. So please let our guests know where can they find you and where can they follow what you’re doing.  Ashley Carter: Yes, absolutely. So all social media platforms @eatwellexchange, or you can go to our website and subscribe for newsletters and exciting things that we’re doing in the community at eatwellexchange.org, and you’ll find great things that we’re doing. And we are just, we’re going to collaborate a lot. This is just the first step. And thank you so much for stopping by. So great meeting you both.  Ashley Carter: No problem, you too.  Jasmine Westbrooks: Nice to meet you.   

Lauren Harris-Pincus, MS, RDN

@laurenpincusrd Jeanne Petrucci: Welcome to Today’s Dietitian Symposium. And we are streaming from the symposium floor, and I am grabbing influencers and dietitian celebrities. You are both. And I’m going to embarrass you a bit.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: We’re really just speaking to a variety of dietitians to understand what are the trends and what are hot topics, and how can dietitians serve their communities best. So please tell our guests who you are.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Okay. I am Lauren Harris-Pincus. I’m a registered dietitian and the founder of nutritionstarringyou.com. And I’m also the author of, my latest book The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook, and I specialize in weight management and pre-diabetes.  Jeanne Petrucci: And who do you serve?  Lauren Harris-Pincus: I serve a wide population. I do have a private practice as well that’s small. But I’ve for over 25 years specializing in weight management and basically metabolic diseases and high cholesterol, blood sugar, hypertension, heart disease, all those things that revolve around weight and health, and more focused on pre-diabetes lately.  Jeanne Petrucci: So you are a speaker here – you’re speaking tomorrow?  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Yes, I’m speaking tomorrow.  Jeanne Petrucci: What is the title of your talk? Just give us a little summary.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: So it’s called From Allergies to Ethics, utilizing public partners to help clients meet their nutrient needs outside of their own kitchen. So basically, considering that we are a population of eaters and we have concerns ranging from allergies to all sorts of medical conditions to ethical reasons why we choose what we eat with vegan or vegetarian diets or even climate concerns or sustainability, there are many reasons why we choose what we choose to eat. So the idea is when you are not home in your own kitchen, what are public companies doing to address the consumer demand and medical needs of consumers and eaters? Because we all eat. So basically looking at quick service restaurants, convenience stores, cruises, theme parks, hotels, airlines Jeanne Petrucci: Are you hopeful with what you’re seeing?  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Yes, I am very hopeful. There are definitely more options for people than there ever were because more people have allergies and intolerances and other things that consumer demand speaks of, right?  Jeanne Petrucci: Yes.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: So yeah, there’s a lot going on.  Jeanne Petrucci: Thank you so much for being an influential leader in this space. Can you please tell our guests where they can find you, how they can reach out?  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Yes. So my website is nutritionstarringyou.com. You can find me on social at Laurenpincusrd. So it’s L-AU-R-E-N-P-I-N-C-U-S-R-D. And that’s all my social channels.  Jeanne Petrucci: And how can they get your book? Lauren Harris-Pincus: Oh, my book, the Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook, that’s available, Amazon is the easiest place. It’s by Simon & Schuster Adams Media. And I also wrote a book a few years ago called The ProteinPacked Breakfast Club.  Jeanne Petrucci: That was a great book.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: Are you going to do number two on that one?  Lauren Harris-Pincus: I don’t know.  Jeanne Petrucci: That was so good. Protein-packed breakfast, it’s always a tough meal to get protein-packed.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Yeah, it’s very tough. It’s my little passion project because I love breakfast.  Jeanne Petrucci: That’s great. Lauren, thank you so much for joining me.  Lauren Harris-Pincus: Thank you.  

Vandana Sheth

@vandanasheth Jeanne Petrucci: We kicked off day two with an interview with Vandana Sheth, and we chatted about culturally sensitive counseling with a culinary approach. I’m going to ask you to please introduce yourself. So who are you? Make sure you hold the mic up so our guests can hear you.  Vandana Sheth: My name is Vandana Sheth. I’m a registered dietitian nutritionist, diabetes care and education specialist, and intuitive eating counselor.  Jeanne Petrucci: That’s a lot. And who do you serve?  Vandana Sheth: So I enjoy working with one-on-one clients. In my practice, I help clients who have more of an eating disorder/disordered eating. I also work with clients with pre-diabetes, diabetes, and plant-based culturally diverse clients. That’s my one-on-one practice, but I also do a lot of media, speaking, and writing.  Jeanne Petrucci: And how do you serve them? How do you serve your community?  Vandana Sheth: So I love helping them really savor their food, building a healthy relationship with the food and their body.  Jeanne Petrucci: You take very much a culinary nutrition approach to your care.  Vandana Sheth: Yes, I do. Because it’s all about food, right? We all love eating food, but if we can have that healthy relationship and really savor and take our time with the flavors that make us happy and figure out a way to be healthy on top of that, that’s ideal. Jeanne Petrucci: Win-win. So good segue, what was your topic? So you were a speaker at Today’s Dietitian this year. What was your topic? And if you could just do a summary for our guests, that’d be great.  Vandana Sheth: Absolutely. So super excited to be invited to today’s dietitian symposium. I was able to present yesterday on sustained traditions, food culture, and traditions from the immigrant perspective. So I presented my journey as an Indian immigrant who came to America and made this my home. I’ve been here longer than I have been in India, but was able to drill down on life from a bicultural or the bicultural perspective in terms of food and some of the health implications, how to be culturally sensitive, and help our colleagues understand what it is when you’re working with someone with an Indian background.  Jeanne Petrucci: So just give me an example. If I’m a private practice registered dietitian and one of my clients has an Indian background, what is something that I wouldn’t want to do? Give me something that I wouldn’t want to do and then something that I might want to do given your guidance.  Vandana Sheth: The first thing I would recommend that you not do is to make assumptions just like anything, right? So go in with an open attitude, and have a lot of questions. Know that you may not have all the answers. Yes, you are the science expert, evidence-based practice, but they are the ones who are the expert in their tradition, their culture, and their food, and it’s okay to not have all the answers. Ask them open-ended questions. “Hey, tell me about your favorite foods. Oh, I’m not familiar with that. How do you make that recipe? Where do you shop? How can we tweak it so that… Are you open to some of these ideas?” Those would be some suggestions.  Jeanne Petrucci: Okay. So a lot of motivational interviewing. So asking these open-ended questions and taking it in and really letting the client direct their care under your guidance.  Vandana Sheth: Exactly.  Jeanne Petrucci: Versus you just telling them what they need to eat.  Vandana Sheth: Exactly. It’s a collaboration. It’s a team approach. Jeanne Petrucci: Well, thank you so much for stopping by. I know that you’re very busy here at the symposium and super proud of all the work that you do, and really grateful for the guidance that you give our community in the area of culinary nutrition and serving diverse communities.  Vandana Sheth: Thank you. Jeanne Petrucci: … Thank you so much for stopping by. Yeah, thank you, guys.  Vandana Sheth: Great to be here.  

Eloise Moran from Nerva

https://www.mindsethealth.com/clinicians Jeanne Petrucci: This interview is just going to be a little bit different because I also am super interested in innovation in the field of nutrition, and this is super cool. So I wanted you guys to hear about it. So welcome to my kitchen.  Eloise: Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: … introduce yourself to our guests. Let us know who you are.  Eloise: Yeah. Thank you very much for having me. My name is Eloise. I hope you can appreciate my Australian accent coming through here. So I am the healthcare relationships manager for Nerva. We’re a gut-directed hypnotherapy app for patients with IBS, and we’re very proud to have over 100,000 patients go through the program and see good symptom management with their IBS.  Jeanne Petrucci: So we’re all about evidence-based practice.  Eloise: Yes.  Jeanne Petrucci: As you know, as just your dietitians and healthcare providers. So can you just talk a little bit about, before we talk about who you serve, but let us know about the evidence behind what have you found in consumers using this app? And is it mostly consumers who are touched by IBS? Eloise: Yes. Yes. So it is for IBS patients. We’re understanding more and more that IBS is that disorder of the gut-brain interaction. So there’s been some great research partnered with Monash University. So Dr. Simone Peters, who was integral to the low FODMAP diet group, has then taken her six-week gut-directed hypnotherapy protocol and has put that to a clinical trial. So the great news was that in terms of looking at the low FODMAP diet and comparing that with this six-week gut-directed hypnotherapy protocol, the results are very similar in terms of symptom management. So it’s been great news that the low FODMAP we know does such a great job with IBS management, and now there is an option that really does target that gut-brain interaction.  Jeanne Petrucci: For those guests who don’t know what IBS is, can you give us a brief overview?  Eloise: It does range across a number of GI issues. So we diagnose it through the Rome criteria, but it is generally bloating, gut pain, abdominal distress, and change in stool. A patient can be IBD or IBC, so diarrheal or constipated.  Jeanne Petrucci: Right. Irritable bowel syndrome Eloise: Irritable bowel.  Jeanne Petrucci: … with constipation or with diarrhea. And the app is appropriate for both?  Eloise: That is right. Yes. So it is not specific to diarrhea or constipation. It is more general, and you’ll hear that in the language for anyone who does try Nerva. It is more about control no matter what end of the spectrum that is.  Jeanne Petrucci: Control of motility?  Eloise: Motility, flow, function, yeah. Control of pain.  Jeanne Petrucci: So how do you get this app in the hands of the consumers who need the relief the most?  Eloise: Yeah. So this is my favorite part because it’s the easiest part, right?  Jeanne Petrucci: Right, yeah.  Eloise: So the most simple way to do this is to tell a patient, download the app, and get started. It is as simple as that. We do offer referral discount codes as well. So if you go to connect.mindsethealth.com, you can sign up and grab a link that can be shared with your patients. But really, it is as simple as telling them, “Get on the app, try the seven-day free trial.” Make sure the language is right for them, the wording. Make sure it’s something they can make a habit of. And really the good results we see come through around the four-week mark.  Jeanne Petrucci: And this doesn’t replace the nutrition prescription?  Eloise: No.  Jeanne Petrucci: This is used in conjunction with nutrition counseling and the nutrition prescription. Correct?  Eloise: Absolutely right. So for yourselves as professionals, of course, you are such an important part of managing that patient’s journey and knowing what’s right for them as well. So we do have patients who will just do this as a standalone, but we see in practice, the best results, the happier patients when they are working with their healthcare provider, and they may have a combination of nutritional advice, diet, and hypnotherapy as part of that.  Jeanne Petrucci: It’s amazing. So how can we find out more? Where can we go? If you’re not here at Today’s Dietitian Symposium, what is the next best thing?  Eloise: Next best thing, you can Google Nerva. Jump onto our clinicians’ page. We have a number of resources for clinicians. You have access to the portal, as I mentioned, to grab your referral discount. And I’ll say the same thing to you all. Download the app. It’s as simple as that. You can jump in. You can start a trial. If you sign up through our connect portal, that will give you, as a practitioner or a clinician, free access to the app for life. So I highly recommend that but giving it a try is the best way to do it.  Jeanne Petrucci: Thank you. I look forward to taking a look at it.  Eloise: Thank you so much.  Jeanne Petrucci: Thank you so much for joining me.  Eloise: Appreciate it.   

Jocelyn Wells, MS, RDN from Fodzyme

@fodzyme Jeanne Petrucci: I’m broadcasting from the symposium floor, which is closing as we talk. So this will be our last interview for today. So this product I was introduced to, I’m going to let you go through the details, but super cool. So I wanted to introduce you to this innovative product that could be a game changer for patients who are following a low FODMAP diet or are trying to be compliant. So if you could please tell us who you are first.  Jocelyn Wells: Hi everyone. I’m Jocelyn Wells. I’m a registered dietitian here with FODZYME. We make digestive enzymes that break down FODMAPs, so those common gut triggers in foods like garlic, onion, wheat, asparagus, all the delicious nutritious stuff that can really end up causing trouble for people with IBS who are FODMAP sensitive.  Jeanne Petrucci: So who do you serve specifically? Is it for people who are trying to follow a low FODMAP diet? Is that the idea?  Jocelyn Wells: Yeah. We can help two different categories of people. So one may be someone who’s already gone through a low FODMAP diet, has a sense of their triggers, and really instead of just avoiding those foods, wants to be able to introduce them back into their diet. So you would use our digestive enzyme with those FODMAP triggers, anything that has a fructan, arGOS, or a lactose. And then you can eat that food a lot more liberally.  Jeanne Petrucci: So not all FODMAPs.  Jocelyn Wells: Not all. We don’t yet target polyols.  Jeanne Petrucci: Yet.  Jocelyn Wells: Yet. We’re working on it.  Jeanne Petrucci: Wouldn’t that be nice? Right? But it’s still, you cover a lot of foods. So for those who are not familiar with the low FODMAP diet, could just give us a brief overview of what that means?  Jocelyn Wells: Yes. Absolutely. So FODMAPs is an acronym. It stands for fermentable, oligosaccharides, monosaccharides and disaccharides, and polyols. And so what happens is these are carbohydrates that are found in lots of fruits and vegetables as well as grains and dairy. And for many people, they don’t cause trouble. Many are prebiotic fibers and actually can be beneficial. But for those who are sensitive, they end up in the colon where they’re not well digested. They end up drawing in water, they get fermented and create all this gas and bloating, so those are common IBS symptoms. And so by using digestive enzymes with those foods, you can now tolerate them a lot better because by the time those carbohydrates end up in the colon, they’re already more broken down.  Jeanne Petrucci: Got it. So how would you use the product, because that’s really interesting? It’s called, say it again, FODZYMES?  Jocelyn Wells: FODZYME. So F-O-D-Z-Y-M-E.  Jeanne Petrucci: Okay. And how do you use it?  Jocelyn Wells: So one real innovation that we have in our product is that the enzymes are powder. And so that powder form enables the enzymes to best homogenize with the food that they’re breaking down. So instead of as a capsule, which actually separates the enzymes from the food it’s meant to target, by using FODZYME, sprinkling it on your food, mixing it in, or putting it on the first bite and really chewing well, you’re making sure that the enzymes homogenize with the food. It’s all passing through the digestive tract, getting broken down. And then by the time it gets to the colon, it’s a lot less triggering.  Jeanne Petrucci: Does hummus fall into the category of something that might be covered?  Jocelyn Wells: Hummus? Yes. Especially garlicky hummus. Jeanne Petrucci: So digesting those higher FODMAP foods could be helped by sprinkling the powder?  Jocelyn Wells: Absolutely. So patients who have a sense that those are triggers can use us with those FODMAP triggers. But for patients who may not be good candidates for a low FODMAP diet, maybe they’re at risk for malnutrition, maybe they’re at risk for disordered eating, or they’re already on a really restrictive diet like you would have for Crohn’s, or Celiac. We can be almost a diagnostic tool to have the FODZYME with a food Jeanne Petrucci: Interesting.  Jocelyn Wells: … that has it. And that you can tell if the patient may be reacting to the FODMAPs in the meal itself or maybe they need a different solution.  Jeanne Petrucci: I love that because that’s promoting being more liberal versus being more restrictive.  Jocelyn Wells: Exactly.  Jeanne Petrucci: That’s awesome. I love it. So how can people find… So where can they find the enzymes and where can they buy them? Where can they find more information?  Jocelyn Wells: Absolutely. So we’re available on our website, F-O-D-Z-Y-M-E.com, where you can order for delivery. We’re also recently available on Amazon across the US.  Jeanne Petrucci: Amazing. That’s great. That makes it easy.  Jocelyn Wells: Yeah. So those are the best places to find us.  Jeanne Petrucci: And on, is it fodzyme.com? They can find more information, right?  Jocelyn Wells: Yes.  Jeanne Petrucci: And what about practitioners? How do you support practitioners?  Jocelyn Wells: Absolutely. So if you go to our website at the very bottom of the page, there’s a link to sign up for our partners’ program. We offer a lot of handouts, discounts, resources, webinars, and everything to learn more about us and how to help your patients get the most out of us. Jeanne Petrucci: I love that it can be used as a diagnostic tool. We hadn’t talked about that before. That’s really fascinating. Thank you so much for your time.  Jocelyn Wells: Thank you.  Jeanne Petrucci: Goodbye from Today’s Dietitian Symposium. I will catch you guys when I get back home. Bye.  

Content Cure of the Week

I hope you enjoyed meeting this wide variety of colleagues.  This week we are providing you with a guide to resources mentioned in these interviews. >>CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD YOUR RESOURCE GUIDE<< Your goal this week is to look into these resources and identify those that can support you with advancing your practice – whether it’s connecting with one of the experts for support in understanding their practice and business focus or exploring the innovative products.