KENT COUNTY, Michigan — We are three weeks into the New Year. By this point, studies show that most people have given up on their New Year's resolution. Lucky for them, a West Michigan-based dietician is helping people make better food choices in 2024.
Camille Adams of Grand Rapids has made it her mission to promote health. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics, and she’s the owner of Easy Peasy Nutrition.
“I love to help people live their healthiest lives and give them the empowerment of nutrition education to help them get there,” she said. “The biggest part of why I chose this field is I want to give people access to the information that a lot of Americans don't know.”
Adams has been using social media to help others on their wellness journey. She regularly posts videos with healthy recipes and fitness tips.
“As dietitians, it's really our moral obligation to go out and spread the, I like to say ‘the good word of nutrition,’ to the public, because nobody else is doing that,” Adams said. “I see influencers every day who are getting paid to talk about supplements and pills that will do everything. We have to have some social media presence as nutrition educators to help people.”
She says one of the keys to living a healthy lifestyle is a willingness to spend time in the kitchen.
“You don't have to be a master Michelin star chef, but you have to learn some cooking skills and be comfortable in the kitchen, if you want to be healthy. It really helps you control what food is going into you,” Adams said. “For example, if you go out to eat at Outback, of course they have their calories and stuff listed online, but you don't know what they're doing, how much oil and butter they're using, how much salt they're using. If you have high blood pressure, it's very difficult to go out to eat. I'm sure some of the viewers understand that. So getting comfortable and finding simple, easy foods. If I can help show somebody how to do that and bridge that gap to help them eat healthy, I love it. And I also love to cook. I think it's very fun. So I like to show people it really can be easy peasy.”
For many people, cooking is no big deal. But there’s still the issue of what to eat and when to eat it.
“Have some protein at breakfast, whether that's eggs or a plant-based option, my clients tell me they feel so much better and they're less apt to eat large amounts during the day because they've started the day kind of controlling that hunger with their protein,” Adams said. “Increase your fruits and vegetables. Getting that fiber goal of 25 to 30 grams per day will make you feel better, more energy, better sleep. The vitamins and minerals that are in fruits and vegetables are what help us break down our carbs, our protein, and our fat. So increasing those is always going to make you feel better. It naturally helps your digestion which could help with weight loss as well.”
Meal prepping works well for a lot of people, she said, but that doesn’t mean you have to cook a week's worth of food all at once.
“It can be any sort of preparation to help you, once you're done with that busy workday, make an easy meal,” Adams said. “It’s even simple things like coming home from the grocery store, wash your celery, peel your carrots, cut them up, put them in some glass containers, put them in the fridge.”
Having easy access to healthy food options makes us less likely to order takeout, she said, and eventually leads to a healthier diet.
“If you eat meat, marinate it in a nice healthy olive oil-based sauce,” Adams said. “You can have that prepared in the fridge or you can throw it on the grill or in your pan.”
When it comes to nutrition, there’s a lot to know, but Adams said there are a few simple things that can make a world of difference. Here are her top three tips for being healthy.
“Number one, eat whole foods that you recognize right when you go in the grocery store. Anything that has to be put in a box or a bag is going to have different ingredients, so it'll be shelf-stable. So most of your diet should be whole real foods,” Adams said. “The second one is be active. You don't have to be a bodybuilder. Get your body moving. It’s very good for you. Those two things put together are anti everything, anti-chronic disease, anti-Alzheimer's, anti-dementia. Getting your body moving, eating whole foods. And the third thing is embracing change. Learning about nutrition, you're going to realize there are a lot of habits that may not be the healthiest, but it's okay. Embrace the change. Take a woosah breath and know that with the help of a dietitian, we can get your goals accomplished together.”
►You can watch the full interview with Adams below:
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