WEBVTT - Improving Food and Nutrition Practices to Reduce Arthritis Symptoms (Abridged Version)

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<v Speaker 1>Hi everyone. I'm Holly Robinson, pete actor, author, advocate, do

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<v Speaker 1>it All mom, and I'm also a caregiver. And this

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<v Speaker 1>is care Walks, a podcast from iHeartRadio and Voltaian Arthritis

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<v Speaker 1>Pain Gel. It's a show for family caregivers who give

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<v Speaker 1>everything to everyone and need to make time for themselves

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<v Speaker 1>through movement. Every episode is designed for you to walk

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<v Speaker 1>as you listen, so just think of me and my

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<v Speaker 1>guests as your weekly walking buddies. We'll hear stories from

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<v Speaker 1>caregivers and gain tips and insights from health experts and

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<v Speaker 1>advocates who know how important it is to take care

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<v Speaker 1>of yourself and manage joint pain due to arthritis that

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<v Speaker 1>often a companies being a caregiver. Together, we'll find community

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<v Speaker 1>ourselves and maybe even alleviate some joint pain in the

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<v Speaker 1>process as we walk together and connect to the best

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<v Speaker 1>parts of being a caregiver. Hello, fellow caregivers, Welcome back

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<v Speaker 1>to care Walks. Thanks for joining us again, and I

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<v Speaker 1>hope you're finding time to take care of you too.

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<v Speaker 1>As a reminder, right now you're listening to the abridged

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<v Speaker 1>version of this episode, but if you're looking to get

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<v Speaker 1>a little extra inspiration, don't miss a minute. Check out

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<v Speaker 1>the full length version of this episode in your podcast feed.

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<v Speaker 1>So now that's taken care of, I want to spend

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<v Speaker 1>this episode learning about the role diet and nutrition play

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<v Speaker 1>and combating joint pain and improving our quality of life.

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<v Speaker 1>To help us better understand how our self care can

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<v Speaker 1>be applied to the kitchen, I've invited doctor Monica Agerwall

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<v Speaker 1>to join me on today's episode. Doctor Agerwall is an

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<v Speaker 1>adjunct clinical Associate Professor of medicine in the University of

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<v Speaker 1>Florida Division of Cardiovascular Medicine. She's been conducting research on

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<v Speaker 1>the impact of diet on everything from physical fitness to

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<v Speaker 1>mental health. I'm really looking for or to talking to

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<v Speaker 1>doctor Agerwahl about her work and learning about how we

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<v Speaker 1>might be able to use diet to treat the symptoms

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<v Speaker 1>of our joint pain. But before I share today's conversation,

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<v Speaker 1>let's set out on today's walk. As you walk, take

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<v Speaker 1>some time to reflect what has brought you peace in

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<v Speaker 1>your body today. This moment could be anything from a

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<v Speaker 1>tight hug, to your morning stretch, or the taste of

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<v Speaker 1>a nourishing meal. Carry that piece with you through our

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<v Speaker 1>walk today. I want you to think about all the

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<v Speaker 1>aspects of our health that help us stay powerful and strong.

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<v Speaker 1>And as you set your pace for the duration of

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<v Speaker 1>the walk, we are going to dig into some simple

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<v Speaker 1>nutrition strategies that can go a long way in helping

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<v Speaker 1>us protect our joints from the inside out. Today I

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<v Speaker 1>am joined by doctor Monica Agerwall, an adjunct Clinical Associate

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<v Speaker 1>Professor of Medicine in the University of Florida Division of

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<v Speaker 1>Cardiovascular Medicine. Doctor Agerwall's book Body on Fire, How Inflammation

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<v Speaker 1>Triggers chronic Illness and the tools we have to fight

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<v Speaker 1>it outlines prescriptions to help guide people to better health.

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<v Speaker 1>And now she has a cookbook, Body on Fire, Anti

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<v Speaker 1>Inflammatory Cookbook, Your Guide to eating plant foods that fight disease.

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<v Speaker 1>Doctor Agerwaal, thank you so much for joining us today.

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<v Speaker 2>It's my pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell me what first got you interested in studying nutrition.

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<v Speaker 2>You know, I am Indian by birth, so maybe my

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<v Speaker 2>whole life, my mom told me to eat turmeric or

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<v Speaker 2>you know that I would do better if I slept more,

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<v Speaker 2>or to you know, eat morekumen and mango powder because

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<v Speaker 2>it was going to help me with this or that,

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<v Speaker 2>and so I always sort of grew up in that

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<v Speaker 2>kind of space, and when I was in fellowship, So

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<v Speaker 2>in training for cardiology, you go to medical school, and

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<v Speaker 2>then I also did an integrative medicine fellowship, so I

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<v Speaker 2>was always interested in integrative practices. Try to maybe I

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<v Speaker 2>don't know the combination of east and west, but it

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<v Speaker 2>really didn't kind of hit home for me until I

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<v Speaker 2>myself became sick. So when I finished my fellowship, I

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<v Speaker 2>decided to have children. And when I got pregnant, it

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<v Speaker 2>was the most amazing thing. But I decided that, oh

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<v Speaker 2>my gosh, you know, I'm older now, I want to

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<v Speaker 2>have all these kids. So I had three kids within

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<v Speaker 2>four years. Four months after I had baby number three,

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<v Speaker 2>I started manifesting joint pain and it started with a

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<v Speaker 2>finger and it migrated to my knees and my shoulders.

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<v Speaker 2>And within a week of my diagnosis, I was told

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<v Speaker 2>that I needed to stop nursing my kid and get

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<v Speaker 2>on these medications. And that's a humbling feeling. And I

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<v Speaker 2>remember this feeling of being small and told that there

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<v Speaker 2>was I had an incurable illness and I needed to

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<v Speaker 2>get on medications. There was no way I was going

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<v Speaker 2>to come off. So I just needed to accept that.

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<v Speaker 2>And that's interesting for a doctor because I thought, you know,

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<v Speaker 2>it's not that I embrace medications. I was trained with medications.

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<v Speaker 2>But isn't there another way? Isn't there other things? Aren't

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<v Speaker 2>there other things that we can do to make our

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<v Speaker 2>bodies better? So I started on a path of learning

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<v Speaker 2>about how lifestyle impacts your body. I met a woman

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<v Speaker 2>who said, maybe your nutrition's bad, and it's ironic because

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<v Speaker 2>I was vegetarian. And I was probably a jerk to

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<v Speaker 2>her because I said, like, oh, yeah, I know, I'm vegetarian.

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<v Speaker 2>I got this, but I was an unhealthy vegetarian as

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<v Speaker 2>many of us are.

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<v Speaker 1>What does that mean? An unhealthy vegetarian? Stop right there?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, yes, a good question.

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<v Speaker 1>I feel seen right now. So tell me what that

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<v Speaker 1>tell me what that means?

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<v Speaker 2>Well, that's a good question. And so there are many

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<v Speaker 2>people who call themselves vegan or vegetarian that eat a

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<v Speaker 2>lot of unhealthy foods. And to be fair, veganism is

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<v Speaker 2>often an ethical choice and not necessarily a health choice.

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<v Speaker 2>But we have to remember that there are any vegetarian

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<v Speaker 2>and vegan foods that are not super healthy. Doctors actually

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<v Speaker 2>get very little education and nutrition, so it took me

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<v Speaker 2>years of training after my training to learn how to

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<v Speaker 2>educate people and how to heal my b own body.

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<v Speaker 2>And so I had to learn a lot about the

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<v Speaker 2>impact of what we eat, how dairy infects your body,

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<v Speaker 2>how fats affect your body, how all of this stuff

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<v Speaker 2>triggers inflammation, How inflammation triggers illness.

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<v Speaker 1>So let's talk inflammation, because I know you know a

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<v Speaker 1>lot about that. What exactly is inflammation? How does food

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<v Speaker 1>contribute to or combat it?

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<v Speaker 2>Yeah, so inflammation. I always describe to people that inflammation's

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<v Speaker 2>like your body's mad at you. That's why the title

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<v Speaker 2>of the book is called Body on Fire. And I

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<v Speaker 2>always describe it to people as that your life is

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<v Speaker 2>full of stresses and resources. And just think about the

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<v Speaker 2>stresses in your life. Well, there are lots of them,

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<v Speaker 2>but then there are all these resources too, and that's

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<v Speaker 2>something that we forget. And there's all these resources like hell,

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<v Speaker 2>the clean eating, there's sleep, there's movement, there's gratitude, journaling.

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<v Speaker 2>You brought up nutrition, and so what we're focused on

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<v Speaker 2>in terms of nutrition. Gosh, there's so many things you

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<v Speaker 2>can do with your diet and people don't realize, like, wait, what,

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<v Speaker 2>there's so much you can do well. Absolutely. So there's

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<v Speaker 2>all these toxins we put in our body right now,

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<v Speaker 2>and some of those toxins are things like refined foods

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<v Speaker 2>and process foods. And what happens with all those refined

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<v Speaker 2>foods is that they go inside your body and they

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<v Speaker 2>activate your insulin, your sugar levels go up, and they

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<v Speaker 2>process really fast, and they're actually the foods that give

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<v Speaker 2>you the high and low. So if just think about,

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<v Speaker 2>for instance, you worked all day and then at midday whatever,

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<v Speaker 2>you go to lunch with your friends. You go to

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<v Speaker 2>Olive Garden or something like that, and maybe I shouldn't

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<v Speaker 2>have set all of garden, but some restaurant like that,

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<v Speaker 2>and then I know. And then you eat like a

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<v Speaker 2>pasta meal which has no fiber in it and it's

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<v Speaker 2>loaded in cheese and fat, and you eat the bread

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<v Speaker 2>that comes with it. And so people are like, oh

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<v Speaker 2>my gosh, I'm so tired, I'm not getting enough sleep.

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<v Speaker 2>I know what I need. I need more protein. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>actually that's not the case at all. Most of the time,

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<v Speaker 2>it's neither of those things. That's that they just need

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<v Speaker 2>to cut out their sugar. So a lot of those

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<v Speaker 2>refined foods and sugars are a source of inflammation. Another

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<v Speaker 2>big sources animal fat, unfortunately, and mostly fried animal fat. Really,

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<v Speaker 2>the foods that we want people to eat are anti inflammatory.

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<v Speaker 2>There are fruits that are antioxidants, like blueberries and berries

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<v Speaker 2>in general. There are spices like turmeric that are super

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<v Speaker 2>potent and anti inflammatory. So all these things that you

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<v Speaker 2>can do to combat to take out those inflammatory foods,

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<v Speaker 2>and you add back some of that anti inflammatory food

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<v Speaker 2>and boy, there you go.

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<v Speaker 1>You know when you say refined sugars, it sounds a

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<v Speaker 1>lot like that is also carbohydrates.

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<v Speaker 2>Is that accurate?

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<v Speaker 1>So our carbs something that we should widely avoid.

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<v Speaker 2>Oh, I'm so glad you asked that, because there's such

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<v Speaker 2>a fear of carbs and I kind of added to

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<v Speaker 2>that just now, and I appreciate you bringing that up. So,

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<v Speaker 2>you know, I think the thing that people need to

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<v Speaker 2>realize is that carbohydrates are this humongous bad of different things.

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<v Speaker 2>And there's complex carbohydrates and then there's simple carbohydrates. Well,

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<v Speaker 2>complex carbohydrates or foods that when you eat them you

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<v Speaker 2>feel full longer and you don't feel hungry. Well, those

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<v Speaker 2>are complex carbs like beans and quene wah and whole

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<v Speaker 2>grains that don't have other additives in them. And so

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<v Speaker 2>when we tell people we want to avoid carbohydrates, we

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<v Speaker 2>want them to avoid those simple carbohydrates and refined carbohydrates.

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<v Speaker 2>Then those are things like your candies and your cookies,

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<v Speaker 2>and your crackers and your sodas. Those are the foods

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<v Speaker 2>that we want people to avoid.

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<v Speaker 1>Yes, a lot of our audience, our caregivers, and self

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<v Speaker 1>love and self care can just be such a challenge

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<v Speaker 1>for many of them. How do you approach nutrition with

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<v Speaker 1>time boundaries? Like finding fresh veggies, cooking whole really good meals,

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<v Speaker 1>snacks on the go. That's something that I know I

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<v Speaker 1>struggled with. So a couple things you can do is

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<v Speaker 1>pre cooking. I'm a huge fan of, So don't be

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<v Speaker 1>embarrassed to use frozen food first of all, like embrace

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<v Speaker 1>frozen foods, and then batch cook like cook ahead of times.

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<v Speaker 1>And the other thing for snacks. You know, I carry

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<v Speaker 1>those baby carrot bags around, and I carry tups of

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<v Speaker 1>hummus around, and I carry peanut butters or almond butters,

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<v Speaker 1>which are really good ways to get snacks. Those are

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<v Speaker 1>sort of clever ways to get them. In very clever

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<v Speaker 1>doctor Monica Agriwall has been so awesome speaking with you.

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<v Speaker 1>I have been taking notes, but boy, this has this

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<v Speaker 1>been very, very enlightening. So I really appreciate talking to

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<v Speaker 1>you today. Thank you so much for joining us on

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<v Speaker 1>care Walks.

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<v Speaker 2>It was an honor. Thank you so much. Appreciate you

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<v Speaker 2>having me.

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<v Speaker 1>I want to thank doctor Agerwall again for being my

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<v Speaker 1>guest today. You know, I'm constantly learning about my own

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<v Speaker 1>habits and routine with each episode of this show, and

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<v Speaker 1>I hope you will take away some valuable lessons about

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<v Speaker 1>nutrition for you and your family, and remember keep walking

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<v Speaker 1>and don't forget to take care of yourself too. That's

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<v Speaker 1>it for today's episode. Don't forget to join me next

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<v Speaker 1>week when we talk to family caregiver Lakita Kasten about

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<v Speaker 1>the importance of finding community to fend off isolation when

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<v Speaker 1>you're a caregiver. Care Walks is produced by iHeartRadio in

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<v Speaker 1>partnership with voltairean Arthritis pain Gel and hosted by me

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<v Speaker 1>Holly Robinson Pete. Our executive producer is Molly Sosha. Our

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<v Speaker 1>head engineer is Matt Stillo. This episode was written and

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<v Speaker 1>produced by Sierra Kaiser, with special thanks to our Partners

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<v Speaker 1>at GSK Platform GSK Weber Shandwick and Edelman