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Lori (00:01)
Welcome back to the Plant Powered Collective Podcast. I'm Lori Walinsky, integrative nutritionist, coach, and founder of the Plant Powered Collective. Around here we look at health on the plate, around the plate, at the table, with ourselves, in the home, and make it a practice. Those are the pillars of Plant Powered Collective. And today I want to talk about something I think is making healthy living.
Much harder than it needs to be. So pull up a chair at my table and join me while we talk about the fact that healthy eating has a marketing problem. Open TikTok, open Instagram, walk through a grocery store. Apparently we all need creatine, collagen, protein powder, greens, powder, electrolytes, magnesium, probiotics, prebiotics, adaptogens, mushrooms, something for cortisol, something for sleep, something for energy, something for metabolism, something for gut health.
And probably something to put into a smoothie containing all the other things. It is a lot. It's a lot to work through. And what I find interesting is that while wellness marketing keeps getting more complicated, the foundation of health is actually pretty simple. Eat more plants, eat enough protein, get fiber, move your body, build strength, sleep, manage stress, create a healthier environment around you, stay connected to people.
and repeat. That may not make for the most exciting marketing campaign, but it makes for a pretty strong foundation.
You know, I love innovation and I also love simple. I want to make something clear before we go any further. I am not anti-product. I love innovation and I love something that makes healthy living easier. And I especially appreciate products that make healthy living easier without taking us farther and farther away from recognizable food and simple ingredients. That is an important distinction.
Convenience is not automatically unhealthy. Frozen vegetables are convenient. Canned beans are convenient. Tofu is convenient. Precooked whole grains can be incredibly useful. A thoughtfully formulated product that can solve a real problem. What I want us to become more aware of is the difference between a useful product and an ultra-processed product engineered primarily for taste, convenience, shelf life, and repeated consumption.
Because ultra-processed foods are not just another nutrition buzzword. They now make up a very large portion of the American food supply. And research around them is becoming difficult to ignore. And that is important. Food processing exists on a spectrum. Washing vegetables is processing, freezing berries is processing, grinding peanuts into peanut butter is processing. Turning soy beans into tofu is processing.
Canned beans or excuse me, canning beans is processing. Canning beans is processing. Those foods can absolutely fit into a nourishing diet. Ultra processed foods are different. They tend to be industrial formulations built around refined ingredients, additives, flavorings, emulsifiers, sweeteners, colors, and other components that you would not normally use to prepare that food in your own kitchen.
Think more along the lines of a packaged snack food, or sweets, or sugary drinks, or processed meats, and also heavily formulated convenience foods. And I do not want to turn that definition into fear either. I still like a good chip. Sometimes I want something salty and crunchy right out of the bag. And that is part of real life. The question is not did I eat an ultra processed food today? The better question is
What does the pattern of my eating look like? One of the landmark studies in this area was led by Dr. Kevin Hall at the National Institute of Health and published in Cell Metabolism in 2019. The title of it was Ultraprocessed Diets Cause Excess Calorie Intake and Weight Gain. Researchers actually brought people in as an inpatient
Researchers actually brought people into an inpatient research setting and gave them either an ultra processed diet or an unprocessed diet. The diets were designed to be matched for things like calories offered, macronutrients, sugar, sodium, and fiber. But when people were allowed to eat as much as they wanted, they consumed about 500 more calories per day on the ultra processed diet and gained weight. And on the unprocessed diet, they lost weight.
That was an important finding because it suggested that something about the way these foods were formulated, eaten, or processed may influence how much we consume. That was an
And more recently, researchers tested this question again. In 2025, randomized crossover a 2025 randomized crossover trial published in Nature Medicine was called Ultra Processed or Minimally Processed Diets Following Healthy Dietary Guidelines on Weight and Cardiometabolic Health. This study was particularly interesting because both diets followed healthy dietary guidelines.
Both groups lost weight. But people lost weight twice as much. But people lost twice as much weight during the minimally processed diet period compared to the ultra-processed period. And just recently, a 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials found that ultra-processed diets were associated with greater weight gain and faster eating rates than less processed diets.
Although the researchers were appropriately cautious about saying that processing alone explains everything. Energy density and overall nutrition energy density and overall nutritional quality matter too. That nuance matters. I am not interested in replacing one extreme with another. I'm interested in understanding the evidence and then asking, how can we move the overall pattern towards foods that support us better?
This makes me think about a recent Plant Powered Collective podcast with AISTA. She's a pharmacist and founder of Best Gut forever, a product that is used to help improve your gut quality and health. AISTA is actually a really good example of why I do not simply say all supplements are bad. Because again, she created bus, she
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created
best gut forever because of her own experience. After moving from Lithuania to the United States, she began dealing with significant digestive symptoms. She was bloated, uncomfortable, exhausted after eating, and later found herself dealing with other health concerns as well.
And even as a pharmacist, she could not find the solution she was looking for. She tried many of the things people are marketed for gut health. Probiotics, enzymes, fiber supplements, green powders, different diets. Eventually, instead of looking for another quick fix, she went back to the research. Her question became less about adding more bacteria and more about what are we feeding the beneficial bacteria we're already living in our gut.
What are we feeding the beneficial bacteria already living in the gut? When she could not find the formula she wanted, she created one herself. Best Gut Forever combines specific prebiotic fibers, polyphenol-rich plant ingredients, ginger and turmeric, and the amounts disclosed rather than hidden inside a proprietary blend. That is very different to me.
From creating a trendy product first and then finding the wellness claim to put the label on it. There was a problem, she researched it, she chose ingredients intentionally, she created something that she created something to make a healthier practice easier. That is the kind of innovation I appreciate. It still does not replace food. I still would tell you that too, but it can complement the foundation.
So let's talk about creatine. Creatine is everywhere right now, and unlike some wellness trends, there's legitimate science behind it. A 2026 systematic review and meta-analysis specifically looked at creatine and postmenopausal women. Researchers combined seven randomized controlled trials involving 608 women with an average age of about 62, so my age. Overall, creatine supplementation
was associated with a small increase in lean body mass. And in the studies looking at leg strength, women taking creatine improved their leg press strength by about 7.5 kilograms more than the comparison groups. But here is the part I want you to hear. The clearest benefit was seen when women took at least five grams of creatine per day and combined it with re resistance training. Trials using
Lower doses without resistance training did not show the same measurable effect, and creatine did not significantly improve bone density overall. That is much more useful story than every woman over 40 needs creatine. Maybe creatine could be useful for you, maybe not, but once again, the supplement did not replace the foundation. The foundation was the strength training, and that mattered.
Collagen is another good example. Collagen is a product that seems to be everywhere, in powders and drinks, in bars and creamers, and again, there may be reasons someone chooses to use it. But before we decide that every woman needs collagen powder, I wanna return to the basics. Are you getting enough total protein? Are you
eating vitamin rich fruits and vegetables?
Are you eating vitamin C rich fruits and vegetables? Are you getting enough calories? Are you moving? Are you strength training? Are you sleeping? Your body makes collagen. It needs amino acids and nutrients to do that. So perhaps collagen becomes part of the conversation, but it should not replace the conversation too, of are you eating properly so that your body can make it?
There is another place where marketing becomes interesting because wellness does not stop at the grocery store. One of the PPC, one of the plant-powered collective pillars is that
One of the plant power collective pillars is what is happening around the plate, and that includes our home environment. What we clean with, what we put on our bodies, what we breathe, and even what we burn in our homes. Now I love a candle. To me, lighting a candle could completely change the feeling of a room. It is a little ritual. It tells my brain work is done, dinner is starting, slow down.
And when I think about candles, I think about C Love here in Southwest Florida. It is a small boutique franchise that started in Maine and
One of my friends, Tina, is the owner locally here in Southwest Florida. And she did a podcast with me.
C Love is a business around creating a beautiful scent experience while also being super thoughtful about ingredients. Sea Love candles use 100% US grown soy wax, a cotton core, lead-free wicks, and all of their oils are fragrance.
And all of their oils are all natural, no added dyes, and no paraffin wax. That matters to me because I want us thinking about the things we bring into our homes too. There is another area I do not want to overstate. There is another area where I do not want to overstate the science. Burning anything produces combustion byproducts. Candles can release particulate matter.
And volatile compounds into indoor air. The EPA specifically lists candle burning as a source of indoor particulate matter. Research has found that candle emissions can include soot, ultrafine particles, and various volatile compounds, although under normal use, many measured concentrations have fallen below the established indoor air guideline levels. Emissions can
Emissions vary depending on candle, wick, fragrance, how it burns, and ventilation. So for me, clean candle does not mean a candle magically produces zero emissions. It means I look for transparency and fewer unnecessary ingredients.
That's why I prefer sea love candles. I prefer candles that disclose what they're made from, right? Like sea love. I look for plant-based waxes such as soy, cotton wicks, lead-free wicks, fragrance oils that are phthalate that are phthalate-free, no unnecessary dyes, no paraffin when I have another option, and I avoid candles that are constantly smoking or producing visible soot.
Definitely trim the wick. Do not let the candles burn endlessly. And give the room some ventilation. If fragrance triggers headaches, respiratory symptoms, or asthma for you, listen to your body. The EPA notes that fragrances can trigger symptoms in some sensitive individuals. And again, this is not about being afraid of your home. It's about being thoughtful about your environment. And that is very plant-powered collective.
I was reminded of that recently in a completely different way. I was supposed to go see the Doobie Brothers with my partner, Chris. That had been our plan. We had the tickets for months. And then Chris got a new job and moved to Hawaii. So instead I went with my friend Heather. It was not the original plan, but I still went. I listened to music, I spent time with a good friend.
I laughed, I danced, I got out of the house. And I thought about how easy it was to become and I thought about how easy it has. And I thought about how easy it has become in the wellness world to reduce health to numbers. Protein grams, steps, heart rezons, sleep scores, supplement stacks. But what about joy? What about friendship? What about hearing a song you love with someone you enjoy spending time with?
That belongs at the table too. There is something else I do that serves almost no measurable nutritional purpose. I put leeks, chives, parsley, and sometimes broccolini into little vases in my refrigerator. Why? Because it looks pretty. It makes me happy. But sometimes
something else happens too. I see those foods, so I use them. That is one of the things I love about designing your food environment.
Maybe your version is fruit in a beautiful bowl on your on your counter. Maybe it is a favorite plate. Maybe it is music while you cook. Maybe it is lighting a thoughtfully chosen candle. Maybe it is eating outside. What makes you happy and joyful? Because I do not think health should become another job we perform. I want it to support the life we actually want to live. And life and our lifestyle should be joyful and happy and thoughtful and intentional.
And all the other values that you have identified for yourself and your lifestyle. When my father first came to live with me, one of my priorities
was helping him regain weight. He had lost a significant amount of weight in a short period of time and I wanted him to gain it back in order to be healthier. So I initially focused on foods that I knew he enjoyed and would actually eat. Of course there were a lot of healthy options and one of those foods was cookies because he loved sweets. He really loved sweets.
So if there were cookies available, he wanted the cookies. But as he settled into living with me and his life became fuller, more active, and more enriched, I started thinking about how I could support him nutritionally without taking away the foods that gave him pleasure. So I started changing what was the easiest to reach for. Grapes, apples, and especially pineapples. He loves pineapple.
I did not announce that the cookies were now bad. I did not put him on a diet. I did not tell him I did not tell him I was taking something away. I simply made fruit
more available for him. And he is every bit as happy and joyful eating it. Does he still have a cookie? Of course. I'm not trying to create nutritional perfection for him. I mean he's 84 years old. And he has dementia and primary progressive aphasia. If having a cookie brings him
The three minutes of joy it takes for him to eat the cookie, it's okay. Equally, if he has that same amount of joy, eating an apple or pineapple or watermelon or grapes, I'm absolutely gonna make those things available to him as well.
Again, I'm not trying to create nutritional perfection for him, but now much more of a sweet food comes from fruit. That is a small shift. And is also a perfect example of something we talk about constantly at Plant-Powered Collective. Environment influences behavior. Sometimes changing what is easy works better than telling ourselves to have more willpower.
And this is really where I want to bring this entire conversation back. There are thousands of people online trying to influence what you buy. Buy this powder, buy this bar, buy this supplement, buy this drink, buy this gadget. And yes, I'm building a platform too. I create podcasts, I create social media, I recommend foods and sometimes products.
But I have thought a lot about the word influencer. I do not particularly want to be an influence in a way that we have come to understand that word. I do not want my job to be convincing you to buy more things. If I'm going to influence you, I want to influence you toward good nutrition, toward cooking, toward plants, toward reading the labels, toward asking questions, toward moving your body, toward making your home a healthier place, toward slowing down.
Toward gathering people at your table, toward deciding whether something actually adds value to your life before you buy it. That is the kind of influence I'm interested in. Marketing teaches us to ask, what should I buy? Plant power collective coaching asks, what do I actually need? Marketing asks, what am I missing? Coaching asks, what is already working?
Marketing often creates urgency. Coaching creates awareness. Marketing tells you what your problem marketing tells you that your problem can be solved with one more product.
Coaching asks, what is getting in the way of the behavior you already know you want? Maybe you need a product, maybe you need a system, maybe you need vegetables where you can see them, maybe you need a protein source ready in your refrigerator. Maybe you need 10 minutes to walk. Maybe you need somebody to help you sort through all the noise. That is the work. So here is your small shift that I'm going to invite you to think about this week.
Before you buy your next wellness product, pause. Not forever, just pause and ask three questions. What problem am I trying to solve? Is there a simpler way to solve it? And will this product actually make the healthy behavior easier for me?
If the answer to that last question is yes, then wonderful, that may be a very useful product. But if you cannot identify the problem it solves, maybe you do not need it, especially if the product is ultra-processed, especially if the product is not third-party tested.
And because the simplest foods can still feel special, this week's recipe is crispy white beans and broccolini with herbed lemon oil.
I have made it and you can see it on the Plant Powered Collective YouTube channel. Start with one can of white beans, rinse and pat them dry. Use them on a sh put them on a sheet pan with broccolini. Add a little extra virgin olive oil, black pepper, garlic, and a pince a pinch of salt. That's it. Roast everything until the beans are a little crispy and the broccolini gets those like beautiful little dark edges and like they're crispy and mmm.
And then make a quick herbed lemon oil with extra virgin olive oil, fresh parsley, chives, lemon zest and lemon juice, and black pepper.
Spoon hummus onto your plate, add the broccolini, pile on those crispy beans, drizzle everything with the lemony herb oil, add toasted pistachios of pumpkin seeds if you want crunch. Mmm, I love the texture and crunch. Nothing on that plate needs a wellness claim. The beans bring protein and fiber, broccolini brings plants, polyphenols. The olive oil brings healthy fat. And the herbs and lemon bring flavor.
And it tastes good and that is enough. I want to leave you with this.
Healthy living does not require us to reject every product. It requires us to become better consumers of both food and information. There are wonderful products created with intention. There are products that genuinely make nourishing ourselves easier. And there are products designed primarily to convince us that we have to have another problem solved.
Learning to tell the difference is part of health too. So your reflection question this week is: Where has marketing convinced me that I need something more? When what I really may need is something simpler. Think about
That not only with food, think about your supplements, your kitchen, your bathroom, your home, and your daily routines. If you are finding it difficult to sort through all of the nutrition and wellness information coming at you, that is exactly where an intertegrative nutrition session with me can help.
We can look at what you're eating, what you're buying, your supplements, your routines, your food environment, and what is actually realistic in your life. Not more noise, more clarity. And you can find information about booking a session in the show notes. And if this episode made you think differently about something sitting in your pantry, your supplement cabinet, or even the candle burning beside you, share it with someone else who might appreciate the conversation. Follow the Plant Powered Collective Podcast.
And come find me on social media where I promise to keep trying to influence you toward one thing: a healthier, more intentional life. Thank you for pulling up a chair at my table. I hope you enjoyed today's conversation. Until next time, nourish boldly and live vibrantly.