How Healthy People Eat - Tips & Tricks from Kristen Coffield
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Last Wednesday, I had the pleasure of hosting Kristen Coffield on my Expert Instagram Lives! In case you missed it, Kristen is the author of “How Healthy People Eat” and the founder and owner of The Culinary Cure. She’s a culinary wellness coach who is dedicated to helping people live younger, longer, and better—needless to say, we have a lot in common!
I asked Kristen tons of questions during our chat, and I got her to spill all of her tips and tricks for making healthy eating simple and enjoyable. In this week’s blog post below, you’ll see I’ve distilled her advice down into a few super actionable tips that you can apply to your life right now.
So, here’s a peak at how healthy people eat… and how to become one of them!
Tip #1: Remember that not all calories are created equal.
If you’ve followed PJW for some time, you know I’m a big proponent of seeing food as fuel (with some exceptions… looking at you wine and dessert). Food gives us energy, and we use that energy to perform tasks and help our bodies function properly. In support of that point, Kristen talked a lot about how not all calories are created equal. The calories in an apple, for example, are different from the calories in a bagel. Yes, weight loss is primarily a “calories in, calories out” game—with some nuances related to hormones, stress, metabolism etc.—but when it comes to living an overall healthy lifestyle, feeling your best, maintaining your weight, improving your mental health, and preventing disease, the quality of the food you eat matters.
Another way to think of it is to see the body as a gas tank. In other words, what we put into our bodies is what we get out. Would you put unleaded gas into your diesel car? Of course not. It would drive poorly and damage the car. See where I’m going with this? If you put unhealthy food in your body on a consistent basis, you’re not going to get a healthy outcome. Consuming processed foods, excessive alcohol, and classic “junk” foods will make you feel… like junk. So instead of only looking at calories in a food, look at the nutritional value of that food and ask yourself what it’s offering: fiber? Healthy fats? Protein? Nutrients? Vitamins? You want the most bang for your buck, and the most value for your calories.
Tip #2: Hydration is essential, but you want to space your water out throughout the day.
You all know how much I preach drinking water—it’s something Kristen and I could talk about for hours on end! Specifically, we both recommend drinking lemon or lime juice in warm water first thing in the morning. Both lemon or lime juice are naturally acidic, but they turn alkaline once they enter our bodies, and alkalinity dials down inflammation. So not only is lemon or lime water a healing tonic that can jumpstart your digestive system/help us get rid of metabolic waste, but it also contributes to our overall hydration for the day.
That said, something Kristen emphasized in our discussion was that drinking all of your daily water intake at once can be dangerous. In other words, even if you’re thirsty, chugging two liters of water at once isn’t a safe strategy. Why? Because you run the risk of flushing things out of your body that you need, like sodium and other electrolytes.
The takeaways here are 1) Start your morning with warm water and lemon or lime juice, and 2) be mindful about spacing out your water intake. For me, having a water bottle like this one with time reminders on the side has been enormously helpful.
Tip #3: Not all oils are created equal—and there are some you should never be eating.
We all know we shouldn’t eat processed foods, but something we don’t often think about is how processed some oils are! Corn oil, vegetable oil, canola oil, grapeseed oil… these are ones you want to stay away from. They’re highly processed and linked to inflammation.
In general, you want to stick to the following:
Extra virgin olive oil
Unrefined, cold-pressed coconut oil
Avocado oil
Butter from grass-fed cows
Lard from grass-fed animals
She does caveat that a little finishing nut or seed oil on a dish is fine, like walnut oil or toasted sesame seed oil, but in general, take the inflammatory oils off your grocery list.
Tip #4: If you want to minimize inflammation in your body, eat a heavily plant-based diet and eat foods in their natural state.
In an effort to spell it out for us, here’s what Kristen recommends you include in your diet:
Fruits in whole form (organic when you can; fresh and frozen are fine; dried fruit is not)
Vegetables (organic when you can, especially dark leafy greens and non-starchy vegetables)
Mushrooms
Raw nuts (with no added oils)
Plant-based proteins, like beans and legumes, wild caught fish, and grass-fed meats
Fermented foods, like sauerkraut and kimchi
Ground flax seeds and chia seeds
Natural wines
Organic green tea or coffee
This list is not comprehensive of course, so if you need more guidance or specifics, check out my blog post on what I eat to stay lean and healthy in my 60s!
Tip #5: If you can make a condiment or sauce at home, do it!
I talked about this in my recent blog post “10 Foods You Should Stop Buying And Make At Home Instead,” and Kristen said this is a tip she gives to all of her clients. Not only can it make a huge difference in your health, but it can also save you money! Her favorite make-at-home recipe is a super simple salad dressing that she always keeps on hand in the fridge. That way, she can make a salad alongside any dish she’s preparing for lunch or dinner.
Lucky for us, we snagged the recipe…
Kristen’s Simple Salad Dressing
1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon shallot, minced or chopped
1 whole garlic clove minced
1 teaspoon Himalayan Salt
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
Throw those ingredients in a Mason jar, mix it up, and that’s it! Seriously, it’s that easy—and if you’re someone who typically doesn’t like salad, Kristen said she’s never had anyone dislike this dressing… so give it a try!
I hope you found these tips helpful! Make sure to follow @purejoywellness on Instagram, where I’ll be hosting expert interviews on nutrition, weight loss, skincare, aging, menopause, and more.
Xo,
Renata