Healthy YOU Podcast, Episode 1 Nutrition and the immune system
Host: Frankye Myers, Chief Nursing Officer for Riverside Health
Expert Guest: Lanita Williams, MS, RD, Clinical Dietitian, Riverside Regional Medical Center
Below is the transcript from this episode.
Frankye: From Riverside Health, this is the Healthy You Podcast where we talk about a range of health-related topics focused on improving your physical and mental health. We chat with our providers, team members, patients, and caregivers to learn more about how to maintain a healthy lifestyle and improve overall physical and mental health. So let's dive in to learn more about becoming a healthier youth.
Frankye: I am excited, this is our Healthy You podcast. I'm here today with Lanita Williams.
Lanita : Hello.
Frankye: Hello, Lanita.
Lanita : Hi.
Frankye: Lanita has a Master of Science and is a registered dietitian.
Lanita : Yes, ma'am.
Frankye: We’re really excited to have you. And she's a clinical dietitian.
Lanita : Yes.
Frankye: At Riverside Regional Medical Center. So how are you?
Lanita : I'm well today. Thank you, Frankie. Appreciate you guys having me today on the Healthy You Podcast. So, I’m just excited and nervous, but real excited.
Frankye: So, our topic today is the nutrition and the immune system, what is the link?
Lanita : So, nutrition definitely plays a role in our immune health. For those that want to know a little bit more about the immune system, it's basically works to remove foreign bacteria, viruses, any blood or tissues cells from our body. Our immune system will work to remove it without any adverse reactions. And the immune system is made up of special cells, tissues, and organs, like our lymphatic system and our spleen, and they work to basically protect us and keep us healthy.
Frankye: Okay.
Lanita : There is a link as far as nutrition in immune health. And with nutrition, it affects inflammatory processes in our body. For example, someone consuming like a lot of added sugar there's research that links added sugar intake to things like obesity and insulin resistance, and also to inflammation. Nutrition also affects our white blood cell functions, so we have to make sure we're eating enough vitamins and minerals to strengthen and build our white blood cells. It affects our microbiome, our GI health and our GI barrier function. So, all of those things affect immune health and nutrition has a role in that.
Lanita : And so with that said, I think people listening will be happy to know that as far as dietary guidelines to prevent illness go, they are very similar to nutrition guidelines for healthy eating in general.
Frankye: You said so many things that resonate with me. And as I think about that, you know, I grew up in the south and so I'm thinking through how do I go and explain that to my mother. My mother's love language is food. And that's how she expresses love. So, we grew up with a lot of carbs and the more you ate the better. So, talk a little bit about that. And I know in my own family background, diabetes and high blood pressure is very prominent.
Lanita : Mm-hmm.
Frankye: And so, even though I'm a nurse, for many years I didn't even read labels.
Lanita : Yeah.
Frankye: And so when I went on the journey to becoming a diabetic, I really learned how to eat better. How to go in the grocery store and actually read the labels and understand how much carbs are in certain things and how much sugar. And then I noticed that there was an association with what I ate as to how my joints felt.
Lanita : Mm-hmm.
Frankye: So, um, you just hit a lot of things that I dealt with in my past. So, if you could just expand on that and how culturally you start having those conversations. With your family members and loved ones?
Lanita : Yes, ma'am. I've looked at different types of diets and the most common one, of course in this country is the Western diet. And basically that diet is composed of foods that have a lot of saturated fat and processed foods that have a lot of added salt, sugar and calories. Studies have linked this western diet to inflammation and promoting the development of diseases like heart disease, diabetes and certain types of cancers.
Having that conversation with your family is just really talking about going to a diet that promotes intake of those healthier foods. It includes those foods that we need for our health. Like fruits and vegetables, whole grain foods, legumes, which is our beans and peas, lentils and fish like our fatty fish. It’s really just about working to making sure that we're including more of those things on our plates, those whole foods that are nutrient dense and not calorie dense, and really limiting the things that are really processed and heavy in saturated and trans fats.
Frankye: Okay. So there is truth to some of the things you used to hear growing up, like an apple a day keeps the doctor away and eat your vegetables.
Lanita : mm-hmm. All of those things and drink plenty of water. And that's, that's something that I really have to plan out. I know that we get busy, but, um, you know, eight cups of water a day.
Frankye: Mm-hmm. What is your thought process around getting in hydration and making sure you get in enough fluids each day and the impact that it has on the body and on your immune system?
Lanita : Definitely hydration is important. Then as far as, “How much water should I drink?”, I get that question a lot. Sometimes that number can vary and it depends on a lot of things. It can depend on your activity level, illness, or if you're taking certain medications. If you have an illness, you might need to restrict or not drink as much fluid. But a good rule of thumb is I usually tell people to kind of just pay attention to their body and paying attention to signs for dehydration, like checking your urine, making sure that you're not noticing a dark color. Urine should be a pale yellow color and making sure you're not feeling tired, feeling like your mouth is really dry or you're just having a hard time concentrating. So its important to just pay attention for signs of dehydration, but really drinking plenty of water with your meals. Of course, drinking when you're thirsty, taking sips throughout the day, just kind of paying attention to how you feel.
Frankye: Okay. Great information. Talk a little bit about sodium intake and heart health. You hear a lot about congestive heart failure. So how do you begin to monitor and really look at what you're taking in as far as your sodium and the impact that it has on your health?
Lanita : There is a link between sodium and heart disease. Especially people with high blood pressure and congestive heart failure, when we take in a lot of sodium, that can cause our body to hold on to fluid and which makes our heart to have to work harder. And so, there's certain things that we can do to limit the sodium in our diet.
Lanita : One of those would be to not add any additional salt onto our food at home and limiting our intake of processed foods. A lot of those foods, like drive through and restaurant foods, have a lot of added salt in them. We talk a lot about this at cardiac rehab, I think I told you earlier.
Lanita : I actually teach heart healthy diet education for the phase two cardiac rehab program at Riverside Regional Medical Center. We talk a lot about salt intake and so I ask people, who still has the salt shaker on the table? And they're like, I do, but it's just for decoration. I'm like, okay, good.
Lanita : Right. We talk a lot about cooking from home with fresh ingredients. So going to the store and getting fresh proteins, fresh or frozen fruits and vegetables and then they prepare it with herbs and spices to add that flavor, using substitutes to add the flavor like lemon juice or vinegar. Which those things that don't have any salt in them to bring out the flavor. When the foods are prepared at home, they can control what goes into it. I preach a lot about moderation. So enjoying your food is, you know, it's important for sure, but just making sure not to enjoy too much of it.
Frankye: Right. I'm glad you talked about substitutes. I'm a cook. And the litmus test that it's really good is that they don't have to add anything after you prepare it. So I do put a lot of things in my food and I had to really learn how to use garlic and onions. Mm-hmm. and not so much of the different seasonal and accents and different things that may have, uh, increased sodium.
Frankye: What factors can depress the immune system? you know, we're, uh, coming out of a pandemic and are now in what would. we would term an endemic. Mm-hmm so as it relates to that, what are some things that would depress the immune system or, and or boost the immune system as we want to just really be focused on immune health and staying safe during the these times?
Lanita : Yeah, definitely. When the immune system's not functioning properly, there can be several reasons for that. Sometimes a person might be born with a primary immune deficiency, so that just means they're born with a weak immune system. Or someone could have an acquired immune deficiency and that just means that they may have a disease that is weakening their immune system. Or someone could have a very active immune system and you'll see that in people who have allergic reactions to things.
Lanita : And sometimes our immune system works against us, and then that's like an autoimmune. But aside from illnesses that can weaken our immune system, there are things that certain medications can cause our immune system to be weak, like steroids or certain cancer treatments.
Lanita : Certain lifestyle factors, so like smoking and excessive drinking can definitely weaken our immune system. And poor nutrition, right? So you definitely want to avoid becoming malnourished or having nutrient deficiencies.
Frankye: Okay. Okay. Talk a little bit about the mindset that it costs a lot of money to eat well. To make good choices, that it's expensive. So what are some things that you can do if you're on a budget and you really have to be mindful of how much you're spending as it relates to food?
Lanita : Definitely. Yeah, it, can be. But you know if it means having good health, but I mean, for the most part there are things you can do. When you're shopping for produce, especially, I hear that fruits and vegetables are so expensive and yeah, they can be, I encourage people to just shop for fruits and vegetables that are in season, you can get them, um, a lot cheaper in season. If there's like a farmer's market nearby that you can visit, support your local farmer's market in purchasing fresh fruits and vegetables there. Frozen vegetables can also work as well.
Lanita : In cardiac rehab we talk a lot about that too. I'll say, you know, frozen, vegetables are perfect for your diet. Of course, sometimes they might come like pre-seasoned and things like that. So, I tell people to be mindful of those things that already have things added onto it and just kind of look to see if it's just like plain frozen broccoli or corn.
Lanita :, and with the canned vegetables, of course can still fit it into your diet. They are definitely cheaper than fresh vegetables. But you know, for someone who might be trying to watch their salt intake, then you might wanna find that canned vegetable that has reduced sodium or no added salt. So there's certainly ways around that we can fit, you know, those things into our diet and still not have to break the bank and fit it into your budget.
Frankye: My mom used to say, with the canned goods, if you pour out the juice, and add water?
Lanita : Yes. Draining the juice and rinse them off with water. Definitely removed that extra salt.
Frankye: Um, what about vitamins and herbal supplements? Can they help boost your immune system? Are there some that are better than others or some we should avoid?
Lanita : With vitamin supplementation and herbal supplementation. I would definitely say as far as research goes, it's still pretty controversial. For people who might need like, have increased nutrient needs. So like certain populations like the elderly population or someone who's critically ill, or our pregnant population, you know, they either have an increased nutrient need or they might have difficulty getting those nutrients in.
Lanita : And so in that case, like a multivitamin supplement that provides no more than 100% of the recommended dietary allowance can be beneficial in that sense. Aside from that, I would say vitamins and herbal supplements, I don't think they should replace a healthy diet. I think it's, you know, a lot better for people to try to get those vitamins and minerals through eating whole nutritious foods, just because when you eat those whole nutritious foods, not only do you get those vitamins and minerals, but you get other things like fiber that you wouldn't get in a multivitamin supplement.
Lanita : Um, aside from that, like I said, those certain populations could benefit. If, if you're not getting enough of those nutrients in your diet.
Frankye: . One of the things that I learned when I started my journey to prevent diabetes due to my family history was, like I said, learning how to read the labels and really understanding that. And you would think as a nurse I should know that, but sometimes we don't always do what we're supposed to do, even though we know better was really looking at carbohydrates. And then fiber. Would you talk about the association between that and the importance of adding fiber to your diet?
Lanita : Definitely, adding fiber is very important. And I wanna say that a lot of people, we don't get enough fiber in our diet. Um, it's good for our gastrointestinal health, for when it keeps our GI tract functioning. It helps keep us regular and helping to prevent things like constipation. It may even have some help in reducing your risk of things like colon cancer and helping to reduce cholesterol levels. So, we want to get fiber from things like our whole grains. So whole grain products or whole wheat, we want to get it from fruits and vegetables. Again, in cardiac rehab, we talk a lot about when we're eating fruits and vegetables, especially like fruits with the skin. You get like fiber in the skin of our apples and pears and things like that. So I just tell people next time you eat an apple, eat the whole apple. And when you're reading the food label, I encourage people to look for in the ingredients list.
Lanita : Look for words like whole or whole grain, whole wheat, because sometimes certain products, they might say the words wheat on them, but they may not be like a whole grain or whole wheat type of products. When you're looking on the label, when you look at how much fiber content is in that product, try to find products that have three grams of fiber or more per serving. You know, for some people they don't always like things like whole grain toast or whole weed. They're like, oh, I don't like the way that that texture feels. So we talk about ways to start adding that into your diet. You know, if you cook with whole grain, um, start cooking with whole grain pastas or rice, if you don't already do that, then maybe start to, you know, just add it in. Do half and half, maybe half white rice, half brown rice. Anything you can do just to start to add that into your diet.
Frankye: Oh, very good. Very good. Good, good information. What about this insulin resistance? I know every time I go to the doctor, she talks about insulin resistance and belly fat and the association around that. Would you talk a little bit about insulin resistance?
Lanita : Yeah. Um, so just going back to earlier, like I mentioned, when people are taking in a lot of, foods that are processed that have a lot of added sugar which you see in like the western type of diet, right? It can lead to those things like insulin resistance and leads to diabetes. Those types of products would be like, are baked goods. So cakes, cookies, pies, you know, pastries, all the good stuff. When we take on a lot of that added sugar, our body can hold onto that and deposit as fat around our abdomen area. To avoid that, its about moderation, not taking in a bunch of added sugar, limiting processed foods and get back to those whole nutritious foods and regular physical activity, to help reduce your risk of developing insulin resistance.
Frankye: Would you talk a little bit more about physical activity and someone who's really starting the journey of nutrition? And then looking at how do I come up with an entire plan that includes exercise. What are some of the recommendations around starting that?
Lanita : The recommended physical activity per the American Heart Association is generally about 30 minutes of physical activity, um, excuse me, 150 minutes of physical activity. Which would equate to about 30 minutes, five days a week or so. And so also disclaimer, cause I'm not an exercise physiologist, right? But, um, for someone who's just starting out exercising, starting with something as simple as, you know, walking as long as you know, if there's nothing going on with you physically and your doctor cleared you to do, physical activity, walking of course.
Lanita : So taking a brisk walk, and then kind of work to building yourself. If you haven't gone out there in a while, it's okay to work to get yourself to a certain limit, but starting, walking, doing simple household chores, you know, vacuuming, climbing the stairs, anything that can kind of get your heart rate going so you can start burning calories or washing the car, chasing your dog, or chasing children around. Things like that, you know, going outside during the holiday times with family and just doing, yard activities. So even simple things like that. Some people, I don't know if they feel like, oh God, you know, getting a gym membership, because that can be very expensive too. So don't feel the need, like you have to go that route.
Lanita : You know, there's other things that you can do that are easily accessible. There are lots of things on the internet. There's lots of free exercise videos. I do that myself. I want to say at least four times a week at home I go to YouTube and I find my exercise channels and there's a lot up there to fit depending on what your schedule is.
Lanita : Because then there's the thing where people say, well, I don't really have enough time, but there's all kinds of videos out there to kind of fit your schedule. If you've got 20 minutes or if you've got 30 minutes, there's a video out there that you know you can start watching or doing. There's things you can sometimes do in your office. You can try to incorporate exercising at work. Taking a break. Especially if you have a job where you're sitting down a lot. Maybe set an alarm on your phone every, hour, every 45 minutes or so to remind yourself, you know, get up, stretch, maybe go take a walk, things like that. So there's lots of things that people can do and incorporate.
Frankye: That's true. You hear some people talk about walking meetings. Um, I donate to a gym every month that I don't attend, and so I did have to come up with things that I could do at home. So you're right, there are like videos that are free.
Lanita : Mm-hmm. , there's exercise equipment that you can incorporate into your home.
Frankye: Oh, sure, but I find when I switch it up I don't get bored.
Lanita : Very true.
Frankye: I'm also more consistent with that.
Lanita : Yeah, that's good. Switching is good. And it's good for your body too. The body likes that a lot. Trying different things and then you'll probably notice where you're, you might be sorer in some areas. You're like, oh, I guess I haven't worked that muscle in a while. So definitely switching it up. Include, you know, weights, if you can get your hands on them just to add some extra resistance.
Frankye: My, uh, another issue for me was I'm a former athlete and so former, it was a long time ago, and, um, sometimes you don't realize your limitations as you get more seasoned , um, and you end up getting hurt.
Lanita : Yeah. So I really had to identify that I couldn't do the things that I did when I was younger. Um, so not to injure myself. So I'm glad you talked about, you know, working with your physician and really finding a regimen that's within your limit.
Frankye: Talk a little bit about portion control and understanding serving sizes. I mean, um, that was something I had to learn because I never really looked at that. You might get a bag of something and it might be 10 servings in that. Right. And you eat all 10 in one setting. Just talk a little bit about the importance of evaluating that as it relates to moderation and nutrition.
Lanita : Definitely portion size is important. Reading the label, that's great that you, you look there, When educating, I tell people, start at the top right. It'll tell you this bag has 10 servings, right? And then just below that it'll tell you what one serving counts as. Right. I encourage people to use things like measuring cups to keep themselves honest. Keeping in mind that yes, on that label, the calories and the sodium and the fat and things like that, all of that is for one serving. So yes, if you eat the entire container, you ate all of those calories and things times 10. So use measuring cups. Keep yourself honest. You know, for, especially with certain snack foods, portion out those things, you know, if you, you know, chips, if you want to have that every now and again, um, just portioning those things out instead of taking it with you and, you know, sitting with it. you know, besides you on the couch. Before you know it, you're at the bottom of the bag. Right. Stick to a standard plate size, because plates come in all different sizes and, you know, we have larger ones or smaller ones. So just try to stick to like a standard size, um, so that you don’t feel like you have to fill up this giant plate.
Frankye: That's a good point. So you, you're seeing some restaurants that are more tapas and small plates.
Lanita : I'm glad you brought up restaurants too, because sometimes well tapas have smaller servings, but for the restaurants that don't have that, you know, sometimes the portion sizes are a lot larger than what they used to be. And so I'll encourage people to cut that food into half or to thirds and then saving for another day, or save it for later. Take the other half to lunch or share with a friend or a family member if you like sharing.
Frankye: Okay. All right. That's good. Good information. So if they're, if someone wants to just educate themselves more, maybe have, uh, a dietary or nutrition consult, just because they may have family history of certain things how would they navigate that and is that something that we offer here at Riverside?
Lanita : Yes at Riverside, we do offer that. There's a wellness facility in the Denbigh area here in Newport News, and there is a dietitian there who does nutrition counseling. Reach out to your physician to let them know that you'd like to seek some additional nutrition counseling so that they can refer you to a dietitian. We do have a dietitian at Walter Reed, who does some outpatient diabetes diet education, and some diet counseling there. There are some resources available. If you don't have access to a dietician, I know there's a lot of information on the internet. Yes, absolutely. So I tell people, you know, to be mindful of the places that they go, where they read, especially if it's like, you know, a blog of, you know, it might be like their testimony, their personal opinion, but I tell people to just stick to like professional websites, professional organizations like the American Heart Association or the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You know, we as dietitians will go to them a lot as well. They have educational tools, so lots of resources and things that you can look up and read about.
Frankye: Okay. All right. Very good. Well, um, thank you so much for your time. Just a lot of robust information. I really enjoyed our conversation and thank you for just your sharing and your knowledge. We appreciate it so much. Thank you.
Lanita : Thank you for having me. I appreciate it. Thank you,
Frankye: Thank you for listening to this episode of Healthy Youth. We're so glad you were able to join us today and learn more about this topic. If you would like to explore more, go to riversideonline.com.
