Episode 29: ADHD & Intuitive Eating Transcript
[00:00:01.450] - Maren
All right, welcome to the show, Abby. Can you tell our students who you are and what it is you do professionally?
[00:00:09.110] - Abby Chan
Yeah. Thank you, Maren. My name is Abby Chan. I'm a registered dietitian based out of Flagstaff, Arizona, and I own a private practice that works with movement, obviously nutrition, physical therapy, and also really looking through this entire lens of working within a weight-inclusive, health at every size lens, so that we can help restore any disruptions that people have had with their relationship to their bodies and food. I mostly work with athletes and eating disorders.
[00:00:41.620] - Ashley
And I guess with that piece around helping people feel connected or more balanced with food, today we're going to talk about nutrition and ADHD. And maybe specifically that intersection of intuitive eating and ADHD, like, how do we adapt intuitive eating for folks who have that ADHD diagnosis? So maybe we can start and set the stage. Abby, can you share how prevalent do we feel ADHD is among a college population? Because that's who we're specifically speaking to. And what are we typically seeing as some of the signs in those folks?
[00:01:21.570] - Abby Chan
Yeah, that's a great question. So statistics are a little bit mixed. It's anywhere from 2 to 8 to 11 to 16% of college students. So it depends. And I think that those numbers are really varied for a few different reasons. Historically, and not to exist in a gender binary space, but we're just going to pretend like this exists for a moment, even though it doesn't. But generally female identifying individuals are under diagnosed with ADHD. And historically, I remember growing up in elementary school and there were male identifying individuals who were diagnosed, and it was typically because they were hyperactive, like some of the quote unquote "classic", big air quotes, "classic" signs of possibly being disruptive, not being able to sit still, being loud, being aggressive, all of these different things, having trouble focusing. And because that was typically thought of as the norm of the standard of how we diagnose this neurodivergency, now we're realizing that it's very very different in those who identify as female. And that's partially due to, it could be due to hormones, and it can also be due to, obviously, how we are expected as society to show up in this world.
[00:02:40.050] - Abby Chan
The reason why in my practice I see a lot of ADHD is because there's a big intersection when we think of neurodivergency, but there's a big intersection between ADHD and also having a co-occurring eating disorder. And so there's a big aspect, too, of why I work with this and why I believe this is important to talk about and really start to create a little bit more awareness around as well.
[00:03:04.950] - Ashley
I wonder if that's where this, maybe in the college population, it becomes more highlighted. It is the age, timing, maybe our female identifying folks are finally getting kind of a diagnoses or recognition around this time, but also "typical" college years, your college age is really high risk for disorder needing and eating disorder behavior. So I wonder if that's another reason why this population we're just seeing a lot of overlap and a lot of prevalence right now too.
[00:03:37.800] - Abby Chan
Yeah and I think that's the beauty of when we start to look at the spectrum of neurodivergency, instead of it being like: you struggle with anxiety or you struggle with depression. It's like recognizing that all of these are multifaceted and often intersecting, which I think is a lot more validating too, than just putting someone in a box and saying this is the only thing you struggle with all the time forever. When it's all the things at times.
[00:04:02.200] - Ashley
Yeah, totally.
[00:04:03.250] - Ashley
And then people don't feel as othered, or yeah it's validating. I do think sometimes folks appreciate the diagnosis because they feel seen and they have this aha moment like: oh, this is why some of these things are occurring. Maybe it dissipates that shame. Like oh, it's not my fault. It's just a product of how I'm adapting and coping with life
[00:04:25.900] - Abby Chan
For sure.
[00:04:26.520] - Abby Chan
Yeah, and I think that's one big aspect too. I've had a lot of clients historically and recently, where they're getting diagnosed in their late 20s, mid to early thirty's, and they're like, "oh, everything makes sense now. This is why life has been so hard for me." And so I think it is very validating to also get a diagnosis. But I think when we're like, "oh, it's only this," it's like all of these are so intersecting that we can't just put people in one box. And I think that when we think about symptoms, we kind of discuss some of the more male identifying symptoms. But I think with women and girls, a lot of it can be, instead of it being a very outward expression, it's more of an internal struggle, internally struggling, being hypercritical of either yourself, or really instead of again expressing outward things or having- I like calling them tanties. I have inner tanties all the time. Little tantrums. It's a friend term amongst the group of friends I'm in. I'm like, I'm throwing a tanty right now. But I think a lot of female identifying individuals typically get a diagnosis of anxiety or major depressive disorder, without again recognizing what is the underlying reason for this.
[00:05:46.530] - Abby Chan
And I think that also, because societally female identifying individuals are supposed to be "put together", supposed to speak quiet, supposed to be nice, supposed to be well behaved, all of these things too. There are different coping strategies to deal with this, where it is historically more acceptable for men and male identifying individuals to maybe be a little bit more loud or out about how they're - or not out about - how they're feeling and emotions, but it's more acceptable to have some, not out about lashes, but you know what I mean?
[00:06:21.800] - Ashley
Yeah, that makes sense. And I think there's a great, I don't know, this generation gives me such hope, right? Like there's just this push towards being able to take up space, and female identifying folks being able to be who they are and to express themselves and not be kept kind of small and that subservientness, like kind of redefining that or divesting from that maybe. And so I love that that maybe is bringing to light it being okay for us just to have those kinds of struggles and put it out there so that we can access different coping skills to just live more peacefully, honestly, instead of just bottling it all up until the moment you just pop.
[00:07:10.430] - Abby Chan
Yeah. And I think one really differing symptom, or way that this shows up from male to female is really the promiscuity of females. And so if a female, female identifying individual or presenting individuals, is struggling with depression or struggling with holding back or inattentiveness or anything like that, it's seen as being promiscuous or again, not fitting within this very quote unquote "female mold". And so I think that's one aspect too. And I think we really need to also recognize that when it comes to hormones, when it comes to ADHD, it is a neurotransmitter condition to an extent. There's altered neurotransmitter activity, so there's less dopamine and serotonin in the brain, which can also lead to other aspects of seeking other coping mechanisms, when it comes to even like being more promiscuous, it could be like risk taking behaviors, struggling with food, relationship to food, all these different things to feel, quote unquote "okay." But then also when it comes to, quote unquote "female hormones" that can also impact - estrogen and progesterone - can also impact and have major impacts on the brain and may also cause fluctuations and exasperations of ADHD symptoms.
[00:08:39.210] - Abby Chan
So you may feel really fine at one point within your menstrual cycle, in one phase, but then at another phase not be able to function at all. And so that can be a huge aspect where it can get misdiagnosed or under diagnosed.
[00:08:52.070] - Ashley
If you have that lens of like: all these things that I am doing, my behaviors serve as a way of my body adapting to try to take care of myself. I think when you have that lens of compassion, it's easier to kind of tease out what support you're actually seeking or what you're actually struggling with or what kind of supports you need and what's working or what's not working. I think when you come out of this lens, we're all on spectrums here and there, and we all need different ways to kind of adapt to life. And so it's going to come out through food maybe in a different way. And that could be an area that you can decide, yeah, this isn't really working for me and what can I do about this?
[00:09:30.260] - Maren
Yeah, well, speaking of food that actually makes me think of since ADHD and the symptoms and what people experience can vary from person to person, we are talking about this spectrum, do we see differences in nutritional dietary patterns? And does it change or is there a difference between those who identify as females versus males? I'm just curious since this also is a nutrition topic or podcast.
[00:09:59.450] - Abby Chan
That's a great question. I haven't looked into that, necessarily, from at least, like again, that more gendered approach of thinking of male versus female presentation. To answer that question, I don't know if there's a big difference in gendered presentation within food space. I think when it comes to eating disorders and disordered eating, they're not obviously just a female identifying presenting issue. But because of, again, those societal factors and how all this is so multifaceted, it can show up in some different ways in that sense of either not liking certain textures of foods or because there is anxiety within this too. It could be having gastrointestinal disruptions or symptoms which then can lead to decreased intake, which can then exacerbate the GI symptoms, which can lead to all these other things. And when we throw medication on board, it's like a whole 'nother topic because that can really disrupt anyone's relationship to their body and food and "natural" hunger signals.
[00:11:16.650] - Maren
Yeah, and I can totally relate to the effect of some of these medications because I myself have taken- I've been diagnosed with ADHD and I've taken the medication before. And I know that one of the symptoms or common symptoms is loss of appetite or reduced appetite, which can lead to weight loss and sometimes you even just forget to eat food. So my next question would be: is there a way folks can use intuitive eating or the practice of intuitive eating to help with those symptoms that they're experiencing?
[00:11:56.850] - Abby Chan
Yeah, I mean, I think that a lot of times when we hear the word or the phrase intuitive eating. People are like: "well, you eat when you're hungry and you stop when you're full and blah.
[00:12:06.400] - Abby Chan
Blah. Blah. Blah." Without recognizing that it is really a framework of a way that we can better respect our bodies, and that's going to, again, look different for every single person and there's no "right way" to do intuitive eating. And so I think it's going to show up differently for a lot of different people. But I think especially within the spectrum of neurodivergency, it's harder to tap into "what exactly is my body feeling" because we may not have the, again quote unquote, "normal" sensations of hunger or fullness or we may not be aware because there's so many other things happening in our mind that we can't actually focus on what's happening in my body. Also may not feel safe to go inward and ask what is happening in my body. I think another aspect too is just even thinking about neurotransmitters within ADHD brain because your brain is basically sending out signals of "I need to feel better, I need to feel something". So serotonin and dopamine, that's what they do, they make us feel good, they make us happy, they make us feel cozy and safe. And so one food group that is really good at also helping with that is carbohydrates.
[00:13:23.870] - Abby Chan
And carbohydrates are great. They're essential for brain function, they're essential for muscular function, they are essential for every single cell in your body. But because of that, because our brain is craving that and sending out basically alarms saying I need this, it's more likely to reach for those really quick, easy, more carbohydrate rich, possibly higher sugar foods to help increase that dopamine and serotonin production and release. And that causes a sense of calm through the brain, so it can help people focus for a moment. But I find that if that's the only foods people are eating or if that's really what they're relying on to get through the day, it becomes a very short lived response and they're going for that next quick thing. Again, because it's really hard for people to be aware of their hunger signals, a lot of times people, whether they're on medication or not, will go a long period of time without eating because they're either hyper focused or not focused at all, which is totally fine. And then eventually, I, in my practice, refer to it as a hunger hole - is that once your brain has not had enough carbohydrates or enough overall calories and energy coming in the day, there's a point in your day and typically at the end of the day, where you have been running on fumes all day and your body is in a massive deficit and at that point you are going to eat with a lot of urgency and you're probably going to eat more than you're comfortable with. So whether that be a full blown binge - binges are very different to individual people - that can mean a lot of different things. But especially one of the big intersecting aspects of ADHD is you're at a higher risk for eating disorders. When it comes to ADHD and eating disorders, the incidence for that is about four times higher, that if you have ADHD, you will also struggle or could also struggle with an eating disorder. And so I think especially when it comes to binge eating disorder or even bulimia or binge purge type of eating disorder, that's going to be more common because there could be an entire day where you didn't feed yourself enough and then your body and your brain are trying to catch up later in the day, which makes you feel really out of control. It can lead to feelings of guilt, all of that. And then your brain is then going to try to rationalize that, especially if you have disordered eating patterns in some way, shape or form.
[00:15:49.450] - Ashley
That makes a lot of sense. And I think students often ask some flavor of "what's the best diet for that then?" Or "what's the best food for that then?" And understanding that there is no one right thing for anyone. And what I'm hearing is that carbohydrates are a really important and vital piece for the puzzle for folks with ADHD. It sounds like though, like them staying on board and being kind of drawn out or sustained over time. So like you eat a carbohydrate that's quick and nourishing and easily accessible, but then it's gone and I'm hungry 2 hours later. But maybe they don't have access to food that regularly or don't want to kind of do that grazing action. So how do people with ADHD help plan their meals to kind of sustain that focus or sustain that good response that their brain is kind of seeking?
[00:16:44.490] - Abby Chan
Yeah, that's a really great question. So I think one aspect, especially thinking about neurotransmitter regulation and even just creation, is getting adequate protein. So protein is going to decrease how quickly your carbohydrates are digested and absorbed. Obviously when we layer on fats and other like fruits, veggies, fibers, things like that, that will also delay it as well. So looking at can I eat a well rounded meal, but also can I start my day with a solid meal? Especially if you are going to take meds that are going to impact your appetite of, can we eat a really solid meal containing all of the food groups, as much as possible, right? So can we have some carbohydrates? If you can choose the ones that may be higher in fiber, those could be whole grains, such as oatmeal, could be whole wheat toast, things like that, could be whole wheat bagels, whatever, but also layering that with some sort of protein. That protein is the building block for your neurotransmitters to actually be made and also regulated. And so because we already have a decrease in serotonin and dopamine we want to make sure that we are giving our body and our brain enough building blocks to actually make these very crucial neuroregulators in our brain.
[00:17:56.510] - Abby Chan
And so, we need to make sure we are having protein adequately throughout our day, especially if you're someone who enjoys moving your body or if you're an athlete, it's going to be even more prevalent at that point. First and foremost, eating if you do take meds, eat before your meds, eat a well rounded meal. And I think some other aspects of like when it does come to understanding your hunger cues, I find that most people, it's very rare that most people actually feel hunger in their stomach. It happens. But I think it's also again the societal conditioning of "oh, and I'm hungry, I should feel it in my stomach." At that point, you're probably already a little far too gone, if you do feel it there. But some other things that maybe some signs that you're hungry could be fatigue, dizziness, even having more difficulty focusing, irritability. I call it hanxiety, so instead of being hangry, it's hanxiety where you are super anxious, and especially at that point, your brain is like, "well then let's just keep going. Let's finish this task," when it's like, if you would have eaten, it probably would have taken you half the time to do that task.
[00:19:04.310] - Abby Chan
So I think it's understanding what are your signs of hunger and how are those showing up for you, because it's going to be probably very different if you have a neurodivergent brain than someone who does not. Again, we all exist on a spectrum in some way, shape or form.
[00:19:19.180] - Ashley
Oh my gosh, that example of hanxiety, which by the way, I've never heard that before. I'm learning lots of new terms from Abby today. But this hanxiety piece and that story of: I just have to finish this thing. I cannot count how many times students have told me that they're just in it and they don't want to stop. And I don't always know if part of that is I'm afraid that I won't be able to get back into that groove, or if it's just the unknown, or if they're so anxious because it's a symptom of hunger that they are not recognizing as such. But I think that the concept of intuitive eating can be really unvalidating if you're just saying it's the hunger fullness diet, which is not. Because then it's like, well, I don't feel those all the time, or neurodivergent folks don't feel those in the kind of "typical" way. And so this discussion of hanxiety, I was like, oh my gosh, if folks were to identify that or experiment with that being a symptom of hunger for them, and like you're saying, maybe it makes them finish their task in a less amount of time.
[00:20:23.100] - Ashley
I don't know. That seems like a really good experiment for students to try. And mostly because I hear that all the time about the tasking thing. Maren, have you heard that too?
[00:20:38.610] - Maren
No, I actually haven't. This is all new information to me.
[00:20:42.870] - Ashley
Yeah, or experienced it, I guess? I think we all have had an in-the-zone moment, but to think about how debilitating that could be if it was every day.
[00:20:55.870] - Maren
Yes, I can definitely speak on my- and what's interesting is that sometimes if I am taking the medication for it, I tend to be more like that. Like I get more anxious and tell myself I need to get this done, and then I'll just completely forget about the fact that I need to do other things like nourish my body. So this is all really interesting.
[00:21:19.410] - Abby Chan
I think it's interesting too. And I think about anxiety as well. If someone isn't on medication or maybe just struggles with anxiety, which is pretty rare, but what that does to is that tells our body that we aren't safe, that we're not feeling safe. And so definitely when we are coming from a place of being undernourished, our body isn't safe, so it's also going to send out more of those signals of I'm anxious, meet my needs, do something. And you're like, I am focusing on this one thing, and then we can chat. So I think it's like this really vicious cycle that you're like, I'm hyper focused, I'm doing this thing, and then it really just drives in that anxiety even more. And I think a lot of times, if it's rapid breathing, sweaty hands, I mean, there's a lot of physical symptoms. Those are also sometimes, especially with, like, sweating, things like that, that can also be a sign of low blood sugar. So just pay attention to other things that your body may be telling you if that feels safe for you to tap into it.
[00:22:21.260] - Ashley
Oh, and you said something that reminded me of something else. Oh, that anxiety thing of I have a low appetite because of my medication or just because I'm presenting in this way, and therefore I'm almost going into a meal really anxious. I think I hear that a lot too. Like, I haven't been finishing meals, and I need to because maybe my dietitian or whoever is telling me I need to nourish more. And so I'm going into this meal hyper anxious, and then it doesn't go well. You know what I mean? I think that that also continues the cycle of I'm just trying to feed my body and there's all these things getting in the way, I guess.
[00:23:03.490] - Abby Chan
Yeah, and I think that's also part of it too, of more so within the female identifying realm of, like, that perfectionism and masking of like, well, if I'm going to do this, I'm going to do this right. And if I can't do this right, then I'm a failure and I don't want to engage anymore because I'm going to fail if I do this thing. And so I think it's really, at that point, lowering the stakes completely of being like: cool, a meal might feel really hard to get through right now, let's start with a few bites and call that good. And let's check let's set a timer to check back in in about 30 minutes. Once you've fed your body a little bit and maybe some of that anxiety has decreased.
[00:23:44.420] - Ashley
That perfectionism maybe shows up in food choices too, I guess. That's back to that kind of like, what's the best food to eat for this condition, right?
[00:23:54.250] - Abby Chan
Yes. So there is so much, I mean, we've probably all seen it or heard it when people are trying to figure out, why is this the higher? Why is this being diagnosed more? Why are we seeing this more? We didn't see this 40 years ago. It's like this has always existed, but also our world is at such a higher or such a faster pace now, that our brains are trying to figure out how to work with this. So I think it is more prevalent in a way and it's more just because of the structure of our lives now, because there's a lot of urgency around things. We're always distracted. So it's really easy to not focus on things. But there is a lot of discussion that gets very orthorexic, so very hyper focused on just healthy things, and there's a lot of fear mongering, I think, within dyes or food additives. And to me, all of that is actually completely negating what is actually going on. And there is no one food that is going to make you or break you. So you can eat all of the kale in the world and that will probably lead to GI distress and maybe too much vitamin K coming in to your day, right?
[00:25:01.730] - Abby Chan
So there's no one food that's going to make your brain feel better and no one food that is going to make your brain feel worse. And it's really important to look at: how do I use food to support this, instead of fix it? Because you don't need fixing. We just need to learn how do we adapt to the way that our body works?
[00:25:20.430] - Ashley
Oh my gosh, I love that - we don't need fixing. I do think we live in a fix-it mentality in this society and I don't know that we do a ton of sitting back and trying to understand ourselves for just like what they are. Like we're all different and we can embrace being different. But I do think we look at it from this, I have this, I need to fix it. What's the best thing I can eat? Instead of, maybe I just need to understand or figure out what my hunger signals are or do the best I can or take those first few bites? Yes, I think that students, just because that's the population we're speaking to, put a lot of pressure on themselves.
[00:25:57.430] - Abby Chan
Yeah, and I think it's hard because especially within college, it's the first time people have really been on their own and really have to kind of figure out life for themselves. Because it's a lot, like going from maybe a family structure to where food is somewhat, at least partially provided for you, at least there is structure within meal times. Not every family has that. I didn't really have that growing up, but that's where some people are coming from. And so I think to be then thrown into a space where you're super stimulated, you have a lot of things on your plate, there may be a lot of financial worries of "I need to not screw this up because this is really expensive" or "I need to get good grades" or whatever it is. That it's really hard to also take care of some of our basic and very important needs. And so to me, that's where it's really important, when we think about how do we make this, how do we help ourselves out in this space instead of, again, fixing, but really looking at how do I adapt my life to me, because that's what it should be.
[00:27:03.380] - Abby Chan
It shouldn't be adopted to anyone else. And I think the most important thing, especially with ADHD, whether you're on medication or not, I think either way, it's really easy to forget to eat and take care of yourself. I think one thing is just setting a structure. So there are apps that you can use that can help with reminders or that give your body or your brain like a little checkmark and like a little celebratory thing. That releases a little bit of dopamine and you feel really accomplished. But I do think having checklists can be really helpful. Even writing down or having checkboxes of when you're going to eat, maybe again, that could be alarms on your phone, could be blocking it out physically on your calendar, that can be really helpful. And then I also find too, if we get caught in feeling like we are really unproductive and even just take a moment to write down what you did that day, so you can look back at it and be like, oh, I am doing things, I am making, quote unquote, "progress." So I think that can be helpful. And then also getting out of, again, like focusing on it has to be the perfect food, or it has to be, quote unquote, "healthy" because what's healthy to me is going to be very different from someone else.
[00:28:16.580] - Abby Chan
And some food is better than no food. And so looking at trying to create some go-to meals that are accessible, delicious and easy. I talk a lot about creating emergency snacks or with my athletes, I'm like, all right, what's in your bag? What's in your go bag? Right? Like what always lives there? But then, especially with just even everyone else, what do you have with you? If you are acting as a food optimist, I call the people who are surprised that breakfast and lunch and dinner happen every single day, and it's a surprising factor that that happens, I call those generally food optimists. Like "food will manifest its way into my life". I'm like: it could, but especially within neurodivergency you're probably not going to take the time to do it, so let's make a plan.
[00:29:01.710] - Maren
And it sounds like the approach just in general, especially when you're in this college community, right, and you're living on campus or you're just new to college, it's obviously a change. A huge change, an adjustment. So I think what I'm getting from this is that the overall takeaway is to put yourself first and take care of yourself and implement self care and nourishing yourself. Because if you don't put yourself first, I feel like everything else just falls apart. So, I don't know, I see that just in myself. I've had to learn that over the years. And then I see that just amongst this community, in particular. So that's what I always tell people - well, if you're not putting yourself first, then put yourself first, take care of yourself, and then everything else will just fall into place slowly but surely.
[00:29:52.870] - Abby Chan
Yeah, I mean, I think from college perspective too, it's like find foods that are affordable, right? Find foods that are easy. Find foods that aren't going to go bad instantly. So use frozen foods. Use frozen meals. Use dried foods. How do we beef up your ramen? Can we throw some eggs in your ramen? Can we throw some frozen broccoli? And then all of a sudden, we've leveled up this meal to being something that is quick, but also going to be something that sustains you for a period of time and is also really cost effective. Yeah. So I think it's really trying to find those things instead of shying away from foods that we think are quote unquote, "bad" or whatever. It's really how do we just utilize them and also maybe add to them in ways that are probably going to make them more sustaining and possibly even more delicious for you too?
[00:30:39.180] - Ashley
I often feel like this podcast is like a giant permission slip, like every episode is just like a different version of a permission slip for students to just have some compassion and to be a little bit more flexible and not put so many rules into place that turn into barriers. So, it always kind of warms my heart to hear people saying a lot of the things that we tell students, and we're very broken record, so it means a lot to come from different health professionals. Is there anything- to be respectful of everyone's time, because I feel like this is a topic we could go down so many different avenues, we're just going to have to have Abby back on the podcast. But before we ask our ending five questions, is there anything we didn't ask about this topic that you wanted to share with our students?
[00:31:26.950] - Abby Chan
I think one thing is definitely just give yourself some space and some compassion, for sure. Don't get caught up in all of the rules and principles of intuitive eating, and look at like how is this a framework to best respect myself? I think that one really important aspect, and because movement has been a part of my life for a long time and I really love it, but really getting into and diving into what does movement do for you? I think from, again, a brain perspective, it can be very calming. It can impact, again, our serotonin and dopamine, can make us feel good, can help us feel focused, again, doing that in a way that adds to your life instead of takes away from your life. It isn't something else that is going to totally drain you for the rest of the day. Something that is easily flexible and can fit in. So even if it's just like taking a little bit longer route to your next class, that can be a really good space for your body and your brain to just decompress for a moment before it has to be on again. So I think that that's really helpful.
[00:32:31.480] - Abby Chan
And then if you're someone who has been undernourished for a long period of time or on certain prescription meds, definitely talk to your doctors or your dietitians and work with them in conjunction with each other to see if there are any sort of supplements or even like certain vitamins that would need to be targeted for you. That could be helpful to support your brain function and your body, especially if you've been in an undernourished place. I think that's also really helpful.
[00:32:58.630] - Ashley
Is that going to be like a multivitamin and possibly like an omega-three dosed supplement, kind of? Is that the line we're walking towards?
[00:33:06.550] - Abby Chan
Yes, that's the line we're walking towards. Basically yes, get some B vitamins in there.
[00:33:12.550] - Ashley
Like you said, consulting with someone so you're not just loading up for no reason and spending money for no reason.
[00:33:18.420] - Ashley
Absolutely, but I was just making sure, like we're on the same page. Because students are inevitably going to call and ask, like she said supplements, which ones do we take?
[00:33:27.910] - Abby Chan
Right, exactly. Yeah, so pretty basic stuff. Don't ever mega dose any one thing, especially without supervision. So multivitamins are generally going to be pretty okay. If you can get a third party tested one, get a high quality one. But yeah, all the things when it comes to supplements.
[00:33:46.690] - Ashley
Our athletes out there, make sure you're getting ones that are NCAA approved and don't got wonky ingredients that could be misconstrued as performance enhancing situation.
[00:34:02.170] - Abby Chan
And one caveat, that no amount of supplements are going to replace food. So remember that supplements are supplement to your diet. So don't just take those and be like, cool, I'm good.
[00:34:13.910] - Ashley
Yeah, it's like the pyramid. If you can't get enough, a vitamin isn't going to do anything, right? So you have to establish that enoughness first.
[00:34:21.430] - Abby Chan
Exactly.
[00:34:22.510] - Ashley
Again, so many avenues to go down. So if students out there, if you have additional questions, absolutely let us know. Maybe this can come out in a different format like on Instagram or in a blog post or something. We'd like to continue this conversation and meet your needs wherever they are. So thank you. All right.
[00:34:44.900] - Abby Chan
Yeah.
[00:34:45.700] - Ashley
Ready for our- I'll let Maren tell you, or take it away, but for the rapid fire. I did send them to Abby ahead of time so she had time to think about it.
[00:34:55.090] - Maren
Sure. All right, first question. If you could only eat three foods ever again, what would they be?
[00:35:03.910] - Abby Chan
They would be dumplings, brothy noodles - so something along the lines of like a pho or something like that, something brothy, something comforting, something I can make super spicy - and then chips and salsa.
[00:35:17.630] - Maren
This is all making me so hungry. All right, next question. Breakfast or dinner?
[00:35:27.170] - Abby Chan
How about, like, breakfast for dinner?
[00:35:29.250] - Maren
Yes. Good answer.
[00:35:32.810] - Ashley
Yes. There's an affinity to breakfast, especially breakfast for dinner.
[00:35:38.370] - Maren
Alright, last question. If you could have dinner with three people, dead or alive, who would they be?
[00:35:43.440] - Abby Chan
Oh, shoot. They have to be- oh, dead or alive. Okay.
[00:35:46.810] - Ashley
They don't have to be dead.
[00:35:49.730] - Abby Chan
They all must be dead. No, my grandpa, he's since passed. But I'd really love to have a conversation with him now and, like, my more grown up self. That would be really cool. Frida Kahlo because I'd be fascinated just to dive into art and gender, class, race, all the things of why she created and what was her inspiration. And then Justin Baledoni because he's really beautiful.
[00:36:16.070] - Ashley
I don't think I know who that is.
[00:36:17.960] - Abby Chan
Okay. You have to Google him. He's been in, like, some shows. I think he was in the show called Jane the Virgin, which I didn't really love the show, but watched it basically just for him.
[00:36:29.390] - Ashley
Okay.
[00:36:30.030] - Ashley
I'm like pulling him up. I get it.
[00:36:33.830] - Abby Chan
Yeah. And he honestly too like, yes, he's really beautiful, but also seems so far from what I've seen on Instagram. Seems really kind and caring.
[00:36:46.550] - Ashley
I'm always on the lookout for new shows, too. There's so many. And we run out, so thank you.
[00:36:53.680] - Abby Chan
Yeah. She also has a really good Ted Talk on deconstructing masculinity, or sort of it's along those lines. I haven't watched it in a while, but it's basically about, like yeah, it's really cool.
[00:37:07.110] - Ashley
Oh I like that. Okay. Cool.
[00:37:10.660] - Ashley
Thank you so much for being on the podcast today. Thank you for sharing your expertise and knowledge. You do so much in your community and all over the weight-inclusive space. So we just really appreciate you taking the time to talk with our students and our community. And yeah, if you're in the fitness and dietetic health world, we're going to share all your info. You have such an amazing practice concept with your partner up in Flagstaff. It's such an amazing thing. People always see it, and I'm always so impressed by what you've built in your entrepreneurial ship. So very cool. We'll direct students, definitely, to check you out because, yeah, you've done a lot of good work in your time.
[00:37:52.910] - Abby Chan
Thank you so much.
[00:37:54.540] - Abby Chan
Great to meet you, Maren. Great to catch up with you, Ashley. And thanks for all that you do within the university and student community because, yeah, it's important.