The Tea For Teen Health episode 1

Simone and Ashley discuss the importance of caring about health. They mention that good health can lower the risk of weight-related problems and improve mood, energy levels, and performance. They also highlight that heart disease is a leading cause of death related to an unhealthy lifestyle. They discuss the benefits of nutrition and physical activity in reducing the risk of heart disease. They provide examples of healthier food choices and substitutes for sweets. Simone talks about her own healthy habits and Ashley shares her journey from being a school worker to a nutrition coach. They emphasize the long-term impact of building healthy habits as a teenager. Simone mentions her experience with acne and how diet can affect inflammation. Ashley explains the immune response and the causes of inflammation. Hey guys, what is up? My name is Simone and I'm your host. I have made this podcast because this is what I have chosen to do for my Girl Scout Serve Award project and I love helping people understand more about health and why it matters. And be sure to listen to the end for a special surprise. This is Ashley, my mentor slash co-host. Ms. Kennedy was my PE coach in my elementary years and my second grade teacher. Ms. Ashley is our certified nutrition coach. Ashley, can you tell us how you made your journey from a school worker to a nutrition coach? Thanks for having me, Simone. My degree is in kinesiology and health, fitness and nutrition are my passion. I absolutely loved coaching elementary PE and I missed the kids a lot, but I also felt like there was something I was missing personally. When I was teaching, I missed a lot of my kids' school activities because I was in school as well. My son is now a freshman and my daughter is in fifth grade and I really wanted to be able to spend more time with them. I was also finding that nutrition is a constant struggle for so many people. I knew there was a need for people to be able to get nutrition information from a trusted source and someone who understands the ins and outs. So that's how I decided to make the switch into nutrition coaching. Wow, that's a really inspiring story. Thank you for sharing that with us. Okay, let's jump right in. On today's episode, we'll talk about why you should care about your health and why your health matters. We'll also discuss in this podcast series the ins and the outs of teen health and health in general. Some of the couple reasons I think you should care about your health is it lowers the risk of having weight-related health problems now and as we teens get older. It helps teens maintain a good mood, energy levels, and athletic and academic performances. Our health also helps us teens have more energy. So Ms. Kennedy, what are some other reasons teens should care about your health and why does your health matter? It matters because the leading cause of death in the U.S. for both men and women is heart disease, which is directly related to not leading a healthy lifestyle. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity are all contributing factors to heart disease. The majority of the time, they are also things that are within our control to change. By simply following a healthy nutrition plan and incorporating more physical activity into our daily lifestyle, we can decrease our risk of heart disease tremendously. Learning these healthy habits as a teen makes it so much easier to stick with as you get older. Nutrition has more of an impact on our daily lives than we even realize most of the time. If you pay attention, you will notice a huge difference in how you feel after eating certain foods. If you are hungry and grab a candy bar, you will likely feel satisfied for 30 minutes to an hour and then be hungry again. A candy bar may taste good, but it has very little nutritional value and will not keep you full for very long due to a lack of protein and fiber. Instead, if you eat something like Greek yogurt and berries, you will get a good amount of protein, fiber, and vitamins. This option will keep you full longer and provide you with more energy for fewer calories than a candy bar. Thank you for sharing that information. I think it helps to grasp why she cares about your health. Why as a teenager should I care about heart disease if that's what old people get and not younger people? That's a great question. The habits you build as a teenager are likely to stick with you as you get older. For instance, if you are very active and play sports as a teenager, there is a good chance you will also find some form of physical activity and remain active as an adult. This is one of the reasons why I love coaching elementary PE. I enjoy making exercise fun for the kids. Most of the time they were busy playing games, they didn't even realize they were working out, but they would leave PE drenched in sweat. I always said that if they left the gym sweating and smiling, then I did my job. Learning and building these healthy habits with physical activity and nutrition when you are a teenager will make them so much easier to follow as you get older. What are some healthy habits you personally follow, Simone? Well, I'm glad you asked. When I get tempted at night for something sweet, I always think, how will this benefit me? Is it worth damaging my body? Instead, I could eat some protein or fiber or something healthier that would help satisfy my sweet tooth. Whenever I watch a movie at night, I get on the floor and do simple but effective workouts. I know it does not sound appealing, but when you become more confident in your personal figure, you will be glad you did it. What are some simple but effective workouts? That's a great idea. I used to do the same thing when I was your age too. When it comes to physical activity, doing anything is better than nothing. I love to lift weights and I always recommend weightlifting to my clients. There are so many benefits to it. When you lift weights, you will build lean muscle, decrease body fat, and increase your metabolism. Increasing your metabolism means your body will burn more calories when you are resting and not working out. That's extremely useful information for working out and why it helps your body. Personally, I am addicted to chocolate and sweets. What are some of the substitutes for a sweet tooth? You are not alone. Sugar is very addictive for a lot of people and to be honest, in moderation, it's okay. It becomes an issue when we over consume sugar though. Some of my favorite substitutes for sweets are fruit, Greek yogurt, and protein bars. However, I have found that most of the time, if I am craving chocolate and just have a small piece, it is usually enough to satisfy my sweet tooth. What are some of your favorite sweet tooth substitutes? Some of my favorite sweet tooth substitutes that I love are smoothies. I usually use whatever we have that's available. I personally think it's fun for me because to me, it's fun to make something you don't know how it's going to turn out. But to my point, I usually do like blueberries. I usually use blueberries, strawberries, and bananas. And of course, I'll put some chocolate syrup or something to give it a little chocolate to it. There are so many different types of smoothies you can make with basically any fruit and vegetables. For chocolate, I always do dark chocolate. I know that many people don't like it, but it's healthier for you than milk chocolate. And the reason for milk chocolate not being as healthy for you is because they add sugar and dairy, which dairy is the cause of inflammation. Milk and other dairy products are the top source of serious fat in Americans' diets, contributing to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's disease. Studies have linked dairy to an increased risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. I know all this can sound cruel to some people because dairy in some people's lives is a huge necessity. And anything mean as can you say is all in the best interest of you and helping you see your best self and be the best version of you that you can possibly be. Because all we're going to do is to help you. Now that you're kind of like all freaked out, to calm you, I want to say that there are a lot of substitutes for milk and dairy products, such as oat milk, almond milk, and soy. Now I have a question for you, Miss Kinney. At what point in your life did you start caring about your health and realizing how it changed you? Did you ever see a point in your life when you weren't eating as clean as you are now? What positive and negative effects did you see when you started eating cleaner? And what negative effects did you see when you were eating less clean? I really started taking interest in nutrition when I was a teenager. Some of the positive effects that I noticed are that eating clean improves digestion, increases energy levels, and reduces cravings. The only negative effect I can think of is that once you start eating clean, meaning more whole foods and less processed foods, if you decide to splurge and have something super sugary or processed, you can sometimes feel sick to your stomach. Only because you know how good you feel when you eat clean and your body gets used to that feeling. Thank you for sharing that information with us. I would love to hear when you started to care about your health and what differences did you notice when you started eating healthy versus unhealthy. Well, I'm glad you asked. Well, recently I've had a bad breakout in my face with acne. My mom and I did some research on why this could have been happening because it came out of nowhere. Then we found out that most of it is whole normal, which you can help by consuming vitamins and things your body needs. But some parts of it was my diet. I'm usually an extremely healthy eater. I don't really eat that much sugar or dairy products, but we know that dairy, sugar, and heavy refined foods can cause inflammation. You're thinking, what's inflammation, Simone? Well, I found an article published by Harvard Health, and it states, When people talk about inflammation, they're actually talking about your immune system's response to a perceived injury or infection. When you're injured, this inflammation is actually a good thing. The area you are injured will become red and swell with an army of beneficial white blood cells to flow in to fight your infection and help you heal. The same response occurs in other parts of your body when you encounter a virus or infection. But sometimes this immune response occurs when it shouldn't. It can be triggered, for example, when you're exposed to toxins and other causes such as chronic stress, obesity, and toxins. And by other causes such as chronic stress, obesity, and autoimmune disorders. In these cases, instead of moving in, healing the problem, and then returning to normal, the inflammation persists over time. It's thought that this chronic state of inflammation can lead to numerous health problems, including heart disease, arthritis, depression, Alzheimer's disease, and even cancer. To combat this damaging chronic inflammation, choose the right foods that can trigger chronic inflammation, including meat and refined carbohydrates such as white bread and muffins, fried foods, and sugary drinks. Instead, opt for green leafy vegetables, fruits, nuts, fatty fish, and olive oil. Also, focus on exercising enough and getting the right amount of sleep, and keep your stress under control. Also, the effect of inflammation can become much greater than just acne. It can cause diabetes, cardiovascular disease, colon, breast, and lung cancers, and arthritis. Inflammation can cause many other health problems as well. The best thing to do as a teenager to help with this is to cut out sugary foods and sugary drinks, such as sodas, dairy products, and heavily refined foods, like chips and fast foods. Cutting out most of these will help you with your acne by helping it not be so red and agitated. For me, it has helped clear my acne but not made it red. Some differences I have noticed when I eat unhealthy foods is that I break out, I feel bloated, I feel nauseous, I feel sleepy, unconfident, and just unhappy, and just not good overall. Now, when I do eat healthy, I feel the complete opposite. I feel happy, awake, confident, active, and just happier in myself. And hopefully, that's what most people feel too. Thank you for that interesting insight. What healthy foods make you feel your best self? For me, I mean, who can really choose just one? But some favorites for me are spinach, grapes, avocados, and berries. These are just some of the ones I love, and they also help with inflammation and always have so many benefits for your body. All of these can help moderate blood pressure and can also decrease risk of getting heart disease, help improve memory, help exercise your preference, prevent blood sugar levels, lower blood pressures, prevent heart disease, and help increase bone strength. These are all packed with many minerals. They are also excellent for your gut, eyes, and your immune system, and much more. And all these have so many more benefits. Of course, these are just some of the ones that I have learned, and these are all packed with nutrients and have personally helped clear my skin and helped me feel my best. And it's not just those fruits and vegetables. Basically, all of them for me. I need all fruits and vegetables to help me feel my best. One thing I really wanted to talk about is once you understand how your food is made and how your body processes it, it's a huge game changer. You have more respect for your body, and it just won't take care of it because you only have one. Hopefully. You know, it's really, really important to take care of it. And yet, I know it's hard and you're busy, and after a long day, all you want to do is to sit back and eat your Oreos, and I get that I get you, I understand. I'm not saying you have to stop because it's okay in moderation. Moderation means not the whole entire bag. At most, maybe five or six. I guess. I definitely must talk about this app I found, which is amazing. It has an enormous impact on me and my mom's lives. The app allows you to scan products, which shows you from a scale of 0 to 100, 100 being the best. It shows the additives. It shows how harmful they are, and it explains how it's harmful. It also shows the resources that they used so you can trust them more. The app scans foods, drinks, skincare, shower products, and makeup. Now you're wondering, what's the name of the app? It's called YUCA, Y-U-C-A. You know, I've heard about that. I think it would be really helpful for teens your age to understand what is in your food and how to help them make better choices to eat. I think now we should talk about some foods that help us teens academically focus at school. Breakfast is super important because it helps your metabolism get going. It balances your blood sugar and increases your energy, concentration, and focus. Breakfast eaters tend to eat fewer calories throughout the day as well. What are some of the foods that help you focus at school, Simone? Well, for me, avocados, blueberries, tomatoes, fatty fish, and berries. All these have been proven to help me focus and people focus. These have helped me focus on school and my academic performance. Every night before a major test, I make sure to have a good and healthy breakfast or a healthy dinner. I know for some people, sometimes there's no option but an healthy dinner. So, try to maybe get something healthier after, like an apple or some berries. Just really anything that is good for you, you know, that can make you feel better. What does your breakfast usually look like, Simone? For breakfast, I usually have an egg on a piece of toast with a bowl of spinach and plus some blueberries or a cut of apple. I really think when you have a good breakfast, you fuel your body for the day and I really think it helps me focus. Just to get it out there, I'm not saying that eating healthy is going to magically make you a genius or anything, but it can help you focus and feel better. So, now, I know I was going to say that there isn't any surprise. It's not huge or anything, but here's the next topic to look forward to listening to. It is how to better understand your body and ways you can take care of it and how to fuel your body. To know what's right for you and to know what's right for you. I hope those who listen to this end, learn something and will join us for our next episode to learn even more.