Adam Weinmann, RD: Brain-Powered Nutrition

02/19/2023

Laundry day when you’re an outpatient dietitian at a children’s hospital!

01/08/2023

My favourite comfort food - Pad Krapow Moo (fried ground pork with basil). I used to order this from a Thai restaurant in the neighborhood, but they have since closed, so I had to learn how to make it myself!

What are your comfort foods?

01/07/2023

Had a ton of fun doing this chat about nutrition for !! Stay tuned for more!

09/21/2022

An easy, fast and delicious recipe for Chinese eggplants. Thanks to RD2B for putting this together!

09/18/2022

https://www.brainpowerednutrition.com/brainpowered-blog/steamed-chinese-eggplant

Make a quick, easy and shareable side dish featuring antioxidant-rich Chinese eggplant!

09/15/2022

Let’s not get too high and mighty about diet or lifestyle, ok?

09/08/2022

37, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000, 000 biochemical reactions happen every second in your body (and that DOESN’T include the reactions happening in the trillions of bacteria in your gut). It’s easy to get caught up feeling dissatisfied with our bodies…but why not consider how absolutely amazing they are?

08/31/2022

When it comes to making lifestyle changes, many of us take an all or nothing approach. The result is always too much pressure, leading to a lack of sustainability. Instead of setting big targets, find the one small thing you can change today.

08/31/2021

This is me...12 years ago, about to go skydiving!

I will never forget my first roller coaster ride, on Space Mountain at Disneyland. I was 8, but I still remember waiting in line, feeling like I would burst with excitement! Since then, I have been sky-diving over the Swiss Alps, walked around the edge of the CN Tower here in Toronto, and visited Six Flags and Canada’s Wonderland over and over. In my former life as a classical musician, I was nervous before every single performance, big or small, and I got used to adrenaline surges as an almost daily part of life.

I’ve always felt that I thrive on stress! Just last weekend, I cooked a huge, elaborate dinner for 6, and I honestly felt thrilled with the adrenaline rush of running around a sweltering kitchen, checking on pots, chopping vegetables and plating food before my guests arrived. However, there have been times when stress has easily gotten out of hand and brought me to my knees. There was that one time in university when I had 4 final exams in 5 days, or that time when I was working as a Graduate Assistant and had to grade 106 papers in two weeks. Each time, I started out feeling thrilled, and wound up overwhelmed and burned out, and then seriously depressed.

There’s a term for stress that pushes us just far enough to help us feel engaged: eustress. Believe it or not, not all stress is bad, and when we have to push through barriers to achieve the things we want, that stress can provide meaning and a sense of accomplishment. So, the trick is to find a balance. For me, it will likely always be a challenge taking on enough stress to feel alive and accomplished, without burning out. And there will always be times where that chronic stress is unavoidable. That’s when I try to get extra organized, eat well and schedule time spent outdoors.

Are there any other adrenaline junkies out there? Let me know in the comments!

08/30/2021

In 6 years of university studying nutrition, I never once heard about the importance of circadian rhythms and aligning our mealtimes with our internal clock. I was taught that sodium, saturated fat and cholesterol should be kept to a minimum, that processed foods were associated with higher risk of all kinds of chronic diseases, and that fruit and vegetables, whole grains and lean protein were the holy trinity. The thing is, most people already know that stuff – it certainly wasn’t news to me!

The important things I learned studying nutrition weren’t Food Guide recommendations based on decades-old science (although, there’s nothing wrong with tried, tested and true!). Instead, the most valuable thing I learned was how to find and assess new research. So what’s new in nutrition research? Well, for one...circadian rhythms! We all have an internal clock that works in harmony with the cycles of light and dark, creating what’s known as our circadian rhythms). And by aligning our mealtimes, sleep and exercise to our internal clocks, we can optimize all kinds of health benefits:
🔷lower risk of heart disease and diabetes
🔷lower cholesterol
🔷improved mood and energy
🔷weight loss

That said, simply eating earlier or getting to bed before midnight can be easier said than done. Making those kinds of lifestyle changes can require the support, accountability and insight that a good dietitian or other healthcare professional can provide. The science of circadian rhythms is something I use in my practice, and it forms a big part of my Chaos to Control program. If all this has you curious, why not go ahead and book a discovery call with me, and find out how I might be able to use the newest science, along with constant support, to help you achieve more vibrant mental and physical health!

08/26/2021

I’m a big-time night owl. I love the peace and quiet once everyone else has gone to bed, and the feeling that time stands still after midnight. It’s just me, YouTube videos on archeology and...a snack. The snacks have changed over the years: huge bowls of watermelon chunks in the summer, chopped up pears with yogurt and pecan pieces, chia pudding...all “healthy” foods. So what’s the problem? It’s not like I’m not elbow-deep in a bag of kettle chips (although I’ve been there many times!)!

I know there are countless benefits to eating within a smaller window - having my last meal earlier and postponing breakfast a few hours. Leaving our digestive system to rest and repair means it is able to do a better job absorbing nutrients and keeping toxic materials out. This means less inflammation, which means better brain health, better mood and lower risk of all kinds of chronic diseases.

I can follow any diet without much difficulty: I’ve done paleo, keto, gluten-free, dairy-free and even tried a carnivore diet for two hellish weeks. But eating an earlier dinner and then avoiding late-night snacking sometimes feels impossible. I get caught up on projects or I get too fancy when preparing dinner and sometimes I fail to put food on the table before 8pm. I’m working on it though! I try to plan dinner earlier in the day (sometimes while I’m in the shower in the morning), and I’ve cut out snacking after 9pm, switching to fizzy water with my late-night YouTubing.

Knowing what’s best for us is the easy part. It’s finding manageable, sustainable and ENJOYABLE ways to incorporate healthy habits into our lives that can be tricky. What are your struggles with eating on a schedule?

08/23/2021

Dietitians talk about what we eat, but very few think about WHEN we eat. But, ignoring the “when” of nutrition could be a huge mistake!

In the morning, our digestive system starts ramping up production of digestive juices, in preparation for a day of eating. In addition, genes that impact how we absorb nutrients and burn calories get turned on and off at different times of the day, creating a window of time when it’s healthiest to eat. However, at nighttime, when we’re meant to be sleeping, our digestive system and our liver aren’t primed to digest, absorb and burn calories from our food. Eating too much, too late, at night has been shown to cause problems with blood sugar regulation. And I’ve talked over and over about how important stable blood sugar is to our brain!

An amazing study in mice shows how just important meal timing can be. Researchers gave two groups of mice identical, “unhealthy” diets high in sugar and fats. However, one group of mice received their food over a 24-hour period, so they were able to eat and snack whenever they wanted. The other group was only given their food within an 8-hour window. Despite eating the same number of calories and same diet, those “time-restricted” mice showed none of the long-term negative health effects that would be expected from such an unhealthy diet, and shockingly, didn’t become obese. On the other hand, the other group of mice developed all kinds of illnesses – heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and fatty liver disease – and, as expected, became obese! Incredibly, these groups of mice both ate the same number of calories and the same unhealthy diet.

What does this mean for us? Well, Time-Restricted Eating has become a more and more popular dietary concept, with some people only eating within an 8-, or even 6-hour window. That may be extreme for many of us, but even just reducing our “eating window” to 10 or 12 hours could be a great way to optimize our health, both physical and mental. Aligning our meals, our bedtimes and our exercise with our internal clock is showing huge promise as the next frontier in nutrition, and in mental health. Got questions on this? Send me a DM, or comment below!

08/20/2021

Developing a healthier relationship to sugar can feel overwhelming, if not downright impossible. While there are studies that have been done examining the potentially addictive nature of sugar, they have been done in rats. So we can’t conclusively say that sugar is truly as addictive as, say, co***ne. However, it can be highly habit-forming, and dominates many people’s cravings.
We choose foods for different reasons: we crave carbs when we’re tired, warm soups when it’s cold, crisp watermelon when it’s hot outside, and comfort foods when we feel stressed or hurt. If we’re worried, we may struggle to eat at all.

When we ignore the relationship between our emotions and our food choices, we risk feeling like we’ve failed when we choose “unhealthy” foods, rather than recognizing our cravings as an unmet need..Feeling lonely, unfulfilled, stressed, inadequate or grief-stricken can dictate which foods we crave and which foods we ultimately choose.

A good dietitian takes all these things into account and provides support, compassion, encouragement and coping strategies. Handing you a diet plan and saying “see you in two months” isn’t the way for a dietitian to truly help. In the Chaos to Control program, I work to support you throughout your journey with nutrition, with anytime messaging whenever you need encouragement, support, or an open ear. I work not just as a dietitian, but as a coach and as a partner in your success.

If you’re ready to make a change in your relationship to food and unlock the power of food to boost your mood and energy, let’s chat! 👉👉 https://p.bttr.to/3A8JNxU

08/19/2021

I've been bashing refine sugar all week, so I figured I'd better post some alternatives for desserts that are sugar-free. I came up with this cookie recipe for a group of individuals with seizures who are following a ketogenic diet. So how do we create a sweet food without refined sugar?

Enter stevia. Stevia is a natural sweetener derived from the Stevia plant, which grows in Brazil and Paraguay and has been used by Indigenous peoples of that region for centuries. Stevia leaf contains glycosides, which are compounds that activate our tastebuds for sweet, but aren't digested by our body. Not only is stevia zero-calorie, but in one study, it also showed potential in regulating blood sugar!

I'm a big believer in moderation, and the odd cookie isn't going to kill you. But if you're curious about a low-carb dessert without any refined sugar, give this recipe a try! And if you do, let me know how it turns out!

08/18/2021

Can too much sugar contribute to mental health struggles? The short answer is...yes. Sugar causes inflammation in the body, and actually can deplete our body of essential vitamins and minerals. These vitamins and minerals are critical for our brains, and for the production of neurotransmitters that keep us calm and happy. Further, inflammation in the brain has been associated with depression and anxiety to the point that scientist now believe inflammation is one of the main driving factors in mental health issues. So, while we may get a temporary mood boost from that afternoon cookie, in the long term, we aren't doing our brains any favours. Let me know if you have any questions, and if you liked this video, give it a like, and share it!

08/17/2021

This is why I'm SERIOUSLY obsessed with the microbiome! And at the moment, it's our diet that really shows the most promise in cultivating a healthy microbiome, so as a dietitian, I'm right at the centre of the action!
inverse.com/science/gut-aging

Researchers demonstrate in a mouse model that when older mice have the gut microbiota of younger mice, they display behavioral qualities of younger mice too.

08/16/2021

I’ve always had a sweet tooth. In fact, my goal as an adorable 5-year-old was to “grow up so I can eat all the candy I want.” My tastes have evolved from candy frogs and neon gummy worms to chocolate or cake (of any sort), but at heart, I still want to eat as many sweets as I can.

I’ve known about the negative health effects of refined sugar since LONG before I started studying nutrition: increased risk of Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease and possibly even cancer. But I’m ashamed to admit that wasn’t enough to keep my hand out of the cookie jar. It wasn’t until I realized how refined sugar can affect our mental health that I really got serious about cutting down on the sweets.

With the start of the pandemic, I decided to cut out refined sugar altogether, and I was able to stick with that nearly 100%...for an entire year! (I cheated on my birthday). Then this spring, just as the rest of the world started ditching all the baking and started getting back in shape, I snapped. A client of mine mentioned chocolate-covered almonds, and the next time I hit the grocery store, there they were, beckoning. I threw myself at their mercy, and on two occasions, ate an entire bag (1000 calories worth) in one sitting!

Dietitians discourage restrictive eating because it usually leads to bingeing, and while I knew that in theory, I was finally experiencing it for myself. After a month battling the chocolate almonds, I’ve found a balance: I portion out 5 almonds to have after dinner every night and keep the rest in the basement. I’m happy to have an ice cream on a hot day or a slice of cake to celebrate with friends, but day-to-day, I have a set, very minimal portion of refined sugar to satiate my cravings. Do you have a sweet tooth? How do you keep it in check?

08/12/2021

Alright, so I don't love when dietitians post videos of what they eat in a day. But this week, I'm talking about top foods for brain health, so I thought I'd show you how I personally incorporate some of the "brain foods" I love!

Which brain foods do you eat on the regular?