Reyna Franco, Nutrition and Exercise Consulting

12/11/2024

Keith Goldstein’s photos look great on my wall. Thanks, Keith!!! I love your photography.

11/29/2023

Did you know that Medicare's only nutrition benefits are for diabetes and chronic kidney disease? Help change this!!! The Medical Nutrition Therapy Act has been introduced to add: Prediabetes;
Obesity;
Hypertension;
Dyslipidemia;
Malnutrition;
Eating disorders;
Cancer;
Gastrointestinal diseases including celiac disease;
HIV/AIDS;
Cardiovascular disease; and
Any disease related to unintentional weight loss.
It takes less than 1 minute to urge your members of Congress to support the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act!

Senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Gary Peters (Mich.) and Representatives Robin Kelly (Ill.) and Jen Kiggans (Virginia) recently introduced the Medical Nutrition Therapy Act, which would expand coverage of medical nutrition therapy (MNT) in...

08/10/2022

After the storm

12/31/2020

04/27/2020

The bottom line is that fresh air and exercise are essential as is being careful while running or riding.
https://www.healthnewsreview.org/2020/04/ny-times-well-column-is-unwell-again-this-time-on-pandemic-running-advice/

I admire much of the great journalism being delivered by the New York Times on COVID-19 pandemic issues. But I continue to be befuddled many weeks by the decision-making and editorial judgment of the Times’ Well column. We have written several times about how unwell is the Well feature. Today, one...

04/24/2020

For those who are social distancing on the trails, here is an interview that I did about nutrition and hiking with . https://www.fitandforest.com/blog/how-to-eat-like-a-hiker-q-amp-a-with-reyna-franco

We’ve heard it before—eat a giant bowl of pasta the night before a big race. Carbo-loading is a thing when you need some energy to push you through periods of long physical activity. But does the same go for hiking?

03/11/2020

Celebrating RDN Day!!!! Registered Dietitian Nutritionists are committed to improving the health of their patients, clients and communities. Cheers to all the awesome RDNs!!!

03/05/2020

Fight the coronavirus - Increase your immunity naturally.

Take these healthy steps to improve your immunity and decrease your risk of a virus or illness:
1. Increase your intake of fruits and vegetables: Fruits and vegetables are loaded with phytonutrients which are the keys of our health. Each color has a different set of nutrients. Getting vitamins and minerals from food is more desirable from a supplement. This is due to the fact that supplements do not contain the entire cocktail of nutrients that you get from the original source.

2. Ensure you are drinking plenty of fluids: Your fluid needs are based on your weight. We need to drink half our body weight in ounces. For example, if you weight 150 pounds, you should drink 75 ounces of fluids. If you exercise, your fluid needs increase based on how much fluid you lose during exercise. Good news: coffee and tea are included. Bad news: alcohol is excluded.

3. Reduce/Avoid alcohol and smoking: Alcohol and smoking reduce our immunity. It is beneficial to reduce or avoid alcohol and smoking (all types of substances) to ward off illness.

4. Reduce intake of animal products and highly processed foods: Reducing the intake of these foods will reduce inflammation and improve immunity! And not only will you feel better but your gut microbiome will benefit. Read the ingredient list on packages. If it is an extended list of ingredients or there are ingredients you do not recognize, it is probably not a healthy choice. Find another item with fewer ingredients. Better yet, stick to whole foods (and I don’t mean the supermarket)!

5. Get 7-8 hours of sleep: Our body requires sufficient sleep to support our immune system. Without enough sleep, our body weakens and is more susceptible to disease.

6. Get moving:Staying active improves your immune system. But note that your immunity will be weakened after a very intense activity such as running a half marathon.

7. Supplements: I suggest getting all your vitamins and minerals from food. One exception is Vitamin D. Studies have shown that having sufficient Vitamin D will reduce the risk of upper respiratory infections seen in the flu and other viruses. This has not been tested in the coronavirus. But it would be a good plan to take 800iu of Vitamin D a day if you know you are low in this vitamin. The studies found that 800iu a day has the greatest impact – more than 800iu is not necessarily better.

03/01/2020

March is National Nutrition Month! Join the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics in celebration by focusing on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits.

Get more information and see how you can be involved: https://sm.eatright.org/NNMinfo

09/29/2019

Towers to Tunnel run. Amazing!!!

09/29/2019

Tunnel to Towers. Inspirational!!!

08/28/2019

I was honored to ring the NYSE opening bell today representing the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for Kids Eat Right Month. @ New York Stock Exchange