A best-selling author, the nutrition expert for Today Show and the name behind a private dietetic practice, you could say Joy Bauer knows a thing or two about health and nutrition. A registered dietitian, Joy is one of the few who make healthy living approachable, manageable and realistic. That’s why we wanted to talk with her about the current state of nutrition. With obesity numbers continuing to rise in the face of a more attuned focus on our health, we wanted to check in to see if the country is as on track as we’d like to think it is.
“I think that we’re in a pretty good place in terms of people being really interested and wanting information on healthy eating and healthy living and exercising – so that’s great,” she says.
Watch our interview to hear more from her on the state of nutrition, plus common diet myths that we all fall prey to and what the snacks in the Today Show green room look like!
While Joy says we’re “moving more toward clean, wholesome food” she also says the area we most need improvement is “to nix the sugary beverages.”
“If people would just stop drinking so much soda and sugary fruit drinks, even fruit juice, you would save your body a boatload of straight sugar,” adds Joy. That sugar just equals empty, unnecessary calories.
Joy says the other area we’re struggling is that we’re tired and exhausted, which often leaves us relying on the drive-through for dinner. Her advice is to “Take out a piece of paper, jot down five simple, delicious recipes that you can whip up in a flash, like ten minutes or less, and then always know that you have the ingredients on hand for at least two of those simple, healthy recipes.” Egg white omelets, turkey burgers, turkey tacos and even cereal with skim milk are a few of her recommendations. We also discussed preparing a big batch of a recipe and freezing single-serve containers for quick lunches or effortless dinners. Double the recipe for chili, and freeze two-cup servings, and then freeze. Or, make a full lasagna and put individual slices in freezer bags.
Joy gave us two delicious dessert recipes that you can enjoy as the cherry on top of your next home-cooked meal!
Soft-Baked Cherry-Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
On December 7, Joy releases her very first fitness DVD, Joy Bauer’s Slimdown Workout. She told us it has something for everyone, with universal warm up and cool down, and then a workout for a more beginner level and a workout for a more experienced individual. “If you really want to do the whole thing you could do the warm up, the first 20-minute workout, the second 20-minute, and then the cool down,” she says, guaranteeing yourself a serious at-home workout. “You could even do it in your pajamas and just pop sneakers on!”
See more from Joy Bauer: