Kathy Whorley, Dietitian/Nutrition Consultant

"Let's eat!"
Asheville, NC
Thank you!
Why Choose Us?
  • 16 Years Of Experience
  • Science Based Programs
  • Each Program Is Tailored To Individual Clients
  • Formerly Taught Nutrition Classes At Local YMCA
  • Certified In Weight Loss Management
  • Certified In Food Sensitivity (LEAP Specialist)
  • Well Versed In Gluten Sensitivities As Well As Other Food Sensitivities
  • Able To Accept Most Major Insurances
  • Member Of The Western NC Dietetic Association
  • Specializes In Weight Loss & Food Allergies
Business Hours
Mon - Fri: 8:30am - 5:00pm Weekends: Closed
Happy New Year!!!
It’s the first of the year and most of us have either made a New Year resolution or are still trying to think of one that they can keep this time and not give up. “Getting Healthy” is probably the most popular pledge made, hands down, and I for one have made this pledge to myself many times. It’s not that I am unhealthy, but I always want to make improvements. Making mini goals, I’ve found, while setting my sight on the gold ring has always been way to stay focused. After each mini goal is reached, I celebrate and look forward to the next goal. It sure makes it easier. I hope that everyone who has made a New Year’s Resolution strives for the gold ring and if they lose course along the way, they find their way back and continue looking forward. Who doesn’t want to win?
So what are you going to do? Exercise? Eat healthy? “Getting healthy” requires both. It’s 70%% diet and 30%% exercise. When I divide it up in percentage, it doesn’t look that hard to do. It’s when you only look at the long term goal, the gold ring that we throw our hands up and give up. This year cut yourself some slack. Developing new habits doesn’t isn’t easy. I can help if you need guidance.
Shoot me a question or call me to set up an appointment if you should need more time to discuss what would be the best path for you to change your eating habits and Get Healthy. I’d be happy to help!
Cheers for a healthy 2017!
Kathy
Every dietitian knows about foods and their nutrients but not every dietitian is interested in cooking it or work in food service, for that matter.  Thankfully, there are many areas of nutrition where a dietitian can find their niche. But I’m different. I’ve enjoyed being around food since I was a teen.  I’ve liked making menus, doing the shopping and preparing the meals for my family of 10.  My mom’s family of 10, that is. I think the ultimate job would be to grocery shop for others; budgeting.  I can be in a store for 3 hours, reading food labels, checking out what’s new on the shelves and thinking about dinners to make that I haven’t made in a long while.
 
 

Not knowing what to prepare for dinners is a line I often hear from my clients and although I stress the importance of preparing a list before shopping, this seems to be a tedious and often overwhelming chore.  I always begin with a pantry list of sorts that are stable items that they should keep on hand.  Why?  Because, when you can’t think of anything to prepare or you haven’t done your weekly shopping, you can usually make a good meal with staple items you have on hand. Let’s take….a loaf of bread, for instance, hopefully, whole wheat.  You already begin with a high fiber and vitamin enriched food and we haven’t even begun.  What can we do with bread to make a meal out of? 
Let’s begin with sandwiches. 
They can be toasted, grilled or cold
Fillings:  Lunchmeat, Tuna fish, BLTs, Egg salad, Grilled Meat and Cheese, Grilled tomato and cheese
Leftovers, Scrambled Egg
See how easy it is?  Be creative and let me know if you thought of any other fillings.  Oh!  Don’t forget French toast!  It’s delicious any time of day.
 
 
The Benefits of Raw Honey
 
I eat honey, both raw and pasteurized, though not on a regular basis.  I personally, cannot tell the difference in taste or on my health.  However, raw honey verses ‘processed’ is a very controversial subject.
That being said, honey, raw or otherwise, should not be given to children under the age of one year old.  Botulism, natural bacteria in honey, cannot be broken down in babies and can cause serious illness.  Some people have allergies to honey and pasteurization makes no difference.  Raw honey may also contain bits of comb and bee parts.
There is a lot of controversy as to whether raw honey has healthy benefits.  I've heard people say that "local" honey was beneficial because ingesting it would help fight the pollen produced by plants where you lived.  A doctor who studied immunology stated that local bees pick up pollens from flowers which generally are non-allergens. So there is no benefit of either raw or processed.
There are a lot of theories out there.  The bee growers and 'naturalists' are going to side with the raw honey and the government who oversees the food industry is going to take safety precautions. There needs to be more studies by impartial groups who don't benefit from the outcome.  What we can believe is that honey can soothe a sore throat. I personally would rather have a spoonful of honey than take medicine.

Bell Peppers Galore

Posted on Thu, Sep 15, 2016 @ 10:11 AM
One of the most welcome sights of summer is the array of fresh vegetables and fruits at farmers’ markets. From boldly colored blueberries and raspberries to yellow peaches and dark green spinach, locally grown produce is as nice for the eyes as it is healthful for the body. While some foods are available year-round in warmer parts of North America, other regions have limited growing seasons, during which particular foods are especially delicious. Sweet bell peppers certainly fall into this category. Available in green, red, yellow, orange, and even purple varieties, these versatile vegetables are as nutritious as they are eye-catching amidst summer’s beautiful bounty. 
Bell peppers are available at supermarkets all year long, but, out of season, they may be mushy, mealy, and can taste pretty bland compared to when they’re at their peak. This may not matter quite as much when they’re destined to be cooked, but when eaten raw—cut in julienne strips, they make an excellent snack—they lose their appealing taste and crunch. 
Like many other vegetables that are low in carbohydrate and high in fiber, peppers fit nicely into many diverse nutritional strategies: low carb, Paleo, vegan, vegetarian, and just “real food.” They provide great flavor with very few calories and a negligible amount of fat. However, within that small number of calories, peppers pack an impressive concentration of nutrients. Here’s how the “stoplight” peppers (red, yellow, and green) stack up, in terms of the daily value (DV) for selected nutrients:
Pepper
Vitamin A
Vitamin C
Vitamin K
B6
Folate
Potassium
Manganese
103%%
349%%
10%%
24%%
19%%
10%%
9%%
7%%
569%%
~
16%%
12%%
11%%
11%%
12%%
220%%
15%%
18%%
4%%
8%%
10%%
("~" indicates a missing or incomplete value.)
Red peppers certainly prove that carrots aren’t the only vegetables that provide vitamin A precursors. The red variety also contain quercetin and lycopene, the latter contributing to their red pigment (as well as that of tomatoes, watermelon, and other red/pink produce). Each of these peppers has an impressive amount of B6, and their vitamin C content is off the charts. Citrus fruit is another great source of vitamin C, of course, but peppers are a good alternative for individuals who have to limit their sugar consumption—even the naturally occurring sugars in fruit. Another good source of vitamin C—perhaps a surprising one—is broccoli. But since vitamin C is sensitive to heat—and raw broccoli is a challenge to chew—it may be beneficial to get some from peppers, especially if they’re eaten raw, such as in a salad or on a crudité platter with dip or hummus. A quick sauté, such as when they’re prepared for fajitas, would also preserve most of the vitamin. 
As is true for other brightly colored vegetables and fruits, bell peppers are rich in antioxidants. Organically grown peppers may have higher levels of carotenoids, vitamin C, and antioxidants than those that are conventionally grown. Soil conditions and the specific cultivar will affect nutrient content as well, but in general, red and yellow peppers have higher polyphenol content and free radical scavenging capacity than green ones, while green peppers have higher total flavonoids. Extracts of bell peppers have been shown in vitro to inhibit lipid peroxidation and the formation of advanced glycation end-products (AGEs), possibly by helping to mitigate post-prandial blood glucose spikes via inhibition of intestinal α-glucosidase. 
Like tomatoes and eggplant, bell peppers are New World foods that now have a beloved place in Old World Mediterranean and European cuisine. What would Spanish and Italian cooking be without them? (The same can be said for other types of peppers and the spices that are made from them. What would authentic chorizo and Hungarian goulash be without paprika and other sweet & hot spices?) However, like tomatoes and eggplant, bell peppers—as well as hot peppers—belong to the nightshade family of plants, botanically classified as Solanaceae. (Other nightshades include white potatoes and tobacco.) Nutritional protocols for autoimmune conditions typically call for removing nightshades from the diet for some period of time, then reintroducing. Individuals with arthritis may be especially sensitive to the exacerbating compounds in nightshades. 
For those without sensitivity to nightshades, however, bell peppers are incredibly versatile in the kitchen. They can be used raw in a refreshing summer salad (even better grilled!), added to a hearty winter chili, and can be stuffed with meat or a vegetarian filling, then baked until soft. So deliciously healthy.
Designs for Health
Science First
 
Very often I’m told by my clients that they don’t know where to start when it comes to making healthier food choices.  I tell them to simply preplan their meals and snacks so they aren’t caught feeling hungry without a plan and therefore at the mercy of the closest fast food joint or vending machine.   I’m dedicating this blog topic to my friend, Barb, who asked for help in this area.
Today I thought about meal prepping for the week before I hit the grocery store.  I asked myself what I had in the freezer and on hand that I wanted to use up so I knew what I needed at the store. I always like to have 2 kinds of fruit on hand, some fresh veggies for salad and enough protein for 4-5 dinners.  I make sure I have breakfast foods and lunch items, a loaf of bread, 8 inch tortillas, milk and eggs.  These are staples in my house.  It all starts with a menu and I would post it on the fridge if you’re new to this way of shopping.  You don’t want to be stuck with food items and wonder later what you bought them for.
My husband was in the mood to barbeque which he does every 2 weeks or so.  I take advantage of it and cook a couple types of meat and lots of veggies.  For instance, tonight he wanted steak and chicken is what I like.  He bought the steak today and there were 2 large steaks in the package so of course we froze one for later.  I had a large package of chicken breasts, which I cut in half.  I marinated half and left the other to be BBQ sauced.   My husband foil wrapped corn on the cob and whole potatoes.  We had chunks of cauliflower and carrots in an old pie tin that was also wrapped in foil and put on the grill.  After dinner we had so much leftover and that’s exactly what I planned.  Now I could heat up the same meal tomorrow or cut up the steak and add it to frozen stir-fry vegetables for a different meal.  There are several things I can do with the chicken such as put a few ounces cut up on my green salad, make chicken salad for sandwiches, shred it for burritos with a little cheese and salsa, and the list goes on.  You can use the leftover corn off the cob in the burritos or use as a side dish.  We always love leftover potatoes at my house!  They are easily used up in potato salad or as fried potatoes with scrambled eggs and toast.
It gets easier the more you do it and I find it fun.  If you get stuck you can always go onto allrecipes.com   and plug in the food items you have and recipes will pop up.    
I hope this helps you  plan your meals easier.  Try to include at least 5 fruits and vegetables in each day.  Fruit can be a great snack to hold you over till the next meal time.
I welcome your feedback.  Thanks and eat smart!
 Kathy                                

Dietitians are everywhere.

They are in the hospitals, nursing homes, home health care, restaurants, private practice, on cruise ships, with professional athletes, and in so many other capacities
Did you know that they also assist olympians with their personal nutrition goals?

What Do Olympians Eat? The Role Sports Dietitians Play in Athletes' Training

By Christine Rosenbloom, PhD, RDN, CSSD
Published August 03, 2016
Digital Vision/Photodisc/Thinkstock
What does it take to fuel the strength, speed, endurance and grace of Olympic athletes? It takes years of training and hard work, and sports dietitians are part of many Olympic hopefuls' team — helping to propel athletes to achieve the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius (Faster, Higher, Stronger).
For athletes, nutrition is one leg of the three-legged stool that supports their performance. Genetic endowment coupled with sport-specific training and coaching cannot stand on their own without proper food and fluid intake.
Registered dietitian nutritionists are finding creative ways to feed athletes to help them get the most out of their training. Shawn Hueglin, PhD, RD, CSSD, senior United States Olympic Committee sports dietitian, provides nutrition coaching for team sports. Many of her athletes focus on achieving and maintaining lean body mass to have the endurance, agility and skill they need. "I find that blanket nutrition recommendations are not always helpful, as different athletes on the same team have different nutritional needs," Hueglin says. "The field hockey goalie is different from a midfielder who might run several miles during a match, so altering dietary intake based on physiological demands of the position is important."
Athletes and their nutrition needs can differ significantly from that of the general public. Who could forget Michael Phelps' 8,000- to 10,000-calorie-per-day diet while training for the 2008 Olympics? The International Olympic Committee's 2010 Consensus Statement on Sports Nutrition recommends athletes eat enough carbohydrate-rich foods to maximize muscle glycogen stores before training and competition and replenish the stores after hard exercise. The timing of protein intake can promote muscle protein synthesis.
Page Love, MS, RD, CSSD, LD, who has worked as a nutrition consultant to United States Tennis Association, has helped prepare future Olympians to take the court. Love helps athletes make healthful food choices and develop sound on-court hydration plans. Heat illness is one of the most common sports medical issues and it is completely preventable. "Matches can be quite long — three to four hours with five sets — so they need more than fluids. I encourage them to eat high-carbohydrate energy bars, gels and bananas, in addition to high-carbohydrate sport drinks with packets of electrolytes to help them replace on-court losses," she says.
Athletes seek every edge they can get, and proper nutrition with the help of a registered dietitian nutritionist can help them find it.
Reviewed June 2016Chris Rosenbloom, PhD, RD, CSSD, is the sports dietitian for Georgia State University athletics.
Dietician Newsletter
APRIL 2016
Celiac Awareness Month
The Reviews are In: Massel Passes the Taste Test!
When our founder created Massel bouillon and seasonings, he only wanted to use the best quality ingredients, and to make a stock that tasted as delicious as his wife’s homemade variety.
That's why we're so pleased to find that the taste testers of Taste.com.au (Australia's No. 1 food, recipe and lifestyle brand), gave us 4.68 out of 5 stars for our first-of-its-kind Concentrated Liquid Stock. U.S. customers and nutritionists are also sending in their outstanding reviews and recommendations, as Massel is now widely available stateside, and even online!
Here's what some of our newest fans have to say:
"I [had] never used this stock before but I definitely will again... it was good enough to drink on its own, even without anything else added! I did, however, make the delicious pumpkin, sage and feta risotto recipe and it's now a standard in my menu rotation... absolutely delicious!!!!"
@sonicole
"I have used other liquid chicken stocks in the past, and I have to say, the Massel stock was one of the closest to homemade I've tasted."
@brookek
"I am really careful when it comes to using stock as it always leaves a bad effect on my stomach, but with Massel I had absolutely no problem at all! It blended well with the risotto and tasted just fabulous for a good Sunday lunch."
@Bettina2
Our customer- and dietician-recommended bouillon and seasonings check all the boxes for health and flavor:
Gluten-free
Lactose-free
Trans fat-free
Cholesterol-free
GMO-free
Preservative-free
Reduced sodium
Vegetarian and vegan
Kosher certified
No added MSG
Additionally, as part of our partnership with the Celiac Disease Foundation and Celiac Disease Awareness Month, we look forward to shedding further light on how this food allergy doesn't have to limit the joys of flavorful cooking for more than 3 million Americans. We will be sharing weekly research pieces and creative culinary solutions for all of May.
Cut Time in the Kitchen: Massel's Quick Dinner Ideas Cookbook
Our gluten-free and health conscious cookbook series is cranking the heat up in kitchens all across North America – and beyond! Free of charge, viewable on desktops and mobile and packed with recipes from the blogging circuit elite.
No matter if your hungry diner has IBS or is just looking to cut down on fats and sodium, there are plenty of dishes for everyone! Our newest edition equips you with fail-proof dinners that can be made in well under an hour. Hope you brought an appetite!
The Debate over Coconut Oil
Until recently coconut oil has been avoided in the everyday diet due to its saturated fats and high calorie content. We all know that saturated fats have been linked to high cholesterol and therefore, heart disease. So what’s the fuss and why is coconut oil considered a good fat now? The long and short of it has to do with the length and type of fatty acid chains and how many carbon bonds each have, but I won’t bore you with that.
A 12-week study was done on obese women who supplemented with 2TBSP of coconut oil daily while exercising and dieting, which showed improvement in their HDLs (good cholesterol). Men who took the same amount of coconut oil, while maintaining their diet habits, lost 1-inch waist circumference.
Another benefit sited by the proponents is the higher smoking point in cooking with coconut oil compared to olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is 320 degrees F while coconut oil is 350 degrees but there are many other unsaturated that have high smoking points such as peanut oil, sunflower oil, and canola oil, to name a few. So, cooking with extra virgin olive oil may not be ideal but luckily there are other options.
The proponents against coconut oil state that a saturated fat is a saturated fat and it is linked to heart disease. Saturated fats can increase both LDLs (bad fats) and HDLs (good fats). Perhaps coconut oil would be better than lard or butter but it doesn’t surpass the benefits of unsaturated fats which help the body lower LDLs and increase HDLs. Proponents against regular usage of coconut oil also say that the studies were done with small groups of people and for short periods of time. They question what coconut oil in the daily diet would do over the long haul.
Personally, I believe that oil is fat and fat has 9 calories per gram that I don’t need. Chugging 2 TBSP a day of coconut oil does not appeal to me. But that’s me. If need be I’d rather do a few more ab crunches and eat one less potato chip. You decide what’s best for you.
By Kathy Whorley RDN, LD
 
When people ask me if they need to take nutrition supplements, I ask why you would want to.  Don’t you eat food?  Do you have extra money to throw away? 
The article below published in Nutrition Action is one reason why I don’t normally recommend nutrition supplements.  You don’t know what you’re getting.  There is no governance over the multibillion dollar supplement companies.  This is why foreign ingredients and fillers can so easily be added.  In this case it was amphetamines.
Dietary supplement company’s chilling lawsuit to silence Harvard researcher
Company loses case, but hopes it has scared off other scientists.
David Schardt • January 11, 2017
 
What does a dietary supplement company with a shady past do when reputable researchers find that six of the dietary supplements it sells contain an illegal, potentially dangerous drug in them?
It sues the researcher for $200 million claiming defamation.
That’s what happened to Pieter Cohen, an assistant professor of medicine at the Harvard Medical School, who tests dietary supplements for the presence of illegal ingredients.
The first detailed look at this legal clash was published this week by STAT, a health and medicine news website.  (You can find a link to STAT’s full story at the end of this post.)
Finding an illegal ingredient
Pieter Cohen and his colleagues in 2015 published the results of a laboratory analysis of 21 supplements that found an illegal amphetamine-like drug called BMPEA in 11 of them.  The study’s details appeared in the scientific journal Drug Testing and Analysis. Canadian health officials have called BMPEA a “serious health risk.”
Within two weeks, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) ordered the manufacturers to recall the products.
A dietary supplement company looks to “silence this guy”
Six of the tainted supplements were manufactured by Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals of Norcross, Georgia, a company that sells $100 million of supplements a year. Twice before, HiTech has gotten into trouble with the FDA for selling illegal supplements. The company’s founder and CEO, Jared Wheat, has also served two prison terms for selling illegal drugs.
All six of the Hi-Tech products were marketed as weight-loss pills. Wheat claims he lost $14 million worth of business because of Cohen’s analysis.
Wheat also said he got “hundreds” of supportive calls and emails from people “hoping that we were able to silence this guy.”
The $300,000 to $400,000 lawsuit
Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals sued Pieter Cohen and his research team in Georgia for $200 million. When that case was dismissed, Wheat re-filed it in Massachusetts where Cohen works.
A seven-day trial took place last October. Hi-Tech didn’t deny the presence of BMPEA in its products. Instead, it claimed that the substance was a legal dietary supplement ingredient, but offered no evidence to prove that.
The jury quickly declared Cohen not guilty.
Although the lawsuit cost his company $300,000 to $400,000, Wheat said it was worth it. “Hopefully, this will deter others,” he told STAT.
The aftermath
The year-long ordeal was, indeed, grueling for Cohen. Fortunately, he had the backing of Harvard University.
And he was not deterred. A few days after the verdict, Cohen submitted for publication a new study of dietary supplements.
“My experience,” he told STAT, “has really reinforced to me why it is so important to not only continue the research we’re doing but to be very aggressive about speaking out about it.”
Meanwhile, the six tainted supplements from Hi-Tech are still on the market. Wheat has refused to recall them. Instead, he said he made minor modifications to some of the formulas in order to placate his distributors.
 
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