BPi Nutrition Counseling Session
Kroc Man BPI Nutrition Counseling Session with Krista Kane
As The Kroc Man my goal is to investigate all that The Kroc has to offer. Whether it’s taking a group water aerobics class, a land class, or even checking out The Kroc’s Recovery Center facility, a partnership between The Kroc Center and BioPerformance Institute (BPi). The folks at BPi are the medical, recovery & performance experts. Their mission is to empower people to live their best life through health optimization and human performance services. While I will be going over all of Bpi’s services in this three-part Kroc Man blog; the first and often overlooked aspect of one’s physical health is diet.
I sat down and discussed my own personal health with BPi Nutrition Counselor, Krista Kane. Krista is a registered dietitian nutritionist. She helped me understand how I process my food and where my energy comes from. Since I am a very active person, Krista outlined some positive changes that I can make to my diet that would help me both increase and manage my energy more efficiently.
In this process, she also dispelled some common myths about foods that are widely considered “bad,” according to advice that floats about in the ether. For one, she told me that tomatoes are not bad for you. She also said that there isn’t anything wrong with drinking milk or eating potatoes. Milk can be a valuable source of vitamin D with little negatives, unless you are lactose intolerant, or your intake of saturated fats is high. She also told me that complex carbohydrates are good for you and can be a valuable source of energy.
Now, I confessed to Krista that I had dabbled in Paleo and Keto at one time or another, and as someone who is currently more Paleo than anything, Krista suggested that I try more quality complex carbohydrates and fruit for energy rather than reaching for that second, third cup of coffee. I also expressed to Krista that I would like to do some more portion control as a victim of the “finish your plate” movement that plagued my generation.
As someone who does not smoke or drink, Krista said that I was already ahead of the game. I told Krista that I generally receive eight to 10 hours of sleep a day, but I confessed that I wasn’t getting the quality sleep that I desired. I often wake up feeling like I need another two to three hours of sleep. Krista suggested that I read instead of watching TV at night, or at least wear blue light blocking glasses when I do watch TV or work on my laptop. She said that limiting the amount of blue light from screens promotes deeper R.E.M. sleep.
Two weeks later…
Since my counseling session with Krista, I can safely say that I have made some progress on my quest for a healthier me. As for watching TV, working on my laptop, and or scrolling through YouTube videos on my phone, I have begun reading, listening to podcasts and records more and more, and watching less TV. I can safely say that I am sleeping better at night. I also made it my mission a more balanced diet by including whole grains and potatoes (overall less processed foods). Krista’s last piece of advice for my personal nutritional coaching session was to “keep doing what you’re doing, you’re doing great!” She also told me to check my water intake and cut back from time to time since I often drink a gallon of water, or more, each day.
A few weeks after my nutrition session, I received an email from Krista outlining my daily dietary needs. These needs included the number of calories, protein, and the amount of fiber I need to consume each day. This was based on my height, weight, and other factors we went over during our session. Having this information has given me deeper insights into what my dietary needs are, and it has helped me understand how to eat and prepare for meals for myself each day for maximum performance.
A comprehensive assessment through BPi can be from 75 to 90 minutes long. While most insurance companies cover nutrition counseling visits, the price per self-pay packages includes The Kroc Silver Package for $170 (includes two follow-ups), a Gold Package that costs $320 (includes four follow-ups) and the Platinum package, which costs $450 (and includes six follow-ups). In these sessions, Krista will go over your health history, body composition testing, metabolic testing, goal setting and your personal plan of action.
In the next blog post, I will be discussing BPi’s massage therapy, Infrared Sauna, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy offerings. Stay tuned… Kroc Man out!