SPEAKER_01 0:00

So the GLP1 stuff, I'm hearing about it on the news and everybody's interested in that. Uh what is what is your take on all of the those kind of medic medications as a registered dietitian?

SPEAKER_00 0:11

I think it it's a great resource to start with.

unknown 0:15

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 0:16

Um especially when there are concerns about pre-diabetes, diabetes.

SPEAKER_01 0:25

All right, welcome to another episode of Connections That Matter. Today we have an amazing guest, Carissa Kapperman with Bite for Bite Nutrition, who is a registered dietitian and is helping Northern Colorado get healthier or understand food more. So Carissa, welcome to this, welcome to the show.

SPEAKER_00 0:43

Yeah, thanks for inviting me.

SPEAKER_01 0:44

Awesome. So uh Bite for Bite Nutrition, tell me a little bit about what you do.

SPEAKER_00 0:49

Yeah, so we provide medical nutrition therapy. And so I kind of call myself like a generalist dietitian. So we kind of focus like more of a variety, so we don't just specialize in like one thing at the moment. So we can help with prediabetes, diabetes, gestational diabetes, going into cardiovascular disease. So think about like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, all the things. Um and a big focus with weight management because that does kind of help control other health conditions. Um and they all kind of play factor with each other, right?

SPEAKER_01 1:25

Awesome. Well, catch people up because I think people know the realm of nutrition, but a registered dietitian is a different level of school and agrees.

SPEAKER_00 1:33

So what's the difference between a registered dietitian and a nutritionist or yeah, yeah, it is also just like when you go on the internet is kind of overwhelming and confusing about what to even look for, right? And who to even work with. So with nutritionists, actually I'm going over with a dietitian. So we acquire a bachelor's degree, now a master's degree, I think starting last year, and then uh internship, and then another just a registered um exam, like a registration exam, and then continuing education units. And so it is very strict with the different requirements that we do have to follow. Um, I think it's every three to five years. I could probably check on that.

unknown 2:18

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 2:18

But um with the nutritionist, it's kind of hard. There's a little bit more variety, it's a little bit more broad, just in the sense that it could be someone could get a certification online, they could do some of their own research with nutrition, they could call themselves a nutritionist, but then also someone could get a doctorate in nutrition. So again, a whole wide range between the two. So I do like dietitians because we have a little bit, it's more specific on the educational requirements.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Well, and uh people can use insurance on uh something like you. I know you've been getting it different insurance agencies that are working with you or different insurances that you cover. And um, so it really sounds like more of a medical um than I'm just trying to eat better, or but it could be both potentially, right?

SPEAKER_00 3:03

Yes. Sometimes it does kind of start with like sometimes it could be I don't even know what to eat, or it could be like because I do work with a lot of parents, and so they're uh just trying to figure out like maybe I need to figure out how to eat healthier type deal. What does that even mean? How do like what does that entail? And so I do like to help um folks with even just trying to kind of go like with basic general nutrition and then kind of go also more in depth with different specific health conditions.

SPEAKER_01 3:32

And as far as education, people come from different backgrounds, but um what what is it? I mean, do people have a general understanding or are they just um you know not not having a clue? I mean, where what is the kind of the people the the information level that you're connecting with?

SPEAKER_00 3:50

Um everything.

SPEAKER_01 3:51

Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 3:53

So sometimes like a big thing I know most people know what a protein is, but then some like for um a lot of animal foods, then I like to put a big focus on like how else to get protein in and just also like the different amounts. So even like foc focusing on like plant food sources, thing about like nuts, think about edamame, all this um beans, things like that. I think it comes to a shock to some people. Um, also with carbs, carbs have such a um negative rep. And so I think that's a lot of my job is just trying to like it's okay to have carbs and fuel our body with carbs.

SPEAKER_01 4:30

Gotcha. Yeah. Well, and so you talked about the weight uh modification. Um you know what what are you seeing as why people want to lose weight? Is it they got bad news from a doctor? Is they just maybe they're not fitting into the clothes that they have, or um, maybe they can't gain weight. I mean, what it what kind of different things are you seeing?

SPEAKER_00 4:48

Also both.

SPEAKER_01 4:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 4:51

Just the sense so I've had quite a few of moms and dads come to me because it's been a few years. Let's say they have um even their first child have had a few children, they're back to school and they just don't feel like themselves, and they're like, Oh, I've gained a lot of weight, I want to be back to where I used to be, kind of having a little bit more of those specific personal goals. And so I do help them, just like also the changes in their life and their lifestyle, um, and also just navigating family life and how to do that. So there's that aspect, but then also I do get referrals from um from some doctors that um let's say someone has or like they recently get their labs done and it says like, oh, maybe they're they have high cholesterol or um a higher A1C, so we want to figure out how to kind of prevent that further, um, prevent diabetes, right? Or prevent um our cholesterol being even more elevated, things like that. And so sometimes, yes, we could put a focus on their diet, but then also we could help um with the weight loss to prevent those conditions.

SPEAKER_01 5:59

So how do you how do you network with other medical doctors or you get you said you get referrals? How'd you how'd you set that up or how'd you get in um with those kind of connections?

SPEAKER_00 6:09

Um, I do a variety. I like to just kind of go on the all these different websites, and there's like always like even with the Eventbrite, even Facebook events, I always see just different ways of like fun events going on, and I just sign up and meet new people and just meet different. I like it, my aspect for the business. Again, yes, for the networking, but I also I've been learning so much on a personal standpoint.

SPEAKER_01 6:35

Well, that's another thing. I you know, you have a heart of a teacher, you love to educate. Uh you're doing a workshop for for my community about how to how to stay healthy during stressful times as a business owner. Um what what have what has stood out to you as the people who are teaching in northern Colorado at a high level, or uh what is one of the talks that you went to that you got a lot from?

SPEAKER_00 6:57

So last year I got um I just provided um a talk about, again, basic nutrition. Just I went in depth about the different macronutrients, talked about just general wellness, and so talked about carbohydrates earlier. A lot of people are confused about what sugar is, and sugar is a carbohydrate, so even just educating on that and how to even fit all the different macros into our diet. So I did provide um a talk about that last summer, and so I did receive a few um clients from there with like different connections from there, and so it's been kind of nice just to see um just like the different outreach and different clients um that I've like just have met throughout the way.

SPEAKER_01 7:45

How frustrating is it when you tell people what they need to do, but they don't do it, right? Like how does I know how do you deal with that?

SPEAKER_00 7:53

I kind of come to so let's say especially okay, so at the beginning of like how my program works, I don't have like a designate like protocol per se of this is how many follow-ups before you graduate, right? I say like the first few times I like to see uh each client like one to two every every one to two weeks and then stretch time in between once a month, once every three months type deal. Um, but sometimes, especially in the first few uh follow-ups, if I'm recommending, um just yeah, I'm providing my recommendations, different resources, providing all the stuff, and they're not making any changes or making minimal changes, or this sometimes that could be a lot of excuses, and that can be frustrating on my standpoint because I'm I feel like I'm giving my all, I'm giving, you know, my knowledge. And um sometimes it kind of goes back to like motivational interviewing, like why are they here in the first place? And it's kind of like in order to see the results, we need to make these changes, and these are the different recommendations. And sometimes it's kind of hard, like um, yes, I do recommend food logging sometimes for short short term, but sometimes that just doesn't work for folks, and that's okay. Let's figure out like other recommendations and other things we could change first.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

Awesome. Is there any health and wellness professionals that you collaborate with that help uh the habit stick or the advice stick, or where you're teaming up on uh somebody for their overall care?

SPEAKER_00 9:22

Yeah, so I do there there are a few different um referral partners that I do like to work with specifically, especially um Dr. Maggie and Dr. Josh at Refuge. Um they're physical therapists, they're wonderful, they are such a great team to work with. I also um do work with Jen. She's a nurse practitioner at Balance Health there in Greeley. We're kind of actually in the works of kind of making a like a weight loss program per se, just in the specs to kind of collaborate more in depth and to have like a dietitian and nurse practitioner team team up.

SPEAKER_01 10:00

So, how did you get introduced to refuge and and uh get those connections set up?

SPEAKER_00 10:05

I know I don't know how I even met Jen. Um, but with Refuge, I actually met Dr. Maggie at um Norco Chiropractic, was having like a ladies' night.

SPEAKER_01 10:16

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 10:16

Again, found on Facebook events, just signed up like the day before. And yeah, that was um how I met them. And then actually, Jen, I think I am I am a part of like a lot of different Facebook groups as well. And so like a lot of people are asking like different recommendations. So for me to provide like the highest quality of care for my clients, I do like to have those resources available, and so I do have lots of different spreadsheets um with like different types of therapy services, different types of physical activity services, gins, all that stuff. And so sometimes I do like send out posts like, oh, I'm looking for a therapist in the area I could connect with. And so I think that's actually how I found Jen.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Yeah. Yeah, people just answering the call saying yes to opportunities and yeah, I just meet with them. I'm always amazed, like one event you could have a conversation that turns into, you know, a one-to-one that turns into actually like a magical partnership. And um so so the GLP one stuff, I'm hearing about it on the news, and everybody's interested in that. Uh what is what is your take on all of the those kind of medic medications as a registered dietitian?

SPEAKER_00 11:31

I think it is a great resource to start with.

unknown 11:35

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 11:36

Um, especially when there are concerns about pre-diabetes, diabetes, all that fun stuff, right? Um I do get nervous sometimes because we do lose that weight super fast. And when it when the naturally when we lose weight f um significantly or in a short period of time, we lose a lot of muscle mass. And so I get very nervous for those folks as we are um becoming male-nourished without realizing it. And so when we start taking those GLPs, I do put a big focus on making sure that we're getting um adequate protein and actually focusing on like making dietary changes compared to just taking the medication.

SPEAKER_01 12:22

Sure. Well, I I think anything around your health or what your body looks like, you know, there's an there's a level of vulnerability to actually ask for help. Like, you know, I'm I imagine a lot of people are just Googling stuff by their own, they're trying to fix, they're trying to find their own solutions. But to truly be like, oh, I need to seek out a professional, I need um real coaching on this, or I need real guidance on that, is an act of bravery or you know, an act of boldness that um to find you. And um, you know, I I would I would imagine that that's uh maybe one of the challenges is like covering people who are willing to do that. So how do you I mean, what would you say for somebody who might be searching for things at home, hasn't asked for help yet, um to reach out, whether it's to you or to someone else?

SPEAKER_00 13:13

Yeah. I think even so even like with my practice, and I know a lot of other practices out there, we provide like a free discovery call. So then you can get that scheduled. I like to personally do it because then I can set that time to actually give my 110% attention to them, right? To give those answers. But then we also could just see if like we're the right fit or whatever practice is the right fit, and that we can just like help with whatever you're looking for.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Is it a cost concern for a lot of people?

SPEAKER_00 13:44

Are they weird like they can't afford it or are they um yes, and also a lot of people are concerned or are just afraid because dietitians are known as the food police. Right. And so just kind of being told, like, I don't want to be told just to eat my vegetables, or I don't want to be told to never have donuts again. Right. And so and I always I put I'm very annoying about it actually, and I'm constantly telling people it's like I'm trying to like focus on like making small realistic changes to what's specific to your life, but also what's sustainable for the long run. And I think that's like the biggest, um, just like the biggest focus. And like I always say like like I like my chicken cordon blue, I like my chocolate chip cookies, right? I will never take that on my diet. And so it's like just having that in like moderation and just how to still have that in my diet, but then also like what do we need to monitor? And again, that just depends on each person.

SPEAKER_01 14:45

Okay. Awesome. Well, what are what are if you had a couple of tips, um, easy changes, easy fixes, uh, you know, things that you could do, small changes that would lead to big results, what would they be?

SPEAKER_00 14:58

Um, I think that's a tough one, especially in general. I think the common stance of actually this is on the the top of my mind just because it's been I've been on repeat this past week. But to not skip meals. A lot of people like to skip meals, right, to try to lose weight, but it's actually very important to help stabilize our blood sugar levels and to make sure that we're meeting our specifically our protein needs to make sure that we eat at least three times a day. And then um kind of going in depth with that, trying to have it balanced. So having a protein, a carbohydrate, and then like half the plate as vegetables, right? Yeah. And then I was like, if your current, like let's say your current dinner plate only has a little bit of protein or has no vegetables, that's okay. Maybe just focusing on like two dinners a week, adding those vegetables in.

SPEAKER_01 15:58

What is your favorite vegetable?

SPEAKER_00 16:00

You had a favorite uh that is hard. I like broccoli.

SPEAKER_01 16:06

Okay. There you go.

SPEAKER_00 16:07

On the girl with the cast iron.

SPEAKER_01 16:09

Oh, there you go. Well, and I guess that's a good point because like cooking and nutrition are uh you know hand in hand. Um people would love to eat healthier, but they don't know how to cook that right food. And um do you teach any of that or do you collaborate with some cookbooks or chefs or YouTube influencers? How do you how do you get people to learn how to make their own food?

SPEAKER_00 16:30

I would love to. That is definitely I have many goals, and that's one of my goals, hopefully coming up in the future. I am actually like on the search for a chef. I would love if a chef who has like their own space for cooking classes, I love for them to like to collaborate with them to provide a cooking class, but then also go in more in depth about nutrition education regarding those specific foods and specific health conditions.

SPEAKER_01 16:57

Right on. Well, uh, you know, we're all about making connections here. So if you're watching this episode and you want to collaborate with Krista, if you're a chef, uh, make sure that we reach out to her. Um and there's some cool things, like what is uh ginger and baker they have. Uh I've seen those um, you know, chef tables there, different caters that do that. But what a fun like date night too, uh to learn how to make a uh to cook, and then especially if it's a healthy that kind of couples try to get healthy together or um you know somebody will get uh diagnosis like diabetes, and then the spouse like just steps up and like, hey, let me eat like the way you eat and stuff like that.

SPEAKER_00 17:32

So yeah. And especially like when they are like if you have that support and you're working as a team, that definitely makes making those changes easier.

SPEAKER_01 17:41

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 17:41

For sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:43

All right. Well, we got an event coming up where you know we're gonna talk about business busy entrepreneurs and getting healthy. And I think is uh that's something that a lot of entrepreneurs can relate to is the struggle with burnout, the struggle of like I'm just carrying a big load mentally or physically and working the long hours, and you talk about skipping meals. Like, I don't have time to take a lunch, uh, you know, I I don't have time to eat breakfast. I I can barely have time to sleep. Uh, you know, so what is some advice for a business owner um who just is is maybe publicly look like they're doing good or very productive, but silently they're just struggled, they're getting burnt out, and yeah, um, they're they're having a hard time.

SPEAKER_00 18:23

Yeah, most definitely. So kind of two ways. It's back to even like those the mindful eating, like I mentioned, or like the balanced plates, is how even if you're at home and you're just like looking at like what do I have in the pantry, what do I have in the freezer? Even if it is that again, it's like a bad rep for like frozen meals or pre-packaged foods, right? But the important, like the goal at that point is to again trying to get that balanced plate. The goal isn't trying to focus on the packaged foods at that point, right? And so, again, trying that maybe that'd be like the first step is how are you gonna get that balanced plate? And then from there, I'm also like happy to provide like just different resources just to show of like how to even there's like the meal prep, or there's like just other ways that we can make make it easier, make it more convenient on those balance plates.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

What do you what do you say for people? I mean, we have a lot of like tradespeople, you know, blue collar, and they don't have to any they're they're literally getting lunch at a gas station or fast food, you know. It's like eating in their car. So any any tips for people like that where that's just part of their normal routine?

SPEAKER_00 19:35

Yeah. So let's say you go to the gas station on your your daily route, right? And let's say like the lot of I'm not trying to think of different breakfast burritos. There's like sauce burritos.

SPEAKER_01 19:49

Shout out whoever has the best breakfast burrito, right?

SPEAKER_00 19:53

I love breakfast burrito myself. Um but let's say if something is full of bacon and it has, let's say, a lot of gravy or just a lot of different, like a different amounts of cheese, right? Maybe trying to find like a more leaner option, maybe a little less gravy, maybe like a turkey sausage. Even if it is just like against small changes like that, definitely goes a long run. Long, yeah, long run.

SPEAKER_01 20:24

You know, I mean, it's like tempting, right? You go in these foods, and um, you know, food is so social or uh emotional, or there's triggers, or um, you know, my my I would have this meal at this time in my life, and uh, you know, unpacking that I think would be, you know, a challenge. But yeah. Um well Chris, I'd like I appreciate you being on the show. Again, uh I know you're as a business owner who's growing and connecting. What are some of we talked about the the chef, but is there any other additional connections that you're looking uh to make or to foster?

SPEAKER_00 20:58

Uh anyone. Anyone just the sense I again, I like just to meet everyone, um, everyone eats, right? Especially like different clients. There are so I even like I always think about how like just connecting with even like other trades, if other if they have any clients who are just like stressed because they are talking about like their heater going out, right? I and that's on my end. I like to have those resources, like, oh, here you go. Here's a company that could help you with your water heater, things like that.

SPEAKER_01 21:32

Well, very cool. Well, I think you know, in Colorado, there's I mean, with the mountains right there, a lot of people are active. Uh you know, uh people are open to being healthy and having that lifestyle, so it's a really cool um place for and a lot of people are moving in where um maybe they were from another part where it wasn't as much of an active lifestyle as it is in Colorado. But if you're looking for coaching, uh reach out to Carissa Kapperman with Bite from Vite Nutrition. Carissa, what's the best way to people? to get a hold of you or reach out to you?

SPEAKER_00 22:02

Yeah, so my website is probably one of the easier ways because then you could kind of see like all the information. You could also just see like the details with the services, um, our work email or the office phone. They all they're all great um ways to get contact us.

SPEAKER_01 22:19

Awesome. Well thanks for being on the show and uh I hope this inspires some people to be healthier or make some better choices.

SPEAKER_00 22:25

Awesome. Well thank you