April 9, 2025 • 30 mins
Are you ready to rethink the way you approach food—not as a set of rigid rules, but as a philosophy that flows with your life? In this episode, Dr. Wendy Bazilian introduces her original framework called FLOWS, an inspiring and flexible guide to eating well every day.
You’ll learn how Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole, and Seasonal choices aren’t about perfection, but about possibilities, and how FLOWS can help you find a rhythm with your meals and snacks that feels natural and empowering.
WE DISCUSS:
(4:32) How FLOWS was born: An empowering philosophy, not a rigid rulebook
(6:25) The FLOWS Philosophy: What it means and how it can be used to guide your choices
(9:33) Fresh, flavorful produce
(12:01) Locally-grown and locally-produced foods that you Love
(14:02) Organic options, sometimes
(19:57) Whole foods and whole grains
(23:23) Seasonal foods that are satisfying and sustainable for you and the planet
(25:39) A few practices you can try and a moment of gratitude and reflections on our time together
CONNECT WITH WENDY:
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Visit the website: wendybazilian.com
Email me: 1KWM@wendybazilian.com
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Thank you for tuning in to 1,000 Waking Minutes and being part of this journey—together.
A huge thank you to our amazing collaborators including our production and marketing teams, and Gabriela Escalante in particular. To the ultra-talented Beza for my theme music, my lifelong friend and artist Pearl Preis Photography and Design, to Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen, Joanna Powell, and of course, my family and everyone working tirelessly behind the scenes.
HEALTH DISCLAIMER:
The information shared in this podcast is for educational purposes only and should not be considered individual medical or health advice. Always consult with your trusted healthcare provider before making any changes to your diet, exercise, or medical treatment.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
As Lao Tzu, the ancient
Chinese philosopher said, "Those who
flow as life flows, know
they need no other force."
Today we're embracing that wisdom
as our guide and as
an acronym for eating well
by adopting a food philosophy
that flows.
F-L-O-W-S
(00:23):
We experience 1,000 waking
minutes on average every day.
How are you spending yours?
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and
you're listening to 1,000
Waking Minutes.
I can't wait to connect
with you here with practical
ways to eat well, move
daily, and be healthy to
optimize every waking minute you
(00:44):
live for a happier, healthier
life.
Thank you for sharing some
of your waking minutes with
me today.
Let's get started.
I'm saying yes to better
days, yes I'm on my
way, yes It's gonna be
okay, yeah. Hello, I'm Dr.
(01:11):
Wendy Bazilian and you are
here with me on 1
,000 Waking Minutes and I'm
so glad you're joining me
here today.
Happy Spring!
I hope that we have
some good moments to share
today.
I have a basic tenet,
a basic mantra that we
live by, the eat well,
(01:32):
move daily, be healthy.
Like the word 'well' that
I've talked about in a
previous episode and bring up
from time to time when
we're talking about eating well
in particular, there's another word
that I really, really love
and use a lot, which
is 'flow' or 'flows', because
(01:54):
I like the movement and
I like the dynamic nature
of it and I also
like the sort of calm
that comes when I think
of the word flowing, that
it's sort of going along,
meandering.
It's not necessarily chaotic, but
it may have bends and
(02:15):
turns and all those different
things.
So today, I'm going to
be talking about FLOWS in
a different context, but flow
is one that for me
is so soothing and it's
flexible and dynamic, as I
mentioned, of the steady action
forward.
It's moving, so it's not
(02:36):
blocked and it's not stagnant.
Rivers flow into seas, words
flow on a page, if
you're lucky, and when our
bodies, our mind and body
and our spirit are sort
of in a state of
balance, so to speak, our
vital force energy, or chi
(02:56):
as some have called it,
is said to flow freely.
So from an Eastern perspective,
eating well or 'eating with
flow' is about creating gentle
ripples rather than tremendous waves
of excess such as calories
or sugar or fat or
(03:18):
volumes of food in general
that suddenly flood our bodies.
It's more about a constancy
and avoiding maybe some of
the drama that comes with
ups and downs, like forgetting
to eat all day and
then feeling like I could
eat that table right in
(03:38):
front of me.
A lot of us have
come to almost crave that
drama, you know, going without
food and overeating, a snack
time and beyond, you know,
and we've all fallen into
this at times, so it's
not about perfection.
But as you try to
keep your body in a
(03:59):
food flow and maybe a
little bit more stable, you'll
start to crave that instead.
And then imagine a day
where you just sort of
cruise along without the drama
of hunger or overeating, and
it can actually feel so
good to have that flow.
You may not even recognize
(04:19):
it in the beginning.
It's just sort of like
a day well-lived or
you didn't have, you know,
yet one more decision to
make or it just sort
of was an easier day.
So I've also developed the
FLOWS that came to me
years and years ago when
I was sort of instructing
(04:40):
on a very regular basis,
doing classes multiple times a
week and often repeating them
two times within an hour
or in a couple hours
because of the nature of
how we designed the programming
when I was working as
the head of nutrition at
the Golden Door Spa, and
(05:00):
I would be teaching about
eating and food and nutrition,
all kinds of topics about
herbs and spices, about the
garden, about, you know, many
things that we'll continue to
talk about within my profession.
And I sort of dawned
on me one day that
there's a type of flows,
an acronym, that you could
(05:21):
apply to your life, whether
you're at like a health
mecca farmer's market or even
a convenience store.
You could be at the
big supermarket with tons of
choices or you could be
at a little bodega.
It could be something that
you apply when you're eating
dinner in the company of
(05:41):
others with friends or your
family, when you're out eating,
or even when you're home.
And it's sort of about
choosing something, choosing along a
course that flows.
And because the word is
really cool, it's a good
way to remember also that
balance is something that we
(06:01):
can pursue and that that,
again, is not static, it's
dynamic, just like our health
and just like our lives.
So what does flows stand
for?
Well, it stands for Fresh,
Local, Organic, Whole, and Seasonal.
And there's some builds on
(06:21):
that and there's some flexibility
within that.
But I'm going to talk
to you today about FLOWS.
This practice, sort of having
a roadmap or a mantra
or an acronym, especially one
like FLOWS, can allow you
to have a practice to
provide you with a handy
mental checklist for shopping and
(06:45):
meal planning.
And it can help ensure
that you eat well with
healthful and nutritious foods.
And it can also ensure
that you pursue energy enhancing
foods most of the time.
So whether you're looking at
a menu or choosing off
a buffet or you're stocking
(07:07):
your own pantry or your
office cabinets or cupboards, if
you tick off a few
of the words flows, you'll
have a framework and you'll
feel confident that you're making
good choices most of the
time.
So again, F-L-O
-W-S.
We're going to go in
(07:27):
detail into each of these.
And then what is a
diet that flows?
So when it comes to
making easy decisions while cleaning
up your diet, however the
word may strike you, changing
up your dietary choices, shifting
your eating style, this can
also be a handy acronym
and a great bet.
(07:49):
Five letters and they're simple
to remember.
They can spell out a
foundation for eating well.
So every day we navigate
at least 200 food exposures
most of us in 24
hours by some estimates.
If you're out and about
the world like micro decisions,
(08:11):
you see a food, you
see an advertisement for food,
you see a word on
a page.
You know, not everything is
about, is this going into
my mouth?
But we're getting food exposures
constantly and on average up
to 200 or more daily.
So FLOWS can help us
throughout as well.
It sort of distills and
(08:32):
simplifies and provide some structure
along with some fluidity because
that's the point of flows.
So there are no absolutes
here.
It's not necessarily a strict
set of rules.
It's just something that I
wanted to share with you
today in this episode so
that you can have something
(08:53):
to be thinking about.
And I would encourage you
to, as you're thinking about
these, as you're integrating this
into your own thought process
and what resonates with you,
what you relate to, how
you want to choose it.
But I would encourage you
to think about aiming to
get two or more of
the flows met at every
(09:13):
meal.
So it's not about like
let's get them all on
the plate all the time,
but aiming for like sort
of a tick list to
get in a checklist are
two or more represented at
this meal and even snacks
or throughout the day if
you think about the patterns
of eating.
So number one is F
(09:34):
and I said that.
That's fresh.
I also put in there
flavorful, but let's get the
acronym first.
Fresh, also flavorful.
You can let your feet
guide you to the fresh
produce section in your supermarket.
You can be guided by
the delicious looking foods, eating
the rainbow.
The fresh fruits and vegetables,
(09:55):
they can provide a sort
of maximum matrix, maximum nutrients.
They're beautiful.
They've got the whole package.
If they're a fiber source,
they've got more of it.
If they're a water source,
they've got more of it.
If they're antioxidants, they generally
have more of it.
Frozen, another F, is a
(10:17):
second alternative and it's a
great backup plan.
So F could be fresh,
inspired by fresh, picked, and
then frozen because that's what
happens.
It's picked and preserved at
peak ripeness and frozen if
you have frozen vegetables or
fruits that you purchase.
In fact, even frozen fruits
(10:37):
or vegetables, they can ensure
that sort of freshness even
if they travel longer distances.
So there's seasons where we
may not be getting the
seasonal best and we'll get
to 'S-Seasonal' soon, but you
can keep some frozen berries
and vegetables, some broccoli or
spinach or string beans on
(10:59):
hand, whether you got them
fresh during the summertime or
you grew them yourself or
if you buy them frozen,
knowing that they were picked
fresh and last frozen or
frozen quickly when they were
at the peak of ripeness
to ensure that you have
that.
So thinking fresh first, frozen
second, and canned minimally.
(11:21):
You know, there's better canned
options also and you've seen
the beautiful probably canned fruits
that are in their own
fruit juices and that you
can move through.
But let FRESH be your
guide toward the produce is
what I'm getting to.
So it can be the
appearance that guides you, it
can be the colorful foods,
and of course we know
flavor.
(11:42):
Flavor rules, that's like top
notch, that's number one even
before any other health attribute
that we may be seeking.
So flavor, the thing that
we'll eat and eat again
in eating well are foods
that taste good to us.
So thinking about this, that's
F.
And then we have L.
(12:03):
I use L for Local
and I also use it
for love, things you love.
So when you have a
choice, look to support your
local farmers and purchase local
produce, nuts or grains and
other food items.
In the U.S., there's
a dairy [farm] within 200 miles
(12:23):
of almost every metropolitan area.
Locally grown foods, locally produced
foods, they don't have to
be transported as far to
the market.
Local foods also reflect seasonal
options.
It sort of gets us
re-familiarized with what is
seasonal these days because in
a grocery store you have
all seasons represented 24-7
(12:46):
all year long now.
And we also know that
things tend to taste best
when they come from our
area in the height of
ripeness, the height of season,
and local.
And it supports the local
economy too.
So thinking of farmer's markets
and co-ops, we're going
into that season.
Some areas, I live in
(13:07):
Southern California so we have
the benefit of the growing
year-round, but I recognize
having grown up in the
Northeast and knowing a lot
about the Midwest that those
are just coming up now,
supporting farmers markets and co
-ops and roadside stands and
even in the regular supermarkets
now there's a lot that
will start labeling the local
(13:28):
that's available.
And of course use your
common sense when it comes
to this too.
You know, not all local
items are available year-round,
but it's more important to
eat nutritious foods year-round
than only doing local.
So again, in FLOWS, this
is one guide and also
the idea of the foods
that you love.
(13:48):
The foods that you love
that fit a health-inspired
or health-promising life so
that you feel good, you
feel a day well-lived
and well-nourished.
So embrace those local foods.
Oh, FLOWS, remember F-L
-O...Organic.
So I am talking about
organic and I'm going to
(14:08):
have a caveat to this
because you don't always have
to eat organic, but I
think we should care about
where our food comes from.
And there's some amazing agriculture
that's happening right now that
is not technically called organic
and we'll get into that
in a minute.
But let Organic be sort
of a guidepost to, again,
caring about where your food
(14:28):
comes from, caring about people
and planet, perhaps.
And organic foods are generally
foods that have been grown
or raised without the use
of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides,
without the use of added
synthetics or unnecessary use or
(14:50):
preventative use of antibiotics, for
example, or fertilizers that have
synthetic chemicals, as I mentioned
before.
Organic processed foods also must
not contain artificial preservatives or
colors or flavors.
So let's face it, when
we're not eating fresh, sometimes
we're eating packaged foods.
(15:11):
And not universally, but 'organic'
can be one of those
benchmarks that can help you
recognize foods that won't have
those.
It's one layer as you
start reading the ingredient list.
And no organic food is
grown or handled using genetically
engineered technology.
(15:33):
So that's a sort of
a bonus to knowledge more
than whether it's right or
wrong.
But you can know if
it's organic that it is
not also genetically engineered.
Those go part and parcel.
If it's organic, it cannot
be genetically modified, genetically engineered.
And the ingredients inside, if
it's an organic food, cannot
(15:53):
be that way.
So until recently, it was
sort of hard to know
whether you were buying organic
foods at all, let alone
knowing what kinds of standards
were being maintained.
We do have a National
Organic Program in the United
States so that it helps
consumers know if something's 100
% organic or made with
(16:13):
organic ingredients.
And it helps us get
over and be more cautious
around sort of more vague
labeling like natural.
Natural, according to the USDA,
means the product contains no
artificial ingredient or added color
or is minimally processed.
But the food may contain
some other things that you
(16:33):
may not be interested in
consuming or similar synthetic chemicals
or otherwise.
So natural can be confusing,
but Organic has a standard.
It has a legal definition.
Shopping organic can be a
way also to support farmers
who are making efforts in
(16:54):
this direction.
Getting the organic label, however,
takes quite a long process,
and it can be expensive
for some farmers.
So I would say that
not all farmers even need
the Organic label - the official
one.
You can get to know
them if you're interested, and
it can be really fun
to know what they use
with their brains and technology
(17:16):
to keep pests away and
their natural and conscientious processes
that may be every bit
as good as an organic
method, but may not technically
have gone through the organic
processing and stamp of approval.
But it's still, I like
the word organic because it
sort of allows us to
(17:36):
be thinking toward this focus
and caring, again, how our
food is grown and how
our food is treated.
So, it's not a mandate,
as I mentioned.
It's a reminder to make
choices based on the relationship
of the quality of the
food you choose.
A lot of people will
ask me, are they worth
(17:57):
the price, too?
You know, some foods, like
berries, maybe fruits that are
fragile or porous and can't
be scrubbed, sometimes might be
a good investment to buy
organic, especially if you look
at them and they're beautiful
and ready to eat, and
if they're affordable to you.
Other foods, like bananas or
oranges that have skins, there
(18:18):
are pesticides and herbicides that
can be systemic that grow
up through the soil into
the food, but there's also
topical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides
that are sprayed on.
So, if there's a peel
and you peel it off,
you know, theoretically and in
reality, you can be reducing
some of that exposure on
(18:39):
a conventional food.
So, these are all choices.
It can be confusing at
times, but I have to
know....
I mean, I've known many
farmers in my life, and
I value their contributions so
much that farmers overall have
their families and their customers
in mind, and they do
what they can to minimize
(19:01):
the exposure to any other
chemical on behalf of themselves,
their employees, their family, also
while looking at the yield
and trying to maximize yield.
So, keeping in mind some
of those things.
Organic is a great thought
guide.
I know that among FLOWS (acronym)
this one may be one
(19:22):
that you, you know, sort
of vacillate on a little
bit.
Maybe you've heard of different
lists that are available, and
I can go into those
in another episode.
But in general, the value
of eating fruits and vegetables
outweighs getting caught up in
the affordability or whether to
choose organic.
But it can sort of
guide us toward thinking about
(19:44):
the quality of the food
that we put in.
Eating them, the produce that
is, the fruits and vegetables,
conventional or organic, always outweighs
not consuming them at all.
Next, we're at FLO... without
a W.
What's W?
W is whole foods and
whole grains.
(20:05):
It's whole.
Fresh, local, organic, whole.
Whole foods have much more
to offer than more refined
byproducts, typically.
When we consume a whole
food, an apple, for example,
you're getting the carbohydrate, the
fiber, the antioxidants.
You're getting everything packaged as
(20:26):
Mother Nature intended it.
You're getting these phytonutrients that
actually protect them, the fruit
or vegetable, from the sun
exposure and the salts outside
so that they can grow
strong.
It just so happens that
we, humans, can actually take
advantage of those in our
bodies as well.
Whole has to do with
(20:48):
the whole food intact.
Also, some research about the
food matrix.
Those nutrients, the way the
food is packaged, is on
purpose.
There are synergies that happen,
things that happen by all
those being there together.
When we start extracting them
and making them just nutrients,
that maybe, just maybe, and
(21:09):
some research is bearing this
out over the last couple
of decades, maybe there's some
losses there as well.
So it's not one or
the other, but focusing toward
whole.
You think about a commercial
applesauce versus an apple or
apple juices.
They certainly have a loss
of certain nutrients.
They're often very good still,
you know, in many ways.
(21:30):
So it's not an all
or nothing here, but a
focus.
Remember, this is a focus
helping us have an acronym
that can help guide us
along the way.
And then there's whole grains.
Now, we are a family
that enjoys our white rice—yes,
I just said that—a-plenty.
You know, it's part of
our staple.
(21:51):
I could talk at length,
and I will at some
point.
Maybe we'll do a whole
grain episode about white rice
is not as problematic versus
brown rice for, not only
some people, but for health
in general.
But it's one part of
our diet, and most of
the time, choosing whole grains
gives you more.
Look for quinoa and brown
(22:12):
rice and barley and kamut.
First of all, it adds
variety.
And not only variety, but
variety brings extra types of
nutrients. [Think] of pastas, of crackers...
especially foods in packages, it's
really good to be guided
by the word whole grain,
whole oats, etc.
(22:33):
It actually adds a good
amount of nutrition there.
And when a grain is
stripped or refined, it actually
can lose not only some
fiber, which most of us
may have heard of or
already know, but up to
90% of its micronutrients.
Especially things like commercial or
store-bought breads at the
(22:54):
grocery store and crackers.
Choosing whole grain options, and
the USDA and the MyPlate
method is to make half
of your grains whole on
a daily basis, but certainly
choosing where it makes sense.
And then keeping your refined
grains, maybe like a sourdough
bread or your white rice,
keeping those for why you
(23:16):
enjoy them, when you enjoy
them, how you enjoy them,
because the rest of the
time, you're really choosing toward
the whole grain.
And finally, we've got Seasonal.
Seasonal for S.
With S, I also bring
sustainable and satisfying.
And you can add those
to the extent that you
wish, but let's think seasonal.
(23:37):
Eat with the seasons.
When you eat a diet
that FLOWS, make an effort
to know and participate in
foods that do bring the
seasonal into your life.
Whether they're in season where
you live, we all know
that a tomato from our
area tastes best.
Well, our area.
I grew up in Connecticut,
so in the summer, my
(23:58):
tomatoes in Connecticut taste best.
I remember that.
Or apple pie or corn
on the cob.
I should have just said
apple there.
But corn on the cob,
peaches, berries, things that are
in season, they always just
really taste best and they
bring you nostalgia.
But now, with the seasons,
a lot of things are
(24:19):
available year-round.
But the in-season things
just tend to taste best.
And taste can be a
guide to nutrients at times
as well.
Not only does it support
our health, but also the
local economy when you eat
seasonally.
And that sort of registers
back to local that we
talked about before.
(24:39):
And S-Satisfying.
Satisfying is about energizing our
bodies, soothing our emotions, and
things that make us feel
good as well.
So take note of the
foods that satisfy you.
And not just satisfy you
like, oh, yum, brain alert
or brain sweetness or oh,
I just love this.
(25:00):
But the comfort that they
bring to bring you sustained
good energy, for example, or
focus during the day.
You'll notice those tend to
be the most nutritious foods
too.
So sustainable can be about
sustained energy and sustained good
nutrition.
And of course, S-Sustainable can
(25:21):
be about the planet.
And I think increasingly, we
should care about our food
and the sustainability of the
foods that we choose and
the whole picture.
Because we are a growing
community, a growing population.
And we want to be
well-fed, all of us,
for time to come.
So that's FLOWS.
Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole, Seasonal.
(25:46):
Those are the cues for
you today.
I'm going to do a
second episode on FLOWS and
tell you just a little
bit about the research in
this area about the food
matrix, about synergies that I've
talked about before, about how
the whole pattern of eating.
And just as a simple
reminder, because I'm very keen
(26:07):
to build in reminders for
us on ways that we
can be thinking about our
waking minutes and reducing the
decision fatigue that goes along
with our health habits to
make them more ingrained in
our day-to-day.
So that will come in
(26:28):
a follow-up episode that
I'm looking forward to doing
for you next week.
And as a way of
just keeping this simple today,
I really want you to
start to put this into
practice.
Get to know the word
FLOWS.
In fact, I encourage you,
write it down somewhere and
post it up.
(26:48):
Post it up on your
refrigerator, post it on a
bulletin board, put it on
a computer screen if you
have your calendar sort of
flashing on your screen to
look at.
Use it as something that
you can start thinking about
as you look at your
plate, as you do your
shopping, as you look in
your pantry.
Just take a look at
(27:09):
that and aim to get
two or more of FLOWS
met at each meal.
Perhaps, and I'll encourage you
to look and see where
the farmer's markets are and
when they open, if in
your area they're not open
yet.
Take a look.
This is a good week
to do that.
Perhaps take a look at
the CSAs, the Community Supported
(27:29):
Agriculture.
See if there are some boxes
or half boxes or if
you can go in with
a coworker or a neighbor
if you don't think that
you'll consume as much as
a box would provide.
It'd be a great way
of sort of making it
a really fun part of
your every week and your
time at getting involved there.
(27:50):
FLOWS is about being present.
It's about being proactive but
not being perfect.
So keep that in mind.
This is a conscious approach
of just saying, FLOWS.
Does my food FLOW?
Adopt a food philosophy that
FLOWS, I guess is what
I've said before.
Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole and
(28:10):
Seasonal.
And with that we have
Flavor also.
It's Satisfying.
We've got goodness in the
foods that nourish us.
So thank you for joining
me today.
If you enjoyed this episode,
please share it with a
friend.
Please make a comment.
Give us a five-star
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(28:31):
I'm so grateful you're here.
Write in.
And I'm eager to hear
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what you're working on as
well and what you're interested
in, especially when it comes
to making your waking minutes
more nourishing toward a well
-lived day.
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian.
This is 1,000 Waking Minutes
(28:51):
and until next time, be
well.
Thank you for tuning in
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A huge thank you to
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(29:12):
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(29:32):
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(29:53):
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Until next time, find some
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1,000 Waking Minutes each day.
(30:17):
I'm saying yes to better
days.
Yes, I'm on my way.
Yes, it's gonna be okay.
As Lao Tzu, the ancient
Chinese philosopher said, "Those who
flow as life flows, know
they need no other force."
Today we're embracing that wisdom
as our guide and as
an acronym for eating well
by adopting a food philosophy
that flows.
F-L-O-W-S
(00:23):
We experience 1,000 waking
minutes on average every day.
How are you spending yours?
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian and
you're listening to 1,000
Waking Minutes.
I can't wait to connect
with you here with practical
ways to eat well, move
daily, and be healthy to
optimize every waking minute you
(00:44):
live for a happier, healthier
life.
Thank you for sharing some
of your waking minutes with
me today.
Let's get started.
I'm saying yes to better
days, yes I'm on my
way, yes It's gonna be
okay, yeah. Hello, I'm Dr.
(01:11):
Wendy Bazilian and you are
here with me on 1
,000 Waking Minutes and I'm
so glad you're joining me
here today.
Happy Spring!
I hope that we have
some good moments to share
today.
I have a basic tenet,
a basic mantra that we
live by, the eat well,
(01:32):
move daily, be healthy.
Like the word 'well' that
I've talked about in a
previous episode and bring up
from time to time when
we're talking about eating well
in particular, there's another word
that I really, really love
and use a lot, which
is 'flow' or 'flows', because
(01:54):
I like the movement and
I like the dynamic nature
of it and I also
like the sort of calm
that comes when I think
of the word flowing, that
it's sort of going along,
meandering.
It's not necessarily chaotic, but
it may have bends and
(02:15):
turns and all those different
things.
So today, I'm going to
be talking about FLOWS in
a different context, but flow
is one that for me
is so soothing and it's
flexible and dynamic, as I
mentioned, of the steady action
forward.
It's moving, so it's not
(02:36):
blocked and it's not stagnant.
Rivers flow into seas, words
flow on a page, if
you're lucky, and when our
bodies, our mind and body
and our spirit are sort
of in a state of
balance, so to speak, our
vital force energy, or chi
(02:56):
as some have called it,
is said to flow freely.
So from an Eastern perspective,
eating well or 'eating with
flow' is about creating gentle
ripples rather than tremendous waves
of excess such as calories
or sugar or fat or
(03:18):
volumes of food in general
that suddenly flood our bodies.
It's more about a constancy
and avoiding maybe some of
the drama that comes with
ups and downs, like forgetting
to eat all day and
then feeling like I could
eat that table right in
(03:38):
front of me.
A lot of us have
come to almost crave that
drama, you know, going without
food and overeating, a snack
time and beyond, you know,
and we've all fallen into
this at times, so it's
not about perfection.
But as you try to
keep your body in a
(03:59):
food flow and maybe a
little bit more stable, you'll
start to crave that instead.
And then imagine a day
where you just sort of
cruise along without the drama
of hunger or overeating, and
it can actually feel so
good to have that flow.
You may not even recognize
(04:19):
it in the beginning.
It's just sort of like
a day well-lived or
you didn't have, you know,
yet one more decision to
make or it just sort
of was an easier day.
So I've also developed the
FLOWS that came to me
years and years ago when
I was sort of instructing
(04:40):
on a very regular basis,
doing classes multiple times a
week and often repeating them
two times within an hour
or in a couple hours
because of the nature of
how we designed the programming
when I was working as
the head of nutrition at
the Golden Door Spa, and
(05:00):
I would be teaching about
eating and food and nutrition,
all kinds of topics about
herbs and spices, about the
garden, about, you know, many
things that we'll continue to
talk about within my profession.
And I sort of dawned
on me one day that
there's a type of flows,
an acronym, that you could
(05:21):
apply to your life, whether
you're at like a health
mecca farmer's market or even
a convenience store.
You could be at the
big supermarket with tons of
choices or you could be
at a little bodega.
It could be something that
you apply when you're eating
dinner in the company of
(05:41):
others with friends or your
family, when you're out eating,
or even when you're home.
And it's sort of about
choosing something, choosing along a
course that flows.
And because the word is
really cool, it's a good
way to remember also that
balance is something that we
(06:01):
can pursue and that that,
again, is not static, it's
dynamic, just like our health
and just like our lives.
So what does flows stand
for?
Well, it stands for Fresh,
Local, Organic, Whole, and Seasonal.
And there's some builds on
(06:21):
that and there's some flexibility
within that.
But I'm going to talk
to you today about FLOWS.
This practice, sort of having
a roadmap or a mantra
or an acronym, especially one
like FLOWS, can allow you
to have a practice to
provide you with a handy
mental checklist for shopping and
(06:45):
meal planning.
And it can help ensure
that you eat well with
healthful and nutritious foods.
And it can also ensure
that you pursue energy enhancing
foods most of the time.
So whether you're looking at
a menu or choosing off
a buffet or you're stocking
(07:07):
your own pantry or your
office cabinets or cupboards, if
you tick off a few
of the words flows, you'll
have a framework and you'll
feel confident that you're making
good choices most of the
time.
So again, F-L-O
-W-S.
We're going to go in
(07:27):
detail into each of these.
And then what is a
diet that flows?
So when it comes to
making easy decisions while cleaning
up your diet, however the
word may strike you, changing
up your dietary choices, shifting
your eating style, this can
also be a handy acronym
and a great bet.
(07:49):
Five letters and they're simple
to remember.
They can spell out a
foundation for eating well.
So every day we navigate
at least 200 food exposures
most of us in 24
hours by some estimates.
If you're out and about
the world like micro decisions,
(08:11):
you see a food, you
see an advertisement for food,
you see a word on
a page.
You know, not everything is
about, is this going into
my mouth?
But we're getting food exposures
constantly and on average up
to 200 or more daily.
So FLOWS can help us
throughout as well.
It sort of distills and
(08:32):
simplifies and provide some structure
along with some fluidity because
that's the point of flows.
So there are no absolutes
here.
It's not necessarily a strict
set of rules.
It's just something that I
wanted to share with you
today in this episode so
that you can have something
(08:53):
to be thinking about.
And I would encourage you
to, as you're thinking about
these, as you're integrating this
into your own thought process
and what resonates with you,
what you relate to, how
you want to choose it.
But I would encourage you
to think about aiming to
get two or more of
the flows met at every
(09:13):
meal.
So it's not about like
let's get them all on
the plate all the time,
but aiming for like sort
of a tick list to
get in a checklist are
two or more represented at
this meal and even snacks
or throughout the day if
you think about the patterns
of eating.
So number one is F
(09:34):
and I said that.
That's fresh.
I also put in there
flavorful, but let's get the
acronym first.
Fresh, also flavorful.
You can let your feet
guide you to the fresh
produce section in your supermarket.
You can be guided by
the delicious looking foods, eating
the rainbow.
The fresh fruits and vegetables,
(09:55):
they can provide a sort
of maximum matrix, maximum nutrients.
They're beautiful.
They've got the whole package.
If they're a fiber source,
they've got more of it.
If they're a water source,
they've got more of it.
If they're antioxidants, they generally
have more of it.
Frozen, another F, is a
(10:17):
second alternative and it's a
great backup plan.
So F could be fresh,
inspired by fresh, picked, and
then frozen because that's what
happens.
It's picked and preserved at
peak ripeness and frozen if
you have frozen vegetables or
fruits that you purchase.
In fact, even frozen fruits
(10:37):
or vegetables, they can ensure
that sort of freshness even
if they travel longer distances.
So there's seasons where we
may not be getting the
seasonal best and we'll get
to 'S-Seasonal' soon, but you
can keep some frozen berries
and vegetables, some broccoli or
spinach or string beans on
(10:59):
hand, whether you got them
fresh during the summertime or
you grew them yourself or
if you buy them frozen,
knowing that they were picked
fresh and last frozen or
frozen quickly when they were
at the peak of ripeness
to ensure that you have
that.
So thinking fresh first, frozen
second, and canned minimally.
(11:21):
You know, there's better canned
options also and you've seen
the beautiful probably canned fruits
that are in their own
fruit juices and that you
can move through.
But let FRESH be your
guide toward the produce is
what I'm getting to.
So it can be the
appearance that guides you, it
can be the colorful foods,
and of course we know
flavor.
(11:42):
Flavor rules, that's like top
notch, that's number one even
before any other health attribute
that we may be seeking.
So flavor, the thing that
we'll eat and eat again
in eating well are foods
that taste good to us.
So thinking about this, that's
F.
And then we have L.
(12:03):
I use L for Local
and I also use it
for love, things you love.
So when you have a
choice, look to support your
local farmers and purchase local
produce, nuts or grains and
other food items.
In the U.S., there's
a dairy [farm] within 200 miles
(12:23):
of almost every metropolitan area.
Locally grown foods, locally produced
foods, they don't have to
be transported as far to
the market.
Local foods also reflect seasonal
options.
It sort of gets us
re-familiarized with what is
seasonal these days because in
a grocery store you have
all seasons represented 24-7
(12:46):
all year long now.
And we also know that
things tend to taste best
when they come from our
area in the height of
ripeness, the height of season,
and local.
And it supports the local
economy too.
So thinking of farmer's markets
and co-ops, we're going
into that season.
Some areas, I live in
(13:07):
Southern California so we have
the benefit of the growing
year-round, but I recognize
having grown up in the
Northeast and knowing a lot
about the Midwest that those
are just coming up now,
supporting farmers markets and co
-ops and roadside stands and
even in the regular supermarkets
now there's a lot that
will start labeling the local
(13:28):
that's available.
And of course use your
common sense when it comes
to this too.
You know, not all local
items are available year-round,
but it's more important to
eat nutritious foods year-round
than only doing local.
So again, in FLOWS, this
is one guide and also
the idea of the foods
that you love.
(13:48):
The foods that you love
that fit a health-inspired
or health-promising life so
that you feel good, you
feel a day well-lived
and well-nourished.
So embrace those local foods.
Oh, FLOWS, remember F-L
-O...Organic.
So I am talking about
organic and I'm going to
(14:08):
have a caveat to this
because you don't always have
to eat organic, but I
think we should care about
where our food comes from.
And there's some amazing agriculture
that's happening right now that
is not technically called organic
and we'll get into that
in a minute.
But let Organic be sort
of a guidepost to, again,
caring about where your food
(14:28):
comes from, caring about people
and planet, perhaps.
And organic foods are generally
foods that have been grown
or raised without the use
of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, fungicides,
without the use of added
synthetics or unnecessary use or
(14:50):
preventative use of antibiotics, for
example, or fertilizers that have
synthetic chemicals, as I mentioned
before.
Organic processed foods also must
not contain artificial preservatives or
colors or flavors.
So let's face it, when
we're not eating fresh, sometimes
we're eating packaged foods.
(15:11):
And not universally, but 'organic'
can be one of those
benchmarks that can help you
recognize foods that won't have
those.
It's one layer as you
start reading the ingredient list.
And no organic food is
grown or handled using genetically
engineered technology.
(15:33):
So that's a sort of
a bonus to knowledge more
than whether it's right or
wrong.
But you can know if
it's organic that it is
not also genetically engineered.
Those go part and parcel.
If it's organic, it cannot
be genetically modified, genetically engineered.
And the ingredients inside, if
it's an organic food, cannot
(15:53):
be that way.
So until recently, it was
sort of hard to know
whether you were buying organic
foods at all, let alone
knowing what kinds of standards
were being maintained.
We do have a National
Organic Program in the United
States so that it helps
consumers know if something's 100
% organic or made with
(16:13):
organic ingredients.
And it helps us get
over and be more cautious
around sort of more vague
labeling like natural.
Natural, according to the USDA,
means the product contains no
artificial ingredient or added color
or is minimally processed.
But the food may contain
some other things that you
(16:33):
may not be interested in
consuming or similar synthetic chemicals
or otherwise.
So natural can be confusing,
but Organic has a standard.
It has a legal definition.
Shopping organic can be a
way also to support farmers
who are making efforts in
(16:54):
this direction.
Getting the organic label, however,
takes quite a long process,
and it can be expensive
for some farmers.
So I would say that
not all farmers even need
the Organic label - the official
one.
You can get to know
them if you're interested, and
it can be really fun
to know what they use
with their brains and technology
(17:16):
to keep pests away and
their natural and conscientious processes
that may be every bit
as good as an organic
method, but may not technically
have gone through the organic
processing and stamp of approval.
But it's still, I like
the word organic because it
sort of allows us to
(17:36):
be thinking toward this focus
and caring, again, how our
food is grown and how
our food is treated.
So, it's not a mandate,
as I mentioned.
It's a reminder to make
choices based on the relationship
of the quality of the
food you choose.
A lot of people will
ask me, are they worth
(17:57):
the price, too?
You know, some foods, like
berries, maybe fruits that are
fragile or porous and can't
be scrubbed, sometimes might be
a good investment to buy
organic, especially if you look
at them and they're beautiful
and ready to eat, and
if they're affordable to you.
Other foods, like bananas or
oranges that have skins, there
(18:18):
are pesticides and herbicides that
can be systemic that grow
up through the soil into
the food, but there's also
topical pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides
that are sprayed on.
So, if there's a peel
and you peel it off,
you know, theoretically and in
reality, you can be reducing
some of that exposure on
(18:39):
a conventional food.
So, these are all choices.
It can be confusing at
times, but I have to
know....
I mean, I've known many
farmers in my life, and
I value their contributions so
much that farmers overall have
their families and their customers
in mind, and they do
what they can to minimize
(19:01):
the exposure to any other
chemical on behalf of themselves,
their employees, their family, also
while looking at the yield
and trying to maximize yield.
So, keeping in mind some
of those things.
Organic is a great thought
guide.
I know that among FLOWS (acronym)
this one may be one
(19:22):
that you, you know, sort
of vacillate on a little
bit.
Maybe you've heard of different
lists that are available, and
I can go into those
in another episode.
But in general, the value
of eating fruits and vegetables
outweighs getting caught up in
the affordability or whether to
choose organic.
But it can sort of
guide us toward thinking about
(19:44):
the quality of the food
that we put in.
Eating them, the produce that
is, the fruits and vegetables,
conventional or organic, always outweighs
not consuming them at all.
Next, we're at FLO... without
a W.
What's W?
W is whole foods and
whole grains.
(20:05):
It's whole.
Fresh, local, organic, whole.
Whole foods have much more
to offer than more refined
byproducts, typically.
When we consume a whole
food, an apple, for example,
you're getting the carbohydrate, the
fiber, the antioxidants.
You're getting everything packaged as
(20:26):
Mother Nature intended it.
You're getting these phytonutrients that
actually protect them, the fruit
or vegetable, from the sun
exposure and the salts outside
so that they can grow
strong.
It just so happens that
we, humans, can actually take
advantage of those in our
bodies as well.
Whole has to do with
(20:48):
the whole food intact.
Also, some research about the
food matrix.
Those nutrients, the way the
food is packaged, is on
purpose.
There are synergies that happen,
things that happen by all
those being there together.
When we start extracting them
and making them just nutrients,
that maybe, just maybe, and
(21:09):
some research is bearing this
out over the last couple
of decades, maybe there's some
losses there as well.
So it's not one or
the other, but focusing toward
whole.
You think about a commercial
applesauce versus an apple or
apple juices.
They certainly have a loss
of certain nutrients.
They're often very good still,
you know, in many ways.
(21:30):
So it's not an all
or nothing here, but a
focus.
Remember, this is a focus
helping us have an acronym
that can help guide us
along the way.
And then there's whole grains.
Now, we are a family
that enjoys our white rice—yes,
I just said that—a-plenty.
You know, it's part of
our staple.
(21:51):
I could talk at length,
and I will at some
point.
Maybe we'll do a whole
grain episode about white rice
is not as problematic versus
brown rice for, not only
some people, but for health
in general.
But it's one part of
our diet, and most of
the time, choosing whole grains
gives you more.
Look for quinoa and brown
(22:12):
rice and barley and kamut.
First of all, it adds
variety.
And not only variety, but
variety brings extra types of
nutrients. [Think] of pastas, of crackers...
especially foods in packages, it's
really good to be guided
by the word whole grain,
whole oats, etc.
(22:33):
It actually adds a good
amount of nutrition there.
And when a grain is
stripped or refined, it actually
can lose not only some
fiber, which most of us
may have heard of or
already know, but up to
90% of its micronutrients.
Especially things like commercial or
store-bought breads at the
(22:54):
grocery store and crackers.
Choosing whole grain options, and
the USDA and the MyPlate
method is to make half
of your grains whole on
a daily basis, but certainly
choosing where it makes sense.
And then keeping your refined
grains, maybe like a sourdough
bread or your white rice,
keeping those for why you
(23:16):
enjoy them, when you enjoy
them, how you enjoy them,
because the rest of the
time, you're really choosing toward
the whole grain.
And finally, we've got Seasonal.
Seasonal for S.
With S, I also bring
sustainable and satisfying.
And you can add those
to the extent that you
wish, but let's think seasonal.
(23:37):
Eat with the seasons.
When you eat a diet
that FLOWS, make an effort
to know and participate in
foods that do bring the
seasonal into your life.
Whether they're in season where
you live, we all know
that a tomato from our
area tastes best.
Well, our area.
I grew up in Connecticut,
so in the summer, my
(23:58):
tomatoes in Connecticut taste best.
I remember that.
Or apple pie or corn
on the cob.
I should have just said
apple there.
But corn on the cob,
peaches, berries, things that are
in season, they always just
really taste best and they
bring you nostalgia.
But now, with the seasons,
a lot of things are
(24:19):
available year-round.
But the in-season things
just tend to taste best.
And taste can be a
guide to nutrients at times
as well.
Not only does it support
our health, but also the
local economy when you eat
seasonally.
And that sort of registers
back to local that we
talked about before.
(24:39):
And S-Satisfying.
Satisfying is about energizing our
bodies, soothing our emotions, and
things that make us feel
good as well.
So take note of the
foods that satisfy you.
And not just satisfy you
like, oh, yum, brain alert
or brain sweetness or oh,
I just love this.
(25:00):
But the comfort that they
bring to bring you sustained
good energy, for example, or
focus during the day.
You'll notice those tend to
be the most nutritious foods
too.
So sustainable can be about
sustained energy and sustained good
nutrition.
And of course, S-Sustainable can
(25:21):
be about the planet.
And I think increasingly, we
should care about our food
and the sustainability of the
foods that we choose and
the whole picture.
Because we are a growing
community, a growing population.
And we want to be
well-fed, all of us,
for time to come.
So that's FLOWS.
Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole, Seasonal.
(25:46):
Those are the cues for
you today.
I'm going to do a
second episode on FLOWS and
tell you just a little
bit about the research in
this area about the food
matrix, about synergies that I've
talked about before, about how
the whole pattern of eating.
And just as a simple
reminder, because I'm very keen
(26:07):
to build in reminders for
us on ways that we
can be thinking about our
waking minutes and reducing the
decision fatigue that goes along
with our health habits to
make them more ingrained in
our day-to-day.
So that will come in
(26:28):
a follow-up episode that
I'm looking forward to doing
for you next week.
And as a way of
just keeping this simple today,
I really want you to
start to put this into
practice.
Get to know the word
FLOWS.
In fact, I encourage you,
write it down somewhere and
post it up.
(26:48):
Post it up on your
refrigerator, post it on a
bulletin board, put it on
a computer screen if you
have your calendar sort of
flashing on your screen to
look at.
Use it as something that
you can start thinking about
as you look at your
plate, as you do your
shopping, as you look in
your pantry.
Just take a look at
(27:09):
that and aim to get
two or more of FLOWS
met at each meal.
Perhaps, and I'll encourage you
to look and see where
the farmer's markets are and
when they open, if in
your area they're not open
yet.
Take a look.
This is a good week
to do that.
Perhaps take a look at
the CSAs, the Community Supported
(27:29):
Agriculture.
See if there are some boxes
or half boxes or if
you can go in with
a coworker or a neighbor
if you don't think that
you'll consume as much as
a box would provide.
It'd be a great way
of sort of making it
a really fun part of
your every week and your
time at getting involved there.
(27:50):
FLOWS is about being present.
It's about being proactive but
not being perfect.
So keep that in mind.
This is a conscious approach
of just saying, FLOWS.
Does my food FLOW?
Adopt a food philosophy that
FLOWS, I guess is what
I've said before.
Fresh, Local, Organic, Whole and
(28:10):
Seasonal.
And with that we have
Flavor also.
It's Satisfying.
We've got goodness in the
foods that nourish us.
So thank you for joining
me today.
If you enjoyed this episode,
please share it with a
friend.
Please make a comment.
Give us a five-star
rating on the podcast platforms.
(28:31):
I'm so grateful you're here.
Write in.
And I'm eager to hear
what you're up to and
what you're working on as
well and what you're interested
in, especially when it comes
to making your waking minutes
more nourishing toward a well
-lived day.
I'm Dr. Wendy Bazilian.
This is 1,000 Waking Minutes
(28:51):
and until next time, be
well.
Thank you for tuning in
to 1,000 Waking Minutes.
A huge thank you to
our amazing collaborators including our
production and marketing teams and
Gabriela Escalante in particular.
To the ultra-talented Beza
for my theme music, my
(29:12):
lifelong friend and artist, Pearl
Preis Photography and Design.
To Danielle Ballantyne, Jen Nguyen,
Joanna Powell, and of course
my family.
And everyone working tirelessly behind
the scenes.
And to you, our valued
listeners.
I so appreciate your support.
If you enjoyed today's episode,
please consider leaving a comment,
(29:32):
writing a review, and giving
1,000 Waking Minutes, that's us,
a five-star rating.
And please hit subscribe on
Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever
you enjoy your podcasts.
Please follow and stay connected
at wendybazilian.com and don't
forget to share with your
friends.
Your support helps us grow
and bring you more great
(29:53):
content.
Until next time, find some
simple opportunities to optimize those
1,000 Waking Minutes each day.
(30:17):
I'm saying yes to better
days.
Yes, I'm on my way.
Yes, it's gonna be okay.
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