March 25, 2025 • 33 mins
On this episode of Confessions Beyond the Food, Liz Oba takes us on a deliciously personal journey—from hospital dietitian to Real Food Mission Ambassador at Thomas Cuisine. Her story is filled with food love, health revelations, and plenty of myth-busting along the way.
Food Was Her First Love: Growing up with adventurous-eating parents, Liz learned to try new foods without fear or pressure—whether it was a funky veggie or an exotic dish.
Her Dad Was the Food Police: When her physician father linked soda consumption to diabetes, Liz realized just how powerful food choices could be.
Athlete with a Foodie Heart: After playing soccer on scholarship at Colorado School of Mines, she transferred to Colorado State University to pursue her true passion—nutrition.
From Clinical Dietitian to Foodservice Guru: Liz’s expertise and passion caught the eye of Thomas Cuisine, where she now champions real food in healthcare and beyond.
Helping Heal Relationships with Food: As a former food service director at an eating disorder treatment center, Liz empowered patients to redefine their connection with food.
Busting the ‘Healthy is Expensive’ Myth: She proves that a $30 fast-food meal can’t compete with the value of a grocery cart full of fresh, nutritious ingredients.
Label Detective: Liz warns against sneaky food marketing tactics, teaching consumers how to see through misleading labels.
Balance > Perfection: Her mantra? It’s not about flawless eating—it’s about enjoying both the kale salad and the chocolate cake.
Pro Tips from Liz: Make better food choices more often—but don’t stress when you treat yourself. The healthiest relationship with food is about balance and joy, not guilt and restriction.
Tune in and get ready to rethink your relationship status with food!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Confessions Beyond the Food.
I'm your host, nancy Redland.
Let's dig in and get inspired.
Hi, welcome back to ConfessionsBeyond the Food, the podcast
where we explore the stories,passion and innovation behind
(00:20):
the food service industry.
Today, I'm excited to welcomeLiz Oba of Thomas Cuisine.
Hi, nancy, thank you so muchfor having me on the show.
We're so happy to have you.
So, but before we dive intoyour role at Thomas Cuisine,
let's talk about her journey.
Liz started her career as adietician in a hospital, where
(00:43):
she saw firsthand the power offood and healing and wellness.
But food wasn't just part ofher profession, it was part of
her life as a lifelong athletewho understands the deep
connection between nutrition,performance and overall
well-being.
Now she brings that passion toThomas Cuisine, helping redefine
(01:05):
what health-focused,chef-driven dining looks like.
Liz, welcome, thank you.
Yeah, well, awesome, let's diveinto this.
So I want to know about yourearly influences and
relationships with food.
So what is your earliest foodmemory and how did that shape
(01:25):
your relationship with food?
Yeah, that's a hard one, right?
Because when you get into whenyou're really young, you don't
necessarily know if you remembersomething happening or if it
was someone telling you that youdid something.
But gosh, like things from mychildhood.
I can think of maybe two, soone my parents, when we would go
(01:47):
out to eat, and so I probably Ithink I am remembering this but
we would all get differentthings that we liked off the
menu and I would always just bekind of staring at their plate
if it was something that I hadnever seen before and they were
so good about.
You know, they called meElizabeth.
Elizabeth, do you want to tryit, do you want to try a little
bit?
And I would usually say yes.
(02:07):
So they'd give me a small pieceof whatever it was and they'd
say you know, did you like it,do you want some more?
And I could say yes or no.
So there was like no pressureto eat the food and then
continue to eat it or like it ornot, which was amazing, and I
think that kind of helped mebecome an adventurous eater with
a lot more willingness to trydifferent things, just because
(02:28):
they expose me to so many.
I say that and they're verylike vanilla eaters, they like
Olive Garden, they like, youknow, chili's very normal stuff.
But the second one wouldprobably be, when I started
school, my dad's Japanese, andso we ate a lot of interesting
things growing up, so just kindof being made fun of almost, for
(02:49):
having like tofu with fishflakes for lunch one day.
None of the other kids wereeating that, or eating seaweed
snacks and I didn't realize Iwas different until I saw other
kids didn't eat like that, butyou were eating exotic.
Yeah right, I was trendy before.
It was cool.
Exactly, you had a much, yeah,a much more trendier palate than
(03:13):
most, and I would say today Imean a lot of my kids' friends
love sushi and my kids loveIndian food and their Thai food.
So it's really cool how thingshave evolved since.
Like ham and mayonnaisesandwiches Absolutely Like the
Lunchable was the thing you knowin the 90s.
(03:36):
And so taking like udon noodlesor, like I said, tofu, people
are like why is this girl eating?
That's awesome.
People are like why is thisgirl eating?
That's awesome.
So was there a moment in yourlife when you realized the deep
connection between food andhealth?
Yeah, so again, probably goingback into my childhood, this was
(03:57):
maybe around like middle school.
So my dad is a physician.
He's a wonderful doctor and Iremember him talking about food
all the time and how it wouldaffect his patients.
But when it finally hit home,it must have been summer,
because my brothers and I werehome.
We were inside, we were playingvideo games, and you know he
comes into the room and says,you know it just looks at what
(04:20):
we're doing.
He's like you kids need to getoutside.
What are you doing?
You know you're wasting thedaylight.
What is that?
Is that a soda?
How many of those have you hadtoday?
You know, if you just keep andhe was, you know, frustrated
with us just getting lazy, buthe said something to the effect
of if you keep drinking soda,you're going to get diabetes,
like me.
And that was like shocking tome and I was like you know,
(04:42):
probably again middle school.
What I said oh my gosh, sodacauses diabetes.
You'll get, you'll get adisease from having a soda and
it obviously that's notcompletely factual, but it got
my brain thinking and so Iremember that opened the door
for a lot of conversations and alot of like well, what does it
make you get diabetes?
You know, it was just a lot ofdialogue that I was able to have
(05:04):
with my dad after that point.
That kind of set me down like,ok, food plays a huge part in my
health, and so what I'mchoosing now, it's going to
affect me for the rest of mylife and I don't think that I
had made that connection before.
Yeah, I think that.
I mean, I grew up with parentsthat we had.
My mom was very healthy.
(05:26):
We never got sodas.
It was a trait and but I don'tknow, did this happen to you?
I mean, or did it stick withyou?
Because when I, when I hadgrowing up, I had similar, you
know, eating healthy, but then,when I got to college, I just
binge.
Did you ever have that momentor did?
Did you?
Did you stay true to beinghealthy?
(05:47):
Yeah, so I would say we, we hadoptions when we were growing up
.
It wasn't like, you know, wethere was no soda in the house,
that was, but we had a verybalanced meal.
Like every night we sat down atthe table, my mom made
vegetables, right, there wassome starch, there was some beef
.
It wasn't fancy, but it wasvery well-rounded.
And for me, when I got tocollege and I had that sort of
(06:08):
freedom, I was on a soccerscholarship, so it was like,
nope, I probably did take morecookies from the cafeteria than
I normally would have, becauseno one was watching.
But by that point in my life Ihad school to pay for, and so it
was just another thing that Ineeded to reinvest in myself and
(06:29):
my performance with food.
So, with congratulations onhaving a soccer scholarship, you
must be an incredible athlete.
So did they have a diet for youin high school?
Or did that come into play intocollege?
Or not at all?
So, not really.
I was from, I grew up in, asmall-ish town, pueblo, west
(06:50):
Colorado, and we were a 4Aschool, so not one of these big
name you know high schools thathas their own you know aquatic
center or anything like that,and so it was very much
self-discovery and self-researchfor me.
When I got to college, I playedat the Colorado School of Mines
, which is in Golden, colorado,and we were a Division II
(07:11):
program.
I had a full scholarship, andso then I did get access to more
resources for our training room, talking to our physical
therapists, things like that.
Like any athlete, I dealt withinjuries, and so I learned more
about recovery, nutrition, howto take care of myself, what to
eat to have more stamina, aswell as to prevent injuries.
(07:32):
So I did get more, I guess,coaching and exposure when I was
at the college level.
So in college, what did youstudy?
I mean, what led into becominga dietitian?
It's funny.
So I said Colorado School ofMines in a light bulb.
Probably it's going to go offfor some of our viewers and
they're going to say, yeah,that's an engineering only
school.
Like, how are you a dietitian?
(07:54):
My dad really encouraged me tobe a petroleum engineer and I
was on the straight and narrow.
I was a very parent pleaserwhen I was growing up and so I
said, yes, I'm going to go tothis college, I already have a
full ride, let's be an engineer.
And after a year or two I justknew that it wasn't going to
(08:15):
fulfill me personally.
Professionally I was still veryinterested in food and health.
Like I said, my dad was adoctor.
So growing up with medicine hesaid you can't become a
physician, you'll never get outof debt.
Find something else.
And so for me, being adietician was kind of that
plunge right.
I got to experience food, howit affects your health.
(08:37):
I could still coach andinfluence and interact with
people.
I wasn't stuck behind alaboratory bench the whole time.
So after three years I actuallyended up transferring.
So I graduated from ColoradoState University.
That's where I got my nutritiondegree.
Liz, you were really smart, I'mserious.
(08:58):
I'm serious, it is so hard toget into the College of Mines.
I mean serious, it is so hardto get into the College of Mines
.
I mean I'm saying that right.
I remember one of the guys inmy school went there and it was,
I mean, incredible that he madeit in.
So congratulations and, like Isaid, I was on the straight and
narrow.
I was a valedictorian, I waschecking all the boxes, drawing
(09:20):
up and it was.
It was, it was an honor to getinto that college.
Another kind of funny fact myhusband is actually from that
school as well.
We went there for about a yearand a half at the same time and
we never met.
We didn't meet until afterschool.
Are you serious?
Maybe that should be aconfession, but it's just a fun
(09:40):
fact about you know where lifetakes you.
It's not same as school.
It's really crazy.
I mean you know where lifetakes you.
It's not any school.
It's really crazy.
I mean, same thing for me.
My husband and I did it.
We knew of each other kind of,but we didn't reconnect or we
didn't get set up till I was inmy early 30s.
Yeah, it's crazy, so anyway.
(10:02):
So back to health and nutrition.
So what made you want to be adietitian and go into the
healthcare?
I mean, I know you wanted tocombine the two, but where did
after you graduate, where didthat lead you?
So, being so far ingrained withlike performance, I wanted to
(10:27):
be a sports dietitian.
Right, I wanted to helpathletes like push that limit.
I was up in Seattle to finishthat part of my schooling and
I'm like, yeah, seattle Sounders, I'm going to be their
dietitian or I'm going to workfor the Seahawks, that something
like that.
And those jobs were very feware between, especially for a
new graduate, and so I kind ofhad to pivot.
(10:49):
My first job was actually inclinical nutrition, so it was a
lot of medical nutrition therapy, really taking what people need
for those different diseasestates to kind of get them back
to a center of health.
And while that wasn't you knowwhat I was super passionate
about, I would say it gave me avery empathetic understanding of
(11:10):
what people are dealing with,where they're coming from, and
being able to relate to them onthat level is something that I
loved about being a dietitian,beyond just knowing the facts
about the food, thecarbohydrates, how your
metabolism works.
It was being able to havesomebody open up to you and
trust you with what they'retelling you I eat this, I don't
(11:30):
eat that, I've never touched avegetable before in my life and
really being able to be a sourceof confidence that they can
turn their life around ifthey're willing to put in the
work, that's awesome.
I mean, I have a ton of healthproblems and I've had multiple
doctors and you know my physicaltherapist, and when I'm in the
(11:54):
hospital I mean very focused oncutting out sugar and all the.
I mean there's all these thingsfor endometriosis that I have
to consider and kind of limit,but I've always said I can't
limit the sugar part, thechocolate, and so I mean to have
somebody that understands thatis very important, um, important
(12:17):
especially, it's so hard.
I mean a lot of us enjoy foodand so you should like.
Food is a joy bringer to yourlife and it should be.
Yeah, and asking someone tochange their diet.
I mean debbie found that hard.
Oh, 100, yeah, um more soactually in the clinical setting
, because a lot of times, um,someone has just gotten a new
(12:40):
diagnosis, you know they don'teven know what they're dealing
with fully.
Yet They've got therapy anddoctors and nurses and techs
coming in and out of their roomconstantly.
They're not getting good sleep,you know they're being poked
and prodded and woken up.
And you know, here comes thedietician going to change the
world and be like hi, have youtried the kale yet?
(13:00):
And they're just like.
And you know, here comes thedietician going to change the
world and be like hi, have youtried the kale yet?
And they're just like whoa,you're the reason I can't have
the bacon.
Like, you're not my favoriteperson right now.
So there, there is resistance.
I would say when, when you tellpeople that they need to make a
change and so part of it isabout timing, right, I would say
in that hospital room in themoment is not the best time to
(13:21):
be approaching someone about,you know, a huge lifestyle
change.
So getting them when they're alittle bit more subtle than they
had time to think and then,just again, approaching them
with empathy.
The other thing that I try todo and I would say good
dietitians like to do is,instead of focusing on just what
you're taking away fromsomebody is there on a new diet,
(13:44):
it's what can you add or whatcan you increase.
So it's giving them a littlebit more power and autonomy.
So if they're telling you, hey,you know, you need to decrease
sugar in your diet for thiscondition, okay, but have you
tried unsweetened hot cocoa?
Have you tried it?
Try it because it meets this.
And just giving them a littlebit more options to say the
(14:04):
world isn't necessarily gettingsmaller for you in every aspect.
I mean that really circles back, liz, right to your parents
from your early childhood,giving you choices and and not
present it like you have to trythis and so that's, that's a,
really that's great.
(14:25):
So what?
What led you to Thomas Cuisine?
So were you a dietitian andthen you went straight to Thomas
Cuisine.
How did that all play out?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So I was working as a dietitian.
I had just graduated, I thinkmaybe I can't remember it was my
second hospital, but I wasdoing clinical nutrition and
(14:47):
Thomas Cuisine was actuallydoing the food service in the
hospital that I was working for.
So the dietitians were not ontheir payroll, but we worked
very intimately with the foodservice department and I was
kind of the only nosy one whowould go into the kitchen and be
like, hey, actually I don'tthink you know, this pasta you
set up was 60 grams of carbs.
(15:08):
Can I see your recipe?
You know I just hey, I ran outof this supplement again.
Who's doing ordering back here?
And so I was a little bit pokeyand a little bit nosy, but it's
because people could see Icared.
I wanted the patients to begetting what they needed to be
true to their diet.
And so the food service directorand the executive chef at the
(15:28):
time approached me and said haveyou ever thought about food
service being a manager?
We have a manager trainingprogram with Thomas Cuisine, you
know, would you be interested?
It's really hard to getdietician backgrounds to come
into food service, but I alsohave, as you know, like a very
strong culinary interest inside,and so for me that was kind of
(15:50):
like my foot in the door.
I'm like, oh gosh, I can learnto cook like a pro, I can learn
to do all these other things.
You know, managing employeeswas still kind of on the back
burner of that commitment, but Idecided to go for it again
because I wasn't seeing themovement or the job satisfaction
with counseling people in themoment in that hospital room.
(16:11):
And so I thought, why not tryThomas Cousine?
Why not give it a go?
What was the first thing youwanted to do as a food service
director?
Having that dietitian like Iwant to change this.
Yeah, so I spent it was almosta year in the manager and
training program, which wasgreat.
I got to see a lot of differentpieces of business so we call
(16:34):
them verticals that ThomasCuisine operates in.
So we do healthcare, foodservice, we do business and
industry, so like corporatedining, independent schools and
senior living, and so I kind ofgot to see all of those.
And then where I landed wasactually back in Colorado.
So I was the food servicedirector at an eating disorder
center, the eating recoverycenter, and so my goal there it
(16:58):
was probably a little bitdifferent than if I would have
been in, like you know, acorporate dieting aspect, but it
was like, oh my gosh, how can Ihelp these patients, who are
usually inpatient there, healtheir relationship with food?
What can I do to make it thebest possible?
And it was hard because I wascooking for a population or
leading a kitchen for apopulation that didn't
(17:21):
necessarily want to enjoy thefood.
They weren't there to get thebest meal or they weren't hoping
that you know they could getextra desserts.
It was really quite theopposite.
So for me it was what can I dofrom my end to support the
dietitians that are working withthese patients and to give them
the most nutritious food,something that's appealing.
(17:43):
Follow their diet so we're notcausing them anxiety.
Really just help heal thatrelationship for them.
That's incredible that you areable to serve that community,
because that's a tough one andit must be rewarding on your
(18:04):
side seeing them, you know, healtheir relationship with food.
Yeah, some of the best thingslike and I say you know they
didn't want to eat the food.
A lot of them did.
They wanted to try but theyjust had, you know, trauma, a
lot of scar and a lot of anxietyaround food.
But we would get little notessometimes, you know, on the back
of a plate that said thank youso much.
(18:26):
You know that was the best macand cheese I ever had and we
would pin those things up in ourkitchen and it's like you know
the gravity behind someone whostruggles with calories, with
knowing what's in their food, tosay something like that to your
kitchen and that's what kind ofI would use to motivate.
You know, when I knew staffthat are bringing them on and
saying, no, you're not justgiving them a plate like you are
(18:48):
contributing to them repairingtheir relationship with food.
That's awesome.
So what do you think setschef-driven and health-conscious
food apart in the industrytoday?
So interesting.
So what sets it apart, I think,is that if you actually do it
(19:10):
In our industry, if you go to alot of food service partners or
providers, they're going to saywe cook from scratch, we have a
clean ingredient label.
Chefs prepare our menus, youknow, individualized, blah, blah
, blah, blah, blah.
And actually doing it is thedifferentiator in the industry.
So saying do we know where theingredients are coming from?
(19:32):
We can track it.
Here it is um, we replaced thisproduct for this one because it
was better as an end product,right, less processed, less
additives, whatever it may be.
And so that's actually a lot ofwhat my new role is with the
Real Food Mission Ambassador ishelping Tahoe's Cuisine really
differentiate ourselves byputting our money where our
(19:54):
mouth is, and there's a lot ofgroundwork that goes into that.
You know we're not perfect.
I don't think anyone would stayin the R, but we're investing
and we're saying, hey, this issomething that's important to us
, that we really do want to backup and we're willing to put the
resources behind it.
(20:24):
So have you seen regulations?
I mean, I'm hearing about newregulations around food tracing.
Is that something that'saffected?
You guys, that's a foodcoloring that's been, you know,
in a lot of products in theUnited States for quite a while.
It's banned in other countriesand this year they finally said
no, we're not allowing it, andthey're doing kind of like a
phased out approach, givingcompanies time to change their
(20:44):
formulation.
At Thomas Cuisine, we'vealready started looking at our
products and saying what do weneed to change?
What's coming?
So, not really, I know it's notquite traceability, but, like,
as far as regulations, like Ibelieve we're going to see many
more requirements like thatcoming.
So you know, this isn't a goodidea and because people are
asking for it, they want to knowwhat's in their food, they want
(21:06):
to know if something is goingto be helpful, harmful or
indifferent when they'reconsuming it, and so I think as
a country, we're going that way,asking for that sort of
information.
So what are some of the biggestmisconceptions people have about
healthy eating?
So the one I hear all the timeoh, I can't eat healthy like
(21:30):
that, it's too expensive, isprobably the number one thing
that comes to mind.
And if you really break it down, if you do the math, it's not,
and you do have to be selective.
So, for example, if I'm tryingto pull something, if you go to
a fast food chicken restaurant,right, and you get an eight
(21:52):
piece of chicken and it's gottwo sides and it's got some
rolls and you know a soda orsomething, it's probably between
what 25 and 30 bucks right forthat meal for a family of about
four people.
If you were to take that same$30 to a grocery store, you
could likely get a bag of driedbeans, you know a bag of rice
(22:14):
that you're going to cook, avalue package of chicken, and so
now we have chicken, you canget a bag of potatoes we still
haven't gotten up to $30 yet andso you can make chicken,
potatoes, rice and beans andthat's a whole meal.
And I would almost I can alwaysguarantee I haven't done the
math but you could also go getan onion, a bell pepper, some
(22:35):
broccoli, some garlic and youcould use the other half of that
package of chicken to make astir fry with rice the next day.
So what you're missing out on isthat convenience, that instant
factor with.
I waited in line for fiveminutes and I got a full meal.
But it's not cheaper to eat inthat sort of manner.
That's very true.
(22:55):
I have a family of four and togo to Chick-fil-A it's like over
$30.
I mean $35, $36.
But I've found that you knowfor me personally, on Sundays,
if I will meal prep and not mealprep, but if I will figure out
what to we're going to eatduring the week and then grocery
(23:17):
shop and get those particularitems.
It's really cut down on our ouryou know our grocery bill and
also just going and justconveniently grabbing, you know
fast food and also reallyknowing the ingredients that are
going in my food and justeating healthy.
(23:39):
So the second thing that youkind of prompted me for that is
a misconception is that if yousee something and it's labeled
healthy or high in, or, you know, lower in fat or something like
that, people's brainsautomatically think oh well,
this is the better choice.
Right, it says it's healthy.
Right on the label.
Why would the label like to me?
(24:00):
Well, anything with a label ismarketing to you and they're
trying to get you to buy theproduct.
So if something has been, youknow, reduced in sugar, there's
probably more fat, there'sprobably more something to make
up in that taste, or you'regetting an artificial sweetener,
and so it really is.
Consumer education needs toincrease so that people know to
(24:21):
flip over the label, like yousaid, read what's in it.
Even though something is lowerin sodium, lower by 30%, could
still be hot for daily value inone serving, and you're going to
be manufacturers are trying totrick you into thinking that's a
better product and that youshould buy it.
So is there like a resource thatyou think that's out there?
(24:43):
That's great that people can golook at to kind of get guidance
on their daily intake of whatit should be.
So, um, unfortunately, I'mgonna say no at this juncture.
Um, I know that you know, asfar as the always available
(25:04):
resource, the government websitewill have, you know, a my plate
descriptor for you.
Um, personally, I just thinkit's a little bit too generic to
try to say, you know, eat likethis plate and it's going to be
healthy for you.
Those questions really shouldbe for like you and a food
professional, like a dietitian,because there is no one size
(25:24):
fits all and you know I probablycould research and come up with
, like you know, a little bit ofa guideline, or hey, this is a
pretty good website, but I wouldsay having something customized
to yourself is going to giveyou the best results 100% of the
time.
Yeah, I've been seeing awellness doctor outside of my
other doctors, and it's beenlife changing just getting the
(25:49):
right supplements of vitamins,and they gave me a whole list of
what to eat, what not to eat,and it really did help.
So what trends or innovations infood and health excite you the
most?
Right now?
It does seem to be a prettycommon trend and you and I just
(26:09):
just briefly touched on thisabout.
It seems like everybody wantsto know more about their food,
which I think is extremelypositive, and I'm talking about
like all ends of the agespectrum.
Let's call it so.
We have, you know, our youngergeneration, so I'm a millennial,
so people younger than me,right, are very, very conscious
(26:31):
about what they're eating.
Now they want to know whereit's from.
You know they want to know isit's from.
They want to know is buyingthis and supporting this good
for the social environment, goodfor my community.
Is it helping what I believeand I value?
Is it socially fulfilling mypersonal values?
(26:55):
On the other end of the spectrum, you have people like the baby
boomers who are starting to getinto retirement age and they
want to know is eating thisgoing to prolong my longevity
and vitality?
You know, what is this going todo to my health so that I can
keep my independence or continueto go on these trips?
Or you know us in the seniorliving space, for food service
is are you providing things thatare going to increase my
quality of life when I eat them?
(27:16):
And then here in the middle,it's like you know where you and
I are with our families.
Is this good for my children?
Is this giving them the beststart?
Is it going to add or detractfrom how clearly they can think
mentally, how much energy theyhave?
You know their sleep patterns,and so that trend I absolutely
love.
I think it's only going to getmore prominent as we move
(27:39):
forward, but that's somethingthat I've been seeing across our
industry that I was super,super excited about.
Yeah, there's, I think, a lot ofpeople.
I mean, I'm just seeing moreand more supplements, more
protein items out there, and Iwent to the ER one time and this
(27:59):
lady I mean she was a doctorand she came in and no one I
mean I've been in this long,lifelong battle and she said you
need to eat all red meat andthat's it.
That was like her advice for meand I was like, hmm, like, hmm,
I mean kind of scrub.
It's like everybody kind of hasan opinion, but, and I mean it
(28:21):
is some work for some people andsome don't, and so, but we all
kind of have um opinions on itand there's a lot of great
resources out there.
And I don't know about yourInstagram feed, but but mine is
like hey, nancy, slow down onthe chocolates, and you know,
drink these.
You know, non-alcoholic, I needto come out because you need to
(28:45):
.
Yeah, so they know, they know,they all know.
You know, big brother knowswhat we're thinking, so, and I
think food is one of those topof mind.
Other knows what we're thinkingso, and I think food is one of
those top of mind.
So if you could give advice toanyone looking to improve their
relationship with food, whatwould that be?
Well, we've talked about how,you know, it's not easy to eat a
(29:07):
very healthful diet, and so my,my kernel of advice would be
don't beat yourself up if youdon't get it right 100% of the
time because nobody's going to.
It's about making betterchoices, more percentages of the
time, rather than staying onthe strictest, most stringent
(29:27):
diet you've ever thought of andbeing perfect at it, because I
mean, I will tell you, I go out,you know if there is a game, we
will have wings, we will havebeer, or you know if it's a
birthday party, like I will havesome of the cake, like, and
that is okay.
And so you need to really justembrace when you do make those
choices and say, okay, that wasgreat, I enjoyed it, I got
(29:49):
emotional social satisfactionout of that, and then go back to
you know your norm or whatworks for your body.
The problem becomes when you letthat once a week thing turn
into twice a week, turn into nownot cooking or just pick
something up.
That's where it can, you know,really have a negative effect on
your lifestyle.
But if it's once in a while,like, that's, the beauty of
(30:13):
being human is that you get togo out and enjoy those things.
So don't deprive yourself ofthat and don't beat yourself up
when you do have those littleindulgences Like I think that's
my relationship with chips, incase.
Yes, yes, I am a chicken person.
I'm a kettle chooks person.
I'm a kettle chooks person.
(30:34):
I can always tell when myrelationship with food has gone
unhealthy.
When I can alone eat like awhole thing of chips and queso,
I mean, my chips and quesointake just really increases.
So well, I'm so excited that youwere able to join, liz.
This was really really goodinformation, hearing about your
background and kernels ofknowledge about you know how we
(31:04):
can make better, healthy choices, and it's so nice to know that
there are people like you outthere at Thomas Cuisine that
really care about the actualperson that is going to consume
the food, and you take a verypersonal approach and that's
just awesome and so.
But before I I let you go, wehave to do our confession.
(31:24):
Yes, I heard that was a stapleof this.
The head of this is ourretirement set.
No pressure.
Yeah, I will actually tell youand this will be new news to
everybody that you got my namewrong when you introduced me,
and so this is not your fault.
Nobody knows this outside of myfour walls yet, but I finally
did.
I've been married for almostfive years.
(31:45):
Now It'll be five years in Juneand I finally changed my name,
my last name, to my husband's,about a week ago.
Okay, so can you share, revealwhat is your new name?
Yeah, so I did keep Oba, that'smy maiden name.
I moved it to my middle name,so my new official name is
Elizabeth Oba, killinger,killinger, killinger.
(32:08):
Yeah, oh, that's a beautifulname.
Oh, and it's so funny becauseit's not like I was avoiding it,
because I didn't want to or youknow, I'm not traditional like
that Like I was excited to it'sjust when I started thinking
about my paperwork load and allthe lines I would have to wait
in and oh my gosh, it's my paystub, my credit card, the car
(32:30):
load, everything was going tohave to change it.
Just like overwhelms me, and soI just kind of kept like
delaying it.
But this year was this year wasthe year, and so it's done.
Like husband, I've made itofficial.
I like showed him my new socialsecurity card came in the mail.
I'm like, look, here it is, I'mfinally yours.
(32:54):
So that's wonderful.
And actually, before we started, liz and I also discovered
she's out of Tyler and I alsogrew up in Tyler, so I thought
that was a really fun fact.
I wasn't quite sure where Lizlived, and so it was really fun
to find out that she was closeby.
So thank you so much for joiningus and I hope to have you back
(33:18):
again, because there's morequestions I definitely want to
ask you.
That would be absolutelyfantastic, so I would love to be
a repeat guest for you anytimeAwesome.
Well, thank you, guys fortuning in to Confessions Beyond
the Food.
Have a great day and eathealthy.
So thanks For more inspiration.
Follow our social media atW3Cells.
(33:41):
Please like, comment andsubscribe.
You know all the things wewould love to connect with you.
Welcome to Confessions Beyond the Food.
I'm your host, nancy Redland.
Let's dig in and get inspired.
Hi, welcome back to ConfessionsBeyond the Food, the podcast
where we explore the stories,passion and innovation behind
(00:20):
the food service industry.
Today, I'm excited to welcomeLiz Oba of Thomas Cuisine.
Hi, nancy, thank you so muchfor having me on the show.
We're so happy to have you.
So, but before we dive intoyour role at Thomas Cuisine,
let's talk about her journey.
Liz started her career as adietician in a hospital, where
(00:43):
she saw firsthand the power offood and healing and wellness.
But food wasn't just part ofher profession, it was part of
her life as a lifelong athletewho understands the deep
connection between nutrition,performance and overall
well-being.
Now she brings that passion toThomas Cuisine, helping redefine
(01:05):
what health-focused,chef-driven dining looks like.
Liz, welcome, thank you.
Yeah, well, awesome, let's diveinto this.
So I want to know about yourearly influences and
relationships with food.
So what is your earliest foodmemory and how did that shape
(01:25):
your relationship with food?
Yeah, that's a hard one, right?
Because when you get into whenyou're really young, you don't
necessarily know if you remembersomething happening or if it
was someone telling you that youdid something.
But gosh, like things from mychildhood.
I can think of maybe two, soone my parents, when we would go
(01:47):
out to eat, and so I probably Ithink I am remembering this but
we would all get differentthings that we liked off the
menu and I would always just bekind of staring at their plate
if it was something that I hadnever seen before and they were
so good about.
You know, they called meElizabeth.
Elizabeth, do you want to tryit, do you want to try a little
bit?
And I would usually say yes.
(02:07):
So they'd give me a small pieceof whatever it was and they'd
say you know, did you like it,do you want some more?
And I could say yes or no.
So there was like no pressureto eat the food and then
continue to eat it or like it ornot, which was amazing, and I
think that kind of helped mebecome an adventurous eater with
a lot more willingness to trydifferent things, just because
(02:28):
they expose me to so many.
I say that and they're verylike vanilla eaters, they like
Olive Garden, they like, youknow, chili's very normal stuff.
But the second one wouldprobably be, when I started
school, my dad's Japanese, andso we ate a lot of interesting
things growing up, so just kindof being made fun of almost, for
(02:49):
having like tofu with fishflakes for lunch one day.
None of the other kids wereeating that, or eating seaweed
snacks and I didn't realize Iwas different until I saw other
kids didn't eat like that, butyou were eating exotic.
Yeah right, I was trendy before.
It was cool.
Exactly, you had a much, yeah,a much more trendier palate than
(03:13):
most, and I would say today Imean a lot of my kids' friends
love sushi and my kids loveIndian food and their Thai food.
So it's really cool how thingshave evolved since.
Like ham and mayonnaisesandwiches Absolutely Like the
Lunchable was the thing you knowin the 90s.
(03:36):
And so taking like udon noodlesor, like I said, tofu, people
are like why is this girl eating?
That's awesome.
People are like why is thisgirl eating?
That's awesome.
So was there a moment in yourlife when you realized the deep
connection between food andhealth?
Yeah, so again, probably goingback into my childhood, this was
(03:57):
maybe around like middle school.
So my dad is a physician.
He's a wonderful doctor and Iremember him talking about food
all the time and how it wouldaffect his patients.
But when it finally hit home,it must have been summer,
because my brothers and I werehome.
We were inside, we were playingvideo games, and you know he
comes into the room and says,you know it just looks at what
(04:20):
we're doing.
He's like you kids need to getoutside.
What are you doing?
You know you're wasting thedaylight.
What is that?
Is that a soda?
How many of those have you hadtoday?
You know, if you just keep andhe was, you know, frustrated
with us just getting lazy, buthe said something to the effect
of if you keep drinking soda,you're going to get diabetes,
like me.
And that was like shocking tome and I was like you know,
(04:42):
probably again middle school.
What I said oh my gosh, sodacauses diabetes.
You'll get, you'll get adisease from having a soda and
it obviously that's notcompletely factual, but it got
my brain thinking and so Iremember that opened the door
for a lot of conversations and alot of like well, what does it
make you get diabetes?
You know, it was just a lot ofdialogue that I was able to have
(05:04):
with my dad after that point.
That kind of set me down like,ok, food plays a huge part in my
health, and so what I'mchoosing now, it's going to
affect me for the rest of mylife and I don't think that I
had made that connection before.
Yeah, I think that.
I mean, I grew up with parentsthat we had.
My mom was very healthy.
(05:26):
We never got sodas.
It was a trait and but I don'tknow, did this happen to you?
I mean, or did it stick withyou?
Because when I, when I hadgrowing up, I had similar, you
know, eating healthy, but then,when I got to college, I just
binge.
Did you ever have that momentor did?
Did you?
Did you stay true to beinghealthy?
(05:47):
Yeah, so I would say we, we hadoptions when we were growing up
.
It wasn't like, you know, wethere was no soda in the house,
that was, but we had a verybalanced meal.
Like every night we sat down atthe table, my mom made
vegetables, right, there wassome starch, there was some beef
.
It wasn't fancy, but it wasvery well-rounded.
And for me, when I got tocollege and I had that sort of
(06:08):
freedom, I was on a soccerscholarship, so it was like,
nope, I probably did take morecookies from the cafeteria than
I normally would have, becauseno one was watching.
But by that point in my life Ihad school to pay for, and so it
was just another thing that Ineeded to reinvest in myself and
(06:29):
my performance with food.
So, with congratulations onhaving a soccer scholarship, you
must be an incredible athlete.
So did they have a diet for youin high school?
Or did that come into play intocollege?
Or not at all?
So, not really.
I was from, I grew up in, asmall-ish town, pueblo, west
(06:50):
Colorado, and we were a 4Aschool, so not one of these big
name you know high schools thathas their own you know aquatic
center or anything like that,and so it was very much
self-discovery and self-researchfor me.
When I got to college, I playedat the Colorado School of Mines
, which is in Golden, colorado,and we were a Division II
(07:11):
program.
I had a full scholarship, andso then I did get access to more
resources for our training room, talking to our physical
therapists, things like that.
Like any athlete, I dealt withinjuries, and so I learned more
about recovery, nutrition, howto take care of myself, what to
eat to have more stamina, aswell as to prevent injuries.
(07:32):
So I did get more, I guess,coaching and exposure when I was
at the college level.
So in college, what did youstudy?
I mean, what led into becominga dietitian?
It's funny.
So I said Colorado School ofMines in a light bulb.
Probably it's going to go offfor some of our viewers and
they're going to say, yeah,that's an engineering only
school.
Like, how are you a dietitian?
(07:54):
My dad really encouraged me tobe a petroleum engineer and I
was on the straight and narrow.
I was a very parent pleaserwhen I was growing up and so I
said, yes, I'm going to go tothis college, I already have a
full ride, let's be an engineer.
And after a year or two I justknew that it wasn't going to
(08:15):
fulfill me personally.
Professionally I was still veryinterested in food and health.
Like I said, my dad was adoctor.
So growing up with medicine hesaid you can't become a
physician, you'll never get outof debt.
Find something else.
And so for me, being adietician was kind of that
plunge right.
I got to experience food, howit affects your health.
(08:37):
I could still coach andinfluence and interact with
people.
I wasn't stuck behind alaboratory bench the whole time.
So after three years I actuallyended up transferring.
So I graduated from ColoradoState University.
That's where I got my nutritiondegree.
Liz, you were really smart, I'mserious.
(08:58):
I'm serious, it is so hard toget into the College of Mines.
I mean serious, it is so hardto get into the College of Mines
.
I mean I'm saying that right.
I remember one of the guys inmy school went there and it was,
I mean, incredible that he madeit in.
So congratulations and, like Isaid, I was on the straight and
narrow.
I was a valedictorian, I waschecking all the boxes, drawing
(09:20):
up and it was.
It was, it was an honor to getinto that college.
Another kind of funny fact myhusband is actually from that
school as well.
We went there for about a yearand a half at the same time and
we never met.
We didn't meet until afterschool.
Are you serious?
Maybe that should be aconfession, but it's just a fun
(09:40):
fact about you know where lifetakes you.
It's not same as school.
It's really crazy.
I mean you know where lifetakes you.
It's not any school.
It's really crazy.
I mean, same thing for me.
My husband and I did it.
We knew of each other kind of,but we didn't reconnect or we
didn't get set up till I was inmy early 30s.
Yeah, it's crazy, so anyway.
(10:02):
So back to health and nutrition.
So what made you want to be adietitian and go into the
healthcare?
I mean, I know you wanted tocombine the two, but where did
after you graduate, where didthat lead you?
So, being so far ingrained withlike performance, I wanted to
(10:27):
be a sports dietitian.
Right, I wanted to helpathletes like push that limit.
I was up in Seattle to finishthat part of my schooling and
I'm like, yeah, seattle Sounders, I'm going to be their
dietitian or I'm going to workfor the Seahawks, that something
like that.
And those jobs were very feware between, especially for a
new graduate, and so I kind ofhad to pivot.
(10:49):
My first job was actually inclinical nutrition, so it was a
lot of medical nutrition therapy, really taking what people need
for those different diseasestates to kind of get them back
to a center of health.
And while that wasn't you knowwhat I was super passionate
about, I would say it gave me avery empathetic understanding of
(11:10):
what people are dealing with,where they're coming from, and
being able to relate to them onthat level is something that I
loved about being a dietitian,beyond just knowing the facts
about the food, thecarbohydrates, how your
metabolism works.
It was being able to havesomebody open up to you and
trust you with what they'retelling you I eat this, I don't
(11:30):
eat that, I've never touched avegetable before in my life and
really being able to be a sourceof confidence that they can
turn their life around ifthey're willing to put in the
work, that's awesome.
I mean, I have a ton of healthproblems and I've had multiple
doctors and you know my physicaltherapist, and when I'm in the
(11:54):
hospital I mean very focused oncutting out sugar and all the.
I mean there's all these thingsfor endometriosis that I have
to consider and kind of limit,but I've always said I can't
limit the sugar part, thechocolate, and so I mean to have
somebody that understands thatis very important, um, important
(12:17):
especially, it's so hard.
I mean a lot of us enjoy foodand so you should like.
Food is a joy bringer to yourlife and it should be.
Yeah, and asking someone tochange their diet.
I mean debbie found that hard.
Oh, 100, yeah, um more soactually in the clinical setting
, because a lot of times, um,someone has just gotten a new
(12:40):
diagnosis, you know they don'teven know what they're dealing
with fully.
Yet They've got therapy anddoctors and nurses and techs
coming in and out of their roomconstantly.
They're not getting good sleep,you know they're being poked
and prodded and woken up.
And you know, here comes thedietician going to change the
world and be like hi, have youtried the kale yet?
(13:00):
And they're just like.
And you know, here comes thedietician going to change the
world and be like hi, have youtried the kale yet?
And they're just like whoa,you're the reason I can't have
the bacon.
Like, you're not my favoriteperson right now.
So there, there is resistance.
I would say when, when you tellpeople that they need to make a
change and so part of it isabout timing, right, I would say
in that hospital room in themoment is not the best time to
(13:21):
be approaching someone about,you know, a huge lifestyle
change.
So getting them when they're alittle bit more subtle than they
had time to think and then,just again, approaching them
with empathy.
The other thing that I try todo and I would say good
dietitians like to do is,instead of focusing on just what
you're taking away fromsomebody is there on a new diet,
(13:44):
it's what can you add or whatcan you increase.
So it's giving them a littlebit more power and autonomy.
So if they're telling you, hey,you know, you need to decrease
sugar in your diet for thiscondition, okay, but have you
tried unsweetened hot cocoa?
Have you tried it?
Try it because it meets this.
And just giving them a littlebit more options to say the
(14:04):
world isn't necessarily gettingsmaller for you in every aspect.
I mean that really circles back, liz, right to your parents
from your early childhood,giving you choices and and not
present it like you have to trythis and so that's, that's a,
really that's great.
(14:25):
So what?
What led you to Thomas Cuisine?
So were you a dietitian andthen you went straight to Thomas
Cuisine.
How did that all play out?
Yeah, that's a great question.
So I was working as a dietitian.
I had just graduated, I thinkmaybe I can't remember it was my
second hospital, but I wasdoing clinical nutrition and
(14:47):
Thomas Cuisine was actuallydoing the food service in the
hospital that I was working for.
So the dietitians were not ontheir payroll, but we worked
very intimately with the foodservice department and I was
kind of the only nosy one whowould go into the kitchen and be
like, hey, actually I don'tthink you know, this pasta you
set up was 60 grams of carbs.
(15:08):
Can I see your recipe?
You know I just hey, I ran outof this supplement again.
Who's doing ordering back here?
And so I was a little bit pokeyand a little bit nosy, but it's
because people could see Icared.
I wanted the patients to begetting what they needed to be
true to their diet.
And so the food service directorand the executive chef at the
(15:28):
time approached me and said haveyou ever thought about food
service being a manager?
We have a manager trainingprogram with Thomas Cuisine, you
know, would you be interested?
It's really hard to getdietician backgrounds to come
into food service, but I alsohave, as you know, like a very
strong culinary interest inside,and so for me that was kind of
(15:50):
like my foot in the door.
I'm like, oh gosh, I can learnto cook like a pro, I can learn
to do all these other things.
You know, managing employeeswas still kind of on the back
burner of that commitment, but Idecided to go for it again
because I wasn't seeing themovement or the job satisfaction
with counseling people in themoment in that hospital room.
(16:11):
And so I thought, why not tryThomas Cousine?
Why not give it a go?
What was the first thing youwanted to do as a food service
director?
Having that dietitian like Iwant to change this.
Yeah, so I spent it was almosta year in the manager and
training program, which wasgreat.
I got to see a lot of differentpieces of business so we call
(16:34):
them verticals that ThomasCuisine operates in.
So we do healthcare, foodservice, we do business and
industry, so like corporatedining, independent schools and
senior living, and so I kind ofgot to see all of those.
And then where I landed wasactually back in Colorado.
So I was the food servicedirector at an eating disorder
center, the eating recoverycenter, and so my goal there it
(16:58):
was probably a little bitdifferent than if I would have
been in, like you know, acorporate dieting aspect, but it
was like, oh my gosh, how can Ihelp these patients, who are
usually inpatient there, healtheir relationship with food?
What can I do to make it thebest possible?
And it was hard because I wascooking for a population or
leading a kitchen for apopulation that didn't
(17:21):
necessarily want to enjoy thefood.
They weren't there to get thebest meal or they weren't hoping
that you know they could getextra desserts.
It was really quite theopposite.
So for me it was what can I dofrom my end to support the
dietitians that are working withthese patients and to give them
the most nutritious food,something that's appealing.
(17:43):
Follow their diet so we're notcausing them anxiety.
Really just help heal thatrelationship for them.
That's incredible that you areable to serve that community,
because that's a tough one andit must be rewarding on your
(18:04):
side seeing them, you know, healtheir relationship with food.
Yeah, some of the best thingslike and I say you know they
didn't want to eat the food.
A lot of them did.
They wanted to try but theyjust had, you know, trauma, a
lot of scar and a lot of anxietyaround food.
But we would get little notessometimes, you know, on the back
of a plate that said thank youso much.
(18:26):
You know that was the best macand cheese I ever had and we
would pin those things up in ourkitchen and it's like you know
the gravity behind someone whostruggles with calories, with
knowing what's in their food, tosay something like that to your
kitchen and that's what kind ofI would use to motivate.
You know, when I knew staffthat are bringing them on and
saying, no, you're not justgiving them a plate like you are
(18:48):
contributing to them repairingtheir relationship with food.
That's awesome.
So what do you think setschef-driven and health-conscious
food apart in the industrytoday?
So interesting.
So what sets it apart, I think,is that if you actually do it
(19:10):
In our industry, if you go to alot of food service partners or
providers, they're going to saywe cook from scratch, we have a
clean ingredient label.
Chefs prepare our menus, youknow, individualized, blah, blah
, blah, blah, blah.
And actually doing it is thedifferentiator in the industry.
So saying do we know where theingredients are coming from?
(19:32):
We can track it.
Here it is um, we replaced thisproduct for this one because it
was better as an end product,right, less processed, less
additives, whatever it may be.
And so that's actually a lot ofwhat my new role is with the
Real Food Mission Ambassador ishelping Tahoe's Cuisine really
differentiate ourselves byputting our money where our
(19:54):
mouth is, and there's a lot ofgroundwork that goes into that.
You know we're not perfect.
I don't think anyone would stayin the R, but we're investing
and we're saying, hey, this issomething that's important to us
, that we really do want to backup and we're willing to put the
resources behind it.
(20:24):
So have you seen regulations?
I mean, I'm hearing about newregulations around food tracing.
Is that something that'saffected?
You guys, that's a foodcoloring that's been, you know,
in a lot of products in theUnited States for quite a while.
It's banned in other countriesand this year they finally said
no, we're not allowing it, andthey're doing kind of like a
phased out approach, givingcompanies time to change their
(20:44):
formulation.
At Thomas Cuisine, we'vealready started looking at our
products and saying what do weneed to change?
What's coming?
So, not really, I know it's notquite traceability, but, like,
as far as regulations, like Ibelieve we're going to see many
more requirements like thatcoming.
So you know, this isn't a goodidea and because people are
asking for it, they want to knowwhat's in their food, they want
(21:06):
to know if something is goingto be helpful, harmful or
indifferent when they'reconsuming it, and so I think as
a country, we're going that way,asking for that sort of
information.
So what are some of the biggestmisconceptions people have about
healthy eating?
So the one I hear all the timeoh, I can't eat healthy like
(21:30):
that, it's too expensive, isprobably the number one thing
that comes to mind.
And if you really break it down, if you do the math, it's not,
and you do have to be selective.
So, for example, if I'm tryingto pull something, if you go to
a fast food chicken restaurant,right, and you get an eight
(21:52):
piece of chicken and it's gottwo sides and it's got some
rolls and you know a soda orsomething, it's probably between
what 25 and 30 bucks right forthat meal for a family of about
four people.
If you were to take that same$30 to a grocery store, you
could likely get a bag of driedbeans, you know a bag of rice
(22:14):
that you're going to cook, avalue package of chicken, and so
now we have chicken, you canget a bag of potatoes we still
haven't gotten up to $30 yet andso you can make chicken,
potatoes, rice and beans andthat's a whole meal.
And I would almost I can alwaysguarantee I haven't done the
math but you could also go getan onion, a bell pepper, some
(22:35):
broccoli, some garlic and youcould use the other half of that
package of chicken to make astir fry with rice the next day.
So what you're missing out on isthat convenience, that instant
factor with.
I waited in line for fiveminutes and I got a full meal.
But it's not cheaper to eat inthat sort of manner.
That's very true.
(22:55):
I have a family of four and togo to Chick-fil-A it's like over
$30.
I mean $35, $36.
But I've found that you knowfor me personally, on Sundays,
if I will meal prep and not mealprep, but if I will figure out
what to we're going to eatduring the week and then grocery
(23:17):
shop and get those particularitems.
It's really cut down on our ouryou know our grocery bill and
also just going and justconveniently grabbing, you know
fast food and also reallyknowing the ingredients that are
going in my food and justeating healthy.
(23:39):
So the second thing that youkind of prompted me for that is
a misconception is that if yousee something and it's labeled
healthy or high in, or, you know, lower in fat or something like
that, people's brainsautomatically think oh well,
this is the better choice.
Right, it says it's healthy.
Right on the label.
Why would the label like to me?
(24:00):
Well, anything with a label ismarketing to you and they're
trying to get you to buy theproduct.
So if something has been, youknow, reduced in sugar, there's
probably more fat, there'sprobably more something to make
up in that taste, or you'regetting an artificial sweetener,
and so it really is.
Consumer education needs toincrease so that people know to
(24:21):
flip over the label, like yousaid, read what's in it.
Even though something is lowerin sodium, lower by 30%, could
still be hot for daily value inone serving, and you're going to
be manufacturers are trying totrick you into thinking that's a
better product and that youshould buy it.
So is there like a resource thatyou think that's out there?
(24:43):
That's great that people can golook at to kind of get guidance
on their daily intake of whatit should be.
So, um, unfortunately, I'mgonna say no at this juncture.
Um, I know that you know, asfar as the always available
(25:04):
resource, the government websitewill have, you know, a my plate
descriptor for you.
Um, personally, I just thinkit's a little bit too generic to
try to say, you know, eat likethis plate and it's going to be
healthy for you.
Those questions really shouldbe for like you and a food
professional, like a dietitian,because there is no one size
(25:24):
fits all and you know I probablycould research and come up with
, like you know, a little bit ofa guideline, or hey, this is a
pretty good website, but I wouldsay having something customized
to yourself is going to giveyou the best results 100% of the
time.
Yeah, I've been seeing awellness doctor outside of my
other doctors, and it's beenlife changing just getting the
(25:49):
right supplements of vitamins,and they gave me a whole list of
what to eat, what not to eat,and it really did help.
So what trends or innovations infood and health excite you the
most?
Right now?
It does seem to be a prettycommon trend and you and I just
(26:09):
just briefly touched on thisabout.
It seems like everybody wantsto know more about their food,
which I think is extremelypositive, and I'm talking about
like all ends of the agespectrum.
Let's call it so.
We have, you know, our youngergeneration, so I'm a millennial,
so people younger than me,right, are very, very conscious
(26:31):
about what they're eating.
Now they want to know whereit's from.
You know they want to know isit's from.
They want to know is buyingthis and supporting this good
for the social environment, goodfor my community.
Is it helping what I believeand I value?
Is it socially fulfilling mypersonal values?
(26:55):
On the other end of the spectrum, you have people like the baby
boomers who are starting to getinto retirement age and they
want to know is eating thisgoing to prolong my longevity
and vitality?
You know, what is this going todo to my health so that I can
keep my independence or continueto go on these trips?
Or you know us in the seniorliving space, for food service
is are you providing things thatare going to increase my
quality of life when I eat them?
(27:16):
And then here in the middle,it's like you know where you and
I are with our families.
Is this good for my children?
Is this giving them the beststart?
Is it going to add or detractfrom how clearly they can think
mentally, how much energy theyhave?
You know their sleep patterns,and so that trend I absolutely
love.
I think it's only going to getmore prominent as we move
(27:39):
forward, but that's somethingthat I've been seeing across our
industry that I was super,super excited about.
Yeah, there's, I think, a lot ofpeople.
I mean, I'm just seeing moreand more supplements, more
protein items out there, and Iwent to the ER one time and this
(27:59):
lady I mean she was a doctorand she came in and no one I
mean I've been in this long,lifelong battle and she said you
need to eat all red meat andthat's it.
That was like her advice for meand I was like, hmm, like, hmm,
I mean kind of scrub.
It's like everybody kind of hasan opinion, but, and I mean it
(28:21):
is some work for some people andsome don't, and so, but we all
kind of have um opinions on itand there's a lot of great
resources out there.
And I don't know about yourInstagram feed, but but mine is
like hey, nancy, slow down onthe chocolates, and you know,
drink these.
You know, non-alcoholic, I needto come out because you need to
(28:45):
.
Yeah, so they know, they know,they all know.
You know, big brother knowswhat we're thinking, so, and I
think food is one of those topof mind.
Other knows what we're thinkingso, and I think food is one of
those top of mind.
So if you could give advice toanyone looking to improve their
relationship with food, whatwould that be?
Well, we've talked about how,you know, it's not easy to eat a
(29:07):
very healthful diet, and so my,my kernel of advice would be
don't beat yourself up if youdon't get it right 100% of the
time because nobody's going to.
It's about making betterchoices, more percentages of the
time, rather than staying onthe strictest, most stringent
(29:27):
diet you've ever thought of andbeing perfect at it, because I
mean, I will tell you, I go out,you know if there is a game, we
will have wings, we will havebeer, or you know if it's a
birthday party, like I will havesome of the cake, like, and
that is okay.
And so you need to really justembrace when you do make those
choices and say, okay, that wasgreat, I enjoyed it, I got
(29:49):
emotional social satisfactionout of that, and then go back to
you know your norm or whatworks for your body.
The problem becomes when you letthat once a week thing turn
into twice a week, turn into nownot cooking or just pick
something up.
That's where it can, you know,really have a negative effect on
your lifestyle.
But if it's once in a while,like, that's, the beauty of
(30:13):
being human is that you get togo out and enjoy those things.
So don't deprive yourself ofthat and don't beat yourself up
when you do have those littleindulgences Like I think that's
my relationship with chips, incase.
Yes, yes, I am a chicken person.
I'm a kettle chooks person.
I'm a kettle chooks person.
(30:34):
I can always tell when myrelationship with food has gone
unhealthy.
When I can alone eat like awhole thing of chips and queso,
I mean, my chips and quesointake just really increases.
So well, I'm so excited that youwere able to join, liz.
This was really really goodinformation, hearing about your
background and kernels ofknowledge about you know how we
(31:04):
can make better, healthy choices, and it's so nice to know that
there are people like you outthere at Thomas Cuisine that
really care about the actualperson that is going to consume
the food, and you take a verypersonal approach and that's
just awesome and so.
But before I I let you go, wehave to do our confession.
(31:24):
Yes, I heard that was a stapleof this.
The head of this is ourretirement set.
No pressure.
Yeah, I will actually tell youand this will be new news to
everybody that you got my namewrong when you introduced me,
and so this is not your fault.
Nobody knows this outside of myfour walls yet, but I finally
did.
I've been married for almostfive years.
(31:45):
Now It'll be five years in Juneand I finally changed my name,
my last name, to my husband's,about a week ago.
Okay, so can you share, revealwhat is your new name?
Yeah, so I did keep Oba, that'smy maiden name.
I moved it to my middle name,so my new official name is
Elizabeth Oba, killinger,killinger, killinger.
(32:08):
Yeah, oh, that's a beautifulname.
Oh, and it's so funny becauseit's not like I was avoiding it,
because I didn't want to or youknow, I'm not traditional like
that Like I was excited to it'sjust when I started thinking
about my paperwork load and allthe lines I would have to wait
in and oh my gosh, it's my paystub, my credit card, the car
(32:30):
load, everything was going tohave to change it.
Just like overwhelms me, and soI just kind of kept like
delaying it.
But this year was this year wasthe year, and so it's done.
Like husband, I've made itofficial.
I like showed him my new socialsecurity card came in the mail.
I'm like, look, here it is, I'mfinally yours.
(32:54):
So that's wonderful.
And actually, before we started, liz and I also discovered
she's out of Tyler and I alsogrew up in Tyler, so I thought
that was a really fun fact.
I wasn't quite sure where Lizlived, and so it was really fun
to find out that she was closeby.
So thank you so much for joiningus and I hope to have you back
(33:18):
again, because there's morequestions I definitely want to
ask you.
That would be absolutelyfantastic, so I would love to be
a repeat guest for you anytimeAwesome.
Well, thank you, guys fortuning in to Confessions Beyond
the Food.
Have a great day and eathealthy.
So thanks For more inspiration.
Follow our social media atW3Cells.
(33:41):
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