In this episode, Dr. Obadan converses with Dr. Amanda Atkins about the importance of nutrition in medical education. They delve into the specifics of a whole food plant-based diet, offering strategies for transition and discussing the role of motivation in lifestyle changes. Dr. Atkins shares her personal experiences, and they explore plant-based protein sources.
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Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Computer.
Okay.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Welcome.
So my name is Doctor Ndidiamaka Obadan, alsoknown as Doctor Didi.
And I'm the founder of Younger Self MD MedicalClinic Health And Wellness.
(00:24):
Today, we're going to be discussing with theamazing doctor Amanda Atkins.
He's going to be sharing her tips on how tolive healthy, a healthy life using a plant
based diet, and she's going to share all herlovely information with us.
(00:46):
I am so excited to have you here, Doctor.
Amanda.
Thank you for joining me today.
Can you go ahead?
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
I was like,
I didn't wanna interrupt Yeah.
Please feel free to interrupt.
Let's make this as informal as possible.
Let's, you know, enjoy ourselves for the next20, 30 minutes.
(01:09):
So can you go ahead and introduce yourself tothe audience?
Yes.
So I am Doctor Amanda Atkins, and I am a plantbased lifestyle physician and health coach,
owner and CEO of Enlightenment Health AndWealth, where we help women who are overweight,
prevent, and reverse chronic illnesses, such ashigh blood pressure and diabetes.
(01:31):
So I've been doing lifestyle medicine now.
I've been board certified in December, but beenworking with plant based nutrition I can say
for decades because I became a vegetarian atthe age of sixteen.
Wow.
That's amazing.
Congratulations on your board's certification.
That is very interesting.
(01:52):
Yeah.
So for those who don't know, you have to, aftergetting all this training and doing all these
other exams, you still have to go ahead and getboard certified so that it's like an extra
validation that doctor Amanda really knows whatshe's doing.
She's an expert in the field.
(02:12):
So that that's great.
Thank you so much.
So Can you, tell us a little bit about why youdo what you do?
Like, why did you go into, you know, tell memore.
Like, I'm I'm curious to know about why youwent into this field of medicine.
Yes.
So I tell people, that lifestyle medicine kindafound me, because as I was going through
(02:36):
residency and probably yourself also, there wasno think of as lifestyle medicine.
You couldn't actually become certified in that.
And it was just interesting to me.
So growing up, like I said, I became avegetarian at the age of sixteen, because I
wanted to be I'm healthy myself.
Yeah.
Wow.
(02:57):
So I was overweight, weighing a £199 in the 9thObadan.
And I was like, oh my gosh, you know, I don'twant 2 to be the first number of my weight.
So what else can I do?
And then seeing my grandmothers and uncles andaunts just go through a whole lot of different
medical challenges I was like, I don't wantthat to be me, you know, because that's in my
(03:22):
jeans.
So I know if I don't change something now, thenthat would actually happen.
Yeah.
So Yeah.
I went into internal medicine initially, andthen a lot of people were asking, you know,
what else can I do besides medication?
Tired of being on medication all the time forhigh blood pressure, diabetes, high
cholesterol, all those things.
And, I was like, well, you know what?
I don't know exactly So let me try to find outbecause we don't get a lot of training and
(03:45):
nutrition, going through med school.
And I actually went to a conference onnutrition when I first started practicing, out
of residency.
And
That's that's very interesting.
Like, you know, That's what you just said.
I mean, like, I feel like I just I'm sorry.
I don't I don't mean to interrupt you, but whydon't we get enough training in nutrition in
(04:08):
medical school.
Is that a separate topic for a different day?
Like, nutrition is so important what we are,what we eat.
Right?
And it plays a big factor.
It plays a big role in everything.
It is the root cause of many of the medicalconditions that we're dealing with, you know,
when you talk about diabetes and everything.
(04:28):
So why isn't it a major curriculum?
But, okay, fine.
Let's not Let's stay focused.
Well, I I was gonna say a little quick,snapshot of that because initially, you know,
the medical curriculum has been what it hasbeen for, you know, 100 years or whatever.
So most of the illnesses that we're dealingwith today, were was not back in the day.
(04:49):
You know, like, they didn't have people livingto hundred with, heart disease and diabetes.
Those who can knock it off.
Right?
Yeah.
Here's a good point.
Yeah.
Maybe
this is associated with aging and the fact thatwe're living longer lives.
And Right.
So they they tend to manifest there.
That's that's understandable.
Yeah.
So so we were taught to diagnose and prescribe.
(05:12):
So that that's a little different.
But with lifestyle medicine now that it's,like, a newer certification, they are actually
going back to medical schools and residenciesto actually start to teach them these things
which I think is absolutely amazing, because I,like, if I learned this when I was a resident,
I mean, I don't know how far how much further Iwould be, but I'm still grateful that I have it
(05:33):
now.
So I think it's gonna be changing for theupcoming positions, that would be coming out of
school and residency training soon.
So So that's exciting.
Yeah.
I mean, like, this is up kind of off topic, andI don't want us I want us to stay on track, but
there is there seems to be a lot of similaritybetween integrated medicine and lifestyle
(05:54):
medicine.
And, you know, they also have the culinary,board certification as well.
Are you doing that?
Did you do that?
I mean, have you heard about that?
I've heard about that.
Yeah.
And another, doctor actually told me aboutthat.
She's like, oh, you should try it.
Yeah.
People people find it amazing because I waslike, I hate to cook.
I don't like to cook, so that's not gonna beme.
(06:16):
I
will be more than happy to point someone.
I will work with chef and all that kind ofstuff, but I am not the cook.
So so that that wouldn't be me.
But it it is amazing to see how much, more,training that's out there for people and how
many different avenues you can go down becauseof that.
But Well, yeah, so so many, wonderful thingsthat are gonna be available for patients to
(06:40):
help with their overall health.
So it sounds like when during the this wholeprocess of getting your board certification,
they really emphasize plant based nutrition.
Whole food plant based nutrition.
Whole food.
Okay.
Because oh, so there's a difference between,whole food and non whole food.
(07:01):
Oh, yes.
There?
Oh, okay.
Can you throw more
can you throw more light on this for theaudience?
Let's let's let's get from
our learning hap on.
So whole food plant base is where the studiesare actually done because they actually look
at, how the nutrients actually help reversechronic illnesses.
So, because they know that plant based, itactually helps.
(07:24):
I tell people now that now the businesses andmarketing people have gotten a hold of that.
And now they use that when they're trying toget people to, buy their products.
So you may have, like, the, plant based icecreams and the plant based meats, the plant
based cheeses.
And all those are actually better for theenvironment and maybe slightly healthier for
(07:47):
you than if you ate the actual, the, meatversion or the animal based version, but it
still not the best for you.
So if you eat, an apple versus, you know, applepie, you know, the big difference.
Right?
Right.
What what actually the benefits that you wouldget.
(08:08):
So that's why we emphasize whole food plantbased.
When you say whole food, is
that also do you mean, like, fresh foods.
Like So
it can be it can be canned foods.
It can be frozen foods, but it's just thatwhole food.
So if you have beans, for example, becausebeans can come, whether they're, in the can or
(08:29):
in a bag.
So that too would be a whole food, meaning thatit's not processed.
It's not taken through a manufacturer to whereit is changed from its original form.
Got it.
Got it.
I understand.
So because they do have the plan based onesthat I process, we're talking about the
processed ones, like, really natural, fresh,without all the additional chemicals Right.
(08:51):
Conservatives that causes, problems.
Yes.
And
the the extra salt and the extra sugar That'sadded.
Yes.
Yes.
Tell me about salt.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
Are you?
I know.
Right?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Okay.
So so now you went into, you know, this wholeother lifestyle.
(09:14):
I mean, went in to get this this whole boardcertification and now, have gotten all this
training.
Can you, share with us on the me and theaudience, some tips, like, some, like, 3 or,
you know, actionable tips for people.
Because Here's the thing.
(09:34):
I'm originally from Nigeria.
We're like almost carnivores there.
We love our meats.
We love our protein, and most of the time, it'sanimal based, unfortunately.
So How do we transition?
Because now we understand that you've shared Imean, what are the benefits?
I can imagine, you know, the what are thebenefits of being plan based I know, you know,
(09:59):
like, we're talking about low assault intake,you know, if it's whole, if it's the whole
plant based, so you're gonna have less sugar,less salt, your cholesterol levels are gonna be
better because now you're not doing the meats.
And but how do you transition?
Can you give us 3 action steps?
Yes.
So I'll give you the the the 3 generic stepsthat I give people, but I usually try to tailor
(10:23):
it for people by what they're already eatingbecause Otherwise, they'll be like, well, I
don't do that anyway.
So Yeah.
Uh-uh.
So this is why you would tell people to,
you know They deny?
Did they deny?
Like Oh, oh, yeah.
Oh my goodness.
Really?
Oh, okay.
Well, let's just tell me what you're eatingthen, and then we'll go we'll go backwards
then.
(10:43):
Okay.
But usually the first thing I tell people isyou want to add in fruits and vegetables and
hopefully at every single meal because most ofthe time, it's not just necessarily taking away
the ammo based products.
Like I said, I became a vegetarian and I justtook away those products, but you actually have
to add in the nutrient dense foods that youneed.
So that's why we we stress the importance ofeating whole food plant based and not just not
(11:08):
eating meat.
Okay?
Okay.
So the first thing we added in
add fruits and vegetables with every meal.
Every meal.
Yes.
Okay.
In their whole form as much as possible.
I mean, you can cook them, saute them, youknow, whatever you had to do, but you this is
not processed, right, Right.
And then the next step I tell people is tostart to decrease the amount of animal based
(11:30):
meats that you're eating.
Okay?
So most of the time, we think if we look at ourplate, we say, okay.
Chicken's gonna be the main dish, and then wehave our side vegetables and things.
But you wanna do the opposite.
You wanna have, like, chicken or fish on theside and then have the fruits and vegetables
there.
Okay?
And then we wanna focus on making sure we takeout as much of the processed food as possible.
(11:54):
Because sometimes, you know, it's hard to getaway from every single processed food it's more
convenience sake, but we wanna try to decreasethose as much as possible.
So those would be the three things I usuallyhave people work on initially just in general
for prevention of these illnesses.
Now when we start to talk about reverse, sothen we have to go deeper into, see what
(12:14):
they're eating and try to substitute all thosethings out more in detail.
Okay.
Oh, wow.
That's amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing all those things.
So increase your fruit intake and then slowly,you know, start substituting, taking more of
the of the whole foods to, nutrient dense, yousaid.
(12:35):
Right?
Nutrient dense.
Well, those are great tips.
And, Well, okay.
So what we we have, what cut out for us,Olegans?
We will try.
We will try.
And generally, like, how long do you think ittakes people for for them to transition to to
this, new better way of living?
(12:58):
So it it all depends on how much they'remotivated.
So there's some people that I have that arelike, oh, everything is just a little bit high.
So they're all gonna make a little bit ofchange, and they'll slowly do it.
And then you have some people are like, oh mygosh.
I didn't know that things were this bad.
So I'm gonna do what you say, and I'm changingall this.
(13:18):
Right.
And then they may slowly add back in somethings that are not as healthy, but they
usually make the change if there's somethingthey're friends from.
So say, for example, I had a patient that had astroke recently.
And she was like, okay.
Yes, doc.
I know I wasn't listening for, but I'm gonnastart eating my vegetables and all that kind of
stuff now because I know what it could be like.
(13:39):
And I know that I'm I could have another strokeagain, and I'm not going
to do that.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So it just uses, like, what's eye opening, but,like, for some people that's like me, it was
more like seeing my family members goingthrough these things.
I'm like, I don't want that to be me.
And so every time I think about, Like, peopleasked if I had miseating meat.
(14:01):
And I'm like, no.
Because I see what meat does to people.
So so that that's more of my deep conveyingfiction, and it's just it's like, I don't have
to put that on you.
I'm just gonna, you know, explain and educateyou, and you can decide for yourself, you know,
what risk you're willing to take.
Yeah.
I mean, we really need to get this message outto everybody.
(14:21):
And even, you know, to the middle of us likeme, like, and, you know, the more we hear you
say this.
The the mob was that to, slowly change ourways.
Well, this has been amazing.
I I I really appreciate all this, knowledgethat you shared with us.
(14:41):
So there's one question I I like to ask.
Everyone who I've been interviewing, which is,for you to share something interesting that has
happened to you recently.
Something interested happen to me?
Yes.
Or it
was something in general.
(15:02):
Yeah.
Just at the first that comes to your mind,something like interesting you wanna share with
us or something interesting that you learned,that you think, you know, that made you feel
more empowered.
Well, I was like, I'm gonna go completely offthe subject that we're talking about.
So Okay.
I am, Christian, and I am in Lent season.
(15:26):
And I decided to reread a book called called, aprayer a prayer for wife or a praying wife and
it was mind boggling to me that there wassomething there that said, I can't pray for my
husband to change, I need to pray for myself tochange, and then things will happen.
(15:47):
And so most times, like, I want them to change.
I want them to do this.
I want them to do that.
And so that's reflecting back on me of, like,what I need to do and not focus on others.
So Right.
In turn, it actually comes around to the samething when other people say, like you said,
meat eaters like me, or you grew up in Nigeria,that's like the outside that's, you know,
(16:07):
pushing on you, but you have to focus on whatyou wanna do on the inside that then change the
world around you.
So I think that's how pulling it pulling it inand everything.
Oh my goodness.
That that, in fact, my mind is blown awaybecause you just said so many important things
in the I've been married for many years.
(16:28):
And, I and, you know, I I guess I need to goget that book.
It is.
It is.
It, I need to go on a blog.
I book and read it and Stormy.
Mhmm.
What'd you say?
Who's it?
Who what's the I think it's Thormi Ormond orsomething like that.
I had the book for a while, and it's just like,I I'm gonna have to, like, pull it out, but
(16:49):
like I said, it's upstairs next to my bed so Ican, like, read it before bedtime and stuff.
But Oh my gosh.
That's was like, I was like, oh, wow.
Wow.
Yeah.
I would definitely need your work on yourself,right, instead of to change other people.
That is an amazing tip.
I mean, that is the bet.
Thank you so much.
(17:10):
We don't wanna go off topic completely, but ohmy gosh.
I guess a lot of wives need to hear that, andthe husbands too.
You know,
both sides, because if everybody's lookingwithin, then the relationship will be better
instead of trying to reject and blame otherpeople, you know, good parties are blaming the
other person and trying to change the otherperson that everybody's changing to something
(17:32):
else.
And, Oh, wow.
That was that was super tough.
But if we we pull that to this topic, justbecause always people tell me that, oh, well,
you know, if I wanna eat this way, my husbandnever will.
And I'm like, well, sometimes you have to bethat example.
You have to change, and then they'll see thethings you're doing because I kinda influenced
my husband in that way also in the eating realmLike, he's not totally changed vegan.
(17:56):
He's vegetarian, but I'll have him change tosome plant based vegan ways.
So So wow.
That's it.
Look.
Okay.
So, yeah, this is a very hard part.
Okay.
So, you know, I like to cook Okay?
This is one of my passions.
Like, when I'm stressed out, I cook to relaxbecause I love the smell of the food.
(18:19):
And and the exercise, you know, I feel like I'mdoing so many different things.
Like, I'm distracting myself when I'm cuttingand doing stuff.
Like, it takes my mind of whatever is botheringme.
And I'm creating, right, something.
I really love different Fragrances.
You know, I like smell.
Yeah.
And then the the aroma of the food and all thedifferent spices that I'm using, And I have
(18:46):
turned it into, like, a family activity, thecooking process.
Yeah.
My kid oh, everybody who's eating that food hasto contribute one way or the other.
So and and they love it too because, you know,we're all there and and doing stuff and having
conversations So, I I truly enjoy it, but, youknow, it's now going to be a little bit more
(19:08):
complicated if I think about trying to cookdifferent things for different people during
this transition phase.
But I hear what you're saying that, somehowI'll be able to influence them if I'm able
change myself first.
Right.
So all of a sudden, I decide, yeah, becauseI'll who does the shopping?
Who does the grocery shopping?
I do.
So if I but oh my goodness.
(19:29):
This is so this is tough.
Like, I have to not buy no more animal protein.
So what do we use for protein?
But I guess we'll just get some more fruits andand maybe, like, try tofu or something.
Tofu tastes like
tofu will take, like, anything that you put thespices on.
So it it takes up the flavor of what you have.
(19:50):
You can do so many different things.
But you also have lentils, you have beans, Youhave Tempe, which is the less processed,
soybeans.
So tofu is more
processed soybeans.
I recently tried kimchi.
Have you ever tried?
Yeah.
I've I've had that once.
Actually, one of my patients say she's gonnabring me something because she was like, oh,
you have to try this garlic onion flavor 1.
(20:12):
It is so good.
It is so good.
I should have brought it.
I I forgot.
I should have brought it, you know, to showyou.
Like, I've slowly started transitioning And Ithink that, you know, I read a book somewhere
about when, you know, transitioning.
And you could, instead of going cold turkey,You can start by eliminating the red meats
(20:33):
Mhmm.
And go white, you know, stay focused on justchicken and and fish.
And eventually tailor yourself of those.
You know?
I think that that's our strategy.
So, yeah, that is one strategy.
That's actually, one that my sister did.
And she I tell people she's now clamped herdominant, but she still does eat, you know,
(20:54):
chicken and her yourself at times.
Exactly.
From pandemic.
Yeah.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Exactly.
But that's a good point too that the more you,change from purely animal based to going
towards plant based.
So going down that spectrum, the closer you getto plant based, the the better the outcome.
So you don't have to be a 100% plant based.
But as
long as you move that way, then you'll start tosee some benefits.
(21:18):
So that's I'm glad you brought that up becausethat's one important thing that, people are
always wondering to Yeah.
You know, just take, like, when you wanna makethese big changes, just start, you know, small
incremental, stay consistent.
I'll get people around you who are gonna besupportive, but get their buying because, you
(21:40):
know, get the the whole family's buying andthen slowly, but gradually influence everybody
towards the healthier lifestyle.
Well, this has been an amazing, powerfulsession.
And what did we not talk about?
We talked about all the greatest things inlife.
We talked about food.
We talked about marriage, relationship.
(22:02):
We it was amazing.
Well, thank you so much How can people findyou?
How can people find you, Doctor Amanda?
Yes.
So I have a website, doctor amandadot com, andthey can follow me there.
And I'm also on social media at Doctor AmandaAdkins, and it's a d k I n s.
(22:23):
Because some people try to put a differentletter in there, but I'm on Facebook and
Instagram.
Okay.
Great.
Well, when you send me a bio, I'm gonna beposting it in the so people can find you as
well.
And, thank you for joining us, everybody.
Join us same time.
Next week where we're going to be havinganother special guest.
(22:43):
And this is Doctor Didi, Doctor.
From a younger self MD.
And, see you all next week.
I am gonna stop the recording.
Computer.
Okay.
Hello.
Hello.
Hello.
Welcome.
Welcome.
Welcome.
So my name is Doctor Ndidiamaka Obadan, alsoknown as Doctor Didi.
And I'm the founder of Younger Self MD MedicalClinic Health And Wellness.
(00:24):
Today, we're going to be discussing with theamazing doctor Amanda Atkins.
He's going to be sharing her tips on how tolive healthy, a healthy life using a plant
based diet, and she's going to share all herlovely information with us.
(00:46):
I am so excited to have you here, Doctor.
Amanda.
Thank you for joining me today.
Can you go ahead?
Thank you.
Thank you for having me.
I was like,
I didn't wanna interrupt Yeah.
Please feel free to interrupt.
Let's make this as informal as possible.
Let's, you know, enjoy ourselves for the next20, 30 minutes.
(01:09):
So can you go ahead and introduce yourself tothe audience?
Yes.
So I am Doctor Amanda Atkins, and I am a plantbased lifestyle physician and health coach,
owner and CEO of Enlightenment Health AndWealth, where we help women who are overweight,
prevent, and reverse chronic illnesses, such ashigh blood pressure and diabetes.
(01:31):
So I've been doing lifestyle medicine now.
I've been board certified in December, but beenworking with plant based nutrition I can say
for decades because I became a vegetarian atthe age of sixteen.
Wow.
That's amazing.
Congratulations on your board's certification.
That is very interesting.
(01:52):
Yeah.
So for those who don't know, you have to, aftergetting all this training and doing all these
other exams, you still have to go ahead and getboard certified so that it's like an extra
validation that doctor Amanda really knows whatshe's doing.
She's an expert in the field.
(02:12):
So that that's great.
Thank you so much.
So Can you, tell us a little bit about why youdo what you do?
Like, why did you go into, you know, tell memore.
Like, I'm I'm curious to know about why youwent into this field of medicine.
Yes.
So I tell people, that lifestyle medicine kindafound me, because as I was going through
(02:36):
residency and probably yourself also, there wasno think of as lifestyle medicine.
You couldn't actually become certified in that.
And it was just interesting to me.
So growing up, like I said, I became avegetarian at the age of sixteen, because I
wanted to be I'm healthy myself.
Yeah.
Wow.
(02:57):
So I was overweight, weighing a £199 in the 9thObadan.
And I was like, oh my gosh, you know, I don'twant 2 to be the first number of my weight.
So what else can I do?
And then seeing my grandmothers and uncles andaunts just go through a whole lot of different
medical challenges I was like, I don't wantthat to be me, you know, because that's in my
(03:22):
jeans.
So I know if I don't change something now, thenthat would actually happen.
Yeah.
So Yeah.
I went into internal medicine initially, andthen a lot of people were asking, you know,
what else can I do besides medication?
Tired of being on medication all the time forhigh blood pressure, diabetes, high
cholesterol, all those things.
And, I was like, well, you know what?
I don't know exactly So let me try to find outbecause we don't get a lot of training and
(03:45):
nutrition, going through med school.
And I actually went to a conference onnutrition when I first started practicing, out
of residency.
And
That's that's very interesting.
Like, you know, That's what you just said.
I mean, like, I feel like I just I'm sorry.
I don't I don't mean to interrupt you, but whydon't we get enough training in nutrition in
(04:08):
medical school.
Is that a separate topic for a different day?
Like, nutrition is so important what we are,what we eat.
Right?
And it plays a big factor.
It plays a big role in everything.
It is the root cause of many of the medicalconditions that we're dealing with, you know,
when you talk about diabetes and everything.
(04:28):
So why isn't it a major curriculum?
But, okay, fine.
Let's not Let's stay focused.
Well, I I was gonna say a little quick,snapshot of that because initially, you know,
the medical curriculum has been what it hasbeen for, you know, 100 years or whatever.
So most of the illnesses that we're dealingwith today, were was not back in the day.
(04:49):
You know, like, they didn't have people livingto hundred with, heart disease and diabetes.
Those who can knock it off.
Right?
Yeah.
Here's a good point.
Yeah.
Maybe
this is associated with aging and the fact thatwe're living longer lives.
And Right.
So they they tend to manifest there.
That's that's understandable.
Yeah.
So so we were taught to diagnose and prescribe.
(05:12):
So that that's a little different.
But with lifestyle medicine now that it's,like, a newer certification, they are actually
going back to medical schools and residenciesto actually start to teach them these things
which I think is absolutely amazing, because I,like, if I learned this when I was a resident,
I mean, I don't know how far how much further Iwould be, but I'm still grateful that I have it
(05:33):
now.
So I think it's gonna be changing for theupcoming positions, that would be coming out of
school and residency training soon.
So So that's exciting.
Yeah.
I mean, like, this is up kind of off topic, andI don't want us I want us to stay on track, but
there is there seems to be a lot of similaritybetween integrated medicine and lifestyle
(05:54):
medicine.
And, you know, they also have the culinary,board certification as well.
Are you doing that?
Did you do that?
I mean, have you heard about that?
I've heard about that.
Yeah.
And another, doctor actually told me aboutthat.
She's like, oh, you should try it.
Yeah.
People people find it amazing because I waslike, I hate to cook.
I don't like to cook, so that's not gonna beme.
(06:16):
I
will be more than happy to point someone.
I will work with chef and all that kind ofstuff, but I am not the cook.
So so that that wouldn't be me.
But it it is amazing to see how much, more,training that's out there for people and how
many different avenues you can go down becauseof that.
But Well, yeah, so so many, wonderful thingsthat are gonna be available for patients to
(06:40):
help with their overall health.
So it sounds like when during the this wholeprocess of getting your board certification,
they really emphasize plant based nutrition.
Whole food plant based nutrition.
Whole food.
Okay.
Because oh, so there's a difference between,whole food and non whole food.
(07:01):
Oh, yes.
There?
Oh, okay.
Can you throw more
can you throw more light on this for theaudience?
Let's let's let's get from
our learning hap on.
So whole food plant base is where the studiesare actually done because they actually look
at, how the nutrients actually help reversechronic illnesses.
So, because they know that plant based, itactually helps.
(07:24):
I tell people now that now the businesses andmarketing people have gotten a hold of that.
And now they use that when they're trying toget people to, buy their products.
So you may have, like, the, plant based icecreams and the plant based meats, the plant
based cheeses.
And all those are actually better for theenvironment and maybe slightly healthier for
(07:47):
you than if you ate the actual, the, meatversion or the animal based version, but it
still not the best for you.
So if you eat, an apple versus, you know, applepie, you know, the big difference.
Right?
Right.
What what actually the benefits that you wouldget.
(08:08):
So that's why we emphasize whole food plantbased.
When you say whole food, is
that also do you mean, like, fresh foods.
Like So
it can be it can be canned foods.
It can be frozen foods, but it's just thatwhole food.
So if you have beans, for example, becausebeans can come, whether they're, in the can or
(08:29):
in a bag.
So that too would be a whole food, meaning thatit's not processed.
It's not taken through a manufacturer to whereit is changed from its original form.
Got it.
Got it.
I understand.
So because they do have the plan based onesthat I process, we're talking about the
processed ones, like, really natural, fresh,without all the additional chemicals Right.
(08:51):
Conservatives that causes, problems.
Yes.
And
the the extra salt and the extra sugar That'sadded.
Yes.
Yes.
Tell me about salt.
Oh, yes.
Yes.
Are you?
I know.
Right?
Yes.
Yes.
Yes.
Okay.
So so now you went into, you know, this wholeother lifestyle.
(09:14):
I mean, went in to get this this whole boardcertification and now, have gotten all this
training.
Can you, share with us on the me and theaudience, some tips, like, some, like, 3 or,
you know, actionable tips for people.
Because Here's the thing.
(09:34):
I'm originally from Nigeria.
We're like almost carnivores there.
We love our meats.
We love our protein, and most of the time, it'sanimal based, unfortunately.
So How do we transition?
Because now we understand that you've shared Imean, what are the benefits?
I can imagine, you know, the what are thebenefits of being plan based I know, you know,
(09:59):
like, we're talking about low assault intake,you know, if it's whole, if it's the whole
plant based, so you're gonna have less sugar,less salt, your cholesterol levels are gonna be
better because now you're not doing the meats.
And but how do you transition?
Can you give us 3 action steps?
Yes.
So I'll give you the the the 3 generic stepsthat I give people, but I usually try to tailor
(10:23):
it for people by what they're already eatingbecause Otherwise, they'll be like, well, I
don't do that anyway.
So Yeah.
Uh-uh.
So this is why you would tell people to,
you know They deny?
Did they deny?
Like Oh, oh, yeah.
Oh my goodness.
Really?
Oh, okay.
Well, let's just tell me what you're eatingthen, and then we'll go we'll go backwards
then.
(10:43):
Okay.
But usually the first thing I tell people isyou want to add in fruits and vegetables and
hopefully at every single meal because most ofthe time, it's not just necessarily taking away
the ammo based products.
Like I said, I became a vegetarian and I justtook away those products, but you actually have
to add in the nutrient dense foods that youneed.
So that's why we we stress the importance ofeating whole food plant based and not just not
(11:08):
eating meat.
Okay?
Okay.
So the first thing we added in
add fruits and vegetables with every meal.
Every meal.
Yes.
Okay.
In their whole form as much as possible.
I mean, you can cook them, saute them, youknow, whatever you had to do, but you this is
not processed, right, Right.
And then the next step I tell people is tostart to decrease the amount of animal based
(11:30):
meats that you're eating.
Okay?
So most of the time, we think if we look at ourplate, we say, okay.
Chicken's gonna be the main dish, and then wehave our side vegetables and things.
But you wanna do the opposite.
You wanna have, like, chicken or fish on theside and then have the fruits and vegetables
there.
Okay?
And then we wanna focus on making sure we takeout as much of the processed food as possible.
(11:54):
Because sometimes, you know, it's hard to getaway from every single processed food it's more
convenience sake, but we wanna try to decreasethose as much as possible.
So those would be the three things I usuallyhave people work on initially just in general
for prevention of these illnesses.
Now when we start to talk about reverse, sothen we have to go deeper into, see what
(12:14):
they're eating and try to substitute all thosethings out more in detail.
Okay.
Oh, wow.
That's amazing.
Thank you so much for sharing all those things.
So increase your fruit intake and then slowly,you know, start substituting, taking more of
the of the whole foods to, nutrient dense, yousaid.
(12:35):
Right?
Nutrient dense.
Well, those are great tips.
And, Well, okay.
So what we we have, what cut out for us,Olegans?
We will try.
We will try.
And generally, like, how long do you think ittakes people for for them to transition to to
this, new better way of living?
(12:58):
So it it all depends on how much they'remotivated.
So there's some people that I have that arelike, oh, everything is just a little bit high.
So they're all gonna make a little bit ofchange, and they'll slowly do it.
And then you have some people are like, oh mygosh.
I didn't know that things were this bad.
So I'm gonna do what you say, and I'm changingall this.
(13:18):
Right.
And then they may slowly add back in somethings that are not as healthy, but they
usually make the change if there's somethingthey're friends from.
So say, for example, I had a patient that had astroke recently.
And she was like, okay.
Yes, doc.
I know I wasn't listening for, but I'm gonnastart eating my vegetables and all that kind of
stuff now because I know what it could be like.
(13:39):
And I know that I'm I could have another strokeagain, and I'm not going
to do that.
Yeah.
Exactly.
Yeah.
So it just uses, like, what's eye opening, but,like, for some people that's like me, it was
more like seeing my family members goingthrough these things.
I'm like, I don't want that to be me.
And so every time I think about, Like, peopleasked if I had miseating meat.
(14:01):
And I'm like, no.
Because I see what meat does to people.
So so that that's more of my deep conveyingfiction, and it's just it's like, I don't have
to put that on you.
I'm just gonna, you know, explain and educateyou, and you can decide for yourself, you know,
what risk you're willing to take.
Yeah.
I mean, we really need to get this message outto everybody.
(14:21):
And even, you know, to the middle of us likeme, like, and, you know, the more we hear you
say this.
The the mob was that to, slowly change ourways.
Well, this has been amazing.
I I I really appreciate all this, knowledgethat you shared with us.
(14:41):
So there's one question I I like to ask.
Everyone who I've been interviewing, which is,for you to share something interesting that has
happened to you recently.
Something interested happen to me?
Yes.
Or it
was something in general.
(15:02):
Yeah.
Just at the first that comes to your mind,something like interesting you wanna share with
us or something interesting that you learned,that you think, you know, that made you feel
more empowered.
Well, I was like, I'm gonna go completely offthe subject that we're talking about.
So Okay.
I am, Christian, and I am in Lent season.
(15:26):
And I decided to reread a book called called, aprayer a prayer for wife or a praying wife and
it was mind boggling to me that there wassomething there that said, I can't pray for my
husband to change, I need to pray for myself tochange, and then things will happen.
(15:47):
And so most times, like, I want them to change.
I want them to do this.
I want them to do that.
And so that's reflecting back on me of, like,what I need to do and not focus on others.
So Right.
In turn, it actually comes around to the samething when other people say, like you said,
meat eaters like me, or you grew up in Nigeria,that's like the outside that's, you know,
(16:07):
pushing on you, but you have to focus on whatyou wanna do on the inside that then change the
world around you.
So I think that's how pulling it pulling it inand everything.
Oh my goodness.
That that, in fact, my mind is blown awaybecause you just said so many important things
in the I've been married for many years.
(16:28):
And, I and, you know, I I guess I need to goget that book.
It is.
It is.
It, I need to go on a blog.
I book and read it and Stormy.
Mhmm.
What'd you say?
Who's it?
Who what's the I think it's Thormi Ormond orsomething like that.
I had the book for a while, and it's just like,I I'm gonna have to, like, pull it out, but
(16:49):
like I said, it's upstairs next to my bed so Ican, like, read it before bedtime and stuff.
But Oh my gosh.
That's was like, I was like, oh, wow.
Wow.
Yeah.
I would definitely need your work on yourself,right, instead of to change other people.
That is an amazing tip.
I mean, that is the bet.
Thank you so much.
(17:10):
We don't wanna go off topic completely, but ohmy gosh.
I guess a lot of wives need to hear that, andthe husbands too.
You know,
both sides, because if everybody's lookingwithin, then the relationship will be better
instead of trying to reject and blame otherpeople, you know, good parties are blaming the
other person and trying to change the otherperson that everybody's changing to something
(17:32):
else.
And, Oh, wow.
That was that was super tough.
But if we we pull that to this topic, justbecause always people tell me that, oh, well,
you know, if I wanna eat this way, my husbandnever will.
And I'm like, well, sometimes you have to bethat example.
You have to change, and then they'll see thethings you're doing because I kinda influenced
my husband in that way also in the eating realmLike, he's not totally changed vegan.
(17:56):
He's vegetarian, but I'll have him change tosome plant based vegan ways.
So So wow.
That's it.
Look.
Okay.
So, yeah, this is a very hard part.
Okay.
So, you know, I like to cook Okay?
This is one of my passions.
Like, when I'm stressed out, I cook to relaxbecause I love the smell of the food.
(18:19):
And and the exercise, you know, I feel like I'mdoing so many different things.
Like, I'm distracting myself when I'm cuttingand doing stuff.
Like, it takes my mind of whatever is botheringme.
And I'm creating, right, something.
I really love different Fragrances.
You know, I like smell.
Yeah.
And then the the aroma of the food and all thedifferent spices that I'm using, And I have
(18:46):
turned it into, like, a family activity, thecooking process.
Yeah.
My kid oh, everybody who's eating that food hasto contribute one way or the other.
So and and they love it too because, you know,we're all there and and doing stuff and having
conversations So, I I truly enjoy it, but, youknow, it's now going to be a little bit more
(19:08):
complicated if I think about trying to cookdifferent things for different people during
this transition phase.
But I hear what you're saying that, somehowI'll be able to influence them if I'm able
change myself first.
Right.
So all of a sudden, I decide, yeah, becauseI'll who does the shopping?
Who does the grocery shopping?
I do.
So if I but oh my goodness.
(19:29):
This is so this is tough.
Like, I have to not buy no more animal protein.
So what do we use for protein?
But I guess we'll just get some more fruits andand maybe, like, try tofu or something.
Tofu tastes like
tofu will take, like, anything that you put thespices on.
So it it takes up the flavor of what you have.
(19:50):
You can do so many different things.
But you also have lentils, you have beans, Youhave Tempe, which is the less processed,
soybeans.
So tofu is more
processed soybeans.
I recently tried kimchi.
Have you ever tried?
Yeah.
I've I've had that once.
Actually, one of my patients say she's gonnabring me something because she was like, oh,
you have to try this garlic onion flavor 1.
(20:12):
It is so good.
It is so good.
I should have brought it.
I I forgot.
I should have brought it, you know, to showyou.
Like, I've slowly started transitioning And Ithink that, you know, I read a book somewhere
about when, you know, transitioning.
And you could, instead of going cold turkey,You can start by eliminating the red meats
(20:33):
Mhmm.
And go white, you know, stay focused on justchicken and and fish.
And eventually tailor yourself of those.
You know?
I think that that's our strategy.
So, yeah, that is one strategy.
That's actually, one that my sister did.
And she I tell people she's now clamped herdominant, but she still does eat, you know,
(20:54):
chicken and her yourself at times.
Exactly.
From pandemic.
Yeah.
Mhmm.
Yeah.
Exactly.
But that's a good point too that the more you,change from purely animal based to going
towards plant based.
So going down that spectrum, the closer you getto plant based, the the better the outcome.
So you don't have to be a 100% plant based.
But as
long as you move that way, then you'll start tosee some benefits.
(21:18):
So that's I'm glad you brought that up becausethat's one important thing that, people are
always wondering to Yeah.
You know, just take, like, when you wanna makethese big changes, just start, you know, small
incremental, stay consistent.
I'll get people around you who are gonna besupportive, but get their buying because, you
(21:40):
know, get the the whole family's buying andthen slowly, but gradually influence everybody
towards the healthier lifestyle.
Well, this has been an amazing, powerfulsession.
And what did we not talk about?
We talked about all the greatest things inlife.
We talked about food.
We talked about marriage, relationship.
(22:02):
We it was amazing.
Well, thank you so much How can people findyou?
How can people find you, Doctor Amanda?
Yes.
So I have a website, doctor amandadot com, andthey can follow me there.
And I'm also on social media at Doctor AmandaAdkins, and it's a d k I n s.
(22:23):
Because some people try to put a differentletter in there, but I'm on Facebook and
Instagram.
Okay.
Great.
Well, when you send me a bio, I'm gonna beposting it in the so people can find you as
well.
And, thank you for joining us, everybody.
Join us same time.
Next week where we're going to be havinganother special guest.
(22:43):
And this is Doctor Didi, Doctor.
From a younger self MD.
And, see you all next week.
I am gonna stop the recording.
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