September 26, 2025 • 26 mins
Ginger Hultin is a Seattle-based Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and owner of Dr. Ginger Hultin Nutrition Practice, a virtual concierge practice specializing in integrative oncology, gastrointestinal disease, and autoimmune conditions. Dr. Hultin is the nutrition clinic coordinator and adjunct faculty at Bastyr Center for Natural Health and hosts the Orgain Good, Clean, Nutrition podcast. She is the author of Anti-Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and How to Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook.
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Speaker 1 (00:05):
You are listening to Boomers Today with your host Frank Sampson.
Welcome to Boomers Today. I'm your host, Frank Samson. Of course,
each week we bring you important, very useful information on
issues facing baby boomers, their parents and other loved ones.
(00:27):
And as I do on each one of our shows,
I thank all of you. And I thank all of
you because our listeners are growing each and every day,
but pretty much grow organically because you are sharing individual podcasts,
our entire show with friends and family. And I can't
thank you enough. So many of you listen to the
(00:50):
show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible, or you just
go to Lex and Siri and ask them to take
you to the Boomers Today podcasts. Of course you could
go to Boomers Today radio dot com, which many of
you do as well. So again, I just want to
thank you so much for all your support. I know
(01:12):
that we you know we have one wonderful guest, and
that's why you're sharing the information with others. And I'm
not going to disappoint you today because we have with
us doctor Ginger Halton, who is a Seattle based registered dietitian,
nutritionist and owner of Doctor Ginger Halton Halton Nutrition Practice,
(01:37):
a virtual concierge practice specializing and integrative oncology, gastro intestinal disease,
and autoimmune conditions. Doctor Halton is the nutrition Clinic Coordinator
and adjunct faculty at BASTE Center for Natural Health and
hosts the Orgain Good Clean Nutrition podcast. She is author
(02:02):
of Anti Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and How to Eat
to Beat Disease Cookbook. So, doctor Halton, thank you so
much for joining us on Boomers today. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to chat with you.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, no, it's great. And then a fellow podcaster, So
I always like talking to fellow podcast ors. How long
you've been doing your podcast?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We are entering year three and yeah, it's a really
fun podcast. We talk a lot about all the different
aspects of health and wellness hot topics. We're chatting collagen, creatine,
women's health. There's a lot of interesting stuff over there.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
That's very cool. That's great. Great, Well, we'll talk more
about that in a little bit. So I'll tell you
your field is kind of amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
With all the.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I guess options out there, people get hit with all
sorts of there are probably more books I would think
on nutrition or in your field than anything. I mean,
I could tell you if I put them all together
in my home from my wife, I would have a bookstore,
(03:15):
all right. And then you add on you know, O
zempic and everything going on with that. How do people
get through all the I hate to say noise, because
I'm sure a lot of it is good, But how
do you how do people get through all the noise?
What recommendations do you have to try to zero in
on maybe their particular needs?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
You know, Frank, I think noise is actually a good term.
It's noisy out there. And one of the number one
things people say when they come to me and want
to work together is I'm so confused. I'm hearing all
this conflicting advice, and I just want to know what's
right for me. And that really is the heart of
what we need to be doing, which is individualized or personalized.
(04:00):
I mean, there's so many different health conditions, medications, religious
or cultural dietary needs, and things change fast right when
you get into your fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond, so
everyone really needs this level of personalized care. That's very
challenging to get when you're listening to chatter online or
in social media.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, so when you're talking to you have a patient, whatever,
what do you suggest to them?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, people come to me for so many different things,
and so one important aspect is my intake form. Like
when you come work with me, You're going to tell
me every medication and supplement you're on, your medical history,
what your goals are, what kind of food you like
and don't like, you know, if you have any cultural preferences.
So even just from the beginning, when you do like
(04:55):
a free discovery call with me or start working together,
it's like very deeply perersonalized. I don't have a diet
that I just put folks on. I've got people doing
all sorts of different stuff because I've got people from
autoimmune disease, cancer, GI issues wanting to lower their cholesterol,
and I have a lot of people with rare and
unusual conditions too. So I do a lot of really
(05:16):
personalized deep work. Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Gotcha. So as it relates to whether it's exercise, I mean,
I you know, you hear you hear various things from
and I've interviewed a lot of people on the show,
and you know, the cardio exercise is so important building
you know, muscles because of loss of muscle mass as
(05:43):
you age. What what a what do you suggest to
people Where should they put the emphasis? I guess maybe
it depends on their age and needs, of course, but
but talk to talk to us about that, you know,
and somebody says, say they're going to go to the gym,
(06:04):
or they're going to go maybe just do things in
their own home. What should the emphasis be? Generally speaking?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
If you are reading the news and on the internet
right now, you're going to hear a lot about protein
and weightlifting. I would say that muscle mass is having
a moment. But it's really important that you meet the
recommendations for all types of exercise, and they're really clear
and they're based on health outcomes. So one hundred and
(06:35):
fifty minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity that could be taking
a walk. So if you break that down, it's about
thirty minutes most days of the week, and then on
top of that, twice a week doing some sort of
muscle strength building for the major muscle groups of the body.
And there's no like it has to be a half
hour or an hour. It's just like move your muscles
(06:57):
in a weightlifting way twice a week, so I do
like to help my clients work up to that. However,
if you are starting from zero, I don't go straight
to that one hundred and fifty minutes. I help people
set goals to work their way up. So it is
truly a combination of cardiovascular work and weightlifting. But I'm
really into strength training, especially for my older adults, because
(07:18):
it's muscle mass and metabolism building and bone help protective.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
So on the strengths training side. So you have an
older adult, let's just say they don't belong to a
local gym, and let's say they don't have a gym
in their own home, what recommendations do you have for
them that might be quite unique to help in building
(07:44):
that muscle mass.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, you know I'd want to. I always want to
make sure folks are safe. So if you have any
cardiovascular issues, injuries, joint issues, or especially if you have
osteoporosis or bone density issues, I would want you to
talk to your doctor about maybec of physical therapist right
and getting some support that way. But you know, I
like to do body weight exercises, like you don't even
(08:09):
need heavy weights or you know, lifting like cans you
know that are quite light, like cans of beans or
what have you. I have some really simple bands like
stretchy vans that take up no room. So there's so
many things that you can do. Even getting in and
out of a chair or walking up steps, those can
be strength building in a really easy and free way.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah. I know people who are living in up and
down homes now, sage are going, you know, we should
probably get one level place. But I look at it
and go, as long as you could do it, keep
the stairs, you know, absolutely, as long as you could
do it right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, I was doing step ups at the gym this morning,
holding weights and stepping up over and over on a
on a platform, and that kind of training is really
functional and it mirrors like the things that you do
in your daily life. So that's some of my favorite
kind of training.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I mean things that have been brought up in the past,
and I'll just bring up one example and maybe you
have a few more. You go, you're going shopping, right,
You're going to the grocery store, and you're looking for
that close parking space. All right, maybe don't look for
the close parking space. Maybe go to the end and
just longer walks. I mean that's just one little, maybe
(09:26):
minor example, but any others that are just in your
day to day routine that could be helpful.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Absolutely. I mean, and you don't have to do it
all the time, but parking further away anywhere is brilliant.
Taking a short stairwell instead of an elevator. A lot
of my clients that they live in places that are
really hot or cold or wintery, they take walks in
the mall or in a shopping center that's a little
bit more safe and stable. I think you just need
(09:52):
to be creative and think about how you can fit
more activity into your daily life.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah. So there's a lot of different opinions out there.
I've had people on the show with different opinions as
it relates to you know, over the counter vitamins. Some
are very pro yeah you should take this or that,
and others go, don't waste your money, you know on it.
(10:20):
All these vitamin stuff is just all talk. What are
your thoughts there?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Supplementation, personalized supplementation is a huge, a huge goal of
mine with my clients. So I take a food first approach.
Are you meeting your nutrient needs through food, that is possible,
but as you get older it's harder. Like some of
your nutrient needs go up. Anyone in an older age
(10:50):
needs twelve hundred milligrams of calcium. That's a lot of calcium.
You really need to know what you're doing to hit that.
Your vitamin D needs go up, your BE twelve absorb
or goes down. So there is some actual evidence based
advice for you have a higher need of nutrients. Are
you meeting it through food? If not, can we do
(11:10):
some targeted supplementation. I would say just going to the
store and grabbing random things not the way to go.
But working with someone like myself, your doctor, a nurse
who can do some testing and really look at you
as an individual, you very well might need some targeted supplementation.
But it needs to be evidence based.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So I'd like to get your thoughts on you know,
we're as you know, I have a company and we
work with families all over the country, and I would
say the far majority of the families we work with,
their loved one has been diagnosed with some cognitive impairment
(11:50):
like Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. What are your
thoughts on that. I have had people on let's say,
kind of they think the big cause is the food
we eat, all right, or the food we've been eating
for years, because you know, you go to parts of
(12:12):
Europe and Mediterranean, you hear about people we eat Mediterranean diet,
that some statistics are showing that less issues with cognitive
issues or dementia. What are your what are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, I have a My heart really goes out to
anyone with Alzheimer's and dementia. I have it running in
my family too, so it's a passion of mine. These
conditions are really multi factoral, right, so we know that
there is some dietary component. Mediterranean has some interesting outcomes.
The Mind Diet m I n D actually is a
(12:56):
proven diet that's like Mediterranean adjacent to have really good
cognitive outcomes. A lot of this isn't going to prevent
those diseases, but maybe change the course or slow them.
But we also need to take an integrative approach. Exercise
is huge, smoking versus not smoking, drinking versus not drinking, stress, sleep, Like,
there's so many factors leading up to the development of
(13:19):
these diseases, and of course there's a lot of genetics
at play too. But the important thing is diet does matter.
What's good for the heart is good for the brain
and vice versa. And there's a lot you can do
to really support your cognitive health with aging.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Yeah, you know you hear it over and over again,
and I'm sure you preach it too to your to
your patients. Diet and exercise, Diet and exercise. You know,
you got to it's a combination of both, right.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It really is a lifestyle, and that is truly like
integrative holistic health. I tell people, you can have the
perfect diet, like it's so great, but if you're not
sleeping and you're in an incredible amount of stress, you
are not going to achieve your health goals.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, absolutely so, doctor Halten. We're going to take a
real quick break, I promise, just to recognize and our sponsor,
and when we come back, we want to learn more
about what you're doing day to day and then we'll
continue with our discussion.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
How's that love it? I love talking to you about this.
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
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(14:47):
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(15:07):
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(15:29):
care authority advisor in your area. We are back with
doctor Ginger Halton, who's a Seattle based registered dietitian, nutritionists
and owner of doctor Ginger Halton Nutrition Practice. So, doctor Halton,
you're in Seattle, as we've mentioned a couple times, but concierge,
(15:50):
so are you able to service families outside of Seattle
or the state of Washington.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah, that's a really fun thing about being a virtual practice.
I work with people all over the country and then
I can really reach a wider audience. I do a
lot of East Coast work, and so yeah, you can
jump on a zoom or a call with me and
we can work together that way, which is really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
That's great. That's great. So tell us, I know you've written,
you're the author of a book, tell us a little
bit more just about your practice, and tell us a
little bit about your book and how people can find that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah. Absolutely, I do run a full time private practice
and so Ginger Holton Nutrition. You can book a free
discovery call on there, and I work with people all
over the country. I am a CSO, which is a
board certification in oncology nutrition. So I do a lot
of cancer work and that's a big passion of mine.
But I also do autoimmune work and other chronic conditions,
(16:57):
helping lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, anything that you've got
going on, digestive issues. So I really have a pretty
broad spectrum of clinical and integrative nutrition practice. I've been
doing it for a long time, about fifteen years. Not
everyone's able to work with me one on one, of course,
and so I did write the book Anti Inflammatory Diet
(17:17):
Meal Prep, and I really am excited that I was
able to bring an anti inflammatory diet that's so evidence
based and approachable to everybody. So you can even get
that book a lot of times at the library and
it really helps people, and it's not restrictive like some
anti inflammatory diets, and it really I think is perfect
for anyone focusing on cognitive health or aging. And I
(17:41):
also have the How To Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook,
and that is based on some of the foundational work
of doctor William Lee, who wrote How to Eat to
Beat Disease, which is an excellent book that I recommend,
but mine is the like how to cookbook version of
that really focused on gut, microbiome inflammation and longevity. And again,
and you know, these books really help me reach a
(18:02):
wider audience and be more approachable and get to work
in quotes with lots and lots of people around the country.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah. Great, Well, I know you're a doctor, and that's
important as we talk about medications, so I'm sure you
have you know, patients that are taking not just over
the counter but prescription medic medications, and I would think
(18:29):
that they may have an impact in some way, shape
or form relative to their nutrition planning, etc. So talk
to us a little bit about that and feel free
to get specific if you would like on that.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, this is really important and to highlight I'm a
doctor of clinical nutrition, so I'm not an actual medical doctor,
but that's important because I still as a dietitian, I
really am looking at what medications you're on and how
they interact with nutrients. And a lot of my patients
really need the medications are on, but it's just important
(19:04):
to know what the potential impacts could be. So like
very common form and to manage blood sugar that can
actually impact BE twelve absorption over time, so you should
be thinking about that. Diuretics a lot of people are
on them for blood pressure and other issues that can
create some electrolyte issues. Sodium potacity a magnesium PPI is
(19:25):
so to control heartburn. A lot of people are on that,
but there is some implications for B twelve calcium, iron, magnesium.
So the messages not to not take the medications. It's
make sure that you're working with a registered dietitian and
talking to your doctor about do I need to supplement
or think about my diet because of this medication I'm on.
And how what are the nutrition related side effects?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Gotcha? Great? Great, so let's talk about We'll go back
to the food and eating rite. And I know that,
you know, my doctor made comment to me one time saying,
don't go to restaurants. You know that often too much salt.
All right, too much salt at the restaurants. But talk
(20:10):
talk to us about that. I mean someone, I mean,
there's people that love cooking love I'm one that I
wish I did. I don't love it all right, but
I know a lot of people who do. I wish
I loved it. And I'm gonna try to like it
better because you probably eat better, eat you know, eat
(20:33):
the right foods, you know, less salt and all the
other things. So how do you address that with with
your patience relative to you know, their ability to make
the right foods at home and all that. What if
they just don't have the knack for cooking.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, some people don't have the passions, some people don't
have the knack, some people don't have the skills or knowledge,
and some people have some physical or cognitive limitations where
they really can't cook effectively. I don't know. I dine
out in restaurants a lot. There's some amazing ones here
in Seattle for my clients that have needs like low sodium,
low saturated fat, things like that. It really is about
(21:19):
planning ahead, looking at the menu and asking the right questions.
You know, sauce on the side, can you grill this
instead of fry it? Dressing on the side? Can I
sub in some veggies? Can you not use butter? So
there's definitely a personal advocacy communication that's helpful. That's really
(21:40):
where I start with folks. There are some amazing meal
delivery systems now there's some really great frozen food options.
So I do like to look at each person. What
are your skills, what's your budget? You know, what's your
desire to cook? And how can we help you within
those parameters?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
So you know, you hear listen. I hear adult children
talking to their parents quite often. I hear those conversations
that go on, and it seems as though I hear
quite often, Dad, you shouldn't eat that. Mom, you know,
(22:20):
don't eat those, don't hate that you What are your
suggestions to those adult children out there and how they
talk to their parents or other loved ones. Relative to
giving suggestions in a positive way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I guess yeah. I mean, first of all, of course
it's incredibly well meaning, of course, but what happens is,
you know, you'll hear things like, well, I've been eating
this way my whole life, or you know, I'm not
going to change now. I hear that from my older adults,
and I think in some ways they're right. You know,
food is comfort, food is familiarity, food is love. Food
(22:57):
has this really deep emotional connection, and it's not so
easy to just change what you've been doing for five
fifty years all of a sudden right. As a dietician,
we use a form of counseling called motivational interviewing, where
I ask open ended questions and try to get their
own motivation. You can't make somebody change, but you can
work with them, right, Hey, I know you want to
(23:19):
control your blood pressure? Is that important to you? Yes? Great,
I have some ideas. Are you open to listening to
them and maybe making some changes. Somebody could say yes
or no, but I do think coming at it with
a really open mind, and that's my role as a dietician.
A lot of families hire me to help play that
role so that it takes some of the pressure off
of them because you don't want to be in conflict
(23:40):
with your loved ones. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Good, very good point. So we just we just have
a few minutes left. So I want to kind of
kind of give you an open ended question, and that
is just, you know, just your words of wisdom or
anything that you would like to get across to our
listeners at all. You know, instead of pointing the question
(24:07):
to you, we'll give you kind of the ability to just, hey,
tell me what's on your mind and what you would
like to share with our listeners.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
You know, a lot of my clients, the majority are
in their fifties, sixties, and seventies. I love helping people
transition into retirement. That's one of my favorite things to
do or work with somebody that has a challenging diagnosis,
whether it's cancer or some sort of heart disease. And
what I see in this age group is things change
(24:38):
really rapidly and what worked for you or the body
that you knew as a younger person really starts to change.
For example, women, once you hit menopause, your cardiovascular disease
risk goes up, and your blood sugar management becomes more challenging,
and so it's really important to be flexible and be
really active in thinking about your nutrition and lifestyle in
(25:00):
new ways, and to be flexible with starting new medications
and thinking about the side effects. It's just a very
dynamic time of life, and I'm always like, let's think
about you as a whole person. Your cardiovascular your blood
sugar management, your metabolism, your cognition, your bones. I'm obsessed
with bone health, especially for my older adults. So getting
(25:20):
that personalized advice for your very changing needs as you age,
it's really important and I think it can be empowering
to people too.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Great, Doctor Hold, and this is just a wealth of information.
Go ahead and share with everybody again your website and
how they can listen to your podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Yeah, grab my podcast. I work with the Orgain protein
powder brand. They're amazing and so if you're thinking about
protein or fitness, they have some amazing products. So that's
the Good Clean Nutrition Podcast by Orgain and I'm the host.
And other than that, you can work with me directly
or follow the work that I do at Ginger Houlton
Nutrition dot com.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Doctor Holt, thank you so much for joining us on
Boomers Today. I really appreciate it and thank you everybody.
Please please be safe and we'll talk to everybody next week.
You've been listening to Boomers Today with Frank Sampson. To
learn more about today's show, visit Boomerstodayradio dot com and
(26:26):
join us next time for another edition of Boomers Today
You are listening to Boomers Today with your host Frank Sampson.
Welcome to Boomers Today. I'm your host, Frank Samson. Of course,
each week we bring you important, very useful information on
issues facing baby boomers, their parents and other loved ones.
(00:27):
And as I do on each one of our shows,
I thank all of you. And I thank all of
you because our listeners are growing each and every day,
but pretty much grow organically because you are sharing individual podcasts,
our entire show with friends and family. And I can't
thank you enough. So many of you listen to the
(00:50):
show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartRadio, Audible, or you just
go to Lex and Siri and ask them to take
you to the Boomers Today podcasts. Of course you could
go to Boomers Today radio dot com, which many of
you do as well. So again, I just want to
thank you so much for all your support. I know
(01:12):
that we you know we have one wonderful guest, and
that's why you're sharing the information with others. And I'm
not going to disappoint you today because we have with
us doctor Ginger Halton, who is a Seattle based registered dietitian,
nutritionist and owner of Doctor Ginger Halton Halton Nutrition Practice,
(01:37):
a virtual concierge practice specializing and integrative oncology, gastro intestinal disease,
and autoimmune conditions. Doctor Halton is the nutrition Clinic Coordinator
and adjunct faculty at BASTE Center for Natural Health and
hosts the Orgain Good Clean Nutrition podcast. She is author
(02:02):
of Anti Inflammatory Diet Meal Prep and How to Eat
to Beat Disease Cookbook. So, doctor Halton, thank you so
much for joining us on Boomers today. I really appreciate it.
Speaker 2 (02:13):
Thanks for having me. I'm excited to chat with you.
Speaker 1 (02:16):
Yeah, no, it's great. And then a fellow podcaster, So
I always like talking to fellow podcast ors. How long
you've been doing your podcast?
Speaker 2 (02:25):
We are entering year three and yeah, it's a really
fun podcast. We talk a lot about all the different
aspects of health and wellness hot topics. We're chatting collagen, creatine,
women's health. There's a lot of interesting stuff over there.
Speaker 1 (02:40):
That's very cool. That's great. Great, Well, we'll talk more
about that in a little bit. So I'll tell you
your field is kind of amazing.
Speaker 2 (02:51):
With all the.
Speaker 1 (02:54):
I guess options out there, people get hit with all
sorts of there are probably more books I would think
on nutrition or in your field than anything. I mean,
I could tell you if I put them all together
in my home from my wife, I would have a bookstore,
(03:15):
all right. And then you add on you know, O
zempic and everything going on with that. How do people
get through all the I hate to say noise, because
I'm sure a lot of it is good, But how
do you how do people get through all the noise?
What recommendations do you have to try to zero in
on maybe their particular needs?
Speaker 2 (03:38):
You know, Frank, I think noise is actually a good term.
It's noisy out there. And one of the number one
things people say when they come to me and want
to work together is I'm so confused. I'm hearing all
this conflicting advice, and I just want to know what's
right for me. And that really is the heart of
what we need to be doing, which is individualized or personalized.
(04:00):
I mean, there's so many different health conditions, medications, religious
or cultural dietary needs, and things change fast right when
you get into your fifties, sixties, seventies and beyond, so
everyone really needs this level of personalized care. That's very
challenging to get when you're listening to chatter online or
in social media.
Speaker 1 (04:22):
Yeah, so when you're talking to you have a patient, whatever,
what do you suggest to them?
Speaker 2 (04:34):
You know, people come to me for so many different things,
and so one important aspect is my intake form. Like
when you come work with me, You're going to tell
me every medication and supplement you're on, your medical history,
what your goals are, what kind of food you like
and don't like, you know, if you have any cultural preferences.
So even just from the beginning, when you do like
(04:55):
a free discovery call with me or start working together,
it's like very deeply perersonalized. I don't have a diet
that I just put folks on. I've got people doing
all sorts of different stuff because I've got people from
autoimmune disease, cancer, GI issues wanting to lower their cholesterol,
and I have a lot of people with rare and
unusual conditions too. So I do a lot of really
(05:16):
personalized deep work. Gotcha.
Speaker 1 (05:19):
Gotcha. So as it relates to whether it's exercise, I mean,
I you know, you hear you hear various things from
and I've interviewed a lot of people on the show,
and you know, the cardio exercise is so important building
you know, muscles because of loss of muscle mass as
(05:43):
you age. What what a what do you suggest to
people Where should they put the emphasis? I guess maybe
it depends on their age and needs, of course, but
but talk to talk to us about that, you know,
and somebody says, say they're going to go to the gym,
(06:04):
or they're going to go maybe just do things in
their own home. What should the emphasis be? Generally speaking?
Speaker 2 (06:14):
If you are reading the news and on the internet
right now, you're going to hear a lot about protein
and weightlifting. I would say that muscle mass is having
a moment. But it's really important that you meet the
recommendations for all types of exercise, and they're really clear
and they're based on health outcomes. So one hundred and
(06:35):
fifty minutes of moderate cardiovascular activity that could be taking
a walk. So if you break that down, it's about
thirty minutes most days of the week, and then on
top of that, twice a week doing some sort of
muscle strength building for the major muscle groups of the body.
And there's no like it has to be a half
hour or an hour. It's just like move your muscles
(06:57):
in a weightlifting way twice a week, so I do
like to help my clients work up to that. However,
if you are starting from zero, I don't go straight
to that one hundred and fifty minutes. I help people
set goals to work their way up. So it is
truly a combination of cardiovascular work and weightlifting. But I'm
really into strength training, especially for my older adults, because
(07:18):
it's muscle mass and metabolism building and bone help protective.
Speaker 1 (07:23):
So on the strengths training side. So you have an
older adult, let's just say they don't belong to a
local gym, and let's say they don't have a gym
in their own home, what recommendations do you have for
them that might be quite unique to help in building
(07:44):
that muscle mass.
Speaker 2 (07:46):
Yeah, you know I'd want to. I always want to
make sure folks are safe. So if you have any
cardiovascular issues, injuries, joint issues, or especially if you have
osteoporosis or bone density issues, I would want you to
talk to your doctor about maybec of physical therapist right
and getting some support that way. But you know, I
like to do body weight exercises, like you don't even
(08:09):
need heavy weights or you know, lifting like cans you
know that are quite light, like cans of beans or
what have you. I have some really simple bands like
stretchy vans that take up no room. So there's so
many things that you can do. Even getting in and
out of a chair or walking up steps, those can
be strength building in a really easy and free way.
Speaker 1 (08:31):
Yeah. I know people who are living in up and
down homes now, sage are going, you know, we should
probably get one level place. But I look at it
and go, as long as you could do it, keep
the stairs, you know, absolutely, as long as you could
do it right.
Speaker 2 (08:48):
Yeah, I was doing step ups at the gym this morning,
holding weights and stepping up over and over on a
on a platform, and that kind of training is really
functional and it mirrors like the things that you do
in your daily life. So that's some of my favorite
kind of training.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
I mean things that have been brought up in the past,
and I'll just bring up one example and maybe you
have a few more. You go, you're going shopping, right,
You're going to the grocery store, and you're looking for
that close parking space. All right, maybe don't look for
the close parking space. Maybe go to the end and
just longer walks. I mean that's just one little, maybe
(09:26):
minor example, but any others that are just in your
day to day routine that could be helpful.
Speaker 2 (09:31):
Absolutely. I mean, and you don't have to do it
all the time, but parking further away anywhere is brilliant.
Taking a short stairwell instead of an elevator. A lot
of my clients that they live in places that are
really hot or cold or wintery, they take walks in
the mall or in a shopping center that's a little
bit more safe and stable. I think you just need
(09:52):
to be creative and think about how you can fit
more activity into your daily life.
Speaker 1 (09:57):
Yeah. So there's a lot of different opinions out there.
I've had people on the show with different opinions as
it relates to you know, over the counter vitamins. Some
are very pro yeah you should take this or that,
and others go, don't waste your money, you know on it.
(10:20):
All these vitamin stuff is just all talk. What are
your thoughts there?
Speaker 2 (10:29):
Supplementation, personalized supplementation is a huge, a huge goal of
mine with my clients. So I take a food first approach.
Are you meeting your nutrient needs through food, that is possible,
but as you get older it's harder. Like some of
your nutrient needs go up. Anyone in an older age
(10:50):
needs twelve hundred milligrams of calcium. That's a lot of calcium.
You really need to know what you're doing to hit that.
Your vitamin D needs go up, your BE twelve absorb
or goes down. So there is some actual evidence based
advice for you have a higher need of nutrients. Are
you meeting it through food? If not, can we do
(11:10):
some targeted supplementation. I would say just going to the
store and grabbing random things not the way to go.
But working with someone like myself, your doctor, a nurse
who can do some testing and really look at you
as an individual, you very well might need some targeted supplementation.
But it needs to be evidence based.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
So I'd like to get your thoughts on you know,
we're as you know, I have a company and we
work with families all over the country, and I would
say the far majority of the families we work with,
their loved one has been diagnosed with some cognitive impairment
(11:50):
like Alzheimer's or other forms of dementia. What are your
thoughts on that. I have had people on let's say,
kind of they think the big cause is the food
we eat, all right, or the food we've been eating
for years, because you know, you go to parts of
(12:12):
Europe and Mediterranean, you hear about people we eat Mediterranean diet,
that some statistics are showing that less issues with cognitive
issues or dementia. What are your what are your thoughts?
Speaker 2 (12:35):
Yeah, I have a My heart really goes out to
anyone with Alzheimer's and dementia. I have it running in
my family too, so it's a passion of mine. These
conditions are really multi factoral, right, so we know that
there is some dietary component. Mediterranean has some interesting outcomes.
The Mind Diet m I n D actually is a
(12:56):
proven diet that's like Mediterranean adjacent to have really good
cognitive outcomes. A lot of this isn't going to prevent
those diseases, but maybe change the course or slow them.
But we also need to take an integrative approach. Exercise
is huge, smoking versus not smoking, drinking versus not drinking, stress, sleep, Like,
there's so many factors leading up to the development of
(13:19):
these diseases, and of course there's a lot of genetics
at play too. But the important thing is diet does matter.
What's good for the heart is good for the brain
and vice versa. And there's a lot you can do
to really support your cognitive health with aging.
Speaker 1 (13:34):
Yeah, you know you hear it over and over again,
and I'm sure you preach it too to your to
your patients. Diet and exercise, Diet and exercise. You know,
you got to it's a combination of both, right.
Speaker 2 (13:48):
It really is a lifestyle, and that is truly like
integrative holistic health. I tell people, you can have the
perfect diet, like it's so great, but if you're not
sleeping and you're in an incredible amount of stress, you
are not going to achieve your health goals.
Speaker 1 (14:04):
Yeah, absolutely so, doctor Halten. We're going to take a
real quick break, I promise, just to recognize and our sponsor,
and when we come back, we want to learn more
about what you're doing day to day and then we'll
continue with our discussion.
Speaker 2 (14:20):
How's that love it? I love talking to you about this.
Thank you?
Speaker 1 (14:23):
All right? Great? So do you know anyone who may
be concerned about an older driver? Will senior care authorities
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serve as a vital tool to facilitate older drivers and
their families as they make appropriate decisions regarding the future
(14:47):
of one safe driving career. If the individual is a
safe driver, an advisor will provide him or her with
strategies on how to remain a safe drivers they progress
through the aging process. Driving retirement is the appropriate decision,
then the individual and their family are offered possible alternatives,
(15:07):
resources and a specific plan to ensure a smooth and
successful transition from the driver's seat to the passenger seat.
So to learn more, you can go to www dot
Beyond Driving with Dignity dot com. That's www dot beyond
Driving with Dignity dot com to connect with a senior
(15:29):
care authority advisor in your area. We are back with
doctor Ginger Halton, who's a Seattle based registered dietitian, nutritionists
and owner of doctor Ginger Halton Nutrition Practice. So, doctor Halton,
you're in Seattle, as we've mentioned a couple times, but concierge,
(15:50):
so are you able to service families outside of Seattle
or the state of Washington.
Speaker 2 (15:59):
Yeah, that's a really fun thing about being a virtual practice.
I work with people all over the country and then
I can really reach a wider audience. I do a
lot of East Coast work, and so yeah, you can
jump on a zoom or a call with me and
we can work together that way, which is really fun.
Speaker 1 (16:16):
That's great. That's great. So tell us, I know you've written,
you're the author of a book, tell us a little
bit more just about your practice, and tell us a
little bit about your book and how people can find that.
Speaker 2 (16:35):
Yeah. Absolutely, I do run a full time private practice
and so Ginger Holton Nutrition. You can book a free
discovery call on there, and I work with people all
over the country. I am a CSO, which is a
board certification in oncology nutrition. So I do a lot
of cancer work and that's a big passion of mine.
But I also do autoimmune work and other chronic conditions,
(16:57):
helping lower your cholesterol, blood pressure, anything that you've got
going on, digestive issues. So I really have a pretty
broad spectrum of clinical and integrative nutrition practice. I've been
doing it for a long time, about fifteen years. Not
everyone's able to work with me one on one, of course,
and so I did write the book Anti Inflammatory Diet
(17:17):
Meal Prep, and I really am excited that I was
able to bring an anti inflammatory diet that's so evidence
based and approachable to everybody. So you can even get
that book a lot of times at the library and
it really helps people, and it's not restrictive like some
anti inflammatory diets, and it really I think is perfect
for anyone focusing on cognitive health or aging. And I
(17:41):
also have the How To Eat to Beat Disease Cookbook,
and that is based on some of the foundational work
of doctor William Lee, who wrote How to Eat to
Beat Disease, which is an excellent book that I recommend,
but mine is the like how to cookbook version of
that really focused on gut, microbiome inflammation and longevity. And again,
and you know, these books really help me reach a
(18:02):
wider audience and be more approachable and get to work
in quotes with lots and lots of people around the country.
Speaker 1 (18:09):
Yeah. Great, Well, I know you're a doctor, and that's
important as we talk about medications, so I'm sure you
have you know, patients that are taking not just over
the counter but prescription medic medications, and I would think
(18:29):
that they may have an impact in some way, shape
or form relative to their nutrition planning, etc. So talk
to us a little bit about that and feel free
to get specific if you would like on that.
Speaker 2 (18:43):
Yeah, this is really important and to highlight I'm a
doctor of clinical nutrition, so I'm not an actual medical doctor,
but that's important because I still as a dietitian, I
really am looking at what medications you're on and how
they interact with nutrients. And a lot of my patients
really need the medications are on, but it's just important
(19:04):
to know what the potential impacts could be. So like
very common form and to manage blood sugar that can
actually impact BE twelve absorption over time, so you should
be thinking about that. Diuretics a lot of people are
on them for blood pressure and other issues that can
create some electrolyte issues. Sodium potacity a magnesium PPI is
(19:25):
so to control heartburn. A lot of people are on that,
but there is some implications for B twelve calcium, iron, magnesium.
So the messages not to not take the medications. It's
make sure that you're working with a registered dietitian and
talking to your doctor about do I need to supplement
or think about my diet because of this medication I'm on.
And how what are the nutrition related side effects?
Speaker 1 (19:48):
Gotcha? Great? Great, so let's talk about We'll go back
to the food and eating rite. And I know that,
you know, my doctor made comment to me one time saying,
don't go to restaurants. You know that often too much salt.
All right, too much salt at the restaurants. But talk
(20:10):
talk to us about that. I mean someone, I mean,
there's people that love cooking love I'm one that I
wish I did. I don't love it all right, but
I know a lot of people who do. I wish
I loved it. And I'm gonna try to like it
better because you probably eat better, eat you know, eat
(20:33):
the right foods, you know, less salt and all the
other things. So how do you address that with with
your patience relative to you know, their ability to make
the right foods at home and all that. What if
they just don't have the knack for cooking.
Speaker 2 (20:56):
Yeah, some people don't have the passions, some people don't
have the knack, some people don't have the skills or knowledge,
and some people have some physical or cognitive limitations where
they really can't cook effectively. I don't know. I dine
out in restaurants a lot. There's some amazing ones here
in Seattle for my clients that have needs like low sodium,
low saturated fat, things like that. It really is about
(21:19):
planning ahead, looking at the menu and asking the right questions.
You know, sauce on the side, can you grill this
instead of fry it? Dressing on the side? Can I
sub in some veggies? Can you not use butter? So
there's definitely a personal advocacy communication that's helpful. That's really
(21:40):
where I start with folks. There are some amazing meal
delivery systems now there's some really great frozen food options.
So I do like to look at each person. What
are your skills, what's your budget? You know, what's your
desire to cook? And how can we help you within
those parameters?
Speaker 1 (21:58):
So you know, you hear listen. I hear adult children
talking to their parents quite often. I hear those conversations
that go on, and it seems as though I hear
quite often, Dad, you shouldn't eat that. Mom, you know,
(22:20):
don't eat those, don't hate that you What are your
suggestions to those adult children out there and how they
talk to their parents or other loved ones. Relative to
giving suggestions in a positive way.
Speaker 2 (22:36):
I guess yeah. I mean, first of all, of course
it's incredibly well meaning, of course, but what happens is,
you know, you'll hear things like, well, I've been eating
this way my whole life, or you know, I'm not
going to change now. I hear that from my older adults,
and I think in some ways they're right. You know,
food is comfort, food is familiarity, food is love. Food
(22:57):
has this really deep emotional connection, and it's not so
easy to just change what you've been doing for five
fifty years all of a sudden right. As a dietician,
we use a form of counseling called motivational interviewing, where
I ask open ended questions and try to get their
own motivation. You can't make somebody change, but you can
work with them, right, Hey, I know you want to
(23:19):
control your blood pressure? Is that important to you? Yes? Great,
I have some ideas. Are you open to listening to
them and maybe making some changes. Somebody could say yes
or no, but I do think coming at it with
a really open mind, and that's my role as a dietician.
A lot of families hire me to help play that
role so that it takes some of the pressure off
of them because you don't want to be in conflict
(23:40):
with your loved ones. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (23:43):
Good, very good point. So we just we just have
a few minutes left. So I want to kind of
kind of give you an open ended question, and that
is just, you know, just your words of wisdom or
anything that you would like to get across to our
listeners at all. You know, instead of pointing the question
(24:07):
to you, we'll give you kind of the ability to just, hey,
tell me what's on your mind and what you would
like to share with our listeners.
Speaker 2 (24:17):
You know, a lot of my clients, the majority are
in their fifties, sixties, and seventies. I love helping people
transition into retirement. That's one of my favorite things to
do or work with somebody that has a challenging diagnosis,
whether it's cancer or some sort of heart disease. And
what I see in this age group is things change
(24:38):
really rapidly and what worked for you or the body
that you knew as a younger person really starts to change.
For example, women, once you hit menopause, your cardiovascular disease
risk goes up, and your blood sugar management becomes more challenging,
and so it's really important to be flexible and be
really active in thinking about your nutrition and lifestyle in
(25:00):
new ways, and to be flexible with starting new medications
and thinking about the side effects. It's just a very
dynamic time of life, and I'm always like, let's think
about you as a whole person. Your cardiovascular your blood
sugar management, your metabolism, your cognition, your bones. I'm obsessed
with bone health, especially for my older adults. So getting
(25:20):
that personalized advice for your very changing needs as you age,
it's really important and I think it can be empowering
to people too.
Speaker 1 (25:29):
Great, Doctor Hold, and this is just a wealth of information.
Go ahead and share with everybody again your website and
how they can listen to your podcast.
Speaker 2 (25:40):
Yeah, grab my podcast. I work with the Orgain protein
powder brand. They're amazing and so if you're thinking about
protein or fitness, they have some amazing products. So that's
the Good Clean Nutrition Podcast by Orgain and I'm the host.
And other than that, you can work with me directly
or follow the work that I do at Ginger Houlton
Nutrition dot com.
Speaker 1 (26:03):
Doctor Holt, thank you so much for joining us on
Boomers Today. I really appreciate it and thank you everybody.
Please please be safe and we'll talk to everybody next week.
You've been listening to Boomers Today with Frank Sampson. To
learn more about today's show, visit Boomerstodayradio dot com and
(26:26):
join us next time for another edition of Boomers Today
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