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The Plant Powered Collective Podcast helps women in their 40s, 50s, and beyond live vibrantly and nourish boldly. Hosted by integrative nutrition coach Lori Willinski, each episode blends science-backed nutrition with approachable strategies for hormone balance, energy, and healthy aging. Rooted in lifestyle medicine and personalized coaching, Lori shares her story of thriving on plants since age 14 and managing autoimmune disease with nutrition. Discover how a plant powered lifestyle fuels not only your health, but also your leadership and your future self.
Welcome back to the Plant Powered Collective podcast. I'm Lori Walinski, founder of the Plant Powered Collective and your guide as we explore how nutrition and lifestyle can help you boldly and vibrantly. If you're joining me for the first time, welcome! Around here we talk about what nourishes us on the plate and around the plate because health is about so much more than calories. It's about building a life that supports your energy, your brain, your purpose and your future.
Speaker 1:Today's conversation is deeply personal to me. Many of you know my father is living with dementia and primary progressive aphasia. And he is also living with me at the moment. Unlike Alzheimer's disease, which often begins with memory loss, primary progressive aphasia primarily affects language. It gradually changes a person's ability to find words, communicate, and even understand language because of the progressive degeneration in the areas of the brain responsible for speech and language.
Speaker 1:Watching my father has taught me something I never expected. Every meal is an opportunity. Not because food can control every outcome, it can't. But because every nourishing choice strengthens the foundation we're building for our future, that doesn't mean perfection, it means stewardship. It means asking, How can I care well for the life I've been given today?
Speaker 1:Nutrition cannot prevent every neurological disease or reverse dementia. Research continues to show that what we eat influences inflammation, blood flow, oxidative stress, insulin resistance and the health of billions of neurons that make up our brain. That means every meal becomes an opportunity. Not for perfection, not for fear, but for nourishment. Today I will share some specific foods that have strong scientific evidence for supporting brain health, explain why they matter, and perhaps most importantly help you reframe how you think about eating.
Speaker 1:As we talk through these incredible foods today, I don't just want you to learn about them, I want you to experience them. Instead of listing dozens of foods today, I'd rather inspire your curiosity. I've created a free health foods guide that you can download from today's show notes. It includes the brain supporting ingredients we'll discuss, why they matter, and simple ways to begin incorporating them into meals you already love. Think of it as a starting point, a place to become curious because confidence begins with knowledge and knowledge grows one small shift at a time.
Speaker 1:And I'm especially excited because this September I'll be releasing something much bigger. I'm currently writing my first Plant Powered Collective book Nourish Your Brain A Philosophy for Nourishing Your Mind Today and Building Your Health for Tomorrow. It's
Speaker 2:so much
Speaker 1:more than a cookbook. It's a guide to understanding the science, discovering practical recipes, reflecting on your own journey, and learning how to confidently nourish yourself for years to come. I can't wait to share more with you the coming weeks. Let's
Speaker 2:dive into the podcast. Many people think the brain stops developing in early adulthood. It doesn't. Your brain is constantly remodeling itself. Neuroplasticity is the brain's remarkable ability to adapt throughout life.
Speaker 2:Every day your brain is making new connections, repairing existing cells, clearing waste products, producing neurotransmitters, creating protective myelin around nerves, regulating hormones, balancing inflammation. All of those jobs require nutrients. Your brain represents only about 2% of your body weight yet it uses roughly 20% of your body's energy. Think about that! For 2% of your body's weight, just about two pounds, it uses 20% of your body's energy.
Speaker 2:We have a responsibility to nourish that brain. Right? Oh, boy. That it means that your brain is incredibly metabolically active. Think about that.
Speaker 2:When I learned this, it blew my mind. I was like, wow. One out of every five calories you consume is helping power the most complex organ in your body. Food isn't just fuel. It's information.
Speaker 2:It's construction material. It's communication. It's the foundation. Let's walk through some of my favorite brain supporting foods. I love leafy greens, berries, beans, lentils, healthy fats like walnuts and flax seeds, colorful vegetables, fresh herbs.
Speaker 2:Each brings something unique to the table. Different colors, different fibers, different antioxidants, different healthy fats, different plant compounds, rather than memorizing long lists. I encourage you to become curious and ask, What could I add to this meal that would nourish my brain? Sometimes it might be spinach. Sometimes it might be herbs.
Speaker 2:Sometimes beans. Sometimes berries. Knowledge creates confidence. Confidence helps us make better decisions. You know just yesterday I had some extra rice and I always actually do a rice quinoa mix And I had some extra from the night before.
Speaker 2:So yesterday for lunch, I decided to make my father and I fried rice. So I put in a ton of vegetables, spinach, bok choy, peas. And I thought to myself, what about beans? So I put in some chickpeas. Chickpeas are a neutral bean.
Speaker 2:It doesn't have a really big taste. So when I added it, although unusual for a stir fry, it added protein. So I was just curious. Would it work? And it did.
Speaker 2:And my father liked it. I liked it. We were able to get some really great protein from not only the chickpeas but also the quinoa that was mixed with the rice. Now let's talk a little bit about blueberries. Blueberries are often called brain berries.
Speaker 2:Why? They are loaded with powerful antioxidants that help protect brain cells from oxidative stress. Research suggests that blueberries may improve memory, learning, and communication between neurons. And frozen blueberries work beautifully. Don't think that they have to be fresh.
Speaker 2:I always keep a bag in my freezer. Last night, well, actually this morning because I was up around 1AM, I woke up out of a sound sleep and the first thought was that I didn't have any eggs for my father for breakfast. You know I'm still getting used to having a meat eater in the house. But I smiled because I realized my pantry had prepared me for that very moment. When I didn't have an ingredient I could go back to my pantry.
Speaker 2:And the pantry isn't just dry foods on a shelf inside your pantry. It's also what's in your refrigerator, what's in your freezer. So last night at 1AM, I didn't have to think about a special trip to the grocery store, and I didn't need a complicated recipe. The small shifts I've made over time had strengthened my foundation, And that's what healthy systems do. They make nourishing yourself easier.
Speaker 2:I had all the ingredients for one of my favorite recipes, blueberry walnut overnight oats. So I got up, combined the rolled oats, blueberries, walnuts, ground flax seeds, chia seeds, cinnamon, almond milk, and a little vanilla. Took about five minutes to prepare. And in the morning, my father and I had a breakfast packed with fiber, healthy fats, plant protein, antioxidants, and sustained energy for our brains. This simple recipe is proof that nourishing food doesn't have to be complicated and all the ingredients can be on hand and that makes it really easy to make.
Speaker 2:One of my favorite things about cooking is that it reminds me that I'm not just following instructions. I'm creating. I often tell my coaching clients to think of themselves as artists. Recipes aren't rules. They're inspiration.
Speaker 2:Taste, experiment, adjust, and become curious. Over time, you'll discover what nourishes you. That's where confidence begins. Now let's talk honestly. This isn't about shame.
Speaker 2:It's about awareness. And when I said it's not about shame and it's about awareness I'm talking about ultra processed foods. Ultra processed foods are often engineered for maximum palability. They're designed to keep us eating. Many are high in refined sugars, refined starches, unhealthy fats, sodium, and additives while being low in fiber and beneficial plant compounds.
Speaker 2:You'd be surprised at how many even savory processed foods have refined sugars in them. The challenge isn't enjoying the birthday cake. Goodness knows I love a birthday cake, and I'm actually going to a birthday party tonight and I am planning on having birthday cake. The challenge is when birthday cake becomes breakfast. Oh, when packaged snacks replace real meals day after day.
Speaker 2:If you've listened to the podcast, you know I have a story behind me recommitting and getting curious again about nutrition. During menopause, I had gained a significant amount of weight from me. And then when my then husband sent me the email that he had another family and we subsequently ended up getting a divorce and I recommitted to my health. I got curious again about my nutrition. And one thing I gave up were protein bars.
Speaker 2:Every morning I would get a protein bar that would be my morning breakfast. I thought it was great. It was 13 grams of protein, and I thought that that was healthy. But when I switched the protein bar and I didn't make a lot of other switches in my life. But when I switched that protein bar to a smoothie or when I switched the protein bar that was processed to a tofu scramble made all the difference.
Speaker 2:So a lot of times, these ultra processed foods leave us undernourished. You can be overfed and undernourished at exactly the same time. And that's an important distinction. So every time you think about that processed food, if it has more than five ingredients, or it has an ingredient that you have no idea what it is, that's an ultra processed food. So it's just something to be curious about.
Speaker 2:Knowledge is power. Knowledge creates confidence, and confidence creates our nutritional foundation. So this is a mindset shift I hope you'll carry with you. Instead of asking, What should I eliminate? Ask and reframe the question, how is this nourishing me?
Speaker 2:Imagine holding your lunch. Pause. Ask yourself, how is this nourishing me today? Is it giving me protein, fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, color, energy? And then ask, how is this helping me build my health for tomorrow?
Speaker 2:Will this support my brain, my heart, my gut, my muscles, my future independence? Notice neither question says you can't enjoy delicious food. I love beautiful meals. I love gathering around the table. Food is culture and food is family and food is celebration and it should be delicious because celebrations should be delicious.
Speaker 2:We're simply shifting the center of the plate towards nourishment. One of the things I teach my coaching clients is that every meal tells a story. Instead of asking, Can I eat this? Ask, What is this meal doing for me? Is it helping my brain?
Speaker 2:Is it helping my hormones? Is it supporting my gut? Is it helping me have the energy to show up for the people I love? Including myself. Food becomes much less about rules and much more about purpose.
Speaker 2:That's a completely different relationship with eating. And if you're not sure what this looks like for your body, that's exactly why I offer a complimentary discovery session. Together, we identify your bio individual nutrition opportunities because no two people have exactly the same health history, health goals, lifestyle, or challenges. My role isn't to hand you a diet. I don't like diets.
Speaker 2:I like creating lifestyles so that it's sustainable, so as to help you build a way of eating that supports the life you want to live. So what does this exactly look like? One of the number one questions I hear is, Laurie, I understand why, but how do I make this work? Here's my answer. One of the biggest shifts we can make isn't changing what's on the plate.
Speaker 2:It's changing the conversation we're having with ourselves. Instead of asking, what can't I eat? Try asking, again, how is this nourishing me today? Then ask, how is this strengthening the foundation I'm building for tomorrow? Those two questions completely change the relationship we have with food.
Speaker 2:Food stops becoming something we control. It becomes something that cares for us. One of the philosophies you'll hear me talk about often is this. Knowledge leads to curiosity. Curiosity inspires small shifts.
Speaker 2:Small shifts build confidence. Confidence grows in stewardship. And stewardship helps us live vibrant, meaningful lives. You don't have to make every change today. You simply need one small shift.
Speaker 2:That's where every strong foundation begins. Here is where logistics become important. Healthy eating doesn't happen because we have more motivation. I don't believe healthy living is built on willpower, quite frankly. I believe it's built on systems that quietly support us, like a stocked pantry.
Speaker 2:That certainly helped me at 1AM this morning when I realized I didn't have eggs for my dad, and I was able to make an even better meal for him that, quite frankly, I think he liked it even better. Systems also include a bowl of fresh fruit on the counter, frozen berries in the freezer, cooked grains ready to go like yesterday when I had the rice quinoa mix and I was able to make a a really nice stir fried rice for lunch. Small preparations create confident decisions. One of my favorite coaching questions is, what can I add? Can I add spinach?
Speaker 2:Can I add berries? Can I can we add beans? How about herbs? Another vegetable. Oh, what about another plant this week?
Speaker 2:Something I've never tried before. This week, I'm trying a watermelon radish. And I've had them before in restaurants, but now I have them at home and I get to prepare them at home. And I I was just listening to a podcast, and one of the chefs mentioned a radish miso soup, and it sounded delicious. So I'm gonna try that.
Speaker 2:Anyway, back into focus. When we focus on adding nourishment, many of the less nourishing foods naturally take up less space. They don't exist anymore in your pantry. Instead, things like nuts and seeds exist in your pantry. Nourishment feels abundant instead of restrictive.
Speaker 2:Before we finish today, I'd like to leave you with this thought. The goal isn't to eat like me. The goal is to learn how to nourish yourself because every meal is another opportunity to strengthen your foundation. Not perfectly, intentionally. One small shift, one meal, one conversation, one season of life at a time.
Speaker 2:If today's episode sparked your curiosity, be sure to download the free Brain Healthy Foods Guide from today's show notes. And if you'd like someone to walk beside you as you discover what nourishes you, I'd love to invite you
Speaker 1:to schedule a complimentary integrative nutrition discovery session.
Speaker 2:And this September, I will be sharing something very special. My first Plant Powered Collective book, Nourish Your Brain, a philosophy for nourishing your mind today and building your health for tomorrow. Over the coming weeks, I'll be giving you a behind the scenes look as we bring this book to life together. Until next time, pull up a chair. Ask yourself, what is nourishing me on the plate?
Speaker 2:And what is nourishing me around the table? And remember, confidence is built, not bestowed. Nourish boldly so that you can live vibrantly.