Question 1: How/why did you become a health coach?
Renata Petecka: It all started with my own health problems!
A few years ago I was diagnosed with high cholesterol. That was a wake-up call for me because I have a family history of heart disease. I had 2 options. One option was to take a medication for the rest of my life, serious side effects and all, and still not be heart attack proof. Or, look for an alternative option.
I chose Plan B and signed up for a six-week challenge program at the Wellness Foundation and this six weeks really changed my life! In just six weeks I started to feel completely different: I had more energy, I slept better, my headaches went away, my sugar cravings disappeared, I lost 6 pounds (while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first time in my life!) AND my total cholesterol dropped 60 points!
I was so intrigued with these dramatic changes that two months later I decided to go back to school and study nutrition. I signed up for a program at IIN and became a certified professional health coach. In my practice I specialize in all my own past problems: I help clients lower their cholesterol, I work with sugar addictions, and I offer a weight loss program and cleanses.
Q 2: Why people need health coaches?
RP: A Health coach is a unique creature - a combination of nutritionist, therapist, life coach, cook and best friend all wrapped up in one special person! Doesn’t it sound great?
Most people need coaches to help make the transformation in their diet and life style easy and permanent. Someone who keeps them accountable and focused on their goals. The health coaching I practice is unique because it’s not only about the food we eat but the relationship between our diet and the other elements of our life like: relationships, family life, career, physical activity and even spirituality. My Health Coaching program is not another fad diet, it’s a health investment, that will help you change your eating habits and your life style forever so you never have to go on another diet again.
Q 3: What is wrong with processed foods?
RP: They make us fat, sick and ugly! Eating this kind of diet is like digging our own graves with forks and knives.
Processed foods are high in fat, sugar and sodium, artificially colored, genetically modified, and low in fiber quick fixes that in the long run make us sick, fat and shorten our life. The most popular processed foods are white pasta, bread, rice, cookies, candies, oils, white flour, sodas and all packaged food. If something is in the package it’s processed. Packages don’t grow on the trees. According to US consumption data over 60% of our diet is made up of processed food.
Eating this kind of food has been linked to all common diseases like cancer, heart problems, diabetes, obesity and a range of autoimmune diseases. Many food producing companies will use addictive substances like fat, sugar and sodium to make sure that we get hooked and come back for more.
Q 4: What is wrong with the Standard American Diet?
RP: SAD diet! As the name suggests it’s a diet that should make you sad if you understand what it does to you.
According to US food consumption data more than 60% of our calories come from processed food, 33% comes from meat and dairy products and only about 7% from fruits and vegetables (less than 5% if you don’t count chips, fries and other fried potatoes!). The results are SAD: at least half of all Americans are overweight and more than a 1/3 are obese.
Modern common diseases that are linked to our diet are sky rocketing: heart diseases, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune diseases. We are indeed digging our own graves with our knives and forks.
A diet based on milk, cheese, pasta, bread, fried foods and sugar-filled snacks and drinks is creating a series of national health problems. Its not that these foods – in small quantities are all harmful; but the problem starts when these kinds of food dominate our diet. With only about 5% of calories coming from fruits, vegetables and whole grains –foods that are not only nutrient rich but lower in calories -we continue to see a worsening of these health problems.
Q 5: What is the ideal diet?
RP: It’s beautiful, colorful, full of nutrients, makes you slim, healthy and young!
AND… It tastes great and you can eat as much as you want!
The ideal diet for great health, ideal weight and long life free of diseases is based on natural unprocessed whole foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and legumes – foods rich in vitamins, minerals, phytochemicals, enzymes and fiber. These foods are rich in nutrients and low in calories so we can eat and not worry about counting calories, stay thin and healthy. How perfect is that! This kind of diet protects our health and our waistline at the same time. The key is make it a central part of your meal plan and your plate each day.
Q 6: What does it mean to be plant strong? What are the benefits?
RP: The more fruit and vegetables you eat the stronger you are!
Do you remember the cartoon character Popeye? He always got his strength from eating his spinach.
Well, the variety of food you can choose from is much larger than that but you get the point. It’s a diet based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, rich in fiber.
It’s truly like a fountain of youth! Because plant strong diets can slow the aging process in a number of ways.
However, I am not talking about eliminating all processed food from your diet tomorrow or that you have to become a vegan but it is about balancing our diet and significantly reducing our dependence on processed foods, meat and dairy products.
Q 7: Is sugar addictive? How do I deal with my sugar cravings?
RP: Sugar is like a cocaine! The more you eat the more you want! IT IS SUPERADDICTIVE!
Americans consume about 150 pounds of sugar a year per person. Sugar is in everything from breakfast cereal, bread, baby food, yogurts, juices, mustard, ketchup … EVERYTHING! That’s why it’s very difficult to break the addiction. Sugar can create serious problems in our health: it’s a main cause of obesity and diabetes, heart problems, cancer, osteoporosis and kidney damage.
The best way to address a sugar addiction is to go off processed foods and go on a short term cleanse to eliminate sugar from your diet.
I was a total sugar addict for many years and didn’t realize it for a long time. When I changed my diet I noticed that I don’t crave sugar the same way. I still enjoy my dessert from time to time but I don’t think about having sweets all the time.
Q 8: Are there natural ways to lower my cholesterol?
RP: I did it in six weeks, so it’s absolutely possible and you see results quickly.
The first step is to go off processed foods and eat food which has low cholesterol. Only animal products contain cholesterol. There is no cholesterol in plants. So it’s important to increase intake of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans and eat less animal products. Again, it’s all about balance. Unfortunately, most people have diets that are out of balance.
Q 9: What does cleansing mean and what are the benefits?
RP: The same way you have to clean your closet, attic and garage from time to time because we accumulate stuff we don’t need or use, our body accumulates toxins and undigested food that we have to get rid off. Cleansing is giving our body a break from rich and complicated foods and eating fruits and vegetables, light salads and soups and drinking lots of fresh fruit and vegetable juices and water.
There are many benefits of cleansing: we may lose a few pounds, our skin will glow, we will get rid of harmful toxins, we will rehydrate, and we will get a burst of vitamins, minerals, nutrients.
AND, we will begin to reduce our body’s acidity level. To oversimplify, germs and bacteria love acidic environments. So, when our diet is too acidic it can be the cause of a range of health problems from minor inflammations to serious cancers.
And guess what foods are the most acidic… processed foods, and meat and dairy products, which are high in amino acids.
Cleanses can get us back on the right track.
Q 10: How to get ready for cruise season?
RP: The easiest way is to call a coach and make an appointment for a consultation.
We make a plan and set goals for your program. Next step will be a pantry and frig makeover, we’ll clear out all processed and unhealthy food from your home, go shopping, we’ll start hydrating – drinking at list 8 glasses of water a day and then we’ll start making changes in your diet one meal at the time. This are just some of my tips I would like to share with you today and if you would like to know the rest give me a call and we can set up an appointment.