HEALTH & WELLNESS
By California Broker Magazine
March is National Nutrition Month, and this year’s theme, “Discover the Power of Nutrition,” invites us to look beyond calories and diet trends to instead focus on how food truly shapes our health and wellbeing. Despite much of the media being focused on food as a weight loss strategy, nutrition is far more powerful than that. Optimal nutrition preserves muscle, protects bones, stabilizes blood sugar, supports cognitive resilience, and reduces long-term disease risk. The power of nutrition does have a kryptonite though, and that is the increasing dominance of ultra-processed foods in our daily diets.
Today, ultra-processed foods (aka UPFs) account for nearly 60% of total calorie intake for U.S. adults, according to national dietary data. Sometimes known as “frankenfoods,” ultra-processed foods go further than a can of pre-cooked beans. They are food-like formulations made of refined starches, added sugars, emulsifiers, flavor enhancers, isolated proteins, and synthetic stabilizers. Originally designed to be inexpensive and convenient while shelf-stable and hyper-palatable, ultra-processed foods have become the norm for daily eating, and this is coming at a cost for us as consumers.
To understand the power of real foods, we need to first understand the dangers of ultra-processed foods. Much research has been done on this category of foods in recent years, and results have shown higher intake of ultra-processed foods is correlated with significantly increased risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, many cancers, depression, and all-cause mortality overall. In addition to these metabolic conditions, consistently elevated intake of ultra-processed foods is also linked to reduced microbiome diversity, lack of satiation from eating, and systemic inflammation due to being devoid of fiber and many antioxidants. For aging populations, these patterns carry additional risk since metabolic instability and chronic inflammation are closely related to sarcopenia, osteoporosis, increased fall risk, and hastened cognitive decline.
The solution to the ultra-processed food problem is complex, and there is no one right answer. While minimizing ultra-processed foods is the goal, that may not be realistic for many who live on a budget, live in food deserts, are not independent enough to shop or cook their own meals, or who simply live busy lives and rely on convenience eating. I propose to my clients, rather, to focus on what they can ADD to their diet to enhance the power of their nutrition. From preschool classrooms to my seniors at the wellness center, I advocate for three main areas of nutrition focus: fiber, protein, and real food ingredients.
1. The Power of Fiber
The average American consumes approximately 15 grams of fiber per day, well below the recommended 25–38 grams. Fiber is crucial for a healthy functioning gut and for satiation. Because of its ability to slow digestion and promote healthy bacterial growth, fiber also plays a central role in metabolic and cognitive health. Higher fiber intake is associated with improved blood sugar regulation, lower LDL cholesterol, reduced risk of cardiovascular disease, enhanced gut motility, enhanced gut diversity, and lower risk of many cancers. The minimum daily dose for these benefits is 25g, which looks like five cups of plant foods. If you eat two cups of plant foods at lunch and at dinner, that’s only one more cup you can eat for a snack—mix into your scrambled eggs or blend into a smoothie. Try to think outside the box—eating plants doesn’t have to mean raw salads all the time. Roasted broccoli happens to be a favorite of my 6-year-old, while my 4-year-old would munch on salted pumpkin seeds all day if I let him. Beans, lentils, berries, leafy greens, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and any vegetable—they all count toward that daily fiber.
2. The Power of Protein
Protein intake is another overlooked factor, particularly in aging populations. Many older adults consume insufficient protein, especially at breakfast. When protein is consumed adequately, we see better muscle mass, maintained bone density, better balance and strength, and improved quality of life. Muscle mass is directly tied to fall prevention and independence. Loss of muscle accelerates disability and increases hospitalization risk. While the recommended daily need is 1.2-1.6g/kg body weight per day, a helpful target for many adults is 20–30 grams of protein per meal, spaced throughout the day. Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, or protein powder work great for morning meals. Canned fish is one of my favorite recommendations for lunch proteins since it is so easy. And dinners can be anything from steak or chicken to tofu or lentil soup. What I love about protein—and fiber—is that they are so filling that meeting recommended guidelines often goes hand-in-hand with less intake of ultra-processed foods without even trying.
3. The Power of Real Ingredients
This one is easy, and there are no equations to remember. Just read ingredient lists on packaged foods and stick to the rule that it should read like a recipe and not like a science experiment. If the ingredients are items you might see in your kitchen or at least on a recipe somewhere, you can usually bet it’s made of real food and is not ultra-processed. On the other hand, if the ingredients are unrecognizable and sound like something you’d find in your high school chemistry class or, worse, in your garage bin of chemicals, maybe look for an alternative.
4. The Power of a Dietitian
The above advice will take you far, but there may be instances where you or your clients need to dig a bit deeper into your nutrition profile to really make sweeping change. For instance, if osteoporosis is a concern, you may need to do a comprehensive evaluation of your intake of vitamin D, calcium, magnesium, and protein. If diabetes is not being managed well, we may want to do some continuous glucose monitoring to pinpoint where blood sugar spikes are occurring. This is where professional nutrition guidance becomes a powerful tool. At St. Jude Wellness Center, our dietitians have two unique consultation services that can help to narrow in on real food strategies to improve whatever health risk might need more dietary changes than the basics I have outlined above.
- Comprehensive nutrient analysis: By entering your daily food intake data into validated software, we can identify nutrient gaps, from fiber and protein to micronutrients like calcium and magnesium.
- Continuous Glucose Monitoring (CGM) interpretation: CGMs generate real-time blood sugar data, but interpretation is key. We help clients identify patterns from the data, reduce glucose variability, and optimize meal timing and composition.
Sometimes we simply need to focus on real food strategies like fiber, protein, and ingredients to get truly valuable outcomes for our health. Sometimes deeper dives are essential to turn the tide of condition management, and that’s where professionals are invaluable. Whether working on the basics or getting into the nitty-gritty, discovering the power of real food nutrition is a powerful—and delicious—strategy for long-term health outcomes.
Dietitian-led Programs at St. Jude Wellness Center
In addition to our private dietitian services, we also offer comprehensive programs to help navigate the world of nutrition. Our virtual meal planning masterclass “The Meal Theme Method” is a series of classes designed by a registered dietitian to teach a simple system for building balanced meals each week that fit your household needs without feeling overwhelmed. This course starts in late March, and registration is open to anyone. Free webinars and virtual cooking classes are also offered consistently to enhance listener education on a variety of nutrition and wellness topics. Register for our events and sign up for our newsletter.
St. Jude Wellness Center March Webinars:
Webinar: Ultra-Processed Foods with Megan W.
Mon 3/16/2026, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
Most people know that fruits and vegetables are healthy and a fast food burger with fries is not. But what about your morning cereal, that bread on your sandwich, or that ‘calorie smart’ meal you ordered on the way home? Join Megan for an informative webinar on the nutritional impacts of various ingredients and levels of processing.
Cost: Free
Zoom registration emailed to you upon registration.
The Meal Theme Method:
A Meal Planning Masterseries with Megan W.
3/23/2026 – 4/6/2026 From: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
This masterseries is a 3-week practical course designed to help busy adults simplify meal planning to meet health goals and ever-changing schedule needs. Our dietitian will teach a repeatable meal planning system to build balanced meals using a simple template to create structure without rigidity. Participants will learn what it means to build a balanced meal, how to modify meals for your health needs, and create a 3-week meal rotation strategy using our meal theme method. The meal theme template and a sample 1-week meal plan will be provided.
Cost: $65 for the series
Megan Wroe, MS, RD, CNE, CLEC, is a registered dietitian and Manager of St. Jude Wellness Center, an integrated program of Providence St. Jude Medical Center. She leads a multidisciplinary team providing nutrition, fitness, mind-body therapies, and preventive wellness services that support the hospital’s mission of whole-person care. Megan partners with community organizations and insurance professionals to advance preventive health strategies that help reduce chronic disease risk, promote healthy aging, and improve quality of life for Medicare and senior populations.
From single offering services and packages to virtual comprehensive programs for larger employee populations, the wellness center team will create a wellness package based on the health needs and interests of your clients and groups. Learn more about the wellness center and their upcoming programs at their website.
Providence St. Jude Medical Center – megan.wroe@stjoe.org – www.stjudewellnesscenter.org