Brian Taylor, the dietitian for Hillsborough County’s Department of Aging Services,
creates meals for senior centers, senior dining centers, adult day-care centers, and for delivery to seniors who can’t leave their homes. He also teaches about nutrition at the senior centers and in one-on-one conversations.
A favorite part of the job, he says, is giving food demonstrations.
“Yesterday, I made – this might not sound good, but I made an avocado chocolate pudding,’’ he says, speaking recently. “It actually turned out pretty good.’’
It’s easy, he says. He gets a medium to ripe avocado and puts it in the blender with a couple of spoonfuls of cocoa powder (100 percent cacao), adds some vanilla and maple syrup or honey or artificial sweetener.
“You want to taste it,’’ he says. “Some people like a little bit of a sweeter type of pudding so you may want to add a little more maple syrup or a little more sugar supplement. … I added some diced strawberries – strawberries are pretty good with antioxidants and heart health – and top it with a little dollop of whipped cream, just to give it a little more creaminess and some extra flavoring.’’
Taylor, who graduated from Ohio University with a degree in applied nutrition, has been the dietitian for Hillsborough’s Department of Aging Services for seven years and has worked in the field for 22 years. His interest sparked when he was in high school, he recalls.
“When I was a little kid, my parents, my mom, my grandparents, they pretty much kept me quiet by feeding me doughnuts and junk food and all kinds of unhealthy options,” he recalls. “I kind of ballooned up to being a plump little kid in school, and back in the ‘90s, it wasn’t very good. You get teased a lot.”
“But I took a health class, I think it was ninth grade, and I still remember the health teacher was talking about nutrition and he said you can have as many of these fat-free cookies as you want and you won’t gain any weight,” Taylor continues. “Well, he wasn’t really 100 percent right because you still can’t eat as many of those cookies as you want, but that started me thinking about healthy lifestyles and eating and exercising. I started going to the gym and played some sports.’’
A healthy approach
Many people try to lose weight only to give up, he notes.
“A lot of times people think it’s either all or none when they should change their thinking to: this is a continuing effort, this is a lifestyle change,” Taylor says. “This isn’t just something that’s going to happen for one or two months.’’
People should set realistic, measurable goals, such as exercising two or three times a week, he says.
“People think of weight, a number, but maybe shifting over to not just looking at weight, but how’s your blood work, how’s your cholesterol, how’s your blood pressure, your glucose? Do your clothes fit? Are they maybe getting a little bit looser? Because as we gain more muscle, the scale might go up, and that could discourage people, too. How do I feel, do I have more energy? Can I do things with my kids, my grandkids? Do I sleep better? So all of those things are what people need to refocus on and not necessarily just think of weight.’’
Meal ideas
Preparing his own meals, Taylor likes fruit and vegetables, whole grain carbohydrates, and lean proteins like fish and chicken. He suggests eating only three to four ounces of red meat once or twice a week.
For breakfast, a healthy example would be a low-sugar Greek yogurt with maybe a half cup of berries, and sprinkle chia or flax seeds on top, which adds extra nutrition. Or, Taylor suggests, a two-egg omelet with sauteed spinach, onions, and peppers, plus a whole-grain English muffin and a glass of milk.
For lunch or dinner, he likes to prepare a protein bowl. He gets instant whole grain rice that can be ready in the microwave in 90 seconds and adds spinach and a protein, perhaps salmon or chicken. He likes to put chickpeas or black beans in the mix, along with fresh chopped vegetables.
Another quick meal is a mixed green salad loaded with carrots, beans, broccoli, or other vegetables. To increase protein, you can add canned chicken, tuna, salmon, a hard-boiled egg, or left-over meats. He may sprinkle chopped almonds or walnuts on top, a little bit of cheese, and drizzle olive oil and apple cider vinegar over it, or even a little salad dressing.
Or, he prepares a small baked potato and puts salsa or cottage cheese on top for protein. For extra protein, top with diced chicken, or seasoned ground turkey, beef, or beans, and on the side, a three-ounce portion of meat or a salad.
When it comes to eating, he says he’s a big believer in moderation, in portion control.
“There’s really no such thing as bad food, but you don’t want to eat a lot of it," Taylor says.
He even eats fast food, but moderately, he says.
“One of the healthier fast food restaurants, believe it or not, is Taco Bell. You can get some lettuce, some tomatoes, and some pico de gallo on there. They have a lot of beans. As long as you don’t get the big crunchy fried taco shells and things like that.”
For more information, go to Hillsborough County Senior Meal Services