Expert Profile: Krista Scott-Dixon

It’s hard enough staying lean and healthy with all of life’s challenges and temptations. Imagine if you wrote about food all day long too. Krista Scott-Dixon is the Editor-in-Chief of Spezzatino magazine and the Research Director of the Healthy Food Bank. In her spare time, she runs the women’s weight training site Stumptuous.com.

Krista, before

In the mid-1990s, as a sedentary PhD student, Krista packed over 50 extra pounds on her 5-foot frame, thanks to the era’s obsession with all things low-fat. “I was eating plates of plain pasta, bowls of steamed rice, toast with jam, and ‘fat-free’ cookies… and starving all the time,” she says. “I read the Ornish Diet books and the promises of magical weight loss never seemed to materialize. I just kept getting fatter and fatter.”

Krista doesn’t have genetics on her side either. “My whole family struggles with their weight. We’re the Endomorph Family. There isn’t a single ‘naturally thin’ person among us. We’re all short and stocky, genetically engineered to survive an Eastern European famine. And we all have big appetites and love to eat.” Most of her relatives are overweight or obese.

It seemed to Krista as though the deck was stacked against her. She loved food, but she was short, stocky and sedentary (it was the combination of “stumpy” and “voluptuous” that provided inspiration for the name “Stumptuous”). She wasn’t naturally inclined towards sports. She was always hungry. As a grad student, she couldn’t even afford a gym membership. And then one day, standing in a store, considering the purchase of a size-18 pair of pants, she snapped.

The next day she put on one of the only things that still fit her -– an old pair of sweat pants stolen from her sister’s boyfriend -– and hauled herself out to the high school track and started walking. She walked and walked, imagining a drill sergeant on the sidelines cheering her on. Each day, she walked for an hour. Eventually, she saved enough money to be able to afford the local fitness centre membership.

Krista started lifting weights in 1996, and learned about bodybuilding-style nutrition. Back then, weight lifters were all about the protein, with little mention of nutrient quality, but it was a start. Frustrated by “experts” that advised women to lift tiny weights for fear of “bulking up” (a tradition that continues, as Madonna’s trainer recently proclaimed that women shouldn’t lift anything heavier than three pounds), Krista hit the university library and started reading original research. She began Stumptuous.com that year because she couldn’t find any good information on weight training for women. And she knew other women might be in the same predicament.

Training was going great, but food was still a challenge. In 1998, Krista went to Italy and was struck by the quality and flavour of the food, as well as the ways in which people seemed to care deeply about what they ate. In the early 2000s, Krista read more of John Berardi’s work. One sentence in particular resonated with her: “The one thing standing between you and meeting your goals is your nutrition.” Well, she reasoned, she didn’t have any genetic advantages nor natural ability. So she might as well give better nutrition a try! Soon she was eating PN-style: protein plus fruits and vegetables for most meals, and feeling great.

In January 2003, Krista’s father had his first heart attack. And then his second. As she sat with him in the cardiac ICU while he described all the poor eating he’d done, she vowed that she would never face this same hereditary fate willingly. She left the hospital with renewed energy and devoured everything she could find on nutrition and heart disease, antioxidants, and anti-inflammatory nutrition. She quit sugar cold turkey and dumped the last vestiges of junk food. She filled her diet with colourful fruits and vegetables. And she hit the gym to deal with the stress, rather than cutting out activity.

In 2005 Krista realized she was intolerant to cow’s milk, and in 2007 she figured out she was intolerant to grains too. (Oh yes, her family history also includes autoimmune diseases.) As soon as she got rid of both these food groups, a host of mysterious symptoms that had plagued her since her teenage years, such as digestive upset, snuffles, and skin rashes mysteriously disappeared. (Always the science-minded type, Krista entertained herself for a while by turning allergy symptoms on and off by consuming grains, timing the interval between bread consumption and onset of sneezing.)

These dietary restrictions presented new challenges, but also new opportunities for innovative food preparation. For example, coconut, seeds, and nuts can often substitute for flour when ground in a coffee grinder. Chia and flax seeds will soak up water well, so they’re good porridge substitutes. Grains such as quinoa, amaranth and wild rice (Krista avoids most other gluten-containing grains such as wheat, rye, and oats) can be soaked, fermented, and/or sprouted to help degrade the lectins that can stimulate the inflammatory response. She sprouts or soaks grains by simply leaving them on the counter in a Mason jar full of water for a couple of days. Grains are consumed sparingly, though — fruits and vegetables provide the bulk of carbohydrates.

These days, Krista easily maintains a bodyfat level in the teens despite a sedentary job. She follows PN-style nutrition very closely. She doesn’t supplement much, and prefers real food – and the PN-style menu as well as the restrictions on her diet give her some fun new kitchen challenges. “Good food should taste good,” she argues. “You shouldn’t sacrifice food’s enjoyment just because you’re eating healthy. Most people who think they can’t eat healthy and enjoy it don’t know how to cook. In North America, we don’t always know what good food truly is. We buy industrially produced food with a ‘perfect’, uniform look, but we don’t consider environmental consequences, nutrition… or even whether it truly tastes good.”

She lifts weights 5 days a week with a mix of heavy and conditioning days, plus interval cardio and plenty of walking. She took up Brazilian jiu-jitsu in 2007, and trains some form of grappling 3-4 days a week.

After reading the research on the benefits of intermittent fasting, she decided to give it a try, and now occasionally incorporates an IF day into her PN-style eating. She feels it’s improved her blood sugar and insulin sensitivity, and she says her bloodwork is “as good as the tests can measure”. Psychologically it’s helped her realize that being hungry is not an emergency. “I used to panic when I’d be stuck in three-hour meetings without food,” she says. “Now I realize I’ll be OK, and I don’t need to stuff myself for fear of not having enough.”

Krista, on left, exactly 29 hours after quitting her job

In spring 2008, Krista also made another significant life choice: She quit a high-stress, anxiety-provoking, workaholic academic life — literally handing in her resignation letter at 7 am and walking out, then boarding a plane for the NAGA grappling championships that afternoon.

“Lots of people try to ‘manage’ their existing stress,” she says. “But what if you simply structured your life in a fundamentally different way?” Organize your life around your priorities, she says, rather than the other way around. And if your priorities are leaving you unhealthy, exhausted, and unfulfilled, find new priorities.

Krista’s goal is to spread the gospel of heavy lifting, healthy eating and good living to other women. “Food is life. It’s how we communicate. It’s how we mark life’s passages. And it’s how we share love.” She believes that enjoying food and eating are entirely compatible with good nutrition.

A sample day

5:30 am Wake up, have breakfast, read email.

Meal 1: egg white, flax seed and banana “porridge”. Because Krista’s working out that morning, she also has a little slice of homemade sprouted black quinoa bread with almond butter.

Recipe: Egg white, flax seed, and banana “porridge” ½ cup egg whites, 1 banana, a sprinkle of cinnamon, and 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds Beat eggs in a bowl with cinnamon. Slice banana thinly into the egg. Microwave for a minute or two, pull out bowl, and mash banana into egg. Return to microwave for a few more minutes, until egg is cooked. Meanwhile, grind the flax seeds in a coffee grinder. Sprinkle on top of the egg-banana mix and combine with a fork. Recipe: Sprouted quinoa-flax bread 2 days beforehand: Pour about 1/2 cup of dry quinoa into a large jar. Fill the rest with water. Let it sit on the counter for 2 days, changing water occasionally. Quinoa will begin to sprout. Preheat oven to 375F. Pour out most of the water from the jar, leaving grains moist. Combine 2 beaten eggs, 1 banana (or whatever leftover fruit you have on hand), 1/4 cup yogurt (Krista uses sheep’s yogurt). You can also throw in some nut butter, ground nuts, or coconut milk if you like. As long as the mix isn’t too watery, it doesn’t matter. Grind approximately 1/4 cup of flax seeds in a coffee grinder. In a separate bowl, combine flax seeds, 1 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda. 2 pinches of salt, a pinch of cinnamon, and a sprinkle of nutmeg. You can add sweetener to taste if desired, although this isn’t meant to be a sweet bread. Add moistened quinoa and combine. Add wet ingredients and combine. Krista doesn’t use exact quantities — if the mix is too wet, add a little more ground flax. If it’s too dry, a little more yogurt. Pour into a greased or silicone loaf pan and bake for approx. 45 min till cooked through. Remove from oven and cool slightly, then cover. Let it cool, covered, overnight in the refrigerator. This last step will ensure that the grains have absorbed all the liquid, and result in a nice moist bread. You can also use wild rice instead of quinoa.

From left to right: iron bar, sledgehammer, bucket of rocks, sled with sandbag and cinder blocks	7 am Work out. Krista is a fan of “functional fitness” so one of her “gyms” is her garage. Her workout includes things like sled pulling, sandbag carries, sledgehammer swings, rope work, and carrying her car’s spare tires up and down the alley. She gets her “equipment” from army and hardware surplus stores and stealing things put out on garbage day. Krista loves to train outside, no matter what the weather. As her grandma says, “Fresh air puts roses in your cheeks.” It’s -15C that morning, but Krista isn’t discouraged. That’s what layers are for!
Car's summer tires for carrying; rope
Pulling the sled in the snowy alley (still a bit dark out). Notice sexy workout wear of Fargo-style faux fur hat and snowpants.

8:30 am Postworkout meal 2: “Beta blast” orange shake (rich in beta-carotene) with 3 ounces of chicken breast (not shown). Ginger is anti-inflammatory. Citrus limonoids are antioxidants. Cinnamon helps control blood sugar levels. Nutmeg can elevate mood. Supplements: Glucosamine sulfate and MSM for joint health, probiotics for digestive health, and pantothenic acid (vitamin B5) for her skin. Because Krista plans to be out that afternoon, she preps a second shake in advance. This “green shake” has avocado, spinach, fennel, celery, half an apple, hemp protein, greens+, a bit of ginger and cinnamon, and stevia.
Recipe: “Beta-blast” shake 1 persimmon 1 blood orange 1 medium carrot Cinnamon, nutmeg, stevia, coconut milk, a big chunk of fresh ginger A shot of lime juice Protein powder (optional if you’re having another protein source with this) Chop carrot into big chunks and microwave for 1 min to soften and convert cis- form of carotene to trans- form. Put all ingredients in blender with 2 cups of water. Grate in some of the orange peel as well — this is where the bulk of citrus antioxidants are. Blend till smooth.
9 am Showered and back to the computer.

11:30 am Meal 3: A “giant salad”: spinach, red cabbage, toasted nori (the seaweed commonly used to wrap sushi rolls), green pepper, sesame seeds. Krista puts it into a big container and shakes it up with some homemade omega-3 dressing (balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp of lemon-scented fish oil, Dijon mustard, a pinch of smoked salt, thyme and sage). Using the “container” method means that she doesn’t need as much vinaigrette to flavour the veggies. For protein, seafood gumbo from last night, made with leftover BBQ pulled pork loin and mixed seafood. Krista buys big bags of frozen mixed seafood and shrimp in bulk. These reheat quickly for adding to omelets, stews, soups, and curries.

12 pm: Out and about, running errands and doing research for her magazine. Krista packs her shake.

She doesn’t drive if possible, but instead, takes public transit and walks as much as she can. In the summer, she rides her bike. To keep herself entertained while walking, she’s working on learning Italian and Doc C’s podcasts.

2 pm: Meal 4: Green shake time!

Working on takedowns

6 pm: Hit the gym for some more training, either judo or BJJ.

Because the training is usually fairly light technique work, and because it’s easy for her to hit her caloric allotment in 5 meals, Krista typically opts to make her dinner the last meal of the day.

If it’s a hard workout, she’ll have a few veggies or a small piece of fruit and some protein when she gets home.

9 pm: Bedtime! Yes, being a morning person is a glamorous life…

Krista’s Rules for the Good (and Healthy) Life

1. You have more time than you think. In Krista’s experience with students and in studying work and employment during her university research career, she found that most people perceive time incorrectly. Time stress results from multiple, competing demands without feeling in control of how that time is spent. She now has new training clients keep “time diaries” for a week that account for each hour of the day. Most people, she says, discover that they waste hours every day — hours that could be spent shopping, prepping food, being active, or just enjoying life in more meaningful ways. “The average person watches something like 15-25 hours of television a week! Cut that out and you’ll magically find a lot more spare time!” Each morning she quickly plans her day on a sheet of paper. 30 seconds saves hours.

2. Multitasking is highly overrated, and potentially impossible to do well. Humans evolved to pay attention to one thing at a time. It’s better to do one thing very well than a few things poorly. Focus your energies and you’ll be much more productive. Ten minutes of hard, focused sprints beats twenty minutes of meandering on the treadmill while reading the paper. And that goes for eating too, says Krista. Lots of advice is aimed at “eating well on the go”. It’s better to eat nutritiously when rushing around, of course, but better yet is to not eat on the go. Stop. Slow down. Enjoy a few moments of eating mindfully. In many cultures, lunch is an important meal — it’s a time-out to spend with friends and family, lingering over something delicious, satisfying, and ideally homemade. And they don’t end up hitting the candy machine at 3 pm or the cookie cupboard at 9 pm.

3. Have regular mealtimes and know your portion sizes. Krista says she can “pretty much eat any time”, and loves to feel full. She’s had to learn to set specific meal times, and allot portion sizes in advance. For her, grazing to perceived fullness doesn’t work. She jokes that she’s “a sumo wrestler trapped in a small woman’s body”.

4. If you like to feel full, opt for high-volume, low-caloric-density foods. These will fill you up and give you the satisfaction of munching on something, without sacrificing your goals. Krista loves salads and veggie shakes for this reason.

5. Never skimp on your food quality. Buy the best food you can afford. This doesn’t mean buying exorbitantly overpriced gourmet goodies, but simply spending a little extra for something really decent. If you want chocolate, get a couple of Godiva truffles or Green & Black’s organic, instead of wasting your calorie budget on sugary waxy junk. “Despite high food prices, North Americans still spend the least on food as a percentage than most industrialized countries,” Krista says. “We don’t prioritize it as an expense. High quality food is an investment, not a cost.”

6. Don’t shop at shiny, fancy grocery stores and don’t buy the most expensive things. Shop at farmers’ markets, co-ops, butchers, produce stands, and local so-called “ethnic” grocery stores. Learn where the good stuff is at each place, and what the specials are. Buy things in season — they’ll taste infinitely better. And don’t buy the pricey, prefab cuts of meat. You can buy a whole chicken to roast for about the same price as a package of boneless chicken breasts… and then you can make soup from the bones! If you have a crockpot it’s easy to make delicious dishes from cheaper cuts of meat, which will tenderize as they simmer. (Krista swears by her version of chef Daisuke Izutsu’s beef tongue stewed in a miso-tomato broth as well as chef Vikram Vij’s curried chicken livers.)

7. Don’t be shy about saying “no” to stuff that won’t help you meet your goals, but also realize that there’s a time and place for flexibility. Recently, Krista visited a group of Afghan women to try their food as part of a feature for the magazine. It definitely wasn’t health food — e.g. deep fried dumplings, eggplant in olive oil, and scented rice — but it was important to share their cooking, so she took small portions, ate slowly to enjoy the flavours, and accounted for the indulgence over the rest of the week.

8. Recognize that food has a social and behavioural dimension. If you’re having trouble managing your eating, it might not be just about the nutrition, but about the social and cognitive rewards you get from eating a certain way. This might be “fitting in” to your social group, feeling rewarded by snacking, or simply having familiar (if problematic) rituals and habits. Look at all the factors that might be contributing to your eating behaviours.

9. Care for your insides, and your outsides will take care of themselves. This includes physical as well as mental and emotional care. Cooking is an act of love for others — it can also be an act of love for yourself.

“Let your food be your medicine, and your medicine be your food.”
–Hippocrates, approx. 400 BCE

Spezzatino.com – The food magazine that really feeds people

HealthyFoodBank.com – Because people deserve good health, not hunger