116: Inspiring Wellness & Lifestyle Medicine via Veggisima | Katya Galbis

Katya Galbis  00:00

When you don't have time, you don't have money you don't have or you don't know how to do it. All the information I gave you, is not going to help you. So that's why I came up with this class and say, you know, if you organize your, you prep, if you know what you got to eat during the week, you it's easier for you to follow that diet to follow that lifestyle. If you don't have meal ready by the time time to eat, you're gonna say Oh, whatever, I'm going to grab something from the fast food place or from the fridge and something frozen. Make it easy for it for you for yourself. Just organize your meal, and then you don't have to worry about it.

Narrator  00:47

Welcome to the Plant Based DFW Podcast weekly show with Dr. Riz and Maya, a show broadcasted from the Dallas Fort Worth area that focuses on lifestyle medicine. This is the use of evidence based lifestyle therapeutic approaches, such as a whole food plant based diet, regular physical exercise, adequate sleep, and stress management to treat, prevent and oftentimes reverse lifestyle related chronic diseases that are all too prevalent. Every week They feature a guest who speaks on one of these lifestyle medicine pillars. This show is for you, the person who is seeking to improve your overall wellness and quality of life. So whether you are driving, walking, or relaxing at home, we hope this show will provide you one more tool for your wellness toolbox. Let's meet today's podcast guest 

Maya Acosta  01:39

Katya Galbis was born and raised in Mexico and is currently living in Florida. She's passionate about everything related to nutrition, which is why she studied nutrition at the autonomous Metropolitan University of Mexico. She is a licensed nutritionist in the state of Florida, and is dedicated to promoting a plant based diet through different social networks. She is an active member of the Academy of Food and Nutrition, the largest organization of nutritionists and dietitians in the United States. She currently has the eCornell Plant Based Nutrition Certification from the T Colin Campbell's Center for Nutrition Studies, Lifestyle Medicine and Vegetarian Nutrition Certification from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. You can learn more about Katya by visiting her website VGC ma.com. I hope you enjoy this episode. So welcome Katya.

Katya Galbis  02:34

Milan, thank you so much. I'm so honored. So happy to be here. Thank you for the invitation. This is an awesome, awesome resource for a lot of people that don't want to take control of their health. So thank you, Maya, for doing all you do. 

Maya Acosta  02:51

Well, thank you, I should say a couple of things. You're in Florida right now, I live in Florida. But you have also been plant based much longer than I have. So you have an interesting story of how you got started and all the things that you have seen along the way.

Maya Acosta  03:08

Yeah, actually, it's funny because I didn't start. I didn't I wasn't plant based until I became a mom, fortunately, was in my career as a dietitian. I remember this. It's been I had to say it, but 25 years since I graduated. A long time ago...

Maya Acosta  03:31

Wow you look so good.

Maya Acosta  03:33

Thank you. Thank you. That is so sad because when I went to school to get my degree in nutrition, I remember when the professor said, Oh, yeah, and this type of people or a group of people that don't eat any animal products. But don't worry, you won't see them a lot. So don't worry. And that was it. That was said in my career in college. And I was like, Okay, I don't I don't have to worry about it. And so when I started, started working as a dietitian, there was a lady. I was in a nursing home working. And there was a lady, she was a vegetarian. And I was like, Oh my god, I don't know what to give her. I don't know. Maybe salad maybe lettuce, maybe? I don't know. But I was like, and I was like, This is not good. This is not right. I don't I'm a bad person. I'm supposed to know. But we we didn't have that training. By the time I went to school. I think now it's more common to have that plan base. But back then I was like, this is this is that this is pathetic. So until I became a mom, I started looking at nutrition In a sense of what's best for us what's best, that's for the animals, what's best for the for the, for the, for nature for the world, right? So I stumbled on the plant based movement. But on the ethical side of it, my dad has been an activist and that animal rights activists in Mexico, he's big on it. And my dad had a radio station program. So he was like, you know, what I wanted to come over or talk on my, in my radio program about nutrition about plant base about vegan diets, really, because he was talking about, you know, how vegan diet, it's good for the animals and the earth for now, about twice, I went, and I started participating in his radio program. And I saw a lot of interests of people asking and curious about the whole thing. No, and I was like, wow, this is, this is something that we need to explore more. So it's funny, because by that time, my mom, my, my dad and me, went into vegan, the vegan world eating, you know, plant based. And it was funny, because before we we never thought possible talk about it, we never thought about it. But that time was like, when our brain we had the click rate. And so it was very interesting. I started reading more I started educating myself. And then is how veggisima was born. It goes, I saw Well, all these people that are listening to the radio program, one more information recipes. And I had the opportunity and very, I mean, I, I consider myself very lucky because I have access to all that information from all these doctors, Dr. Campbell, Dr. Barnard from PCRM. You name it. I mean, there's so many. So it's when I started putting all this information in Spanish. So people that don't know, English could access it. 

Maya Acosta  03:37

Were you one of the first people who started providing this information in Spanish?

Maya Acosta  07:36

No, no, no, actually, there's there's other people that started before me long time before me. I mean, 70s in the 70s, simple. See, even the 60s actually there is a book written by this lady. On inside recipe book is just vegetarian recipe book. And it was, I think it was back in the 70s when she created that recipe book. So it's been around is just not I was popular as now it's growing. But we still, you know, we still have a long way to go long way to go. But it's, you know, slowly, but surely, you know, because it's just, I don't know, you're also your heritage is Hispanic. So we really laid food as something that will bring us pleasure, well reminds us of our little grandma. So it's so hard to to really learn everything because you don't need me, then you have that belief know that you need me to grow to be healthy. So it takes time. It takes time to you know, digest all that information.

Maya Acosta  08:57

And that is true. And let's just say that your blog Veggisima is kind of a play on words, because in Spanish, it would mean well Veggisima would be beautiful.

Katya Galbis  09:10

Right?

Maya Acosta  09:11

And, and the way that you spell it VEGGIS Ma, it's kind of a combination. You're vegan but beautiful vegan.

Maya Acosta  09:22

And I said it a little bit because bello is beautiful, but it's with B, B, and Veggisima is with V. So veggies from veggies issimo means a lot. issimo so veggisma, lots of veggies, but also like veggisimo more like beautiful, right? So my husband came up with a name and I was like, Yeah, I like it.

Maya Acosta  09:49

I love it. It's what drew me to you your blog. Your website is what drew me to you when I learned I started going through it and I saw your time. line of when you got started, you mentioned your dad and speaking on his radio show in 2011. And then soon after you start meeting some of the pioneers in the plant based world, some of the Pioneer dietitians. Oh, and I was just so excited going through and I was like, Oh, my gosh, and you went through this, and you went through that. And by the way, the year that you became certified in lifestyle medicine, 2019 was the same year my husband did in Orlando.

Katya Galbis  10:28

Oh, my God.

Maya Acosta  10:29

So that means you were there. Exactly that way, it's amazing how we start to find each other. Yeah, in this world? Well,

Maya Acosta  10:41

I love it. And I love it, because that's the thing. That's the community that we can build. And it's so important when we talk, when we train for the take the test for the certification, you know, social support is so important. So I'm not just for people that want to change to this lifestyle, but also as a professionals, because sometimes you feel lonely, because nobody believes in the plant, plant based diet. And so it's so nice to have other professionals believe in this. So that's why I'm so excited when I hear no more professionals that follow a plant based diet and the lifestyle, medicine and all that.

Maya Acosta  11:31

I feel the same way even though my background is in education. I'm not a nutritionist, but I will say you mentioned something that was very key in terms of our Hispanic background and the culture. And I was I wasn't I didn't study nutrition, but I took a course in nutrition in college. And I was mainly because I was afraid I sort of had kind of an eating disorder. I was afraid to gain weight. But I was very skinny. So I needed to gain weight. So I wondered how can I gain weight in a healthy way. And somewhere along the lines in my exposure in college, I saw what happens with cows, and from the time that they're hung by their feet, how they're killed and butchered and all of that. And in college, I made a decision that I would no longer eat red meat or pork. So you can imagine all the foods that we typically eat in our families, like everything from my menudo to chicharron, taquitos...

Katya Galbis  12:35

Everything

Maya Acosta  12:36

And if it's something that probably you are like, Oh yeah, this is vegetarian. This is time based, but then they add the lard or they add the you know, who knows? Beans, refried beans, they add lard I'm like, Oh, no, are you reading it? So it's, like, so ingrained into our culture or our food now I saw it's, it's hard, but not impossible. And, and we, we have to evolve we have to, you know, not because changing to a plant based diet, you will lose all your heritage or all your culture. That's not part of the culture. You know, being a plant based used to eating all the foods, all the vegetables, all the legumes that I don't know, in Mexico, we have so many plant based foods people don't realize that they eat plant based food. I mean, they eat it, but when you say vegetarian, vegan plant based Oh, no, no I can. Okay, so do you have beans? Oh, yeah. beans and rice. Oh, yeah. Lots of food. Oh, yeah. I don't know veggies. Oh, yeah. So you eat it. You. You don't have to quit. You don't die with your culture.

Maya Acosta  12:36

Everything.

Maya Acosta  13:58

You know, at that time, I wasn't vegan, but I was more vegetarian. And I can't say that I was healthy. I wasn't eating red meat and pork and a lot of other things. But what I moved away from where my family lives for me a long time ago. So when I would visit I usually would always take my own groceries. Like, I was already drinking a nut milk and, and doing like rice cakes. I didn't even know what I was really doing. But when I would have dinner with my family, I would only eat the tortillas or frijoles. You know like the beans and rice and beans. Yeah. Really, sometimes my mom would say what can I make for you? Cuz she knew I didn't eat that way. So what's interesting, I say that for a reason. What's interesting is that now that I am living a plant based life and I'm trying to help my mother because she has diabetes, and she's had two strokes already. And I tell her about the plant based diet one day and I took her to PCRM's program early before Her before COVID. One day, she looked to me and she said, You've been eating this way for a while. And I said, Mom, you don't remember, for the last 20-25 years, I have not been eating meat. How do you not remember now, and it's a big deal. Whereas before, if you did it quietly and didn't say anything, no one kind of really notice. But now it's becoming more important. And so I'm happy that you're here, because you can talk to us about what it's like to work with people in general. But what do you see when you work with Spanish speaking people of any background? What are some of the struggles that you see? And feel free to share anything? I guess, let's start from the beginning. Like you went vegan, correct. First for the animals. And then but you already a nutritionist?

Maya Acosta  15:51

Yes, I became vegan. I was already a nutrition dietitian. And when I you know, discover that there were a lot of people that I wanted to change to. And that, you know, helped me see what they want, where they need. And unfortunately, what I have noticed, and at least was that people that follow me or my clients are coming from the ethical perspective. So a lot of times, they just wanted to, you know, stop killing animals, suffering and all that, but they don't, they don't take into account their health. So what they do they go into a vegan diet, but they get sick, because they eat fast food, junk food, because there is a lot of vegan foods that are not healthy. So that's, that's a hard thing is the beliefs that they have, okay, no, I don't, I just don't, I just care about the animals, I don't care what they eat. If they don't have animal products, I'm fine. But then to change that belief, or that mindset to say, you know what, no, you you're an animal First, you have to take care of yourself. Because if you get sick, they're gonna say, you know see, is because you are not eating meat and you're malnourished. And so it's very important for us be healthy. And and I'm not saying that we're not gonna get sick, and we're gonna be immortal. No, we get sick, we will die eventually, that you, we have to take care of our health, because you want to take care of the animals or the environment, you have to take care of you. So I've seen that mindset and the people that I helped, and say, you know, if you help yourself, your body to be healthy, that's gonna give another perspective to the people that don't believe in a plant based diet or lifestyle. So it's very important that they change their mindset and say, You know what, I'm doing it because for me to, not just for the animal,

Maya Acosta  18:12

I like to the point that you just made because as I evolved, also, as a vegan and plant based, I discovered, oh my goodness, you guys have such a movement in Florida. I'm jealous. You have so many options. And when we have been there in the in this, of course, for the south, like, almost like starting Palm Beach. And as we go south, we find more and more restaurants and you have a variety, like you said, you have the vegan foods, and then you have like these in raw restaurants and plant based. And it's, um, and then of course, the vegan organizations that are out there are also impressive.

Maya Acosta  18:49

Yeah, yeah, I don't know why, but I feel lucky. We have options we have our community I've participated in, in different veg fests, with the Vegetarian Nutrition Dietetic practice group. So I got to see all these people that messy, you know, though I all these dietitians and professionals going to those the med fest. So it's been it's been very, very nice journal. Because, you know, the plant based lifestyle that I follow,

Maya Acosta  19:28

I do ask people this often to when because of last year 2020. There were a lot of limitations. Were you still seeing clients?

Maya Acosta  19:37

Yes, every all my work is online, all my work because most of my clients are following for everything I do. It's online. So it didn't change much for me. Just when everything went on nine people well, I could notice there was the there were so many other stuff going on lives. adjusting to all these changes. So, you know, I decreased a little bit of people being able to, you know, being classes or taking, are watching webinars or live things like that. But yeah, everything is online,

Maya Acosta  20:16

If you want to talk to us about some of the things that you offer on your blog, but I noticed that you have a course on how to get started in the kitchen, just how to meal prep and do all of that.

Maya Acosta  20:28

Yeah, yeah, actually, I came up with that class, just because I've noticed that I, when I was like, Okay, yeah, you know, don't any animal products, this is the list and then add these other plant based foods. So you have all your nutrients. But then all other factors, when you think the habit came, came to the to play in the you know, in the whole thing. So I don't have time, I don't know how to cook. I don't know how, where to get this or where to get that. So for me, it's more important that you are your time, you know how to manage your time in the kitchen, because I can tell you, yeah, don't eat these data, or change it for this and that. But when you don't have time, you don't have money you don't have Are you don't know how to do it. All the information I gave you, is not going to help you. So that's why I came up with this class and say, you know, if you organize your, your pet, if you know what, what are you going to eat during the week, you it's easier for you to follow that diet to follow that lifestyle. If you don't have meal ready, by the time time to eat, you're gonna say, oh, whatever, I'm gonna grab something from the fast food place or from the fridge and something frozen. So make it easy for it for you for yourself, just organize your meals, and then you don't have to worry about it. And it would be easier, it's going to be easy for you to follow a plant based diet. So that's why I was like, you know, what I've been saying, you know, yeah, indies in Dutch is don't substitute this for that. By the time people wanted to make changes. They were like, I haven't because I don't have time. And, and it's a learning process. So it takes time. When you manage all this information. When you process all this information is like, Oh, yeah, whatever, I do this and that, and I prep that. And that's it. Not by when you're learning when you're starting is like, oh, overwhelming. Oh, my God, I don't know what to eat. I don't know what to put, you know. So it's a tool. It's a tool that for me, it's very important for the change for when you are new transitioning into our plant based.

Maya Acosta  23:00

Right? Because, and I've heard you say in another talk that when you finally make that change, you realize, oh, my goodness, this was much easier than I expected. So I was just thinking, you know, we might have listeners that have never actually heard exactly what a plant based diet consists of. I mean, we talk about it all the time here on the show, but I thought maybe you can kind of cover it just a little bit for people that are listening for the first time, like what is a plant based diet? And why is it one of the most optimal diets as opposed to the other trends that we see now on television and everywhere? Correct? Yeah,

Maya Acosta  23:37

Yeah, absolutely. Well, I plan based diet his way of eating is not a diet it's a way of eating because dieting usually they say oh, I'm dieting because I want to look good or I'm dieting because detox or whatever. But this is a lifestyle This is forever This is not just for for the summer to look good. So it's a it's a way of eating and everything that you eat comes from a plant and then those variations there's like whole food plant based diet where you don't add any any processed food. And then part of that is not oil so you don't eat are consumed oil like liquid Oh oil, because they are inflammatory. So plant based diet is really everything that comes from a plant, everything that you can name, the roots, the leaves, the the flower, you know, broccoli, the flower of the broccoli is a flower. So everything that comes from from our plants, and then you don't you don't eat any foods that come from animals. So that's roughly explanation and then the why I think this way of eating is the best just because eating a plant based diet Do you eat all the antioxidants that nature gives you all the all the colors that you see in this plant have antioxidants. So, these will help you you know, with with your health also you have all the all the fiber fiber is present in only in plant based foods not in animal foods and, and fiber is going to help you get rid of toxins. He will help you make you feel, you know, fuller when you eat so many vitamins, minerals, really I mean, it's the way of getting all your vitamins and minerals, a lot of people and a lot of one one they say oh, you know why you have to take your vitamins. But we never say okay, let me eat first the right food. And then if I need it, I will add supplements. But we go right into the supplements are no I need vitamin C and I lead zinc or buy we don't say Oh, okay, you know what, let me eat the right food before adding all the supplements because when you eat it, when you eat the vitamins and the minerals and all those other fiber and they they work together Together, they will work better. So in supplements, you will have only vitamin C, but you don't have the all the rest of the nutrients that will help in the in the process of getting that energy that vitamins and mineral. So it's very important that you eat the whole thing to get everything from it. No. So that's why I think it's so important to do in whole to decrease all the processed foods, because they are hiding in sold sugar, oils. Low in fiber, so they don't give you any any benefit. Really,

Maya Acosta  27:01

It's interesting. I'm so glad you cover all of that too because it's you're talking about eating the food whole. When that's what mainly you know, a whole food plant based diet consists of and, and I love that, you know, if we stay on this path and we become more informed learning from people like yourself, then we we kind of get an idea of what to eat, we start improving it and transitioning. And what are you in vegan? for ethical reasons I went vegan to not eat animals. But it wasn't ethical till later. But later, I started learning about what happens with the animals and but I was eating what my husband calls vegan food standard American style.

Maya Acosta  27:48

Yeah, that's a good one. I like that. I like it, too. Yeah, we're becoming what the standard American diet is. I mean, now we have more and more products process product vegan product, we are falling into the same thing we are getting not getting the nutrition for the right from both foods.

Maya Acosta  28:12

Yeah, it's still industry driven. So big industries are making now options available for vegans, but they're still processed foods. So no one's gonna push you the carrot.

Maya Acosta  28:25

Yeah. Because, you know, when when we start eating all this processed foods, our taste buds change. So when you go back to eat a carrot, you're gonna be like, this doesn't taste to anything this is, you know, and there's none good, it doesn't taste good. But you need that flavor to, for your brain to say I want more of that, right? That's why it's a process with the fire addictive, because it's so intense, the flavors are so intense. And then when you go to a simple pair is like, that doesn't taste to anything. It's like cardboard, right? So that's a, that's a great very point to take to take in consideration when you are, you know, changing your diet because a lot of people think that eating a plant based diet is doesn't taste right. But because of that, because we're used to the intense flavors of the processed food and the need and all those animal products right? So you have to give a test to your taste buds to get used to it. I know it happens because they happen to me when for example I don't eat any sugar right? And when I try something you know vegan ice cream or is like oh my God, oh salty. You're so down. We'll tell you your Oh wow. How am I your tastebuds will change by some given a tense given some time and you will get to it

Maya Acosta  29:59

Right And so now I didn't prep you for the this question on COVID. So feel free to answer however you'd like. But so we always have our reasons why we want to encourage people to eat more plants. We're like you were vegan, ethical, we are ethical vegans, we also understand eating more plants is just playing good for your health, and also for the environment. But now more than ever, I see my husband and what he's battling in the hospitals with COVID patients. And I always tell him, you have to go on social media and tell people this, you have to talk more about it, because how else are people going to know? But so there are a couple of things that that as to why the plant based diet is very beneficial for people in general, we know this as well, that being overweight can put you at a very high risk for having complications if you happen to get the virus. Also, hypertension, diabetes, and other things like that. And some people may say, Well, I'm perfectly healthy, I'm fine. But we don't know what is happening inside of our body because disease takes time to build, doesn't it?

Katya Galbis  31:13

Yeah, definitely. Yes.

Maya Acosta  31:15

I don't know if you can talk more about how either you've seen this with clients that you work, or you just know, in general, that if you eat more plant based diets, you people are able, in some cases, to reverse their diabetes to improve their cholesterol, their hypertension, and also weight loss, which is puts them on a better fighting end. So that if they are to get COVID, they can recover better.

Maya Acosta  31:41

You know, all diseases are inflammatory, right? All the systems that we you can think of, is because of inflammation. So when you get or you get sick, especially now with COVID, and you're ready, your body's already inflamed, you are adding five to the fire. And that's why it's hard to get out of it or, or, unfortunately, a lot of people lose their lives because of that, because we are so inflamed, that when you do something your immune system is so very irritated that when you add a little bit more, it will explode. It's like, Oh my god, I don't know what to do. No. So it's funny how we, we have, you know, the army, the Navy, that they prepare, they train the you know, for, just in case we have a conflict or war or something, but they train they, you know, they get hard, they work hard, so they are ready just in case, we our soldiers inside of the immune system, we don't keep it healthy, we just pollute our immune system, right? We, our God, it's 80% of our immune system. And what do we do we put trust, we trusted, we don't take care of it. So our God is simply before God is inflamed, our brain is inflamed our system, the whole body's inflamed. And that's why we see all these problems with people that have obesity or diabetes, hypertension, because your body is so very tired. It's already upset, it's already inflamed. And it's unable to take care of other infection other other fire, right? So that's why it's so important to see it as a lifestyle and not just for now. I mean, it's so important to say, you know, this is what I'm gonna do for the rest of my life. And not just, Oh, you know what, right now because COVID I'm just gonna take my pills, my vitamin D, like my seeing can buy, we don't look into what we eat, how we act, how we sleep, all those things that will affect your outcome. If you get COVID, right,

Maya Acosta  34:05

And how all those things can affect our outcome exactly, as you say, is so important. What do you think about vitamin D? I've heard people talk about how fat can help the body is my immune system. 

Katya Galbis  34:16

Yeah, definitely, vitamin D can help our immune system. And what's happened when we almost a year ago when COVID just exploded everywhere. And we were afraid we went out inside our house. And now we are not getting the fun, right? So what what we did what we did is went inside the house said and watch TV, Netflix, and then get nervous and you know, anxiety, depression, all those went up. So we did all the bad things that we shouldn't be doing. We should, can we, you know, should have, stay outside as much as we can. If it's past Trouble outside to get vitamin D to exercise to eat right. But what happened, we went to the store, we bought all the cans that we could put in there and the panty thinking all this is for like two, three weeks, but then we end up eating it in two days. We started eating more of the wrong food, we didn't exercise we we didn't go outside. And of course is like a mess. This is a perfect storm for for any virus, any bacteria or parasite any infection to affect our health. So yeah, vitamin D is definitely one of the vitamins that they have shown to have good effects or positive effects.

Maya Acosta  35:49

Awesome. Is there a specific one?

Maya Acosta  35:51

There's two types on bad now that these three is it comes from, from animal sources that now they came up with a D3 from our plant. So you have to read the label, really, and see where it's coming from polycast calcifer, or it's from animal base animal source. So you really have to look into that. Now, if you you know, starting with these. There's so many products on Amazon, you can just look at them, Look, find some one that says vegan or vegetarian. And you will find lots of them. I really don't recommend any brand specific brand. But definitely if you don't go out outside to take this or to you know, have the sun are iffy you live in the north of you have dark skin or if you're older I'm definitely Yeah, we need to supplement supplement with vitamin D.

Maya Acosta  37:01

Well, I want you to know that my husband and I would have been spending more time in Florida if it had not been for the virus.

Katya Galbis  37:09

I know

Maya Acosta  37:10

We love Florida so much. 

Katya Galbis  37:12

I know I'm yeah, I consider myself very lucky. Because I mean, we have everything we have. We don't have mountains. We know how we have beaches. So yeah, I love it. I love it. Yeah. 

Maya Acosta  37:26

So what are some common questions that you find in general from clients, whether they're Hispanic or not? I'm just always curious, I know that one of the biggest struggles is preparation or not knowing where to start, but what what are some other maybe even myths that people have about the diet or, and health in general.

Maya Acosta  37:45

One thing that I notice a lot with the people that come to me, it's hard to tell my family that I'm not eating meat, well, they or so the social factor is so so important. Because if you feel lonely, if you feel like everybody is against you, or everybody's looking at you like Oh, this is so weird. So of course that will be a barrier to change. So you have to see how I don't know, some people just say you know what, talk to their family, say you know what, for now and I'm gonna eat just plant based. You don't have to whatever you need to do, but feel that you I mean, you have, it's for you. You don't, you don't do it for others, don't stop changing or done, stop the transition just because they others are, you know, not being supportive. But what I really recommend is to have a social support. And right now, having a social, virtual social support is so easy. And where you can find different situations, different ideas, you know, how do you manage your boyfriend or your husband or your mom, if you're a teenager? How do you what do you tell them? Right? So I feel lucky because a lot of young customers that are decided to do the transition, get their mom I say you know, bring your mom bring your friends, let's talk and and see what they think. And I've had a couple of them that parents change because of the kids. So we choose like, Oh, this is cool. This is so amazing.

Maya Acosta  39:42

And in some ways you do offer that sense of community and support when you go live. Because I I've watched you go live and you know, by the way, I'm a lay person and I know about plant based foods but I still love to participate and watch everything because that's how we connect with It's like where to find each other and people can chat on the side or how often do you go live?

Maya Acosta  40:06

I do live and then I do webinars and most of them are from Mexico but I have from Argentina from Colombia are also people the Spanish speaking people that live in France or Germany or from different parts but mainly Mexico maybe Mexico but um yeah, there's events from here from the US you know, Latinas.

Maya Acosta  40:33

I came to this information is in English first and then again, you know, I started noticing oh my gosh, PCRM is doing something. The Center for nutrition. The Dr. Campbell's are organization. 

Maya Acosta  40:46

Yeah, I'm helping with the translations. Yes. Oh, my God was this and I worked with them to translate their input the information from the web website. So we're translating all the recipes the you know the information they have so yes, I helped Dr. Greger translate some of their videos too.

Maya Acosta  41:11

Dr. Greger's. So tell us more. Okay. So first, let me kind of clarify in case people didn't hear, but the organization that's under Dr. Campbell's name the Center for Nutrition Studies, or it's only been recently that I started seeing more content in Spanish. Are you saying you're part of them?

Maya Acosta  41:27

Yeah. Yes, I'm, I'm part of it. And I'm very happy as Evelisse who is in charge of the Spanish website, invited me. She lives here in Florida, really two hours away. So we made Oh, my God, we made like 10 years ago, I remember well, in vegan conference. And we were like, Yes, I live by New Orleans. You know, we got like all the cars with the midnight. Like us, I live in Florida. And then it's how I met her. And then she was like, you know why we're trying to to develop this Spanish website? Will you help me on my off course. So I never, never in my life, imagine that being a bilingual dietitian will help me. You know, open doors like you never know. Right? So I was like, absolutely. Let me help you. And I've been, you know, helping translate some of the articles recipes. I also have recipes there that I made myself. So yeah, like funny how life works, right.

Maya Acosta  42:39

Congratulations, because I received from the newsletter in Spanish updates on what classes are coming up, and I'm starting to sign up for my mom again, because she prefers the information in Spanish.

Maya Acosta  42:52

I'm actually we had conference virtual conference. It was November. So it's in their website, the Spanish website. And it was the whole day. It was great. So you should look it up. This is from your mom. I'm sure she's gonna love it. We had recipes. We had different doctors, and everything is in Spanish.

Maya Acosta  43:15

And I think I saw Evelisse Capo. So last name. I think I saw her it might have been PCRM when they did that, like a four hour day thing. And she was cooking with her daughter. Yeah. Yeah. I was like, she also food for life instructor.

Katya Galbis  43:32

Yes. Okay. I mean, you shouldn't interview here, because he's Yeah, it's awesome.

Maya Acosta  43:42

I want to say that you guys have motivated me so much as a lay person as a Latina, in general, because my dream had always been to kind of reach out to the Spanish speaking community. And well, now there's all these resources like yourself. And so that's a great way to share information.

Maya Acosta  44:00

Yeah no thank you for all you do, because really so important, it's so important to spread the world, the word. You know, being there for people that are trying to do the change or trying to to have a plant based diet, plant based lifestyle. So thank you for all you do.

Maya Acosta  44:21

Thank you. Is there anything else that you would like to share with us that you think people should know?

Katya Galbis  44:27

Yes, actually, since we are talking about lifestyle, lifestyle, medicine, I really want to touch on the mindset, the mindset, the emotional, the mental, the spiritual shifts that we have to do during the transition. It's just not it's not just diet, but also it is the mental, the mental, you will see that tinggi your release will help your immune system to so right now that we're in the midst of COVID It's very important that we detox our brains our mindset, because we are, you know, bombarded by all this negative information, right. And then when you want to change, you will find also lots of barriers, like you're robbing your family or money, which is not. When you find out more about the plant based diet, money's not an issue. But you know, at the beginning, you may think, all these bad things, or it's very overwhelming. So it's so important that you take care of your emotional, your mental, your spiritual part of the factors, right, I'm reading, I'm reading our lives, you know, this book, it's called the Radical Remission from Kelly Turner. It's awesome. It's about people that survived cancer, against all odds. And it's, it's amazing because the nine radical changes that all these people had in common, where I'm going to read it to you out radically changing your diet. And he says, most of them had a plant based diet, taking control of your health, taking care of control of your health, saying, you know, what, I'm not the, I'm not gonna be the victim of my health, I'm gonna be the, the hero here, I'm gonna, you know, overcome this if you if you're sick, or if you have pain, whatever. The next one is following your intuition that's hearing your your body hearing your brain, your mind. Releasing suppressed emotions, that's one of them, increasing positive emotions, embracing social support, which back again, you have to have this social support. Definitely deepening your spiritual connection, and having strong reasons for leaving. Like I said, that's the last one having strong reasons for leaving gives you a strong why why you want to change if you don't have a strong why, like, I like I say, you know what, maybe I just want to look fine, seated or fate or have a way I bikini because I want to go to the beach. But once you get to that point, you're going to go back to to eating junk food eating, are not exercising, that's the bad bad habits. But if you have a strong why you're gonna say, you know, I'm doing it because I want to feel good. I want to live until I see my grandkids, you know, strong, strong wise, so that they The last one is having strong reason for leaving will help you make the transition very easy.

Maya Acosta  47:42

I love that. Having that whole sense of purpose. I love it. I guess it's a matter of perspective. But it's a wonderful time to actually get started on a plant based diet because we are forced to kind of eat at home a lot more than before. And as a plant based person, I can't eat out anyway. Yes.

Katya Galbis  48:04

No, it's not on bad, you know. But right now, like you said, this is a great, great time, because we're not getting together. We are eating at home, we're cooking for more. So you have time to explore what you live or to try different recipes, you don't have the excuse that I don't want to go to the family reunion, because they are gonna look at me like crazy. And they're gonna tell me that I'm crazy. So right now, I think is the easiest time to change on to the concision. Yes. Because the same reason Yeah, you're right.

Maya Acosta  48:39

Can you tell our listeners, again, what kind of services or classes to offer? And how can people learn more about you and reach out to you if they want to become a client of yours?

Katya Galbis  48:50

Thank you. Yeah, definitely. Well, you can reach, you can reach me, my website veggisima.com. And you will see there if you go to unfortunately, you can translate the website, I have a button that says translate. So if you don't speak Spanish, you can translate it. There is a section that says courses or classes. So you're gonna if you're interested, I have different classes. Right now. I took a break just because I'm trying to do all these classes online or taped, I'm taping all the recording all the classes. So people that cannot be live, live, the live class they can have or they can get their online classes and so I'm doing one, how to start and the plant based world of how the pressing which organizes you how to organize your kitchen and yourself. So you can optimize your nutrition and then one about the substitutes because there's a lot of people that say, oh, okay, I'm gonna substitute the, the eggs for a novel in, but they don't have the same nutritional value. And they know they need to know that. If you are going to substitute an egg you have to have something with a similar nutritional

Maya Acosta  50:31

Profile

Katya Galbis  50:33

Profile. Yes, thank you. Yes. So I am doing that because a lot of people they come up and say, You know what, um, what do you how do you bake? How do you I mean, so that's how I you know, I have by right now, I took a break from taking the break because of the recording of all of them. So you I have it available for on demand.

Maya Acosta  51:01

Wonderful. Okay, then so and social media and 

Katya Galbis  51:06

Social media, I mean, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, but I'm mainly do Facebook and an Instagram.

Maya Acosta  51:15

And is it under Veggisima, also?

Katya Galbis  51:17

Veggisima, everything is Veggisima. Veggisima, if you have any questions, and if you want more information about when I get the classes out, just you know, leave me a comment or rivalry and I will let you know.

Maya Acosta  51:35

Awesome. Well, thank you so much, Katya. It's been so nice getting to know you a little bit more. And maybe we can do this again and go more in depth about nutrition.

Katya Galbis  51:45

Definitely. No, thank you so much. My I really, I really, really, really appreciate all of your work and your husband work. Because we, we have to do community. We have to, you know, be together in this and more because you know, there's other diets out there. So yeah, thank you so much for inviting me, Maya, thank you for everybody that is listening. And keep in touch and hopefully we can see each other next year or well this year.

Maya Acosta  52:13

Yeah. You never know. Exactly. You've been listening to the Plant Based DFW Podcast show. If you like our content, please like, share and leave a review. Our goal is to provide quality episodes to help support the community.