5 Tips to Healthy Living From ‘Today’ Nutritionist Joy Bauer ’86

The rotunda in the Samuel Riggs IV Alumni Center rotunda is inscribed with the lyrics of the University of Maryland’s fight song. But on Monday, words to a different song rang out through the center’s halls: “It’s peanut butter jelly time!”

That kicked off a high-energy Terp food sing-along spearheaded by Joy Bauer ’86, nutritionist on NBC’s “Today” show, New York Times bestselling author of 14 books and proud Terp.

“This is my happy place,” Bauer said. “We pull up to campus and I just get the chills from head to toe.”

Bauer and Locksley stage a cooking demonstration.

Photos by Riley N. Sims.

She returned to UMD as the second event in the Alumni Association’s revitalized Maryland Masterclass series; the first guest was James Clapper '63, former U.S. director of national intelligence.

Bauer started her own health journey as a young gymnast, researching nutrition in the Encyclopedia Britannica (“As some of you—not all of you—know, there was no internet,” she said). She ended up eating Ritz crackers and coleslaw for three days as a first attempt at a balanced diet. “Spoiler alert: It didn’t work.”

In this gathering of more than 160 alums and students, UMD President Darryll J. Pines welcomed School of Public Health Dean Boris Lushniak and Head Football Coach Michael Locksley to the stage for a fireside chat (and, yes, the sing-along). The event also included a trivia segment and a cooking demonstration à la Bauer’s format on the “Today” show.

The takeaway: Healthy living is about making small, healthy choices. “It doesn't have to feel overwhelming,” Bauer said. “Nutrition is about balance, it’s not about perfection.”

Bauer shared simple tips to encourage making healthy eating choices:

Big goals are great, but set smaller ones along the way. “Maybe I want to run the NYC marathon or I want to lose 100 lbs, but it’s the small goals that give you momentum,” Bauer said. She suggested weekly goals that are realistic, tangible and enduring. “You can check those off, and that pat on your back fuels you to go forward.”

Health is holistic. It includes physical, mental and social well-being. This can start with something as simple as a walk. For Bauer, it’s 4 to 5 miles every day. “It brings me such inner peace,” she said. “I think about what I’m going to be doing that day.”

If you don’t like quinoa, try again. “Play around and experiment with seasonings,” Bauer suggested. Quinoa’s combo of fiber and protein steadies blood sugar and slows the absorption of carbs into our blood. The same goes for leafy greens; it’s all about finding a way to prepare them that’s fun and works for you. For example, Bauer demonstrated a recipe for her Dark Chocolate Joyful Terp, with fiber-rich dates and antioxidant-packed pecans to replace a sugary sweet snack.

Work smarter, not harder. She recommended using dried spices along with fresh; dried ginger, for example, has high anti-inflammatory power. “In the beginning there’s a learning curve but after that, you feel so good,” she said. Plus, chances are, you’re probably already consuming some healthy things. “I’m a big coffee girl,” Bauer said. “It’s my reason for getting out of bed in the morning.” Coffee helps boost brain health and memory, she said, and even decaf is loaded with antioxidants.

Small choices lead to big gains. Lushniak asked the question that every football fan in the room was thinking: What should Locksley replace his famous bag of Sour Patch Kids with to stress-eat on the sidelines? “Instead of candy, I’d give him grapes with antioxidants, sweet bell peppers and sugar snap peas,” Bauer said. “And if he did good with the produce in the first half, I’d give him the candy in the second.” Other foods she recommended incorporating: berries for brain health, lentils to swoop out cholesterol and avocado to fight sodium with potassium.

“The biggest thing you can do to start a health journey and stick with it is get your head in the game,” she said.

This story originally appeared in Maryland Today.