Episode 451: How to Make Recipes More Nutrient Dense – Tips From a Registered Dietitian with Wan Na Chun

EBT451 – Wan Na Chun

Intro  00:00

Food bloggers, hi, how are you today? Thank you so much for tuning in to the Eat Blog Talk podcast. This is the place for food bloggers to get information and inspiration to accelerate your blogs’ growth and ultimately help you to achieve your freedom. Whether that’s financial, personal or professional. 

I’m Megan Porta, and I’ve been a food blogger for over 13 years, I understand how isolating food blogging can be at times. I’m on a mission to motivate, inspire, and most importantly, let each and every food blogger, including you know that you are heard and supported.

Megan Porta  00:37

This episode brings a topic that we really do not touch on much at all here on Eat Blog Talk. So I loved that Wan Na Chun from One Pot Wellness join me to give it some attention. She is a food blogger as well as a Registered Dietitian. So she has that background that knowledge and all things food and nutrients and health that she brings to the table that helps accentuate her food blogging in a really good way. She brings up some really good points, including reasons why we as food bloggers, no matter what niche we’re in should be talking more about different ingredients that provide different kinds of nutrients for our users, maybe healthier swaps, or substitutions for ingredients that we’re using, or talking about, and how to navigate creating recipes from different cultures that we want to honor and respect while still providing substitutions for people who might want them. We really do get a little bit deep in this episode. It’s a really great conversation. Wan Na brings so much knowledge and value and she was just super easy to talk to you guys are going to love her. Yeah, this conversation was amazing. So I hope you enjoy it is episode number 451 sponsored by RankIQ.

Sponsor  02:00

Hey, awesome food bloggers. Before we dig into this episode, I have a really quick favor to ask you go to your favorite podcast player, go to Eat Blog Talk. Scroll down to the bottom where you see the ratings and review section. Leave Eat Blog Talk a five star rating if you love this podcast and leave a great review. This will only benefit this podcast, it adds value and I so very much appreciate your efforts with this. Thank you so much for doing this. Okay, now on to the episode. 

Megan Porta  02:27

Wan Na Chun is a registered dietitian and personal trainer, her blog One Pot Wellness is focused on prioritizing self-care through nutrition, physical health and mental health for the busy working professional. Wan Na welcome it to Eat Blog Talk. It’s so good to have you here as a guest. How are you today? 

Wan Na Chun  02:47

Hi, Megan. I’m doing so well. How are you?

Megan Porta  02:49

I’m doing good. I always love when people ask me that back like, thank you. I’m good too. Yeah, you are my last interview of the day. It’s been such a good day of interviews. And what a great note to end on. I love this topic. We haven’t really talked about this topic much. And if we have it’s been a long time ago. So I think it’s good to refresh on this. But first do you have a fun fact to share?

Wan Na Chun  03:14

Yes, so my husband and I are the biggest Costco fans. We go every single week. And keep in mind I am 26 And he is 29. We both live together don’t have kids don’t have pets, but we are diehard Costco fans, and we go shamefully, once even sometimes even like three times a week, sometimes like in the wintertime when it is cold, dreary outside, like, you know, why not walk into Costco. And that way we can kind of get in some entertainment we can get a walk in. So it is by far my favorite place. I’d say like, I do 95% of my shopping at Costco and just everything from the service from the quality of the products. It’s just like, so amazing. And we’re big, big fans. In fact, in both of our vows, which we did not plan this together, but we both mentioned how we bonded over our love for Costco. That is how much of a fan. We are. 

Megan Porta  04:28

Oh my gosh. Okay, I have about a million questions I could ask you but I’ll ask you just a couple. So what days of the week are best to go? 

Wan Na Chun  04:36

I’d say so there are and my husband will probably get mad at me for saying this, but there are special manager deals that Costco releases there. They end in nine, seven or 00. And so whenever you go into Costco and you see an item that’s marked down to like 497 It’s a special manager deal that only applies to that store. And so we’ve been finding that typically on like Saturdays Saturday mornings is kind of when Costco starts to like mark down certain items. And again, this will vary depending on which Costco you go to. But at least the Costco that we go to here locally, we find that going on a Saturday, it’s like we find all of these hidden special manager deals. And that’s what really excites us. We’re very frugal people. And so when we see a special deal, we get all excited. And so I’d say definitely check around with like your local Costco. The mornings also, like around 11 o’clock is when the samples start. And so if you want to go… 

Megan Porta  05:50

That was my next question. 

Wan Na Chun  05:52

Yeah, so anywhere between like 11am to 2pm, that’s really the prime time for samples.

Megan Porta  06:00

Okay. Do you have what you should start a section on your website from for Costco info? Do you have anything like that?

Wan Na Chun  06:05

You know, I really should. And actually, one of my best friends suggested to me that I should start like an Instagram or TikTok account, basically, walking through Costco kinda like sharing all of these deals like tips and tricks. It’s just one of those things that’s like, you know, the shiny objects. I’m really trying to keep tunnel vision here in my business, but eventually, I think I would love to do that. And like, it just makes sense. You know, like I go every week. And so why not put the content out there. And I know for a fact that there is there is a diehard Costco fan club out there. So I definitely would have the audience already out there for me,

Wan Na Chun  06:05

You would for sure, I think there’s massive opportunity there for you when you have the time and energy, of course, no rush, it’s always going to be there. Yes, for sure. Okay, super fun to learn that about you. So if I have any Costco questions, if in the future, I will…

Wan Na Chun  07:01

Send them over. Absolutely be happy to answer those. 

Megan Porta  07:07

Awesome, I love it. Okay, so you’re gonna talk about kind of just thinking about, you know, adding other options to our recipes when it comes to recipe development. So things that are more nutrient dense, and also some things to think about as we are writing our posts when it comes to ingredients and nutrients. And you know, all of that stuff, because you are a registered dietitian, as well as a food blogger, you have kind of greater insights there. So first, Wan Na, would you mind telling us a little bit about your blog?

Wan Na Chun  07:40

Yes. So it is still in its infancy stage. At this point, I’d say the blog has been, you know, I’ve been truly blogging for just shy of six months, I started my website, probably in January. But, you know, my first couple of posts, I didn’t really know what I was doing, I thought I wanted to focus on like more affiliate marketing, writing posts about like kitchen gadgets. So that’s kind of where I started off. And I soon came to realize that I hated writing about things that wasn’t food related. And so I, at the time was working as a registered dietician in a hospital, which that is typically where dietitians start off with is kind of in a hospital setting. And I soon very quickly realized that that was not the space for me, I absolutely hated it. And my mental health really took a toll in that. And that’s kind of where, you know, I can go on another podcast, even talking about mental health, but that’s kind of where I was like, Okay, this isn’t working, let me find something, you know, so I started exploring other creative outlets. I had an Instagram page where I was sharing different recipes. And I had started this Instagram page, probably 12 years ago, like way back when Instagram was just kind of focusing on photos and like carousels and things like that. And so, I kind of took that opportunity to start posting more reels, start engaging a little bit more on Instagram. 

Wan Na Chun  09:29

And, you know, I kind of have a love-hate relationship with Instagram. I’ve gone through multiple hiatuses and I’m currently on a hiatus right now. It is one of those where I feel like you kind of have to approach it with a strategy and I’ve never really done my proper homework before, you know, posting on Instagram, but I started posting on Instagram some more and then started a TikTok and so I’m kind of, you know, I’m kind of going on a tangent here, but basically was trying to find ways to go outside of the clinical space and kind of found a way to leave my full-time job to pursue something more creative. Because I’ve started to realize that I am much more creative in, in what I like to do, you know, I really love being in the kitchen, I really love sharing different recipes, I love developing different recipes. And so that was kind of how my introduction into food blogging started to unfold. Because I found you I found Food Blogger Pro, and seeing people like actually make a money by sharing their content online. 

Wan Na Chun  10:51

So needless to say, I’m no longer focusing on Instagram, because, again, there’s so much strategy, and you really have to play along with the algorithm which favors you being on it every day, and I just did not have the time or energy to really do that. So I decided to focus on food blogging, and currently, you know, the first year I think of food blogging is very challenging, just kind of being consistent. And so that’s where I’m at with things. I’ve also taken up food photography, and videography with YouTube, and developing shorts and reels. So yeah, just doing a lot of content creation within the food space, because that’s really what I’m finding myself to love is being creative. And I’m very lucky to have that ability to pursue this full time. And it was really just out of a sense of no longer belonging in kind of that like hospital setting that nine to five job and wanting to be a creative.

Megan Porta  12:03

Yeah, that’s amazing. Congrats doing that. And I totally understand those toxic environments. I’ve been there and they can be so depleting on our physical and mental well being so good for you for recognizing that and leaving, and finding something that served you better. So nice work.

Wan Na Chun  12:22

Thank you. And it was yeah, it was really challenging. I mean, waking up just kind of feeling like, you know, you’re doing something but you see no purpose, you feel like your mental state is not there it was, it was really challenging. But again, just kind of thinking about what I envisioned, I always have envisioned myself to be more of that entrepreneur spirit. And so working for myself. And so I did all the things at once I got married, I left my full-time job, and I started a business. And so it was kind of just like going, you know, all in all at once.

Megan Porta  13:05

Yeah, for sure. And I love that you are a dietitian, because I feel like dietitians that become food bloggers have such a leg up just having that knowledge, the expertise to bring to the table in addition to a love of cooking and food and recipes. So there’s a dietitian, actually there might be I have two dietitians currently in my mastermind group. And I’m always in awe of them, because like, they have an advantage over the rest of us because they’ve got the actual, like education and knowledge that a lot of us don’t have. So I’m curious to hear more about that and how you relate that or I guess how you use being a dietitian in your food blogging world.

Wan Na Chun  13:45

Yeah. And so it does give me a leg up just having those credentials, being able to tell people that yes, I am an expert in what I do. Because I have gone through schooling, I’ve gone through an internship to be able to speak upon health claims or nutrition claims. And so in terms of like, EAAT, it definitely helps with that. It’s expertise that Google likes to see. And so even when I’m creating recipes, you know, I find that if I include somewhere in my blog post that I am a registered dietician, and that’s, you know, even just talking a little bit about the nutritional benefits really does help with gaining trust from the reader. And so, as a dietitian, that is really kind of what I like to focus on with my recipes is creating nutrient dense recipes that anyone can enjoy no matter if they have a certain allergy if they have different dietary restrictions because I am a firm believer in the fact that everyone should be able to enjoy food. And so whether that is making substitutions, or just doing a simple ingredient swap, I really like to focus on that in my recipes, and also how to make traditional recipes a little bit more nutrient dense, you know, because why not add in additional fiber or protein when we can? And so that’s kind of the bread and butter of what I like to focus on in my recipes, and just showing different techniques and tips for people that, you know, might be intimidated by things like beans or more nutritious ingredients. And I feel like there is kind of, you know, a certain stigma behind eating more nutrient dense meals, it has to look a certain way, it has to be green, it has to be colorful, but there is so much more to nutrients, then, you know, just being Instagram worthy, or like looking a certain way. So that’s really what I like to focus on in my recipes.

Megan Porta  16:21

I love this. And I think this is something that we could all do. But as non-dietitians, most of us anyway, how do you recommend that we do this because I personally steer toward avoiding talking about nutrient dense foods, because I don’t want to make any claims and say something that I don’t even know what I’m talking about, you know what I mean? Like I can Google something, but is that real? So how do we as non-dieticians approach that?

Wan Na Chun  16:51

Yeah, I think that first of all, thinking of just nutrients that would be easy to identify in a recipe. So for example, protein is a great example. You know, it’s identifiable, you have your meat proteins, you can have your vegetable proteins, like tofu, tempeh. And I think even by just including something along the lines of like, you know, adding different protein sources can help you with feeling fuller for longer. And also, if you’re not feeling confident about your nutrient claims, what I like to do is just quickly Google, a research article online that actually supports the claim that you are trying to say in the article. And, you know, you can quickly do like oats and soluble fiber and CDI. And there usually is a scientific article that does support the claims and some of the facts that we have. And so even by just linking out to a research article can help qualify some of your statements. And I also think that just thinking about, you know, protein is one of the macronutrients that is very easy to include different substitutions. So for people that don’t eat meat, you can include a vegan substitutes. Another area that I like to focus on is fiber. And so fiber is found in our grains or vegetables, fruits, and fiber is honestly some one of the most underrated nutrients and I think apt, as food bloggers, we should be able to just talk on a high level a little bit about the ingredients and talk a little bit about what they do, you know, we already go into detail about how they taste, so why not just add a short, simple sentence on something along the lines of like, you know, what it does to your body, and people do like to know that what they’re eating is also good for them. And so, by doing, you know, a simple search on kind of nutrition facts about your ingredients, and having that in your blog post, I think is a way to reach a wider audience. You know, there are more and more people that want to eat healthy. And so I think that’s a great way to just slowly as someone who’s not a registered dietician, be able to speak upon the nutritional ingredients, or the or rather the nutritional facts just on a very high level.

Megan Porta  20:09

I like that, because most people know, you know what fiber does, why it’s good for you same with protein. And speaking about that doesn’t require a degree of any sort. It’s common knowledge. So why not just touch on it right, just to educate our users? 

Wan Na Chun  20:24

Yeah, exactly. 

Megan Porta  20:26

And like you said, more and more people do want to eat healthier. And I think this is good news for food bloggers, because it lends us an opportunity to talk more about things in our content, and just make our content more valuable. And diverse. Right?

Wan Na Chun  20:43

Yeah. And I think also, sometimes, you know, when we talk about recipe development, I feel like sometimes recipes hold a very special place in, you know, like, either their families, it’s a family recipe, or it’s a cultural recipe. And sometimes I think people are nervous about veering away from that. So a great example would be like swapping brown rice in like a fried rice recipe, you know, like that is something that absolutely would not go well with my mother, who is Chinese. And so I think just having a like confidence, and also, I guess, confidence isn’t really the right word, but just being willing to include some of those caveats in your recipes being like, Hey, if you want to add more fiber, consider swapping out the white rice for brown rice. So it doesn’t have to be a complete modification, it can just have, you know, just some little caveats, little tips and tricks on how to include some more nutrient dense ingredients. And when we’re talking about classifying recipes, I don’t love classifying things as healthy or unhealthy. I think that word can be triggering for some people. I also think that, you know, healthy can look different for everyone. And I’ll admit, I do sometimes put in the word healthy just for SEO purposes, because that is a keyword that pops up, you know, like people are searching for the term healthy. But in my blog post, I like to include a little caveat that says like nutrient dense, or like nutrient rich, and and it’s just a little work around to kind of saying like, well, you know, this might not be healthy for everyone, but it certainly does have nutrients. And so that’s kind of like a little way that I like to phrase it in my blog posts.

Megan Porta  22:59

Because sometimes SEO does dictate how we title a post or what we write inside of it. But I think nutrient dense is a really good word for for anyone because we all want nutrients. There’s nothing but good things associated with that term. So I think that’s a really smart way to phrase that once you’re in the bulk of the post and kind of explaining the recipe a little bit more.

Wan Na Chun  23:22

Yeah, absolutely. And I think even I believe I was actually listening to one of your older podcast episodes on, you know, phrasing different titles and the guests that you had on I can’t remember her name, but she mentioned how she had a post that was something along the lines of like, these bars are so good, they taste like crack or something like that. And she mentioned that, you know, maybe reframing how you say that, because that can have you know, that’s that’s just not an appropriate word to describe that. And so when she said that the light bulb kind of went in on my head, because I was like, that can be applied to so many terms that we use in our food blogs, and like our posts that we have, and you know, I think it is important, especially when we’re talking to people that might come from different backgrounds. You know, you don’t know if that word healthy can have a certain impact on someone, especially getting into the realm of disordered eating. Eating disorders, it’s something that as a registered dietician, It’s always kind of lurking in my mind. So rephrasing and also thinking about the language and terminology is also something that I think as food bloggers we can, or we should think a little bit more carefully about.

Sponsor  24:59

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Megan Porta  26:04

I know it’s hard because we when I started blogging, we used a lot of those terms like I have cracked brownies, I think I’ve changed it. I don’t know if I’ve changed it. But it’s like, oh my gosh, how terrible is that? Now once you start thinking about it, you really do think through it and think how this could be not not good or maybe offensive to some people. So just being careful about the words you use. And then like diet. I know. A lot of people don’t like that word. They don’t like the idea of having a diet focused-blog or diet focused-recipe so that you need to be careful of as well. Yeah. How do you deal with that? Like the whole just concept of having maybe focusing a recipe or a handful of recipes around a certain, like diet programs such as whole? 30? How do you talk about that?

Wan Na Chun  26:53

Yeah, I typically I’ll be honest, I kind of stray away from some of those a little bit more diety type of meal plans and meal plans in general, I try to stay away from just because I really try to emphasize in my recipes that I’m you know, I want to teach people how to eat more healthfully, healthfully. And so I think by doing more of just like a higher level on adding nutrients, rather than taking away things, because I think in diet culture, a lot of it is an emphasis on taking away things and restricting certain nutrients restricting certain food groups. And I am a big believer in adding nutrients that will help you achieve whatever weight loss fitness goals that you have. And so I tend to kind of stay away from, you know, having things that are labeled, that fit a certain meal pattern. I do include like it is, you know, I do a lot of Gluten Free Recipes. And I’ll kind of write like adaptable to a gluten free diet or with vegan recipes, I’ll say adaptable to a vegan diet. And I’ll kind of go into the ways that you can adapt it to those specific eating patterns. But those two I think are the really the only ones that I focus on. And with like, you know, the whole 30, The Paleo I kind of stay away from that in terms of like, my audience and what I want my content to focus on.

Megan Porta  28:44

Yeah, I suppose that depends on your niche and your content and a lot of factors. And then I feel like offering nutrient or like ingredients, substitutions and also just substitutions that might make your give your recipe a twist, like maybe a different kind of food group only adds value and diversity. So I love that you touched on earlier about, like, you might be trying to follow a certain cultural dish. And it feels maybe a I don’t think use the word offensive, but like wrong in some way to offer substitutions, right. But I think, from my perspective, it can add value, but I can see where people might be hesitant to do that. Mm hmm. Do you know what I mean? Like it’s it’s kind of a it’s a gray area, like I want to be true to this dish in this culture. But I also want to offer variations and substitutions for it just in case. So it’s a fine balance. And I think a lot of us can really struggle with that.

Wan Na Chun  29:44

Yeah, and with the cultural dishes specifically. I like to add a little caveat in the title saying like, inspired by this dish, and so I think not labeling a recipe tea as an authentic, you know, Thai coconut curry or whatever. But rather wording it as inspired by a Thai coconut curry can kind of relieve the pressure from some of the negative pushback that you might get. And I’ll still get it in some of the recipes, and even the videos that I post, like, you know, make it and but it usually is kind of more positive, like people that are from that culture will say like, oh, you know, make this in a tangine instead of a Dutch oven. And so I think it does, there is a way to incorporate cultural recipes in a way that is not offensive, but rather just inspired and using making it clear that you’re making it your own, you’re not trying to emulate the original recipe, not claiming that it is authentic by any means, but rather just inspired. And, you know, I think people will respond positively to that, if you make it known that you’re simply just recreating the dish in your own way.

Megan Porta  31:19

Yeah, if people want, though, they still find reason to get offended, right? I mean, even I know food bloggers who do that? They put that statement out there that disclaimer, like, I’m just inspired, this is not an authentic dish, etc. But they still get comments like, you’re such a jerk, how could you ever post, you know, like, people, if they want to still find a way to share their offense, their feeling offended with you.

Wan Na Chun  31:44

That is a good point. And you know, actually, I’ve kind of I heard something very interesting the other day, and this specifically was for YouTube. And someone said something about the fact that like, well, even the negative comments are welcomed, because it’s engagement, like YouTube sees it as engagement. And so I kind of was like, oh, you know, that’s, that’s a good point. But yes, the negative comments will always exist, whether or not you’re recreating it in a healthier or way, a more nutrient dense way, or, you know, the opposite direction. I think that people do have an attachment to food, you know, food is so much more than fuel. And it is so much more than like what is on the plate, it does have an emotional connection to some people. And so I think that’s why, you know, there is sentiment and emotions behind certain recipes. But that is definitely something that I think just being a content creator, we kind of have to learn how to navigate those negative comments.

Megan Porta  32:55

Yeah, that’s a really good point, just to put a positive spin on it and see it as a positive, or a way that you’re getting engagement. My husband has been really good reminder of that for me. He just always like every time I’m like, Oh my gosh, you wouldn’t believe this comment I got about pasta, like, like someone is really complaining about Mac, my mac and cheese recipe again. It’s mac and cheese. It’s pasta and cheese. I’m not claiming to be an Italian, you know, like, people find reasons to get upset. And he always reminds me, this is healthy drama, this is good engagement. And that’s really kept me level headed. And just seeing that good. Because my crock pot mac and cheese recipe got a ton of engagement and traffic early on, and still does because of that. So thank you say thank you to those people, right?

Wan Na Chun  33:47

Yes, exactly. And, you know, I think also having just the blind the blinders, you know, you got to put on a pair of sunglasses and just focus try your best to focus on like the positives. And being an entrepreneur, you always have to find ways to, I guess, take care of yourself emotionally as well. And so I’m so glad that your husband is there to lift you up because I do find myself getting really fired up. I’m like, What is this and so it’s always good to have people around you that are you know, just giving you positivity because sometimes it’s hard to block out the negativity.

Megan Porta  34:36

It is it’s so helpful to have outside reminders because we can get so in our heads as content creators who work mostly alone. It’s really easy to be our own, you know, judge like I don’t know, it’s it can be a head game for me. So to have that outside voice saying, Wait a second. You don’t. Here’s the positive spin don’t worry so much is so are so helpful.

Wan Na Chun  35:01

Yeah. And I’ve actually joined a mastermind, which has been incredibly helpful. It has, I mean, you know, mindset, I think in business is the number one thing, and it is truly, you are your biggest barrier in all of the goals that you’re trying to achieve within business. And so I think that has, you know, investing in yourself, and part of that actually can be eating more nutritiously. You know, like taking care of yourself remembering to add nutrients to your own meals, and remembering sleep to eat regular meals, which I know can be hard as a food creator, you know, we’re kind of just eating leftovers, we’re eating at weird times, because we’re trying to capture, you know, something, like a certain time of day. But I think that’s also something important to remember as creators, because usually, it I mean, depending on whether or not you have a team, but like, usually we are the face of our brand. And if we can’t show up being the best possible version of ourselves, then it does reflect in our work,

Megan Porta  36:17

That’s a really good point, Wan Na, is that not only can this topic provide value to our readers, but it can provide value to us, kind of as a, like a sideline, like oh, by the way, if you present these options, you will be eating this way to which will make you a healthier entrepreneur that has the better mindset, you know, so it can have effects on us as well as the person producing all of this content.

Wan Na Chun  36:45

Absolutely. Yeah. And I mean, it is true that you, you really are what you eat. And that’s kind of why I like went into all of this is, my whole thing is like wellness, in general is nutrition, it’s physical activity, it’s mental, emotional health. And so what we’re doing, if you’re eating well, if you’re fueling your body correctly with all of the nutrients that it needs, it really can make a dramatic impact on the way that you function on the day to day. So absolutely, always keeping that reminder in your head to take care of yourself to eat well. And to also, you know, do the physical activity, get out and move. I am also a personal trainer on the side. And so that’s why I love advocating for all of these things, because it does make a huge, huge impact in the way that you show up.

Megan Porta  37:45

Oh my gosh, it’s so true. It’s so underrated too. But there’s so much power and value there. I have a question about talking not necessarily about like diets such as whole 30, or paleo or keto, but more about just like low-carb, gluten-free you like that vegan vegetarian type of meals? Is there anything we should have at the top of our minds when we talk about those?

Wan Na Chun  38:11

Yes. So getting into more of those ways of eating that are a little bit more, I’d say medical focused, I think is where, you know, you might want to fact check with a registered dietician, or just making sure that you do your due diligence on classifying those meals. Because a lot of times like people that are looking for those specific recipes, and this is moving more along the lines of like low-carb, for example, if it’s a diabetic patient who is searching for a low-carb recipe like you, you want to make sure that’s actually low-carb because that can have implications if you miss label your ingredients if you miss label the recipe. So if you’re going to label your recipe to fit a certain eating criteria, I think it is very important to consult with the dietitian to make sure that hey, these ingredients are really what I think they’re doing one of my biggest… actually I was just watching a food show, I think it was on Netflix and someone one of the chefs was making a what he claimed a keto bar. And he was talking about the ingredients. So you know he had keto chocolate he had the base was made from like macadamia nuts. But then he said I’m also adding dates, which dry dates are pretty high in carbs. And so when I heard that, I just you know, smacked my face being like, no, it is not keto. And so I think also, again, like very, very important to just do your due diligence to fact check and make sure that, especially when we’re getting into more of the medical side of things, that does have implications. And so also, it doesn’t hurt to just on the WP recipe maker plugin, you know, calculate those nutrition facts and just double check to make sure like, is the carb count, right? Is the sodium righy? Fat content, all of that? You know, does that match up to what I’m claiming it does. And that’s just something that you can do. If you don’t have access to a dietician. If you just want to do your own due diligence, I think that’s a great place for people to start.

Megan Porta  40:52

That is a great tip. And I’ve never heard anyone say that, but just if, if you’re in doubt, go to your recipe card. And because that those are facts, like the nutrition facts are, that’s, you know, like, you can’t argue with two grams of carbs or whatever. So yeah, that’s a great one. And I’m so be careful about this. I’m so worried about it every time I write a recipe and talk about it, like, oh, gosh, is this right? I don’t know. I just like, I really want to make sure because I don’t want to deliver something that’s wrong, or that somebody’s not expecting?

Wan Na Chun  41:25

Yeah, yeah. And I think you know, even even with me, I sometimes I like, have to go back and double check. Especially if I’m writing something that does have a specific health claim, I usually go back and check my ingredients. And even with things like sauces, like that’s a, that’s a big one, where people don’t realize sauces do have a lot of hidden sugars and ingredients. So if you’re claiming something as low carb, then it should be lower in sugar, or at least have artificials sugar, because that will impact the carb count. And so it definitely is worth double checking to make sure. And the good thing about the internet is, you know, sometimes if you don’t notice it, someone else will. Sometimes people will point it on, it’s like, a nice way to say that. Good point. Yeah, I had someone, actually, there was a discrepancy in terms of the calories that I put for, I put in a different caloric amount in the blog post, compared to the nutrition facts through the recipe maker and someone pointed it out. And it was like a 30 Calorie difference. But it was enough for that person to point it out. Right. And I was like, you know, I’m actually very glad you’re reading the blog post, because that was like 

Megan Porta  42:56

Right, very thoroughly. 

Wan Na Chun  42:59

Yeah, it was very much embedded within the blog post. So you know, people do read and will point it out for you. But again, just doesn’t hurt to double check, do your due diligence before you post that blog. It is funny what people will notice. And then of course, you get the people that are like, Well, where are the ingredients? It’s like, well, it’s very clearly outlined here. So right it is it is pretty funny what people pick up on and what they don’t

Megan Porta  43:33

I know. It’s like it really forces you to find the kindness and grace inside of you sometimes like okay, just be patient, take a deep breath. Is there anything we’ve not touched on wanna that you would like to touch on before we say goodbye?

Wan Na Chun  43:47

I think we covered it. I really just want to encourage food bloggers and recipe developers to think about ways that you can add nutrients to your recipes. So even just like on a higher level, you know, like with a pasta dish, like incorporating a protein source as a way to make that meal, more satiating. If you are including like, like a salad recipe, maybe adding in some beans, some chickpeas to add more fiber. So just thinking about, like developing recipes and creating it in a way that does add nutrients because as you know, we unfortunately live in a state where people are sick and people are, you know, not as living as long and as fruitfully as they were before and so nutrition definitely plays a huge role in that and that’s what I try to get across in my recipes is that it doesn’t have to be bland. You can add nutrients in a way so that your meals taste good, they are nutritious, and just kind of finding ways to do that, I think is something that I would really love to advocate as a food blogger is to just do small little swaps and changes in your recipes to make them more nutrient dense.

Megan Porta  45:23

Love this, we don’t hear this enough. So it’s such a great topic and conversation to bring to the table. So we appreciate you, Wan Na, for doing that. And it’s been an absolute pleasure to have this conversation with you. So thank you so much for being here.

Wan Na Chun  45:37

Absolutely. It was a pleasure speaking with you. And thank you so much for having me on.

Megan Porta  45:42

Do you have either a favorite quote or words of inspiration you want to leave us with Wan Na?

Wan Na Chun  45:46

Yes, this is actually something that my business coach tells me all the time is to do it scared, because when we are comfortable, we’re not growing. And this is for all of those new entrepreneurs out there that are taking food blogging, you know, really taking this seriously turning it into a full time role, I think that you should find ways to push yourself outside of your comfort zone, because that’s really a way to see growth, at least for me, coming on to this podcast was very, very scary. I am a diehard introvert. And so talking to people is like, you know, the last last thing that I like to do, but just putting yourself out there because you never know what kind of connections you never know, what kind of opportunities might arise from you doing those simple steps to step outside of your comfort zone. So I really try to live and embrace that feeling of discomfort. And I will say Megan, you have been an absolute pleasure to speak with. And so for anyone who is wanting to come on this podcast and is thinking about it, it just do it. It is not intimidating. Megan is super sweet. So that is what I’d like to leave with is do it scared.

Megan Porta  47:18

I love that. And thank you for doing this even though you did it scared. We appreciate that. And I was going to say if you weren’t that it’s not scary being here. Everyone says, Oh, what was I so worried about? That was so easy and fun. So yes, Wan Na said it and I say it to come apply to be on the show because everyone has value and a story to share. 

Wan Na Chun  47:39

Absolutely. 

Megan Porta  47:40

Thank you Wan Na. That was such a great way to end I love that you did that. And we’ll put together a show notes page for you. If anyone wants to go look at those you can head over to eatblogtalk.com/onepotwellness, tell everyone where they can find you Wan Na?

Wan Na Chun  48:02

Yes, so you can find me at onepotwellness.com That is where my food blog is. I also have a little freebie for recipe developers and food bloggers that want to incorporate more nutrient dense ingredients. And that is also on my website. And I have everything in terms of you know, if you want a dietician to look through your meals, your recipes, just to get a second pair of eyes on some of those qualified health claims. You can find all of that on my website. And again, that is onepotwellness.com

Megan Porta  48:40

Thank you so much for offering up all of that Wan Na and thank you again for being here. And thank you for listening food bloggers. I will see you all in the next episode. 

Outro  48:52

Thank you so much for listening to this episode of Eat Blog Talk. Don’t forget to head to forum.eatblogtalk.com to join our free discussion forum and connect with and learn from like-minded peers. I will see you next time.