Tricia Silverman - Nutrition, Movement, and Fitness that Pay Off

Tricia has been a fitness and nutrition enthusiast since she was a child. She is a registered and licensed dietitian, certified wellness coach, fitness instructor (certified as a personal trainer and group fitness instructor), and smoking cessation facilitator. She graduated with Summa Cum Laude honors with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics from the State University of New York and completed her dietetic internship at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She graduated with honors from the Babson College MBA program. As our Author of the Day, Tricia tells us all about her book, Healthy Dividends.

Please give us a short introduction to what Healthy Dividends is about.

Healthy Dividends is a book that is filled with tips and stories to help people get motivated to move and eat well, and take care of themselves, so they will feel better and live longer more vibrant lives as a result.

What inspired you to write this book?

For years, I have been collecting stories of wellness from interesting people that I have met and worked with, and the time finally came where I felt, “I can do this!”

Why did you decide to compare nutrition with finances?

Such a great question! I have always been fascinated with nutrition and entrepreneurship, which is why my undergraduate degree is in dietetics, and my master’s degree is in business administration. I see many things in terms of return on investment (ROI). I think you get such an amazing return on investment, i.e. healthy dividends, when you spend time and money now on your well-being.

How is nutrition related to longevity?

When you look at areas of longevity across the world such as Okinawa Japan, which has a high rate of centenarians, you see people who have eaten more natural plant-based diets. Foods that seem to support longevity are vegetables, fruits, beans, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Foods that seem to shorten your lifespan are red meat, especially processed meats like cold cuts and hot dogs, and what I call #Frankenfood, that is, foods and ingredients that don’t occur in nature. You can’t grow cookies in your garden, you can’t find a beverage with 45 tsp of sugar coming out of a natural spring, but you can buy these man-made poisons in most stores you walk into.

Why are you not a proponent of the Keto and Paleo diets?

First, I’ll start with what I do like about these diets, and that’s that when people do them, they often start eating more vegetables, and less #Frankenfood. What I don’t like about Paleo, is that it discourages beans, and the Keto diet recommends a ridiculous amount of fat, that no long-living population eats naturally. People are guinea pigs with this diet. It’s out of balance, and we don’t know the long term effects. We do know that a diet that focuses more on unsaturated fats is better for your brain as you age.

Besides writing, what other secret skills do you have?

I am super resourceful, and have a lot of business savvy, which has helped me stay the course in my business for 16 years. I started learning how to belly dance a few years back, and that has been fun.

If you could give only one nutrition tip, what would it be?

Aim to eat a variety of vegetables throughout the day.

Who are some of your favorite authors and why?

In college, I had a wonderful professor that exposed me to motivational authors such as Zig Ziglar and Norman Vincent Peale. When I started dating my husband, he started reading these books as well. We both enjoyed Norman Vincent Peale books so much, that we gave his The Power of Positive Thinking book away as wedding favors. Inspirational books have helped to give me a better mindset, which has made me more productive, less negative…thus, nicer to be around. . Authors that write about nutrition from interesting angles are T. Colin Campbell, and Dan Buettner. I enjoy Blue Zones books by Dan Buettner because very helpful nutrition messages are woven into the stories Buettner tells about people he has met who have lived long lives. T. Colin Campbell’s China Study opened my eyes to how truly important it is to move toward a plant-based diet. A recent true crime book that I read that I tore through and couldn’t put down was Relentless Pursuit: My Fight for the Victims of Jeffrey Epstein by Bradley Edwards. It was very shocking, and had a lot of suspense. Non-fiction books are so fascinating to me.

Readers say that this book reads like a page-turner novel.  How did you pull this off?

Thank you! I aimed to make the book conversational, and I included numerous stories that drove home points I was trying to make. And I tried to keep my advice pretty simple and practical.

What are some of your favorite healthy meals to cook?

I love to experiment with bean dishes and different salads and salad dressings. Here is a link to one of my favorite Mediterranean recipe websites: https://oldwayspt.org/recipes

Your book includes some case studies. Why did you take this approach?

I think that stories make a book relatable and more interesting to write and read. For instance, I share the stories and pictures about a personal trainer I met who found that when he cut out processed food and sugar and combined this with exercise, he lost weight and it improved his muscle tone. It can be that simple.

Do you have any interesting writing habits? What is an average writing day like for you?

I find that sometimes I am a night owl, and do my best work when the house is quiet, no emails are coming in, and my kids and husband are sleeping. An average day of writing definitely includes healthy meals and snacks, and a plan for the day. Exercise helps me generate new ideas. Walking and biking are my go-to’s for idea generation. Please see the picture of my bike right after sunset. The hours leading up to, including, and after sunset are when I enjoy biking most, especially when it’s near a beach. When I coach clients, I refer to these kinds of things as energizers. For your body, mind, and writing skills to be their best, it’s a good idea to do your energizers. Energizers are things that you enjoy doing, and that make you happy.

What are you working on right now?

Right now, I am working on a course based on the book. I will begin my next writing project soon. I am in the stage of deciding on what to write next. I feel like I have a lot of books in me. I am also doing a lot of virtual speaking for conferences, and for employee wellness programs, gyms, and senior centers. I turned my kitchen into my virtual speaking space (see the pic).

Where can our readers discover more of your work or interact with you?

They can go to my website, and download a free bonus chapter at www.triciasilverman.com/book. I enjoy meeting new friends and contacts on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter. Here are the links:

Connect with me on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tricia.silverman 
Connect with me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/triciasilverman/ 
Connect with me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/TriciaSilverman?lang=en 
Connect with me on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/tricia-silverman-rd-ldn-mba-b8757811