Osceola County School Board member Terry Castillo hosts dietitian Britney Graves on healthy eating

Terry Castillo, an Osceola County School Board member for District 1, introduced a short nutrition presentation featuring dietitian Britney Graves in a school board segment. Graves outlined practical steps families and school staff can take to improve daily eating habits and overall wellness.

Graves said nutrition should be treated as part of a whole-person approach that includes what people drink, how they exercise, how they manage stress and how they sleep. "I don't just see it as what somebody eats," she said, "I also focus on what people drink, how they're exercising, what things they do for stress, how they're sleeping, because I see it as a whole person." She recommended tailoring eating patterns to individual goals and medical guidance — for example, adjustments when someone is pre-diabetic, has high blood pressure, high cholesterol or celiac disease.

On monitoring progress, Graves advised combining subjective and objective measures: "We can monitor again how we're feeling," she said, and added that circumference measurements can show muscle gain. She cautioned against daily weigh-ins, recommending weighing about once a week to avoid counterproductive behavior: "I don't really like when people get on the scale every single day because it can be counterproductive."

Graves warned against highly restrictive diets that eliminate major food groups. "Anything that is so restrictive is not going to be realistic to stick with and is not going to be healthy in the long run," she said, using the carnivore diet as an example and noting that the digestive tract needs fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Explaining body composition, Graves used a visual comparison to show why clothing can fit better even when scale weight is unchanged: five pounds of body fat looks and behaves differently than five pounds of muscle. She stressed that education about fat loss versus muscle gain helps people interpret progress beyond the scale.

Graves identified stress eating and poor sleep as common drivers of unhealthy choices. She described signs of stress eating (cravings for sweets or crunchy snacks, constant fidgeting) and encouraged taking breaks during long workdays. She also said short sleep durations increase risk: "Even sleeping less than 5 hours is the equivalent of driving drunk," she said, linking poor sleep to elevated cravings and heart-attack risk associated with time changes.

For breakfast and sustained energy, Graves recommended higher-protein options and noted that "one egg is only 6 g of protein," so many people need more protein than common American breakfasts provide. She suggested Greek yogurt with frozen berries and chia or crushed walnuts, or homemade ground chicken or turkey sausage to boost protein and reduce additives.

On healthier treats and simple recipes, Graves recommended dates stuffed with nut butter (and briefly dipped in melted chocolate) and a chia pudding made with cocoa powder and peanut butter as satisfying alternatives to conventional sweets. "It almost tastes like a healthier Snickers bar," she said of a date with nut butter and chocolate.

To make balanced meals feasible with limited time, Graves recommended planning and batch cooking (for example, cooking extra protein and transforming it into salads, soups or pulled chicken), swapping meal-prep duties with friends, using pressure cookers for brown rice and considering meal services when helpful.

In closing advice, Graves emphasized fiber intake: she said average Americans eat about 15 grams and recommended aiming for "about 25 to 35 grams of fiber a day," noting a vegetable serving is roughly half a cup and that incremental planning can make targets achievable.

Castillo thanked Graves for the presentation; Graves thanked the board for having her. The segment consisted of guidance and education only and did not include formal actions or votes.