A Way to HEAL, Utah

Thanksgiving is nearly here! Are you ready? In this episode Brett McIff, Laura Kohl, and Judy Harris from the Utah Department of Health, Healthy Environments Active Living Program (HEAL) join us with some tips and strategies for making your celebration a little more active and nutritious. We hope you have a very happy Thanksgiving! Here is the link to some healthy recipes we mentioned in the episo...

The benefits of proper nutrition are many, and in this episode we get to learn about a free new virtual webinar series that begins in November called Food as Medicine. Carrie Bennett with the Utah County Health Dept., and Natalie Klein from the Utah Dept. of Health tell us all about the series, and Florence Hansen joins us to share her experience as a participant. This is a great opportunity to le...

For many people autumn is the best time of year, and that is certainly the case for Dr. Brett McIff who joins us in this episode to share some tips for getting active this fall...  oh, and a few bad puns!

There are so many great things about autumn, and one of them them is pumpkins! We love our jack-o-lanterns, and we're all aware that pumpkin makes great pie and cookies, but pumpkin can be used in a variety of ways and it's oh so healthy for you. In this episode Judy Harris, Laura Kohl join us along with our special guest Taun Beddes from the USU extension, to discuss the wonderful pumpkin. To lea...

School nurses provide critical services to our kids, but often work behind the scenes. In this episode BettySue Hinkson, the School Nurse Consultant for the state of Utah, joins us to discuss the state of school nurses in Utah, the many duties of a school nurse, and how their work has been impacted by COVID. Download the latest school nurse report here: https://choosehealth.utah.gov/prek-12/school...

Whether it's the fall harvest or family meals there is a lot going on in September related to food, but one of the things we don't often talk about is that September is also Hunger Action Month. Laura Holtrop Kohl joins us in this episode to discuss the latest data on food insecurity, and what help is available.

September is a wonderful time of the year! It's finally cooling off a bit, and the fall harvest makes so much local fresh produce available. It's the perfect month to remind ourselves of all the benefits that come from having a simple thing like a healthy family meal. In this episode Rebecca Fronberg joins us for a discussion on why family meals are so important, and how they can benefit your fami...

Many of the benefits of physical activity are well known, however did you know it also helps boost your immune system? In this episode Dr. Brett McIff joins us to discuss how physical activity can help your immune system better protect you from viruses like COVID, the flu, or even the common cold.

It's that great time of year when the harvest is beginning and farmers markets are open! Farmers markets benefit the community, the environment and our health. In this episode EPICC dieticians Laura Holtrop Kohl, and Judy Harris join us to talk about the benefits of farmers markets, and Laura shares the good news that the Double Up Food Bucks program is back once again this year. To learn more abo...

Each year August brings us the opportunity to focus on giving the best care we can to our babies through breastfeeding. August is National Breastfeeding Month which serves as a great reminder of not only how important breast milk is for the health of babies, but also how we can all play a role in promoting breastfeeding and supporting breastfeeding mothers.

As we celebrate America this July it's a great opportunity to spend time with family, friends, and your grill! In this episode Dr. Brett McIff and Judy Harris join us to talk about ways we can add some variety to the grill options this year. It's an opportunity to add some nutrition and some yummy flavors to your celebration. Happy Independence Day!! 

June is Men's Health Month and the Salt Lake County Health Department is helping everybody celebrate with some great activities to help get everybody active. In this episode Mercedes Maestas from Salt Lake County, and Dr. Brett McIff from the Utah  Department of Health join us to talk about Open Streets downtown, Park Rx Utah, as well as the great work happening with Active Communities and ac...

The warm weather has finally arrived! It's the perfect time to get out and enjoy all the family friendly bike lanes Utah has to offer. In this episode Keili Bell from Bike Utah, and Dr. Brett McIff from the Utah Department of Health join us to talk about the great biking opportunities in Utah, and some of the great things Bike Utah is doing to make Utah a better place to ride. For more information...

Spring is here, and summer is knocking on the door! After a year of social distancing and hunkering down it is definitely time to get out and get moving. In this episode Dr. Brett McIff joins us to celebrate May, and take advantage of the warm weather to get outside and get active!

Whether you're a master gardener, or still trying to figure out that shovel thingy, the Utah State University Extension has something for you. In this episode Extension horticulturalist Taun Beddes joins us to talk about the mission of the Extension, and the wealth of information and classes they have to offer gardeners. To explore the great gardening resources available from the Extension visit:...

It's April! Spring is here, and it's time to get out into the garden! April is National Garden Month. It's a great time to think about the many benefits of gardening. Yes, a garden provides yummy fresh veggies, but did you know it can also be a source physical, emotional and mental health for gardeners? In this episode Taun Beddes, Utah State University Extension Horticulturalist, joins us to talk...

You've probably heard how important breakfast is to start your day off right, but that's especially true for kids. This week is National School Breakfast Week and a good opportunity to learn about your local school breakfast program and what it has to offer to your family and community. In this weeks podcast we chat about school breakfast and why it's so important to so many families.

We hear the message to eat healthy so often that it becomes easy not to pay attention. However, March is National Nutrition Month, and in this episode of The EPICC Podcast we discuss how National Nutrition Month gives us an important opportunity to refocus on the nutritional aspect of our health. If you would like to find a registered dietitian near you here is the link we mentioned in the podcast...

We often hear that physical activity is critical to having a healthy heart, but why? In this episode of The EPICC Podcast Dr. Brett McIff joins us to explain the relationship between physical activity and our heart health.

In this episode Tara Ross from UDOH EPICC, and Juliette Martinez from the American Heart Association join us to discuss American Heart Month. We discuss what Heart Month is, how critical heart health is, and the resources available to support heart health. For more information: Utah Department of Health, EPICC Utah Million Hearts Coalition Don't Die of Doubt Utah Go Red for Women

Every five years The U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services publish Dietary Guidelines for Americans. In this episode we discuss the newly released 2020-2025 report. We talk about the latest nutritional guidelines and what's changed for 2020-2025.  You can explore the full report at: https://www.dietaryguidelines.gov

We all want make to positive healthy changes in our lives, and a new year is a symbolic opportunity to focus on  areas we want to improve. In this episode Dr. Brett McIff joins us to discuss successful alternatives to making those traditional resolutions that are typically doomed to fail. 

This time of year when we're surrounded by yummy goodies, parties galore, and cold temps outside it can be ho, ho, ho so easy to leave the physical activity out of our lives. In this episode Dr. Brett McIff joins us to discuss strategies to help us stay active during the holiday season.

It's the most wonderful time of the year! A time filled with hope, wonder, joy... and stress, and calories! In this week's episode we talk about strategies to help you navigate the holiday food minefield.

The holidays are always a demanding time of year for the Utah Food Bank and the local food pantries throughout Utah. In this weeks episode we talk to Ginette Bott, President and CEO of the Utah Food Bank, and Matt Whitaker, Director of the Cache Community Food Pantry in Logan to learn how the COVID pandemic has impacted people's food needs this year, and how we can help. To donate time, food or mo...