What Modern Life Is Doing to Our Health | Lisa Franz on Food, Movement, Screens & Slower Living

Modern life was supposed to make everything easier.

Less walking. Less cooking. Less waiting. Less work.

So why do so many of us feel more rushed, more distracted, and more disconnected from the way we actually want to live?

In this episode of Womenfolk Revival, Meara and Maggie sit down with nutrition and fitness coach Lisa Franz for a wide-ranging conversation about food, movement, family, screens, culture, and what we may have lost in the name of convenience.

Lisa has traveled extensively, lived in multiple countries, and worked with hundreds of clients as a nutrition coach. That gives her a unique perspective on how different cultures move through daily life, how families eat together, how much people walk, how meals are experienced, and how modern routines can shape our health in ways we do not always notice.

We talk about the difference between intentional movement and simply building more activity into everyday life, why walking is still such a natural part of daily life in many places outside the United States, and how city design can either encourage or discourage movement. Lisa also shares what she has noticed about family meals, restaurant culture, eating slowly, and the importance of sitting down together rather than constantly eating on the go.  

The conversation also moves into screens and overstimulation, and why being more intentional with technology may matter just as much as what we eat. Lisa talks about single-tasking, creating moments of stillness, eating without constant distraction, and giving ourselves enough quiet to actually notice what we need. 

We also explore whole foods, home cooking, processed foods, mindful eating, slowing down between bites, waiting before getting seconds, and becoming more aware of the habits we have built around food. Lisa shares practical ways to start small without turning healthy living into another overwhelming list of rules.  

One resource Lisa mentions is the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce, including the Dirty Dozen and Clean Fifteen. The 2026 guide ranks produce based on pesticide residue data and is intended as a shopping reference, not a reason to avoid fruits and vegetables. 

You can explore those lists here:

Some of the broader themes in this episode include slow living, intentional living, mindful eating, whole foods, simple nutrition, family meals, screen habits, walking, everyday movement, Blue Zones, social connection, home cooking, food culture, healthy habits, and finding ways to participate more fully in your own life.

At the heart of the conversation is one question:

Maybe the slower way is not always the harder way. Maybe it is simply the way that gives us enough space to actually experience our lives. 

Lisa is the owner and head coach of Nutrition Coaching and Life and host of the Nutrition & Life Podcast. Current public profiles list her website and YouTube channel here. 

Lisa on YouTube — Nutrition Coaching and Life

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