The nutrition and wellness world is always changing. With new scientific studies always emerging what we know to be true about nutrition has changed overtime. So much of what I learned about when I was in school for dietetics is dated.
Ultimately, I always encourage people to eat the way that makes them feel best. When I work with clients though and they want guidance I will give them my feedback on different nutrition trends or beliefs based on my understanding of how food works in the body. I think it’s important to be able to acknowledge when you may have been wrong in the past or when something has caused you to change your previous stance on a topic.
I’m reviewing some nutrition beliefs I used to believe about food and why my stance has changed over the years as I’ve learned and grown as a Registered Dietitian.
DO NOT SKIP BREAKFAST
I used to force clients to become breakfast people, noting it’s “the most important meal of the day”. I would encourage them to eat within 1-2 hours of waking. And while I still believe if you start your day with a protein packed meal you will eat less throughout the day I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. With more and more research on intermittent fasting I think it’s fine to push back your first meal of the day (women not fasting longer than 12-14 hours) and the important thing is to have a protein rich meal whenever you break your fast. That’s simply what breakfast means…break fast.
EAT 5 SMALL MEALS A DAY
I’m a snacker, so it’s tough for me to eat 2-3 solid meals a day and limit snacking in between, but I’m working on it. It’s good to give your body breaks from breaking down food and digesting to focus on other tasks it needs to do 😉
LIMIT FAT INTAKE
I cringe thinking about all the “fat free” Yoplait Light yogurt I used to eat in college. I was probably at my unhealthiest (but didn’t know it) while studying nutrition in undergrad. I would eat Snack Wells “fat free” cookies all the time and all the carbs because they were low in fat. My eating has changed drastically since as I’ve learned more and more about food science and nutrition over the years. Fat is now a significant macronutrient in my diet. I wrote a post here about why fat is such an important macronutrient. If you still limit or fear fat (like I used to) please read the post i linked 😉
RED MEAT IS UNHEALTHY
Fun fact I was a vegan for maybe a year during my dietetic internship. My roommate and I read a really dumb book and were convinced we should stop eating meat. When I started dating my husband we loved eating out and I slowly started to add meat back into my diet. Best decision ever as my body feels SO MUCH BETTER when I’m eating adequate animal protein; including red meat. (I wrote a post here about protein)
Red meat is LOADED with high quality protein and micronutrients. Red meat is not inherently unhealthy and can be part of a healthy diet.
LIMIT SALT
Sodium is an essential mineral and there has been a lot of misinformation about it over the years. I’m not talking about the sodium added into highly processed foods and frozen foods. You couldn’t survive on a zero sodium diet. I like to drink my LMNT packets (which have 1 gram of sodium in them) when I’m doing a sweaty workout or in the sauna. I’m not shy adding salt to food when cooking either. I’m mindful of limiting packaged foods when I can though.
Here is a good article on the important of sodium and what it’s functions are in the body.
COUNT CALORIES FOR WEIGHT LOSS
Calorie counting is not the best way to lose weight. I used to teach clients to read food labels and understand all the numbers. Now I focus more on teaching them to look at the ingredient list. The source of calories matter more. Count nutrients not calories. Focus on consuming Whole Foods, adequate – high protein and fiber for weight loss > counting calories.
xx, A
