Many people like to dish out nutrition advice, although not everyone is qualified to. This advice is given out daily, and all over the world by personal trainers, doctors, nutritionists, health coaches, neighbors, friends, relatives, grocery store cashiers, health enthusiasts and my least favorite Dr.Oz. I enjoy hearing the stories that my patients share with me about the nutrition advice they have received. The number one suggestion given by some of their providers is "do not eat anything white." Sigh. Guess who is not having cauliflower for dinner? Seriously though, inaccurate information gets confusing and people don't know who to listen to.
So you might be wondering, what is the real harm here, if at all? And what makes a dietitian my "go to" for food and nutrition information?
Anyone can become an expert on any subject they choose. In fact, many non-RD folks out there probably know more about antioxidants and the healing properties of food than me. What I believe Registered Dietitians have that others don't is...well....the bigger picture. We are realistic. We work with you individually. We asses your health literacy before we educate you. We use motivational interviewing to help you set goals and achieve them. We are practical. We understand all of your health conditions and work with those and we are the only ones who can provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (for example, if you have end stage renal disease, we are not going to push potassium-rich fruits and vegetables without looking at your labs first! This can be harmful!).
Let me explain further. In the county that I currently live in we are experiencing significant food hardship. In fact, we are ranked #1 right now in the United States. Many of our community members make decisions daily about purchasing medications, their rent or food. Can you imagine the look on my patient's face if I walked into their home, scolded them on the sugary soft drink in their hand, and told them the following?: You must only eat fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Avoid all GMOs. Nope, you can't use that microwave to cook your food, it is going to give you cancer. Baby carrots you say? Never, do you know they have chlorine on them? You have to buy this supplement I have over here, never mind the expense........it is the only thing that will help you lose weight....it's a miracle!
The bottom line is that we all have issues, many of them related to food. What works for one person is not going to work for another. Nutrition is not one size fits all. If the only way my patient is going to eat a vegetable is cooked in the microwave then heck yeah! This is so much better than the harmful health effects of not eating vegetables at all. There is so much inequality in how individuals can afford to eat healthfully that it is not realistic to ask folks to eat all organic food or all fresh foods. I dream of a world where everyone can eat and have access to healthy, fresh food on a daily basis. Sadly, this is not the reality we live in. In addition, all of the mixed nutrition messages out there are confusing and leave people perplexed and unsure what to do.
I read an article a few months ago that mentioned dietitians just aren't sexy. And it's true. I don't have a panacea that will cure all of your problems and help you drop that last 10 pounds. What I can do is listen. Work with you and create a plan that is achievable and promotes your overall health. I have often daydreamed of chopping up a head of broccoli into teeny tiny pieces, putting them them in a pill bottle and then promoting it as the next food miracle for weight loss. Sometimes I think people might believe that more than the plain and simple advice that fruits and veggies really are some of the best food choices to make. It is frustrating. But I am not giving up.
There is not one miracle food out there. It is all about balance. I hope I do not sound bitter, and I am sure there are plenty of non-RD persons in the community who have this big picture and a great message as well. Overall, nutrition is confusing and it is a rapidly changing field. Just today I got an email about some pretty big changes for how we recommend cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat in one's diet (stay tuned!). So, (and yeah I know I am tooting the RD horn here!) before you jump on the latest diet band wagon or shell out some big bucks for a protein powder, maybe, just maybe, consider chatting with a big picture RD!
This photo was taken during my trip to Zambia. We visited a hospital there but their nutritionist was not working that day. Would have been great to chat with her and get perspective on life as a dietitian across the world!
So you might be wondering, what is the real harm here, if at all? And what makes a dietitian my "go to" for food and nutrition information?
Anyone can become an expert on any subject they choose. In fact, many non-RD folks out there probably know more about antioxidants and the healing properties of food than me. What I believe Registered Dietitians have that others don't is...well....the bigger picture. We are realistic. We work with you individually. We asses your health literacy before we educate you. We use motivational interviewing to help you set goals and achieve them. We are practical. We understand all of your health conditions and work with those and we are the only ones who can provide Medical Nutrition Therapy (for example, if you have end stage renal disease, we are not going to push potassium-rich fruits and vegetables without looking at your labs first! This can be harmful!).
Let me explain further. In the county that I currently live in we are experiencing significant food hardship. In fact, we are ranked #1 right now in the United States. Many of our community members make decisions daily about purchasing medications, their rent or food. Can you imagine the look on my patient's face if I walked into their home, scolded them on the sugary soft drink in their hand, and told them the following?: You must only eat fresh, organic fruits and vegetables. Avoid all GMOs. Nope, you can't use that microwave to cook your food, it is going to give you cancer. Baby carrots you say? Never, do you know they have chlorine on them? You have to buy this supplement I have over here, never mind the expense........it is the only thing that will help you lose weight....it's a miracle!
The bottom line is that we all have issues, many of them related to food. What works for one person is not going to work for another. Nutrition is not one size fits all. If the only way my patient is going to eat a vegetable is cooked in the microwave then heck yeah! This is so much better than the harmful health effects of not eating vegetables at all. There is so much inequality in how individuals can afford to eat healthfully that it is not realistic to ask folks to eat all organic food or all fresh foods. I dream of a world where everyone can eat and have access to healthy, fresh food on a daily basis. Sadly, this is not the reality we live in. In addition, all of the mixed nutrition messages out there are confusing and leave people perplexed and unsure what to do.
I read an article a few months ago that mentioned dietitians just aren't sexy. And it's true. I don't have a panacea that will cure all of your problems and help you drop that last 10 pounds. What I can do is listen. Work with you and create a plan that is achievable and promotes your overall health. I have often daydreamed of chopping up a head of broccoli into teeny tiny pieces, putting them them in a pill bottle and then promoting it as the next food miracle for weight loss. Sometimes I think people might believe that more than the plain and simple advice that fruits and veggies really are some of the best food choices to make. It is frustrating. But I am not giving up.
There is not one miracle food out there. It is all about balance. I hope I do not sound bitter, and I am sure there are plenty of non-RD persons in the community who have this big picture and a great message as well. Overall, nutrition is confusing and it is a rapidly changing field. Just today I got an email about some pretty big changes for how we recommend cholesterol, sodium and saturated fat in one's diet (stay tuned!). So, (and yeah I know I am tooting the RD horn here!) before you jump on the latest diet band wagon or shell out some big bucks for a protein powder, maybe, just maybe, consider chatting with a big picture RD!
This photo was taken during my trip to Zambia. We visited a hospital there but their nutritionist was not working that day. Would have been great to chat with her and get perspective on life as a dietitian across the world!
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