If you haven’t yet read part I of this series, you can do so here.
Let’s keep the party going.
Today’s content is a bit spicier, hope you enjoy it.
The concept of “serving size” doesn’t exist, but it kind of does
I wanted to include this principle because so many customers are curious about finding the right “portion size” for their meals and snacks.
At some level it is obvious that the amount of food one consumes is a relative concept.
If I want to put on 5 pounds of muscle and I need about 3,000 calories a day to do it – I’ll better understand what that amount of calories looks like to be successful in that endeavor.
But where the serving size concept can fail is if it’s applied too strictly.
Hunger can vary on a daily basis, depending on a wide variety of factors such as stress, sleep, physical activity – among others.
It also varies significantly depending on what, when and how you eat.
I always recommend that people zoom in on their daily intake patterns a bit and think about their diet over a slightly longer period of time, say weekly.
Of course how one eats in a week is determined by the average of how one does over seven days, but this approach certainly offers some protection against a potentially harmful, overly narrow view of one’s eating habits.
Motivation is great for reaching nutritional goals, self-reflection is even better
The concept of motivation as it relates to achieving nutritional goals is interesting.
It is on some level obvious that one requires a basic level of desire to change one’s eating habits in the first place, because without that desire there is no catalyst to improve or to seek help to achieve that improvement.
This desire, of course, will come from different places to different people.
Some want to perform better in sport, others may have had a recent health scare – there is no right or wrong here.
What I believe to be true, however, is that motivation alone is not likely to be enough for most people to be successful in the long run.
My point is that motivation is best combined with self-reflection, which basically means taking the time to understand where you are and where you have been in your nutritional journey, represents a much better formula for success.
This is precisely why, when appropriate, I encourage self-reflection and discussion of the results of this reflection with my clients so that we can be sure to implement strategies that represent the best of who they are.
Food doesn’t fix everything, but it will probably help quite a bit
If I did not believe this to be true, I would not have devoted my life to this field.
Life is complicated and there’s simply no doubt that eating well can’t help you solve or overcome all of life’s challenges.
HOWEVER
If you are currently not feeling as good as you would like to feel mentally or physically AND you are not 100% confident that you are doing the best you can with what you have – then there is no question in my mind that improving your diet will improve your daily life.
Food is essentially connected to all the functions of the human body:
1. Food can improve your mental health and stress levels
2. Food can help you poop better, easier, and more often
3. Food can reduce feelings of bloating and gas
4. Food can help you build muscle
5. Food can improve the look, feel and aging of your skin.
6. Food can affect everything from the makeup of your blood to the makeup of your liver
If you at least follow my work and have seen my numerous published writing books, books, etc. – you will know that all of the above are valid statements.
Me personally, my own personal nutrition journey over the past two decades has benefited me in all the areas I mentioned above – and more.
The same foods improve the vast majority of health conditions
There is a lot of personalization involved in helping someone with their nutritional goals.
This is especially true, as I mentioned earlier, for people with complex gut health conditions or who may require highly curated diets for other reasons.
While all of this is 100% true, I can’t help but notice that it is the same foods over and over again that are associated with solving the most common human health concerns.
It’s true, for example, that there’s a huge overlap in the types of foods that are most likely to address the most common health concerns, including those related to blood pressure, blood sugar, cholesterol, fatty liver disease, and more. .
It is important that I say this to let you know that it is not likely to require overly complicated nutritional strategies or solutions to improve your health.
You achieve better health by what you do, not what you don’t do
This is really the culmination of everything I’ve discussed so far.
In my view, it is an inefficient use of mental energy and harmful to mental health to use avoidance strategies as guiding dietary principles.
There are so many people out there with glaring gaps in their eating patterns who have the potential to live better, healthier lives by strategically bridging those gaps through the incorporation of very specific foods or even supplements.
Incorporating these foods and the tremendous nutrients they contain is what leads one to better health.
I rarely spend my time advising clients not to eat certain foods because we’re just too busy finding fun and effective ways to ensure that their weekly eating patterns are characterized by choices that will bring them the most health and happiness.
Final thoughts
Granted, on a different day I could have chosen one or more different principles – but in the end I feel pretty good about these choices.
If you are an aspiring dietitian, you may have found some value in these ideas.
If you are a current dietitian, you may see overlap or even conflict with your own values.
If you’re a current customer of mine, you’re probably tired of hearing things I’ve already told you.
And finally…
If you are an aspiring or potential future client, please know that you have received a truly authentic look at how minimal nutrition is and my role in helping you master yours.
There is a very human, thoughtful side that exists on the other side, my extensive nutritional knowledge, and I am confident that every ounce of it will support you in reaching your goals.
Want to discuss further how I can help?
I am an email or call === 647-886-2197.
Until then,
Andy De Santis RD MPH
