As a dietetic intern, many people ask or comment about their
food choices whenever I am around, saying things like “Oh I don’t always eat
like this” or “Don’t look but I am going to have a third cookie” or “I usually
don’t eat this much food”. This happens all the time, especially now that the
holiday season is upon us. Friends, family, acquaintances, strangers, anyone
really assumes that because I am going to be a Registered Dietitian I am the
unofficial food police who judges them based off of what they are eating, and
that I have the power to dictate whether their personal food choices are “good”
or “bad”. I am not nor do I ever wish to be the food police. Food is just food.
1. Nutrition is confusing
I understand that nutrition can be confusing and people
don’t know where to turn or who to listen to: What is the difference between a
dietitian and a nutritionist? One day eggs are good the next they are bad;
coffee can cause cancer and the next day it can prevent it. Trust me, studying
this stuff is confusing too. So I will try and clear it up a bit. 
Dietitians are certified credentialed nutrition
professionals working in an evidence-based practice, who have gone through
years of schooling solely studying nutrition and research. Personally, it has
been 4 years of undergrad and 1 year working towards a Master’s Degree in
nutrition and dietetics while earning the 1200 supervised practice hours
necessary to sit for the registration exam. Nutritionists can be anybody. You
could call yourself a nutritionist even though you may or may not have
nutrition knowledge or background in the field. I am a huge advocate for and
believe that the general public should utilize the expertise of RDs all the
time and rely on them for accurate nutrition information, rather than whoever
immediately pops up on Dr. Google.
One thing dietitians are NOT here to be is the food police.
Dietitians are here to promote health. According to the World Health
Organization, health means a state of complete physical, mental and social
well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Health doesn’t
mean eating acai smoothie bowls, quinoa, hummus, the superfood of the day,
kale, and avocados 100% of the time no exceptions allowed. You don’t have to be
Instagram model picture perfect photo-edited thin or ripped like a professional
athlete whose job it is to workout for 6 hours a day to be healthy. Why let
Instagram photos, Dr. Google, and advertisements be your food police? Why do you
need a food police in your life at all? You don’t.
I believe that food is not good or bad. Food is just food.
It fuels your body and gives you nutrients allowing your body to function as it
was intended to. Around the holidays, food is usually something that brings
families and friends together to celebrate and be thankful for everything in
our lives. Food is not a tool that is meant to create feelings of guilt, shame,
and embarrassment; like I said earlier food is just food. Why let your food
have the power to dictate your emotions?
Here is an example that you might experience during certain holidays: Grandma, mom, dad, or whoever is the expert baker and cook
in your family only makes delicious indulgences once or twice a year, so enjoy
them while you can. If grandma makes the world’s best Christmas cookies, or mom
makes the best green bean casserole, or dad is the king at making pumpkin bars
enjoy them. Instead of thinking about your food all the time and how you are
going to compensate for the three cookies you ate this afternoon, enjoy the
time with family and friends and think about why you are celebrating whatever
holiday it is you celebrate that time of year. Don’t feel guilty about what you
are eating for the 3-4 days (less than 0.1% of the year) that you are celebrating
with your loved ones. A dietitian’s job is to help make food choices that
promote health and well-being, not to write you a ticket for your food choices.
3. Balance, Variety, Moderation.
As a dietitian I hope to change the relationship many people
have with their food so that my patients/clients see their food as a source of
energy and nutrients that are necessary for normal body function; rather than
as calories, carbs, or fat that are going to make them look worse naked. I hope
to teach my patients/clients balance, variety, and moderation as tool to use
when making food choices.
- Balance = too much and too little can cause negative health effects so choose fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and even desserts, fried foods, or whatever else you like to eat because depriving yourself of these “bad” foods will only make you feel worse and more likely to overconsume when you do eat the “bad foods”.
- Variety = choose foods that come from every food group and of every color to obtain all the nutrients your body needs.
- Moderation = eat all foods in good portions and listen to your body and what it is telling you.
If some days (i.e. Valentines Day, Christmas, a random day in
July when it is so hot and you just want that ice cream) you don’t have all the
food groups, don’t have moderation, or don’t have a balance – IT IS OKAY. Why
would you give food, an object that has no cognitive function, the power to make
you sad/guilty? Who cares if you didn’t eat “perfect”? I sure don’t and neither
do many many dietitians and neither should you. I don’t care what is on your
plate and you shouldn’t care what is on mine.
In Conclusion
Dietitians are not the food police! We are not judging your
food choices, we are not going to shame you because you don’t eat only fresh
fruits and vegetables because guess what – neither do we! Personally, I enjoy
chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin pie, brownies, dark chocolate, ice cream
(sometimes pints at a time), salt and vinegar chips, French fries, brown sugar
cinnamon poptarts, Culvers, and I too eat “more than I should” at holidays! I
know – mind blowing. So next time you meet an RD, don’t think they are judging
you based off of what you are eating because they aren’t. Food is just food.
Enjoy your food. Enjoy your family. Enjoy your life.
Definition
of Health from WHO:
Photos
from:
No comments:
Post a Comment