I'm incredibly close to becoming a dietitian (just need to pass that registered exam!), and thought it would be appropriate to share "words of wisdom" many dietitians like to live by. The statements may seem broad, but you will find that the phrasing applies to many facets of eating well.
"Everything in moderation."
This phrase you've probably heard before. It really does apply to all foods. No dietitian really likes to say "you can't have that," or "don't eat that." If you want to have your cookies and candy bars and ice creams we like to say go for it, just eat it in moderation. Stick to a small bowl or one serving and also monitor how often you go after these foods. Some foods are big offenders as far as what you are trying to control (restaurant cheesecake and cookie skillets, etc.) and should be limited maybe by a monthly basis.
"Start your meal with the vegetable and build around it."
What's the point of this? Our meals should be more focused around the vegetable. If we first decide on what vegetable to have, then we can surely get more vegetables into our diet. This idea goes like this: I'm going to have salmon with my asparagus instead of asparagus with my salmon. Get it? Also, don't make it always a salad. Challenge yourself to include another vegetable if you do have a salad at meals (hint: it can go in the salad!). If half that plate is vegetables, you're really doing well for yourself...wow, that sounded like another dietitian phrase.
"It's not FDA regulated."
All those questions we get about supplements and the new craze (looking at you raspberry ketones) can be answered with that exact phrase. It's important that we realize supplements are not FDA regulated. Why? It means first of all, anything could be in the bottle; it is not regulated. For most of the supplements, there is not enough research evidence or human studies to determine the supplement as being effective, especially for how expensive they tend to be. Finally, we should strive to get all our vitamin/mineral/whatever needs out of food instead of pill. Our body utilizes food much better than a synthetic, man-made pill. Try to avoid any supplements besides a simple multivitamin...unless prescribed by a doctor.
"Exercise daily."
I'm going to try and not get on my soapbox here. Listen: when it comes to weight loss and maintenance, it is very dependent on physical activity level. The lifestyle of people is evolving to be as physically inactive as possible: drive everywhere, here's a smartphone to answer any question, playing videogames instead of anything outside, pop food in the microwave instead of really grocery shopping and cooking. It's unfortunate that we have gotten to a point where we need to "force" ourselves to exercise daily when really if we did daily tasks in a more active manner, we may get the exercise we need.
I hope this post helped you step into the mind of a dietitian. These concepts can be applied to literally everyone, but sometimes further exploration is necessary, which is why you should utilize your local dietitian. Ask the questions and get the answers!
Wednesday, June 25, 2014
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Juicing: Yay or Nay?
I've gotten a lot of questions from friends and family and had discussions with RDs about juicing. It's an incredibly hot topic these days with plenty of juicing machines coming on the market. But what of it? Is it worth your time? Let's see.
First of all, to understand juicing, let me define it. Juicing is when you use an industrial strength blender/juicer in order to pulverize/blend/juice fruit and vegetables to a liquid consistency that can be consumed as a drink. The contents of this juice depend widely on what you put in it. If there is a lot of fruit, we are talking about more sugar in the juice; if there is a lot of vegetables, we are talking about less calories and a more bitter taste.
When I answer people's questions on the benefits of juicing, I reply with a couple points:
It is expensive
This technique takes all these intact vegetables and fruits and condenses it down into a little juice. If anyone has been to the grocery store lately, produce can be very expensive! Supporting this way of eating gets even costlier if you decide to eat organic. Oh by the way, I didn't even mention yet the cost of the juicer. These can run quite costly, anywhere from $150-$300 for a juicer that can handle my definition for at least 1 year.
It is difficult to get used to
Juicing is very convenient after it is made as it technically can replace your breakfast for example, but it can also take a long time to prepare and make juice. The produce needs to be washed, and so does the machine. Having a good recipe that you like also takes time. It's not a matter of just throwing anything into the machine, and trust me, it's very easy to make disgusting juice. If the juice is mostly vegetables, it's going to be bitter, but most beneficial (less calories for weight loss) for some. This taste change takes time. Those who take juicing very seriously feel hungry often.
It does not support creating healthy eating habits
Let me explain. As a nutrition expert, I love to emphasize the importance of food. There is reason to eating food the way we do and respecting the food we eat. Here is an example: breakfast is a great meal that has a magical way of incorporating protein, dairy, and fruit into our daily consumption. If we replace this meal completely with a homemade juice, then we are missing out on foods. Also, we are missing out on chewing (yes chewing!) and should always consider brushing the pearly whites after a juice due to the high sugar content (usually). And fiber, oh boy the fiber. When we eat the whole food, we can let it fill us up thanks to the fiber. When we pulverize and condense it down, we run the risk of drinking more because we can and getting too much.
It has super amounts of vitamins and minerals
Obviously a plus here! But we still must be careful. First, it's always best to get vitamins and minerals from foods instead of from a pill. Our body is able to use the natural versions so much better. When we juice and condense a ton of vitamins and minerals into a little glass of juice, we run the risk of easily going over recommended allowances for the day. Stack this on top of a daily multivitamin, it could be even riskier. Anyone who has any kind of chronic disease (diabetes, afibrillation, kidney disease, liver disease, etc) should be oh-so-careful when deciding to do this and should consult with a physician or at least their pharmacist to ensure no drug interactions.
The jury is out!
Final say on juicing? I say nay. I find it unnecessary, expensive, ultimately a great marketing ploy. Save money, get all the benefits and buy the same produce and eat it naturally. This being said, I find this idea to be a good way to incorporate vitamins and minerals in a concentrated form. Just please, please don't replace a meal with juice! Have just a small glass with breakfast or as a snack. Also, go for more veggies over fruit.
Always ask yourself, am I having fun with food? If you're not then something isn't right! Eating should always be fun, tasty, and beneficial.
First of all, to understand juicing, let me define it. Juicing is when you use an industrial strength blender/juicer in order to pulverize/blend/juice fruit and vegetables to a liquid consistency that can be consumed as a drink. The contents of this juice depend widely on what you put in it. If there is a lot of fruit, we are talking about more sugar in the juice; if there is a lot of vegetables, we are talking about less calories and a more bitter taste.
When I answer people's questions on the benefits of juicing, I reply with a couple points:
- It is expensive
- It is difficult to get used to
- It does not support creating healthy eating habits
- It has super amounts of vitamins and minerals
It is expensive
This technique takes all these intact vegetables and fruits and condenses it down into a little juice. If anyone has been to the grocery store lately, produce can be very expensive! Supporting this way of eating gets even costlier if you decide to eat organic. Oh by the way, I didn't even mention yet the cost of the juicer. These can run quite costly, anywhere from $150-$300 for a juicer that can handle my definition for at least 1 year.
It is difficult to get used to
Juicing is very convenient after it is made as it technically can replace your breakfast for example, but it can also take a long time to prepare and make juice. The produce needs to be washed, and so does the machine. Having a good recipe that you like also takes time. It's not a matter of just throwing anything into the machine, and trust me, it's very easy to make disgusting juice. If the juice is mostly vegetables, it's going to be bitter, but most beneficial (less calories for weight loss) for some. This taste change takes time. Those who take juicing very seriously feel hungry often.
It does not support creating healthy eating habits
Let me explain. As a nutrition expert, I love to emphasize the importance of food. There is reason to eating food the way we do and respecting the food we eat. Here is an example: breakfast is a great meal that has a magical way of incorporating protein, dairy, and fruit into our daily consumption. If we replace this meal completely with a homemade juice, then we are missing out on foods. Also, we are missing out on chewing (yes chewing!) and should always consider brushing the pearly whites after a juice due to the high sugar content (usually). And fiber, oh boy the fiber. When we eat the whole food, we can let it fill us up thanks to the fiber. When we pulverize and condense it down, we run the risk of drinking more because we can and getting too much.
It has super amounts of vitamins and minerals
Obviously a plus here! But we still must be careful. First, it's always best to get vitamins and minerals from foods instead of from a pill. Our body is able to use the natural versions so much better. When we juice and condense a ton of vitamins and minerals into a little glass of juice, we run the risk of easily going over recommended allowances for the day. Stack this on top of a daily multivitamin, it could be even riskier. Anyone who has any kind of chronic disease (diabetes, afibrillation, kidney disease, liver disease, etc) should be oh-so-careful when deciding to do this and should consult with a physician or at least their pharmacist to ensure no drug interactions.
The jury is out!
Final say on juicing? I say nay. I find it unnecessary, expensive, ultimately a great marketing ploy. Save money, get all the benefits and buy the same produce and eat it naturally. This being said, I find this idea to be a good way to incorporate vitamins and minerals in a concentrated form. Just please, please don't replace a meal with juice! Have just a small glass with breakfast or as a snack. Also, go for more veggies over fruit.
Always ask yourself, am I having fun with food? If you're not then something isn't right! Eating should always be fun, tasty, and beneficial.
Sunday, June 1, 2014
I Graduated!
The wild ride has come to an end. I just graduated from my dietetic internship on Thursday, and I can't believe I made it! It's been an absolute trip with so many ups and so many downs but in the end I feel so relieved, intelligent, confident, and (most importantly) ready for my new future ahead. I have discovered my strengths and weaknesses and realized my passions in nutrition. I now know that education and counseling needs to be a part of my career as I truly enjoy this facet of nutrition and know that I can excel doing this. For this reason, I have been looking mostly for outpatient, pediatric, and education-based careers.
If any of my loyal readers have been wondering why I haven't written on my blog in a while, it's because I was hard at work spending most of my time getting projects and studying done while fitting in enough relax time to be ready for the next week. Unfortunately, I took a break from my blog in order to focus, and for that I am sorry for leaving you all hanging! Rest assured, I will get back into the writing business as I love it so much.
So what's next? I still must pass the registered exam in order to get my license. It's the last step to go! Hopefully I can take the test ASAP and get the lovely RD credentialing next to my name. In the mean time, I will be studying, writing, relaxing, and applying to jobs around the Chicago area. As an RD "eligible" applicant, it can be difficult to find a career that not only understands this "in-between" stage but will hire students straight out of the internship. I know I can market myself to be incredibly beneficial to any team.
Finally, a thank you. First to my amazing girlfriend who helped me keep my sanity Second, to my parents who helped get me to where I am. And third, to all my friends, family, fellow interns, internship staff, and readers for instilling confidence in me through positive comments, real-life talks, and true friendships. I am the product of being surrounded by a great life! Thank you!
Look forward to weekly posting; if you ever have a question or idea that you'd like me to comment on, please share! I've gotten pocketfuls of ideas over this internship, but I prefer answering to my audience. Let's keep the wheels moving!
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