March is National Nutrition Month, a great opportunity to bring awareness to the concept of gentle nutrition. Dana Sturtevant, dietitian, author and co-host of The Body Trust Podcast, joined us to share more:
1. Progress not perfection – There is no one right way to eat for every body/person. Many people have rigid ideas about what it looks like to “eat healthy”. Let go of perfectionism. Focus on making little adjustments or additions to your meals (Progress) instead of “getting it right or perfect” (i.e. I’m never going to eat again.)
2. There is no one meal or one day of eating that has the power to heal or kill you (or make you gain or lose weight) — As a dietitian, I notice people can have extreme/dichotomous view about food: let go of ideas of right and wrong/good and bad. Look at what you eat over the course of a week or even a month. This allows us to let go of the guilt and shame that lead us to “throw in the towel” or shifting into “the screw it plan”. No need to say “Tomorrow (or Monday) I’ll…”
3. Don’t give up pleasure in the name of health –
4. When eating healthy tastes good and it makes you feel better, you are much more likely to sustain any changes you make – 3&4 are connected. When we center pleasure in eating (as opposed to giving pleasure up in the name of health), we are much more likely to sustain any changes we make. Research shows that people eat more vegetables when they find them delicious. Some examples:
Sauteed green beans with slivered almondsBroccoli roasted with walnuts and sprinkled with parmesan cheeseRoot vegetables roasted with olive oil, salt & pepper
There are many delicious ways to increase the nutrient density of the meals and snacks we are eating. We don’t need things to be raw or steamed without flavor.
5. Much of what is spouted off as solid nutrition advice by the media, influencers, etc. is actually personal philosophy – Being a registered dietitian/nutritionist involved 4-6 years of study in nutrition science and biochemistry, followed by a 6-8 month dietetic internship. Most doctors have 2-4 hours of nutrition training. Influencers on social media lack any training, and instead are telling people “what I eat in a day” is what you should eat in a day. We could even talk about RFK Jr being a lay person who likes working out guiding today’s nutrition policy (which is more the philosophy of people with eating disorders like orthorexia).
Nobody is talking about fiber and yet everyone is deficient in fiber (fruits & veg). People are obsessed with protein while many don’t struggle to meet their needs.
Bottom line: Resist the urge to make “healthy eating” harder than it needs to be. What way of eating makes YOU feel better? Find enjoyable ways to increase the nutrient density of your meals and snacks (i.e. eating more fruits & veg)
