Beyond the Numbers: Working Good Nutrition into Your Lifestyle

We live in a day and age where we are inundated daily with all sorts of media promoting health diets, weight loss strategies, juice cleanses, foods to avoid, foods to restrict, foods to eat every day...the list goes on and on. While some of these posts/articles/stories are backed in science, many are not. All too often popular media exploits a phenomenon that had limited scientific evidence to support it and next thing you know we're all drinking celery juice on the daily. The fact of the matter is, if there was ONE perfect diet that worked for everyone, we'd all be eating it and we'd all be in perfect health. But we are all a unique blend of genetics, experiences, preferences, goals and ambitions. As such, our nutritional needs are different too. However there are some general guidelines to help you work good nutrition into your lifestyle. 

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1. Eat the rainbow

​When I teach youth nutrition classes for any age group this is the #1 thing I make sure they leave the room knowing. Fruits and veggies contain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that are SO important to a variety of bodily functions. Immune system, gut function, metabolism, heart rate, memory and concentration, bone maintenance, hormone regulation, you name it, there’s probably a vitamin or mineral involved in the process. Differently colored fruits and vegetables contain different vitamins and minerals, which why its so important to eat a variety to ensure you are getting ALL of the micronutrients you need. For all of their nutritious goodness fruits and veggies tend to be lower in calories than most other food groups. Which means you can eat A LOT of them- half your plate to be exact. According to the USDA adults should eat 5 combined servings of fruits and vegetables daily, however according to a CDC report in 2017, only 1 in 10 Americans are meeting that goal (1). So next time you’re looking for a tasty snack to fill you up grab a piece of fruit or some veggies and dip and get those micros in! 

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2. Fill up on fiber

​Dietitians tend to cringe when we hear clients tell us they’re on a low-carb diet. The reason for this is that not all carbs are created equal, and while low-carb diets have been shown to be effective in aiding with weight-loss, they also put you at risk of missing out on essential nutrients like fiber. Fiber is a naturally occurring carbohydrate found in plants: primarily fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Our bodies cannot absorb fiber and as such it does not become glucose (sugar) in our blood. However, fiber still has a crucial role in our overall health. It has been shown to delay GI transit time making you feel fuller longer and less likely to over indulge (2). Fiber also helps slow digestion of simpler carbs, which can help stabilize blood sugar levels by preventing spikes and crashes (3). Fiber is also essential for maintaining gut health. As undigested fiber makes its way to the colon, it serves as a fuel source for our millions of gut bacteria, which have been shown to play a role in immune function, weight maintenance and hormone balance (4). Diets lacking in fiber have been associated with increased risk of heart disease and certain types of cancers. The CDC recommends consuming at least 25-30 grams of fiber per day for adults, which conveniently measures out to about 5 servings of fruits and veggies per day (see what I did there? #eatyourveggies).

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3. Supplements should be just that

​All too often I see people relying on supplements for their nutrition rather than real food. Good nutrition is so much more than just hitting your calorie or macro goals (see point #5). Supplements should only be taken/consumed when you aren’t able to reach your nutrient goals with food alone. This can happen in situations where there are digestive disorders, food intolerances or increased needs (i.e. post-surgery, certain injuries, etc.).

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4. Trend toward whole foods

Just like carbs, not all foods are created equal. Americans have done a wonderful job of finding cheap and efficient ways of stripping raw foods of their nutrients and packaging it into calorie/fat/sugar laden products. Technically, a processed food is any food that has undergone any alteration from its natural state. So even chopping and cooking veggies is technically a form of processing. However, when dietitians refer to “processed foods” vs. “whole foods,” we are generally referring to foods that come in packages vs. those that do not.  Generally speaking, the more processing a food has undergone, the less nutritious it is. Furthermore, research has shown that when you eat whole foods you actually burn up to 50% more calories than eating a processed equivalent (5).  This is because your digestive system has to work harder to harness the nutrients in whole foods. Processed foods are typically stripped down to make nutrients (good and bad) more readily available. Finally, whole/unprocessed foods are also less likely to contain additives. To be contained in food products, food additives have to be considered safe by the FDA, however some have been shown to promote inflammation and trigger allergic reactions (6).

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5. Good nutrition is more than just the numbers

This one might surprise you coming from someone who does at least 7 calculations per client. Here’s the thing: there are lots of elaborate eating plans out there. Some specify calories, some specify macros, others take it a step further and tell you when to eat what. The simple fact of the matter is that good nutrition is much more complicated than any eating plan can break down. In my practice, I find that my clients tend to be most hung up on two sets of numbers: their calories and their macros (i.e. carbs, fat and protein). Calories are in all foods and provide our bodies with energy. The more calories, the more energy that food provides. Macronutrients, or “macros” are nutrients in foods that provide calories. These include protein, carbohydrates and fat and are found in a wide variety of foods. They are referred to as macronutrients because you body needs them in large, or “macro,” quantities. As such, they build up the majority of our diet. Each macro is metabolized by a different pathway and used differently to fuel the body. All three are important components to a healthy, well balanced diet, however what most people don’t realize is that your body is readily able to convert between them depending on it’s needs. As such, macro ratios are far less important than where those macros are coming from. Because our bodies can convert between macronutrients, an important consideration for a healthy diet is making sure you’re getting a good blend of micronutrients (i.e. vitamins and minerals).  Micronutrients as you may have guessed are nutrients that our bodies only need in small quantities, but that is not to say that they do not have a big impact on our overall health.  Micronutrients such as antioxidants and phytochemicals are essential in supporting immune health, and chromium has been shown to help improve glucose control in people with type 2 diabetes (7). Micronutrients are found in all foods, so the key to ensuring you are getting all that you need is eating a balanced diet (for more info go to www.choosemyplate.gov).

Beyond the nutrient composition of your meals, the “calories-in, calories-out” model of nutrition therapy is still not an exact science. For starters, it is very difficult to accurately assess metabolic rate. Our metabolic rate is how quickly our body burns energy. It will increase and decrease hundreds of times per day depending on our activity and countless other factors such as what we ate, how we slept, if we’re stressed, etc. While tools like the Bod Pod have helped practitioners by providing accurate measurements of metabolic rate, they are still only a snapshot of a moment in time, and do not necessarily reflect what is going on continuously throughout our day. Additionally, tracking the “calories-in” can also be both laborious and inaccurate. Even with tools like nutrition labels and portion sizes, most people have a hard time estimating how much they’re eating accurately. Combine this with the previous note that our bodies truly are different on different days, and it’s extremely difficult to build a “one-size-fits-all” model of nutrition. 

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Your nutrition is as unique as YOU!

These guidelines serve as a great starting point in developing a nutrition and eating plan that is right for you. However assessing your individual needs, and showing you how to work them into the lifestyle you want to live takes the expertise of a Registered Dietitian. As dietitians, we're trained to work with YOU. YOUR genetics, YOUR food preferences, YOUR cooking abilities, YOUR budget and YOUR goals. We can design a healthy eating plan for anyone because we take the time to get to know you as an individual and come up with a plan that's just right for you. So what are you waiting for?? Book your appointment today! 

References:

1. https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p1116-fruit-vegetable-consumption.html
 
2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/weight-loss/art-20044318
 
3. https://www.joslin.org/info/how_does_fiber_affect_blood_glucose_levels.html
 
4. Slavin, J. (2013). Fiber and Prebiotics: Mechanisms and Health Benefits. Nutrients, 5(4). 1417-1435.
 
5. Barr, S. and Wright, J. (2010). Postprandial energy expenditure in whole-food and processed-food meals: Implications for daily energy expenditure. Food and Nutrition Research, 54, 5144.
 
6. Lemer, A. and Matthias, T. (2015). Changes in intestinal tight junction permeability associated with industrial food additives explain the rising incidence of autoimmune disease. Autoimmunity Reviews, 14(6). 479-489.
 
7. Costello, R., Dwyer, J. and Bailey, R. (2016). Chromium supplements for glycemic control in type 2 diabetes: limited evidences of effectiveness. Nutrition Reviews, 74(7) 455-468.