It’s easier than ever to find an article about “healthy eating.” A quick search on Google provided over 860,000,000 results…and another 35,800,000 videos (yikes). 

I recognize and appreciate that people are passionate about nutrition. I also recognize that once we find something that “works” for us, we want to shout it from the roof tops! I truly believe that many professionals should talk about food to with their clients – it’s a cornerstone to health. However, it’s important to recognize whether the “truth” you preach to your clients is helpful or harmful. 

Everywhere you look, there’s a new super food advertised to cure you (looking at you coconut oil) and another food being blamed and shamed for causing disease (poor milk and eggs). I cringe at the content posted by physically flawless nutrition “experts” – citing “good” and “bad” food lists, promoting intermittent fasting, or listing broccoli as a protein source (while broccoli has some protein, you’d have to eat ~7 cups for it to have the same protein as 1 cup of beans or 2 oz of chicken…just a thought). 

I do NOT believe that anyone is intentionally trying to cause anyone harm or deceit. Rather it’s a product of the society we live in. Nutrition has become more about “belief” than science. We look to convenient, easy to read, motivating, promising resources like magazines, newspapers, and social media. If someone looks the part, we take their word as gospel. But sometimes what we believe to be “healthy” isn’t effective. And moreover, if those recommendations are made without understanding the whole person’s situation, they can do a lot of harm. ​

The recommendations on the left are not “wrong” necessarily. Every single one has an element of truth and/or support. However, many of the statements don’t take a person’s personal circumstance into consideration AND/OR fail to decipher the chemistry of food from the morality of a food.  Here are 3 ways to help clients with nutrition without hurting them… 

​So for example, take the recommendation for a diabetic, “Eat brown rice instead of white rice.” The reason is because a food with more fiber should create less blood sugar than a lower fiber food. However, the change on their blood sugar will actually be modest to negligible, because the recommendation fails to take into consideration how effective that 2 gram increase in fiber will actually have on the body.

Additionally, many of my patients from Nepal, India, and China were raised on eating white rice 2-3x/day. One patient from Nepal told me that you don’t ask someone over for a meal. Instead, the phrase is akin to, “would you like to eat rice with me?” Now for some, these changes are incredibly easy. But for others, it’s a mountain. 

• they have to figure out how to prepare it and what kind to buy
• will likely have to prepare it separately from what the rest of the family is eating (if the family supports that)
• they will have to adjust to the flavor and texture

It’s kind of like asking someone to invest $100 to get $101 back in 2 weeks…pretty big sacrifice for minimal return. 

For example, I recently had a client with diabetes tell me that they were told to eat corn flakes + a banana instead of raisin bran to improve their blood sugar. They made the swap but didn’t see any difference. Why?

At first glance, it seems like a helpful suggestion. Raisin bran has more sugar per serving than corn flakes. And since bananas are “natural” they’re a “better sugar,” right? It also increases the overall volume of the meal so presumably, you’d eat less overall. However, the person who made the recommendation failed to take into consideration a few things : 

1.) chemistry – when you do the math, you end up with 2 choices that have fairly similar TOTAL carbohydrate content (…and carbohydrates are what create blood sugar). Additionally, it’s virtually the same amount of sugar. You also end up with LESS fiber and protein in the “healthier” option which means the person will be hungry sooner AND blood sugar will actually go slightly higher…

2.) behavior – the client ended up eating an overall bigger bowl of corn flakes + banana because they felt they “could” and “should” because it was healthier (they even added a little extra sugar because they didn’t find the corn flakes sweet enough).  But, since the chemistries of each were virtually the same, the blood sugar actually went higher by choosing the “healthier” choice. 

Coconut oil is another favorite example in my office. A patient trying to eat healthier and lower their cholesterol switched to coconut oil because they heard it was healthier. And since it was “healthier,” they used it for roasting, sauteing, and as a dressing. After 6 months of eating “healthier” their cholesterol was actually higher…why?

​When you look at the chemistry coconut oil vs olive oil, you realize it is virtually 100% saturated fat and 1 tablespoon provides 12 g of the 20 g recommended limit (an imbalance of saturated and unsaturated fat is actually what can drive cholesterol bonkers in the body). While it’s socially popular right now, it’s chemistry it not necessarily great for the body. 

It’s common that people are reluctant to see a dietitian. I get it, I was one of those people.  I even saw a few dietitians and had crummy experiences (one told me that only people with eating disorders like pretzels …. and another gave me, [as a 10 year old], a 3-page handout on all the different types of beans…because I wanted to be vegetarian). Luckily, just like any other provider, we all have a different practice styles.  

If your client, patient, friend, or family member starts saying any of the following, they may really benefit from checking in with a dietitian for a detailed assessment and individualized food / health plan: