Nutrition Education

If you have a loved one who is addicted to alcohol or know someone who is trying to quit smoking, what do you do? You probably would advise them to stay away from liquor, throw away cigarettes to help them get over this toxic addiction, right?  Similarly, when we have a family member who is diabetic or obese or suffering from any other co-morbid condition, should we not support them in adopting a healthy lifestyle? Diabetes is a chronic illness requiring lifelong maintenance. A change in eating habits can be a challenge, so be a source of encouragement by meeting with their doctor and dietitian and learning the best diet strategies, and then helping them make better meal choices and doing it alongside them. It especially becomes difficult for women to manage home, children, work, and then plan and balance their meals. If you eat unhealthy foods around people who need or want to adopt a healthier eating pattern, this makes it harder for them to stick to the plan. Limit your intake...

As a dietitian, I come across people asking that their friend was advised a certain type of meal plan, or they were told not to have a certain legume or a grain so why I don't make any such restriction for them. And even my friends from the same field have similar experiences and many times we are asked if the diet plan can be shared with other family members or friends. Well, one thing everyone should understand is that ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL. It is important to note that just because one form of treatment ‘works’ for one individual, it does not necessarily mean it will work for another. We are all unique individuals with differing lifestyles, energy requirements, target goals, BMI, medical and family histories. With that our needs are also unique and the nutrition approach will also differ with that. We also must understand the difference between science and opinion; many people will offer an ‘opinion’ on what they think will ‘work’, usually with m inimal science behind it. If...

If we're not paying attention when we're eating, that's going to make it very hard to eat healthily, isn't it? Perhaps eating too much because we're not listening to the body and noticing those feelings of fullness or satiety can lead to overeating. If you don't listen to your body, and your body cues like what cravings you might have, or what actually works with your lifestyle and with that comes a lot of burden of chronic diseases, which are most driven by a sedentary lifestyle and eating habits. Like, if you don't chew your food properly, it is not only bad for your dental health but also would lead to poor digestion and also poor absorption of vitamins and minerals in food. To bring some mindfulness into your eating, you might just start by paying more attention to your body specially while you eat, noticing if you're actually hungry or perhaps you're eating because you're stressed or emotional. And then when you're eating, bring your ful...

To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals. ~Benjamin Franklin Even before I started studying Foods and Nutrition, I was always under the impression that taking small and frequent meals is a key to a healthy life and developed a habit of snacking every 2-3 hours thinking that it is going to keep my metabolism high. Later I found that it was nothing but a mere myth that having more frequent meals speeds up the metabolism which facilitates weight loss. If eating less made one fat, then how come people with eating disorders like anorexia, are not the heaviest as they don't eat much in fear of gaining weight. Eating more frequently or eating more calories does not affect metabolism as such as to make up for the increase in calories. With my dietetics practice for finding the best solutions for my clients that suit their lifestyle, I thought of trying  Intermittent Fasting  for myself to see if it works before I recommend it to anyone. Intermittent fasting is time-restricted fasting in...