"Eat this, not that".

Why this, and other advice like it, isn't helpful.

If you've ever been given nutrition advice from someone who cares about you, it's likely that the advice wasn't helpful. Here's a few examples of what I hear people say to their friends and family regarding nutrition.

"You just need to eat less and move more."

"You should cut out carbs- it worked for me!"

"Just avoid eating out all the time."

"Stop drinking soda."

"You are what you eat."

"Just eat this, not that!"

If someone says any one of these things to you, you know that it isn't helpful. For example "eat less and move more" is true for weight loss, but it's not helpful. Read more about this statement in my previous blog.

So, how do you give helpful advice without knowing someone's whole situation? You can't. In order to give helpful advice it's important to know the person. If you don't know someone, then how do you know the advice you give will be applicable to that person's experiences and circumstances? Let's say, for example, I walk by a stranger who sees I'm wearing a T-shirt that says "personal trainer". She asks, "Hey, you're a personal trainer- what's the best type of exercise to burn fat?" If I don't know her current routine, previous experience, injury history or personal preferences I could give her a good answer, but it might not be helpful.

In order to give this random stranger the best advice, I'd ask her those questions. Based on her responses I might say, "Well, it sounds like you haven't had a lot of experience with high intensity sports before. I'd recommend starting out with resistance training. Focus on large muscle groups like the chest, back, glutes, quads and hamstrings. Also, because you aren't currently working out, you might start out with two to three workouts a week for fifteen to thirty minutes each workout- otherwise you might get too sore."

Advice should be practical, proven to work and individualized.

When it comes to changing your lifestyle, it's key to take the path of least resistance, especially if you have a lot of obstacles in your way. "Environment hacking" is a phrase I use when helping my clients build better habits. The idea being: instead of relying on your own willpower, (which, let's face it, often fails) you can instead manipulate your environment to make habit building easy! If you want to brush your teeth every night, you might lay out your toothbrush and toothpaste on the counter so you can see it before going to bed. If you want to wake up earlier, you might place your phone across the room so you have to get out of bed in order to turn off your alarm. These are just a couple of examples.

The advice of "eat this, not that" might be true but it's not helpful because it's not always individualized. If your favorite ice cream is Ben & Jerry's "the tonight dough" it might be true that eating a pint of Halo Top ice cream would be a healthier option than eating the pint of Ben & Jerry's. However, you enjoy the Ben & Jerry's. It tastes better and it satisfies you more. Maybe you also have made it a tradition to eat a pint with your spouse on Saturday nights. If this is a habit you're wanting to kick, than switching to Halo Top might be a healthier option but a better idea could be, "Have you thought of only eating half of it each weekend and savoring every bite rather than eating the whole thing?"

Many times when people fall into the trap of "eat this, not that" mentality, they can begin to think that food has a sort of morality to it. That less healthy/nutritious foods are somehow "bad". Food has no moral value. Food is meant to cause growth and or to sustain life. Food is essential and any food that is edible can have a place in your nutrition. Yes, even diet soda or sugar free energy drinks. Yes, even French fries, ice cream, pizza, beer and bacon can have a place in your nutrition.

What makes a person's diet healthy or unhealthy is the amount of nutritious vs. non-nutritious foods he or she eats. If you only have the French fries, ice cream, pizza, beer or bacon a couple of times a week, then it's likely that you have a healthy balance. If the majority of your nutrition is highly processed, non-nutritious foods then it's likely you have an unhealthy diet. By the way, I'm defining health here as "the absence and low risk of disease and the ability to perform activities of daily living with little to no difficulty." If the majority of your nutritional habits are "disease inducing" (such as; highly processed foods leading to hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, increased risk of cancer, etc.), then you have an unhealthy diet.

What is the majority of your diet? Do you allow yourself to have an occasional treat or are you having multiple treats every single day? Are you eating out at every meal or only a couple of times a week?

No one is perfect. No one is going to be able to eat highly nutritious home cooked food every meal of the day for his or her whole life. That doesn't even sound enjoyable! If you're currently struggling with an unhealthy diet, here's my advice. Look at what you're currently doing and try to make it just slightly healthier to start with. For example, if you eat out two times every day, then perhaps you could bring a meal to work with you instead of eating out. Another option might be to choose a healthier meal when you do eat out.

Side-note, eating out get's a bad rap. Most places have some decent options. Even McDonald's has a grilled chicken wrap that wouldn't be a bad option for someone who has to eat out.

At the end of the day remember: one donut never made anyone fat, one salad never made anyone skinny. It's not what you do occasionally, it's what you do consistently.

Food should be enjoyed.

If you're feeling lost with your nutrition habits and need some guidance, I'm happy to get to know you and your unique lifestyle to give you some free advice.

Let's talk!