My nutrition philosophy

Everyone has a nutrition philosophy, whether they realize it or not. Simply put, it is the beliefs you hold about food and nutrition. What you think about nutrition not only shapes what you choose to eat, but also the way you think about food and your emotions surrounding it.

If you’re looking for a dietitian, it’s also important for you to hear what their nutrition philosophy is because their beliefs about food will shape the way they teach and guide you. Here are some principles I try to practice in the way I eat and would encourage my clients to consider prior to working with me:

• There are no good or bad foods. All foods can be a part of your diet. Some may play a larger or smaller role, based on preferences, goals, activity levels and your own body type, just to name a few.
• Health doesn’t have to be determined by body weight. There are so many other factors that determine our health and often those are the areas that need to be addressed and changed.
• Only YOU know how much food you need to eat for your unique body! For some, this might be a new concept and something you need to relearn, but I believe we can trust our bodies to tell us what, when, and how much to eat.
• Good eating and nutrition begins in the mind; what you think and believe about food is extremely important, because your thoughts and beliefs affect your actions.

Because of my nutrition philosophy and my own personal experiences with dieting and weight loss (be sure to check out “Bethany’s Story”) I have chosen NOT to be a dietitian who promotes weight loss. I also don’t want to be prescribing clients weight loss diets. I even want to be careful about “lifestyle changes” with the underlying goal being weight loss. I want healthy eating to be about balance and feeling good in your body and your mind. If you lose weight doing that, so be it. But if that’s our overarching goal, I think we’re missing the point.

Part of learning and growing is discovering new things and sometimes realizing that we’re wrong. I’m constantly learning new things about nutrition, and adjusting my practices and thoughts because of it. I’ll be the first to admit that in the beginning of my nutrition journey, I had some major flaws in my thinking! While we don’t need our philosophies to perfectly align, we do need to be flexible and willing to learn from each other.

If you’re unsure about what you believe or even who to believe about nutrition, you’re in a great place to learn. I LOVE to teach people about food and how it relates to their health. If you’re a blank slate and willing to learn, I would be happy to work with you! And if you’re in a diet and weight loss mindset, but don’t want to be there anymore, reach out to me! Let’s find the way to healthy together and getting comfortable in your body, just as it is!