Yes, it's okay to feel full. No, you don't have to skip breakfast.

It was this time last year where I truly, deeply shifted my view with nutrition, food, bodies, and myself. So it brings a lil nostalgia and a whole lot of warmth to add with all the noise that comes during this time of year.

The holidays invite families and friends to come together, surrounded by lots of food. It's almost the center of it, the heart and soul of it. Maybe it's a tradition or the only family meal you get all year. It can be nice and also a lil overwhelming - which is why I am here a day early to remind you not to freak out when you think you're eating too much, what to say when your gram comments on your body, and what to do when you want a third slice of pie.

Do less.

Take a breath and let it go. Along with all the expected perfection you may think you need with your outfit, the dish you're bringing and the way your plate will look. Think less and then push it back to even less than that. Jes Baker puts it perfectly - "Less stress, more balance. More balance, less shame."


Set boundaries

Expect diet culture to blow up in your face whether it's the thought in your head or the conversation buzzing around the dinner table. 

  • Redirect: When someone brings up a topic you don't want to get into because you know you're not ready for it, simply change the subject.

"Ou, that pie looks so effing good! Who made it? I want the recipe."

  • Mark 'em absent: If you can't seem to think of anything else to say, simply tell them you're all set.

"Nope, I'm okay with what I'm eating. It's everything I want right now."

  • Stand up: If you're ready then go for it.

"Weight shaming is harmful, no matter what size you are.
You don't have to monitor my size, or what's on my plate. Thank you."
 


Quiet the noise.

Check in with yourself. Be kind to yourself. Ask yourself what you want. Approach the buffet without shame or guilt and eat the foods you want to eat. It can be overwhelming and you might overeat (which is so normal) and you might need a second to step aside (which you should give yourself permission to do). You will feel full which does not mean that your weight changed, it does not mean you need to limit your needs or restrict food the next day. It just simply means that your stomach is physically full. Meet your needs with foods that satisfy you and foods that give you pleasure. 


I hope you find some time to appreciate family, friends, food and (of course) yourself. As the year starts to come to a close be thankful of what you have and how far you have come. You are quite effing amazing.


why weight does not cause chronic disease

Most of us here have taken a statistics course; whether it was in highschool or college, you sat down and learned all about those bell curves, some standard deviations, and the biggest rule of them all:


CORRELATION DOES NOT EQUAL CAUSATION


And for those of you who may have forgotten about this essential rule, or maybe need a refresher:

Correlation: a mutual relationship or connection between two or more things.
Causation: the action of causing something.


When weight is discussed, it usually has a negative connotation.

“Gaining weight causes an increase of developing *insert chronic disease.*”
“Being overweight or obese causes *insert chronic disease.*”
“Having a high BMI will cause an earlier death.”

I mean, those are three common ones, but I am pretty sure you’ve heard those and more. Much more. Let’s go back to those two definitions.

Having a higher weight, or living in a larger body, has been shown to be correlated with developing chronic disease, such as diabetes, high cholesterol, etc. etc. etc. We won’t deny that. However, does it solely CAUSE the diagnosis? Absolutely not. Abso-effing-lutely not. No. It doesn’t.

There is not one thing that causes something to happen here in the medical/health world. If that was the case I’m sure we may have a better grip on how to cure all cancers, right? It’s not, and cannot, be so black and white.

Take a step back.

Are you aware of the other things that may cause chronic diseases? Such as stress and genetics, and even weight stigma? You may disagree, however, I think if I were to be judged by what I eat, force myself to eat foods I don’t like, get made fun of for not looking a certain way, or be ridiculed for not exercising 60+ minutes every day - I would be pretty effing stressed out.

Genetics on the other hand is simply something we can never control. You are who you are. The chromosomes that make up your genetics are something that you were born with and won’t change, no matter how many apple cider vinegar shots you pull back.

At the end of the day the number one thing you can aim for is listening to your body. It’s going to talk to you, so listen! It may want yogurt for breakfast or maybe a pancake. Maybe it’s too exhausted for your usual run so walk around the block instead or relax on the couch with your good friend Netflix. There is no one way to live this life perfectly, so stop listening to those who say there is. You are in the driver's seat here. Go your own way, and at your own speed.

It’s okay if your morning routine doesn’t involve a shot of apple cider vinegar.

No matter what age you are, you have probably been hit in the face with the idea that food either “kills” or “heals”. Non-organic produce is toxic. Apple cider vinegar increases immunity, decreases weight, balances pH levels - all in that early morning shot glass.

This is normal to believe as we are saturated with diet culture between friends, family, instagram feeds, and shocking article titles.

I mention Intuitive Eating a lot here on my platform, however, not one post or blog could ever encompass the full message. With 10 principles, and a lot of unlearning, one can not simple practice Intuitive Eating, or believe it even, in its entirety just in one day. However, I do want to mention one thing here which I am sure will come up in conversation again and again. And again.


“Healthy eating” is not just eating food with proven benefits. It also includes a healthy relationship with food.


Which is why Honor Your Health // Gentle Nutrition is one of the LAST principles of Intuitive Eating with hopes that the consumer no longer views nutrition in the lens of diet culture.

This brings us to the emerging trend of apple cider vinegar. And other foods that you may be forcing yourself to eat or not to eat… in order to be happy and healthy.

This is a fad diet. Anything that promotes weight loss as its end goal is a diet. If you want to call it your “wellness journey” or “lifestyle” with motivation to lead a better, happier life - then realize that shots of vinegar at 8AM isn’t the only way to do that. There is no significant data on the benefits of solely consuming apple cider vinegar. But let's dive deeper into this.

Maybe it’s not a shot of apple cider vinegar - maybe its the green machine smoothie packed with leafy greens, 0% Greek plain yogurt, bananas, and chia seeds or something as simple as an apple every day. If you’re forcing it down your throat before a full work day with hopes to make you lose five pounds or decrease your risk of cancer, stop now. And take a small step back.

There is no cookie cutter form to living a stress free, healthy, enjoyable life. What works for one person may not work for you. Those benefits found in foods, can be found in other foods that you may enjoy more. If you’re not enjoying it then stop doing it. Forcing food you dislike is not helping you form that healthy relationship with food.

As humans, we are known to want something a lot more when we tell ourselves we can’t have it. If you aren’t enjoying the meal or snack you’re eating then you’ll finish it unsatisfied… thinking about the next thing you can eat.

Food should not be controlling our days, our thoughts, or our happiness. And as morbid as this may sound we came into this world and one day we will leave it without much control on how or when. There is so much more to do with your life than tell yourself you can’t eat certain foods, shame yourself for gaining weight, and forcing yourself to eat food due to its said benefits. Whether it’s a shot of vinegar or vinegar on your fries, ask yourself if you are enjoying it for yourself in that moment - not for its health benefits, or your end goal, or because someone else told you to. You are in charge, no rules needed.

 

*If you have further questions on healing your relationship with food, or learning more about Intuitive Eating. Learn more here, or reach out! xx
 

My Advice for the RD Exam

Panicking a week before my exam I reached out to a couple of my preceptors from internship. One casually asked, “How do you deal with acceptance, whether it’s ‘good’ or ‘bad’?” I honestly was sort of confused by the question as I wasn’t expecting it. She continued with, “Don’t see this test as a defeat. Change your perception of it as an opportunity.” And so right then and there, I grabbed my nearest sticky note and wrote:


“This is an opportunity, one that will not define you.”


Before I started my exam that next Friday, I took the scrap paper they provided us and wrote down the same quote. Allowing me to glance at it each time I felt like I was spiraling down and needed a quick glimpse of reassurance (which was maybe every 3 minutes). I advise you to do the same. Find a mantra or a quote that places you back at an equilibrium. And with that, I give you 4 more things to do when studying for any large exam.

  1. Stop asking others what is on the exam. I did this, LOL! And then realized it was a waste of time. Every exam is going to be different. Like probably very different. I talked to a handful of people... “Just look at the lab values and the diet prescriptions for each disease,” said one as an another told me to memorize each management theory. One told me hers had a handful of Jean Inman test practice questions while another told me hers were all from the RD Pocket App. Let me tell you that my test did not reflect any of these suggestions. A good handful I had to make my best educated guess. Remember, all that information over the last five years is up there, if you believe it or not. Read the question, slowly and give it your best shot.
     
  2. Study your way. The best way of studying for this exam is the way you’ve always studied. No one knows you better than yourself here. If you can’t handle flash cards don’t start making them now. If you need to pretend you’re a newscaster, speaking out loud in a quiet room, then start there and don’t go to your trendy café and try to read silently.
     
  3. If you get tired, learn to rest, not quit. There’s a huge difference. Frustration and panic will show up when you’re studying or tackling practice questions. Closing your binder for a quick Netflix episode or dance party will allow you to relax and think about something else for a bit. THIS IS IMPORTANT. Whether it’s that or a walk, your mental health is just as important as your physical health. So don’t ignore that. Schedule breaks into your routine with your study schedule to achieve the most out of your day. Like seriously. You'll only waste time trying to cram 11 hours of straight studying.
     
  4. “Failing” doesn’t mean you’re a failure. This is a big one, like THE BIG ONE. This is all I kept saying each time I had a moment to think outside of studying. It’s as if the only thing I could prepare for was failing. You can’t look at this test, or any test, as a trap, as something that's “getting in the way.” This test is the bridge between all your hard work for your degree (maybe multiple for some) your internship and the first steps of your career. You’re fearful of it because it means so much to you! Which is normal!!!!

    Everyone is embarrassed or ashamed of failing. WHY? You learn so much more from a failure than a success. You learned what went wrong and the new road to travel down to get to that destination. Who knows maybe you'll show up to a better destination. When you fail you don’t lose. YOU GAIN. Sounds super super cheesy but seriously, it's the truth. You gain so much more knowledge, emotion, and wisdom. The hard part is allowing yourself to see those opportunities when things don’t necessarily go your way. You must keep going, no matter what. Because guess what, if you don’t fail now you will at something later. And you should want to. You should want to be placed in challenging experiences and critical thinking overwhelming moments to not only learn more about your field or work, but more importantly to learn a hell of a lot more about yourself.

This test is not an end all be all moment. Is anything ever? Slow down and believe in yourself. That may be the biggest challenge of all. Overcome that and I am so sure you will be able to do anything and everything.

It's So Okay To Not Buy Organic Food

The classic line I get when people hear that I am going to be a dietitian is “Oh, I eat organic food. No pesticides. I’m doing it right.” No lie - it’s gotta be theeeee number one brag. Okay, maybe a close second brag to those who say they cut carbs.

First off - you do not need to impress me with your grocery shopping or what's on your plate. There is no such thing as the perfect one size fits all food.

However, I must say that the organic thing pisses me off a tad. The misinformation puts farmers and dietitians in the same corner: STOP LISTENING TO GOOGLE AND TALK TO AN EXPERT.


2% of the population are farmers.

Which means 98% are not.


What you probably think GMO means:

  • Dirty, cancer-causing, unhealthy, dangerous, toxic, death, devil

What GMO really means:

  • Genetically Modified Organism, meaning that the genome is changed using genetic engineering so that the DNA can contain at least one gene that may not normally be there on its own. Specific genes are incorporated to protect the crops by resisting plant disease.  

What the hell does THAT mean?

More crops, less land. GMOs allow farmers to grow more crops without expanding their farms. Farmers know what crops they want and how to make sure that they grow successfully - voilà- GMOs allow them to do just that.

No, no, no, Brittney. They're not toxic.  GMOs are used to PROTECT crops. Not only this, but using GMOs avoid excessive pesticide and herbicide use. Pesticides are needed. Why? To kill pests and weeds that easily destroy crops.

Seriously, they're safe. There is limited human based evidence that proves the consumption and usage of GMOs cause true harm to the population. And with this, the use of GMOs is seriously tested and regulated through crops across the world. And hello!!!! What makes you think grocery stores can sell toxic food that harm the public??? There’s no true health risk regarding pesticide use and farming (BOTH with organic and conventional farming). This meme won’t lie to you, seriously.

Organic foods also use pesticides & herbicides. Sorry folks, but pests and weeds don’t know which farms are organic and which aren’t. That to say, there is no super shield around the farm keeping them out. So, organic farmers still need to control and maintain pests and weeds when it comes to their crops. Whether it’s natural or synthetic, it is indeed still a pesticide. They are needed. Unless of course, you are into some insect crunch with your veggies.

Cash money. As you may have noticed, I’m all about a good sale - especially for the weekly grocery trip. Graduation just came ‘round and maybe you’re starting the long swim of student loans. Before drowning - don’t buy the $8 dollar pack of strawberries because of the cancer-causing myth. There’s little evidence on the nutrition composition. And as it usually goes... it’s not so black and white. Those conventional strawberries will still contain the same amount of vitamins as the shiny organic ones.

The farmer vs you and social media.

As stated earlier, 2% of the population are farmers. Which means 98% are not. And of those 2% - do you really think they have enough time to grow and maintain their crops? And while doing that, scroll through twitter? Probably not. They’re not like your average Instagram entrepreneur who is trying to persuade you to drink their supplemental shake.  The voice of farmers are diminished by the misinformation on your newsfeeds, which explains the excessive amount of myth-building tactics.

Not only that… but 99% of those farms are run by families. The Farm Babe states a good point, “I would never put myself in jeopardy or my family… if I thought something was really bad… why would I feed that to myself?” This isn’t your typical scare tactic or business promotion.

Looking to gain more fiber, more vitamins, and overall more nutrients into your diet? Eat the damn fruits & vegetables. I promise you it truly truly truly does not matter if it’s organic or not.