3 Simple Ideas About Nutrition

Nutrition is simple…

Sometimes nutrition feels confusing and there’s no shortage of contradictory information on how and what we should eat out there. But, at the end of the day, even taking into consideration all of the science and research, food is pretty simple. 

I like to think of 3 simple things when it comes to eating: balance, variety, and enjoyment. You’ve probably heard the recommendation before to eat a well balanced, varied diet, but what does it actually mean? And why does it ignore one of the best parts about eating - the joy! There’s no such thing as a “perfect” way to eat, so I’ll never be out here defining that for you or your family. There are millions of ways and types of foods that can provide balance, variety, and enjoyment and that’s my favorite part about food, so have fun with it!

Balance

Balance in what we eat, aiming to include sources of:

• carbohydrates (especially high fiber carbs), 

• protein (from plants or animals), 

• and fat 

in most meals and snacks. And remember, many foods are a combination of these things (for example: beans are rich in high fiber carbs and protein, but little fat; whole fat Greek yogurt has carbs, protein, and fat but no fiber; a slice of birthday cake has carbs and fat but little protein and fiber). So when you’re putting a meal or snack together, think about how you can pair foods together to include carbs, fiber, protein, and fat. And I promise you, it’s ok when inevitably there isn’t balance at every meal and snack. Is your kid gonna only eat goldfish for snacks - absolutely! And it’s ok. Just work on weaving in balance where you can.

Balance in how we eat. Now, this is about eating consistently throughout the day to ensure stable blood sugars and avoiding that hangry feeling. For most of us, we’ll feel most balanced when we eat a meal or snack about every 3-4 hours throughout the day averaging 4-6 meals/snacks depending on what our schedules and styles of eating look like. This is true for kiddos (who may eat closer to every 3 hours) and adults (who may eat closer to every 4 hours). I also recommend kicking off the day with breakfast within the first hour of waking up (or at least within the first 2 hours) and having your last meal at least 1-2 hours before you plan to go to bed to allow for good digestion.

Download a free resource that helps guide you through creating balanced meals & snacks.

Variety

We need a huge array of macro and micronutrients from our foods, so variety helps ensure that we’re getting all of these little nuggets from what we eat. It also helps keep food from getting boring, allows for personal expression in food, and adds flavor and fun! Variety is much more personal than balance, and can come in so many forms. Variety can come in one meal, over the course of a day, week, or month. It might mean getting a variety of colors from different fruits and veggies, it might also mean trying a variety of different brands of mac & cheese because that’s all your kid will eat right now - and that’s ok, too! There is no such thing as “good” or “bad” foods; all food has something to offer us. Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about variety.

I want to acknowledge that offering balance and variety in our diets is a privilege. My hope with this blog is to share recipes and tips to include balance and variety in many ways that meet the needs of many different types of families. 

Enjoyment

Above all else, food should be enjoyable (or at least, not a negative experience). Mealtimes can be times for sharing and connecting with each other and our families. Food can be a way to express yourself and your culture. Food does so much more than nourish our bodies. My mission as a dietitian is to help as many people feel comfortable about food and mealtimes as possible, and to help people feel like eating is as much fun as it is necessary.

Part of making mealtimes more enjoyable is to make them feel low stress. As parents, it’s our job to offer the kiddos balance and variety, but they may not want it at every meal and snack. Try to keep mealtimes low pressure and allow kids to choose what they’ll eat from what you offered. 

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My hope is that the recipes and tips I share here will help you find balance, variety, and enjoyment in food.