Getting Back to Basics During Nutrition Month

If you have ever felt confused or overwhelmed by nutrition advice, you are definitely not alone. One day carbohydrates are the problem, the next day it is seed oils, sugar, dairy, eating too often, or not often enough. The constant back and forth is enough to make anyone feel like they are doing everything wrong.

As a registered dietitian, I hear this frustration all the time. People are not confused because they lack information, they are confused because nutrition “advice” is louder and  more contradictory than ever before.

March is Nutrition Month, which means this noise tends to ramp up even more. That makes it a good time to pause, take a breath, and reset. Instead of chasing the next headline or viral post, it helps to know how to spot common nutrition traps and refocus on what actually works.

Here are the top three things to watch out for with nutrition advice: 

1. Be cautious of EXTREMES
There is certainly a time and place for elimination diets. However, any message that tells you that you must completely cut out a food group or follow rigid rules to be healthy, without knowing anything about your unique situation, should raise red flags. These recommendations are usually very difficult to stick to long-term and not worth the struggle. Health is built over time, not during two weeks of avoiding your favorite foods.

2. Ignore fear-based messaging
Pay attention to how nutrition advice makes you feel. Is it meant to support you, or to scare you into clicking, buying, or following? Life is already stressful. Nutrition should not add to that stress. Advice that causes fear is often all or nothing and rarely helpful. If a recommendation makes you afraid to eat normal, everyday foods, that is a good sign to step back and ask more questions.

3. Remember that not everyone has the same needs
A helpful question to ask is, “Who is this advice for?” If you are over 40, your nutrition needs are not the same as a 20-year-old influencer. If you work a sedentary job, what works for your favorite professional athlete may not translate well into your life. Age, medical history, activity level, and schedule all matter. Nutrition is not one size fits all, even when the advice sounds enticing. 

So, knowing how to spot the bad advice is only half the battle, but it leads to the question, What actually works?

The good news is that nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective. In fact, most of the time, the basics work really well. Here are three simple nutrition rules that tend to hold true and can be trusted.  

1. Eat mostly real food.
When food comes from nature rather than a factory, it is usually a good choice. Whole foods already contain the protein, fiber, fats, and nutrients that our bodies need and are used to. As foods are processed, they usually lose some of those benefits and gain ingredients that do not do much for your overall health.

2. Start with protein and fiber.
Many people feel hungry all the time, not because they are eating too much, but because their meals do not keep them full. Protein and fiber are the two most helpful food groups for leaving you feeling full and satisfied. Eggs, fish, meat, beans, yogurt, vegetables, and fruit are great examples. Build meals around these, and you will have fewer cravings between meals.

3. Be consistent, not perfect.
One meal or even one weekend does not define your health. What matters is what you do most days. Eating well most of the time beats trying to be perfect and burning out every single time. No matter how good a diet is, if you can’t stick to it, it won’t work. 

So, this Nutrition month, stick to the basics. Keep it simple, keep it real, and you will notice your health improving. For assistance or more tips on how to get back to the basics this nutrition month, get plugged in with a dietary service!