What would a nutritionist tell me to eat?
Great question. But you might as well ask the same of any random person on the street because you will get a million different answers! Nutritionists, dieticians and nutritional advisors are all unique. What you are probably looking for is advice that aligns with your lifestyle and personal experiences that work for you.
Nutrition is a minefield
Food and optimum nutrition are a minefield. With the science changing daily, and with the bias and influence that the food industry exerts on government policies a nutritionist in the 21st Century needs to keep up.
No single approach
Unfortunately, there is no unified approach. Some people will be trained in now outdated information and some people will not be open to learning through emerging research. And of course, their personal experiences will influence their approach.
There are nutritionists who may be vegan, paleo, keto, low carb, vegetarian, low fat, FODMAP, fruit-based, or smoothie promoting etc, and they will all have specific plans to follow that align with these ideals.
What is the real question?
The real question is which nutritionist can show me the evidence to support the advice they are giving me for what I should eat.
But mostly it comes down to a gut feeling. You need to like the person you’re going to work with! That’s where doing your own research comes in. Check out how engaged they are. Are they creating new articles and videos to help people understand why food is the foundation to health? Do their values align with yours? And is the food that they share (if they don’t give examples publicly, do want to go into it blindly?!) something you would like to eat?
Look for experience
And then there is experience. Look for someone with experience. With hindsight my own business path has not been 100% straightforward. The advice I have now for my clients has changed many times over almost 10 years, as I have experimented, learned, researched, and discovered the science of food for our biology. It takes time to understand the whole picture. It is done through trial and error and seeing results. A long track record of adapting to new evidence is very different to someone going on a diet, having instant success with it and then deciding that they are an expert in it.
So, choose wisely. Trust your gut instinct when choosing a nutritionist. Because your gut and the food that passes through it is where your future health is determined and that couldn’t be more important.
