In addition to making foods taste better, food was suddenly available everywhere. It’s sold in gas stations, drug stores, and Laundromats, and we have incorporated eating into almost everything we do, like going to the movies, the mall, or the gym. And we associate every occasion we celebrate and every emotion we feel with a reason to eat that creates a constant battle between nutrition facts and the pleasures of the palate.
Finding an Eating Expert
If the accumulated input of your eating experiences has left you baffled about how to do it right, take heart in the knowledge you are not alone. It is also worth noting that finding good nutrition information is not really what’s so difficult, but changing behavior is.
If you are truly interested in getting your eating act together, you won’t be able to do it just by asking a trim and fit friend how she does it or buying the latest diet book being touted on Oprah. You must be prepared to realign your lifestyle based on a whole new set of beliefs about how, when, what and how much you should eat and be active.
The eating coach who can guide you through this process is a registered dietitian or someone with the designation RD after their name. The first phase should involve a thorough assessment of your food likes and dislikes, your culinary acumen, your time and financial constraints, family heritage, medical status, and past dieting and exercise efforts. The new eating and activity plan should be customized for you and you should have an equal voice in the goals being set and how quickly they are met.
Putting all the pieces of this healthy lifestyle together cannot be done in a few hours or even a few months, but whatever time it takes, it is time well invested since the benefits will last the rest of your life. To find your personal eating advisor, use the “Find a Nutrition Professional” link at the American Dietetic Association,or look for a nutrition consultant who is a registered dietitian in your local telephone directory or online search.
