Q&A with a Dietitian

We don’t recommend calorie counting, for multiple reasons! Firstly, it is really hard to know on an individual basis what your body’s calorie needs are. This can change from day to day, and it definitely changes over the lifespan. There are also other factors that make calorie counting inaccurate such as each person’s ability to change the energy from food into fuel for the body, and a certain amount of error that is allowed on nutrition labels. The most important reason to avoid calorie counting may be that it can impact your relationship to food and your body. Calorie counting can lead to, or be a sign of, disordered eating or an eating disorder.

Instead, we recommend you listen to your hunger and fullness cues. Your body was designed to tell you what you need on a day-to-day basis. This means that some days you will be hungrier than others, which is very normal. It is also important to remember there are other reasons we eat and enjoy food, such as taste, pleasure, connection, culture, and celebration—these are all part of the beautiful human experience.

“Macros” is short for macronutrients. Three of these nutrients are fat, protein and carbohydrate, which provide our bodies with the fuel we need to live. Tracking macronutrients means keeping a log of the amount or percentage of fat, protein and carbohydrate you are eating daily. There is no standard, exact amount of each macronutrients that an individual needs on a daily basis. Our bodies are adaptable and can thrive when provided a range from each of the macronutrients.

We don’t recommend macro counting. Much like calorie counting, tracking macros can impact how we relate to food and our bodies, and can also lead to, or be a sign of, disordered eating or an eating disorder. Instead of tracking macros, we recommend eating every two to four hours throughout the day to keep your body fueled and energized. Eating a variety of foods from different food categories will help make sure your body has the nutrients it needs to thrive.

Research shows that diets are not effective long term for most people. Most people go on diets to lose weight and/or to become “healthier”. A person may lose weight in the short term, but it’s typically not something they can maintain. Muscle-mass is lost as well as fat-mass, and in most cases people regain the weight. Fad diets end up being lower in overall nutrition as well. So, not only are people not able to maintain the weight loss, but they also don’t become “healthier”.

For those who are still growing and developing, diets can actually be harmful. Fad diets often mean that a person isn’t meeting their bodies’ minimum nutritional requirements. This can cause damage to bones, reproductive health, the heart, and other organs. Following a fad diet can lead to, or be a sign of, disordered eating or an eating disorder. So, we don’t recommend diets…ever!

My first thought is to ask: what is the reason for the change? I think reflecting on that can help a person link their relationship to food with their connection to themselves and their higher values, such as trust, honesty, and respect. Once the intention is thought out, it is important to remember that meaningful, lasting change will take time. It can end up being a little bit boring, and not as quick or trendy as diets. But, finding one thing to work on at a time and setting SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-based) goals will help.

As dietitians, we often encourage people to think about what they can add to their daily intake, rather than what they can take away. Not only can this help prevent people from becoming too focused on food, but it is easier to maintain and helps to show that all foods really do fit.

This is a hard one to answer, as nutrition is something that is so unique to each person. There really isn’t much one-size-fits all nutrition advice! I would start by asking the person what they want to work on, so together you can come up with goals that meet their wants/needs. Often a person is looking to cut out a food they feel they are eating “too much” of. The issue with this is not that they may be eating too much of something, but that in doing so, they may be eating less of other things and the nutrients that they can provide. This is why eating a variety of foods is important, as much as possible within each person’s situation.

If you just go out occasionally, eat and enjoy your meal the way you want. Focus on the experience including the social connection, the ambiance and the flavours. If you’re eating out more often, then we recommend trying to eat a variety of foods, like you probably would if you were eating at home. For example, if one time you get the chicken sandwich with fries, maybe next time you get the hamburger with salad. Neither meal is “right” or “wrong”, they just offer different aspects of complete nutrition.