Nutrition

The plate method is a helpful visual tool to encourage clients to incorporate all types of food into their diet while still maintaining a balanced diet. Half of the plate should be filled with fruits or vegetables, a quarter from carbohydrates and a quarter from protein. Dairy can be incorporated as snacks or sides.
 
Transcript: "How do you encourage your clients to incorporate all types of food into their diet while still maintaining a healthy balance? I've talked about this a lot on here, but I always utilize the plate method. That's a really simple visualization tool for clients to use whenever they're trying to maintain balance in their diet, right? So if you're looking down at your plate, make sure half of your plate is filled with fruits or vegetables, a quarter of your plate from carbohydrates, and a quarter of your plate from protein. That's a really easy way to just kind of make sure that you're checking all your boxes, right? That doesn't include dairy, so you want to make sure you're strengthening that in as snacks or sides, or maybe that's mixed in with whatever the protein source is or whatever the carbohydrate source is. That's totally fine. But that basically checks off all of your food groups and makes sure that you're getting nutrients from different places."

Dietitians undergo more comprehensive training than nutritionists and so have broader expertise in helping individuals manage medical conditions.
 
Transcript: "Hi. Thank you for the question. What is the difference between a nutritionist and dietitian? Well, here in Australia, there is a difference between the two. Now, all dietitians are nutritionists, but not all nutritionists are dietitians, so it is a little confusing. But the difference actually lies in the training undertaken to gain that qualification. So dietitians will typically undertake a four- or five-year program of study compared to a three-year nutrition course. Now, within that dietitian course is medical nutrition therapy. So that is the units of study that give the dietitians that expertise in helping individuals manage their medical conditions. I hope that answers your question. Thank you so much, Ryan. I hope to hear from you again soon."

Yes, frozen vegetables can be just as nutrient-rich as fresh vegetables and are a great option for busy people who don't want their produce to go bad quickly.
 
Transcript: "I'm so glad this question got asked, and I just have to say, yes, frozen vegetables are as nutrient rich as fresh vegetables. And what I want you to think about is think about frozen vegetables are actually flash frozen at the time of harvest. So it sounds kind of crazy to say. But depending on where a vegetable is transporting from, or what time of year you're having it, frozen vegetables could actually be more fresh or certainly just as fresh as that fresh vegetable option. And, personally, one of the things I love about frozen vegetables is they don't go bad. Keep them, stock up on them, keep them in your freezer. And in a matter of minutes, you can have an extra vegetable dish on your table to go with a meal. So, absolutely, a big personal fan of frozen vegetables, and I hope you find ways to work frozen vegetables into your routine as well. And, of course, fresh vegetables are always a great option also."

The top three fruits I eat are berries, grapefruits and apples, with avocados being a close fourth. Berries are the lowest in carbohydrates and highest in fiber, apples are a classic for a reason, and grapefruits can help with weight loss and fill you up.
 
Transcript: "Aboard, the fruits that I eat, what are the top three and why very easy answer berries, grapefruits and apples. And I would include avocados in that which are fruit, which we don't often think of as a fruit. But they'd probably be at the top of the list. The wise berries are the lowest in carbohydrates, the highest and fiber the lowest and sugar they just are apples. Everything, your grandmother told you was true and Apple. A warm, if not keep the doctor away, certainly Force phone, their visits and grapefruits, are just a terrific underappreciated food that can cut your appetite help with weight loss, provide some fiber, fill you up, a lot of good things about great food. So those are my answers and don't forget the avocados."

Even distribution of nutrients throughout the day is important, so it makes more sense to get in more even distribution through three to five meals per day. Eating too much food at one time can cause digestive discomfort, so frequent feedings are better.
 
Transcript: "Ryan, three to five small meals a day versus two larger meals a day, what's better for you, and why? It somewhat depends on age, for sure. But I personally like an even-- more even distribution of nutrients throughout the day, especially when it comes to protein distribution. So instead of trying to fit in all your protein needs in two larger meals, which it's pretty tough to eat that much protein in two meals, much more successful to spread that out between three to five feedings per day. So just for that case alone, I think it makes more sense to get in more even distribution through three to five meals per day, or feedings per day. You also have to consider the amount of food that you can actually eat in two versus three to five meals, right? So a lot of times, you don't really want to overwork the gut and extend it and really consume too much food at one time, because that sometimes is very uncomfortable. Sometimes, it can cause some digestive woes. So in the end, I'm a big fan of more frequent feedings throughout the day."

You should look at portion sizes and track your food to make sure you're getting the right amount of calories. Pay attention to foods like peanut butter, mayonnaise, cheese, nuts, and seeds that can be easily overeaten despite being healthy.
 
Transcript: "Hey, Eva. Normally when that's the case, you need to look at portion sizes and also think about tracking your food. Because we make 200 food decisions in a day, and only about 10 to 15 were actually conscious of. So often what I find with clients who struggle to lose weight are following the, quote unquote, sort of "rules for weight loss" that's where they're leading themselves down. So track your food and do make an effort to sort of weigh your food where possible, so you know that you're able to hit your numbers and you know what you're having. Because there are loads of foods, like peanut butter, mayonnaise, cheese, nuts and seeds, which are in cooking oils which can be actually quite easily overeaten with regards to calories without us really realizing it. Despite the fact they're healthy, we could be having them in amounts that aren't so good for us. So I hope that helps."