Nutritionists - get real!!

**snooks** · 08-18-2011 01:57 AM

If I were to eat everything a nutritionist tells me I need for a day/week, I would be the size of a house!!! For instance, and this is only one example of many, if I ate the 6 servings of wholegrain as recommended I would be eating bread, porridge, pasta, chickpeas etc all day! My stomach isn't a bottomless pit and to eat all of one quota, something else has to go, like snacking on fruit! And what about the half tsp of curry or tumeric everyday I read on this forum... How many curries per week can I stand!! Then there are all those cooked tomatoes. I don't eat processed - too much salt and sugar for my taste, and have you seen how much out of season tomatoes cost?? I figure I eat a good diet with enough fibre, protein and other vitamins and minerals without making a pig of myself! How do others manage?
I have read lots of information on how to incorporate everything into my diet, usually one group or food at a time, and frankly, it just doesn't add up to an appropriate amount of calories when everything is considered and eaten. I would be way over budget! Common sense tells me that all that wise advise needs to be moderated and adjusted down wards.

**CHANDLERS WISH** · 08-18-2011 02:18 AM

lols oh I am so sorry snooks you are so correct but it was funny reading that.

Isn't it more about fresh? And, small portions of meat, no proccessed foods, no heavy fats, a bit of dairy, and nuts?

Are they nuts?

**KMonte85** · 08-18-2011 07:36 AM

I think you might benefit from finding a different nutritionist, snooks! Different nutritionists have different opinions about the best way for a person to fuel their bodies. They don't all have the same game plan.

For instance, the nutritionist employed where I work explains that although, one should focus on the wholegrains, it is really related to fiber content and the glycemic index of food. She tells you how much of each food type a person should consume in a day, and then gives probably 20 examples of each for a person to choose from.. so they aren't eating tomatoes and curries all day every day. She laid it out for me like this, for a typical person with no special dietary needs..

vegetables - 4-6 services a day OR MORE if you're hungry (serving = 1 cup)
lean protien - 3 servings a day (4-6 oz)
Low/Moderate Glycemic Index foods (I have a list if you want more info) - 3 servings a day (1 serving = 1/2 cup)
Fruit - 3 -4 servings a day (1 serving = 3/4 cup or 1 tennis ball)
water - lots! 64-90 fl oz a day, or your body weight divided by half in oz.

When you put in in this kind of perspective, it isn't a crazy gigantic amount of food, nor is it too many calories.

**WildChild** · 08-18-2011 07:47 AM

Look at serving sizes. That is key. People don't realize how small the recommended serving sizes are. We've been "biggied" and "super sized" for too long and no longer really know what an appropriate serving is.

Very few breads or pastas are whole grain. Good whole grains are things like quinoa or stone ground whole wheat. Chick peas aren't a grain. 1/2 cup is generally a serving of these. That isn't much. Nuts are good for you but not handfuls, they are talking about 5 or 6 nuts. Many fruits are actually more than one serving in size.

You are right to look carefully at canned goods. Something I realized years ago is that in most case the salt free canned goods are also sugar free. Check this with things like canned beans. The ones labeled salt free don't have sugar added but the ones with salt also have sugar. I don't know why but its a sneak sugar in your diet.

**ItsASecret** · 08-18-2011 02:46 PM

The foods nutritionists advise a person eats are often bland, boring and in chipmunk sizes, however they know what they are doing and their advice can actually work with losing weight or keeping a healthy lifestyle IF you have the discipline to keep up with the way things are advised. A portion of meat should fit in the palm of your hand after you cup your hand, yeah...that small. The ones you buy at the grocery store will be about 3 times the advised portion size. Grains, again 1/4 cup is more than you need and once you cook that up it is a small small amount on your plate. Then half your plate is often advised to be a dark leaf lettuce salad like spinach or red leaf lettuce (many do not like this because they can be bitter), not garnished salad so only a fraction of a spoonful of dressing and that dressing cannot be anything but extremely light things like oil/vinegar only. Once you portion your actual nutritionist meal it will fit on a kid's sized plate. If a person is not able to have the discipline to keep up with a nutritionists meal plans they are more likely to feel incredibly hungry due to the very small portion sizes. However if that person does follow things like the very very small snacks (5 or 6 nuts, one slice of plain toast) multiple times a day they will tend to feel more full over time.

**happyheart** · 08-21-2011 04:55 PM

A normal people eat only when they are hungry. If you're not hungry - don't eat! Eat only if you feel hunger. Your body will tell you when it needs food.

**snooks** · 08-23-2011 10:33 PM

I like what you have to say KMonte. I don't have a nutritionist, just read the health and nutrition articles that are around. Every food seems to have its advocate and when they talk about it, it is as though my whole diet should revolve around their food hobbyhorse! there is usually no mention of crossing over to, say, another type of fibre source, other than the one they are on about eg wholegrains. Every so often I take stock of my fibre, protein, vitamin etc intake and it usually comes out pretty much balanced so although I take note of general rules of nutrition I certainly don't try eating all the suggestions. A cup of veg seems an awful large serving though! Fancy a cup of peas! Too much for me. Mind you I do eat about seven veg most days though so even at part of that ratio I am still getting my optimum amount.

**Elanor-Jane** · 09-06-2011 05:57 AM

I try to just stay away from processed foods and I don't eat alot of red meat. I'm not fussy, we were often poor growing up but I found this has made me understand better foods. We were served alot of lentils and chickpeas basically alot of indain style foods, sauce and rice etc. Meat was expensive for so many kids so pasta sauce contained alot of grated veggies (whatever was cheap, carrots etc) overall it made for yummy healthy food. Lots of spices, low salt. Nutritionists are good for basic education especially for kids but sometimes I feel like it's just another expert for the middle class to throw money at