As we turn our New Year’s resolutions into habits, diet is a HUGE one to assess. Whole 30, Vegan, Paleo, Atkins, Pescetarian… deciding what to put in your mouth can be overwhelming.
To complicate things further, the old school “food pyramid” has been heavily influenced by food lobbyists, and a new study every week debuts about which food is a miracle OR will kill you.
My food journey ventures where many do: in suburbia, to an endless buffet of college dining and experimentation with vegetarianism and more. After failing as a vegetarian while eating pita and hummus for dinner 4 nights per week, I joined a CSA and purchased veg-friendly cookbooks. Choosing healthier meals and incorporating exercise lead me to feel energized and toned. (Looking back at photos of my younger self, my college sins appeared vividly on my short frame.)
Although I try not to define my diet, I now eat a mostly plant-based diet, cooking vegetarian or vegan at home and may venture pescetarian while dining out. Like many working adults, I go through phases of meal planning and healthy eating to weeks of networking happy hours and takeout.
Recently, I broke my morals of never counting calories and tracked them after feeling sluggish. Using MyFitnessPal, I logged my meals and drinks (for better or for worse..). When I reviewed my nutrition breakdown, I was horrified. I quickly approached my fat and sugar limits while lacking the proper amount of nutrients.
I enlisted the help of a Registered Dietitian, Rebecca Scofield, to help assess my diet. Her first assessment? Being careful about MyFitnessPal. As Scofield said, “MyFitnessPal is a lot like Wikipedia: anybody can enter or edit nutrition information for any food.” It’s important to double check those numbers with what’s on your food labels and making sure they’re in familiar units (1/2 medium avocado VS grams).
What else did I learn after OCD using MyFitnessPal?
Counting calories (at least for a week) is one way to check in with data and see where you can improve.
Curious about your eating habits? As Scofield said, “nutrition is NOT a one-size-fits-all field, and we dietitians are trained to navigate what works best for the individual.” Plus, many insurance plans now even cover 5-6 nutrition consultations at little or no cost to the individual.
Time to check off another New Year’s resolution! Readers, have you been shocked from counting calories? Tell us in the comments.
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