The Junk Food Nutritionist

I don’t believe in making strict New Year’s Resolutions that will likely be abandoned. The main problem I see is that people use the word “never.” It’s unrealistic to resolve to “never eat added sugar,” for example. However, I am all for working on developing healthier habits. In fact, that’s one of the reasons I became a dietitian! Let’s look at 3 resolutions you’re likely to break and 6 better resolutions to consider: Unrealistic: I will never order takeout or delivery. Alternative 1: I will try 1 new recipe a week (or a month, whichever is more realistic for you) . If you are used to eating takeout or delivery, it’s unrealistic to start preparing everything from scratch. Instead, work on introducing home-cooked meals. Alternative 2: I will meal prep 1 day a week (or month). This is a good choice for people who already cook a few days a week but rely on takeout or delivery for busy days. Prepare meals a few days in advance and store in a fridge or freezer until needed.

Someone once asked me, "Is nutrition a soft science, like psychology?"   There may not be a straightforward "yes" or "no" answer. So, I will warn you right now, this might be a long post... Some areas of nutrition overlap with "harder" sciences, like chemistry and biology. We know what a calcium ion looks like (chemistry!). We know that there are different forms of some minerals, like magnesium oxide vs. magnesium glycinate (again, chemistry). We know that sailors who didn't get enough vitamin C developed bleeding gums or scurvy (biology).  But, other topics within nutrition are more "softer." They are more hotly debated and the research is conflicting.    Let's explore this further...

Have you ever noticed that the reported "superfoods" on the market are foods you've never even heard of? Who eats Sacha inchi seeds? What's maca? Where do you buy maqui berries? A lot of these "superfoods" are not foods that you grew up on, if you ate the Standard American Diet. That’s okay. We’ll explore them together. Today, I want to introduce you to the wolfberry, one of the main ingredients in Young Living Ningxia Red products. This post contains affiliate links, if you choose to buy from Young Living .  When I first heard of the wolfberry from a former colleague and Young Living distributor, I thought this was some exotic fruit I'd never heard of.

Welcome back to my series on nutrition basics. So far, I've talked about carbohydrates, protein, fat, and vitamins.  Finally, it's time to talk about Minerals. 

When we're social distancing, it can be really hard to get an appointment with a Registered Dietitian or take a nutrition class.  Everyone should have access to basic nutrition information to help them make informed decisions.  Photo by Louis Hansel In my Nutrition Basics blog series, I have a lready talked about the Macronutrients--carbohydrates, protein, and fat. I also singled out Omega-3s fats to discuss in more details.  Today, I start to tackle the Micronutrients or nutrients we need in small amounts. You probably know them as Vitamins and Minerals .  There is a lot to talk about, so I will focus on Vitamins for now...

By now, I think most people have heard at least something about Omega-3s, which are a type of fat. But I'm going to delve a little deeper... Salmon contains Omega-3s. Photo by Caroline Attword Omega-3s Basics Omega-3s are a type of unsaturated fat, the "good" fat. You may have also heard of Omega-6s or Omega-9s. They are also unsaturated fats.  If you want to get into science, Omega-3s have a double bond between two carbon atoms at the omega-3 position (which means that the third carbon from the end of the fat chain not attached to a glycerol backbone). When talking about Omega-3s, you may have heard of specific fats, like alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), Eicosapentaenoic Acid (EPA), and Docosahexanoic Acid (DHA) These are different molecules, but they are grouped together because they all have a double bond in the omega-3 position. However, they are not the same.

Thanks to the global pandemic, many people are unable to attend outpatient nutrition classes and individual nutrition counseling. Although I always recommend seeing a Registered Dietitian or other credentialed expert for your specific health needs, I believe in sharing nutrition basics to help people get a general understanding. Today, I address "Macros..." Graphic by Charles Deluvio Sometimes health & fitness influencers talk about "Macros." What does this even mean? Macronutrients, or "Macros" for short, are the 3 types of nutrients we need in large amounts. I'll get into Micronutrients, or those that we need in small amounts, in an upcoming post. Macronutrients are the nutrients that provide Calories, which is a measure of energy we gain from food. The three macronutrients are carbohydrates (carbs), protein, and fatty acids (fats). Sometimes alcohol is also grouped as a macronutrient, because it provides calories; however, it