Ways I’m Not The Expert
As Your Dietitian - Part 2If you missed part 1 of this newsletter, I encourage you to check that out for context! Today I am outlining something that I do not know as your dietitian, that I think a lot of people would assume to be a given in my job description. I had promised 3 things, but as I got writing I realized that was a bit ambitious for the length of this newsletter! So I am prioritizing the following:
I don’t know exactly how much food you need
If you Google “how many calories do I need per day?”, the internet will serve you up all kinds of calculators that spit out a number based on a variety of factors about you. And I want to be clear that I’m grateful these calculators - some of which do have some research behind them - exist, for instances in which we need a general ballpark of how much energy someone needs to be nourished and can’t rely on other indications (to use an extreme example, let’s imagine someone who is in hospital and needs a tube feed for nourishment).
That said, I would argue that these calculators provide us with a number that is too static and too specific to be accurate.
And that is because there are SO many factors these calculators can’t capture: Our unique genetic makeup, which has a huge bearing on our metabolism Whether our body is feeling safe at its current weight or adjusting its metabolic processes in hopes of adjusting our weight into a safe zone For a person who menstruates, where they are in their cycle Whether we have been eating adequately or inadequately (We know that a person can need 4-5 times the amount of energy they normally would if they are coming off a period of malnourishment) Whether we are recovering from something, like an illness, injury, or physical endeavor
So if we’re not using a calculator to determine how much we need to eat, what ARE we using?
I’d argue that in 99% of circumstances, we don’t need to know with any precision how much a person is eating from a calorie perspective. That said, in a culture that is constantly telling us to eat less, I think most of us are totally uninformed about the consequences of not eating enough. So if someone is seeking my support in figuring out how much they need to eat, here are a few questions I would bring to the table:
Are you spending a significant amount of your day thinking about food? Do you sometimes feel out of control around food, or find it terrifying to not have control? Does it take a lot of effort to maintain a pretty steady weight? Are you experiencing any physical signs that could point to undernourishment, like frequently feeling cold, loss of menstrual cycle if applicable, anemia, feeling weak or fatigued (among many others)?
It is my true honour to explore these topics with people, and help them navigate the “what’s next?”
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