THREE REASONS NOT TO FEAR YOUR NUTRITIONIST
Are you hesitating to work with someone about your nutrition and health issues for fear that he or she is going to ask you to change everything about your diet? If so, there are three things that you need to know about nutritionists:
- Holistic Nutritionists assess and promote nutrition, not diet! We’re not going to place you on a diet. We’ll give you some tips to ensure you’re providing your body with the nutrition that YOU uniquely need to feel your best.
- Its not always a dietary change that will bring you the greatest results! Sometimes a change in routine, activities, stress management techniques or a few simple supplements will be more effective than a change in diet.
- We want you to be successful! We understand the emotional connection and attachment that we all can have with certain foods. That’s why its so difficult to change our eating habits, and why we can benefit from the support of a nutritionist along the way. We would rather see you make small, simple lifestyle changes over several months, than completely change your diet for a few weeks only to revert to your old habits because the changes simply were not sustainable.
Let me give you a few examples, that might be helpful! I have been doing quite a few Discovery sessions lately, which are my complimentary mini phone consultations designed to give clients a few tips that they can start incorporating into their day immediately.
For example, a client tells me that they are somewhat constipated. We’ll discover how it impacts their energy levels, their immune function, their skin, their ability to lose weight and their mental health. The average person has a bowel movement once a day, but did you know that we ought to be moving our bowels two to three times each day?
With this client, I assessed their current diet and lifestyle to identify the smallest, easiest changes that helped improve their colon function quickly. Simple things like switching from white rice to brown rice, and replacing canola oil with olive oil in their cooking. Another client in the same situation benefit from magnesium supplementation and adding more activity into their day.
It’s not about asking my client to change everything about how they eat, because that takes months and years (at least it did for me, and I’m still on my journey)! Its really about working together with my client to come up with a game plan that works for them, and gives them the results they are looking for.
I invite you to take advantage of a Discovery Session with me, as my gift to you. This is your opportunity to receive one or two nutrition and lifestyle tips, customized specifically for you, to help you reach your health goals – no strings attached!
Speaking of moving your bowels more frequently, I hope you will try this light salad recipe that is simple to take with you on-the-go! The brown rice, raw veggies, nuts and seeds, and olive oil all support healthy colon function. And the ginger and garlic is great for digestion overall!
ASIAN CABBAGE SALAD WITH GINGER DRESSING
Prep Time: 15 mins Makes: 4-6 Servings
Ingredients
SALAD:
2 cups cooked brown rice
2 cups chopped cabbage (green or red or mixed)
1 cup grated carrot
1 cup chopped spinach (optional)
1/2 cup edamame beans, cooked (or peas if avoiding soy)
1/4 cup raw cashews and/or 1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
DRESSING:
2/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tamari/fermented soy sauce/coconut aminos if avoiding soy
1 tablespoon honey or stevia equivalent
2 tablespoons water
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon grated ginger
Directions
- Layer leftover brown rice, cabbage, carrot, spinach, beans/peas in a large glass bowl. Top with nuts and seeds
- DRESSING: In a 1 pint glass jar or larger, combine the garlic, ginger, olive oil, rice vinegar, tamari, honey, and water. Cover the jar with a tight fitting lid, and shake well. If honey has not dissolved, remove lid, and heat jar in the microwave on low for 15 seconds. Shake well before serving.
- Store covered in the refrigerator.
About the author
Sharon Pendlington BSc., R.H.N., NNCP, RYT is a ‘Reclaim your Life Specialist’, Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Yoga Instructor, Birth Doula and founder of Personal Nutrition. Sharon believes that every woman deserves to live a vibrant life, no matter her age. When women work with Sharon, they get their energy back, their memory back, their figure back and their happy back! Sharon meets her clients wherever they are in their health journey and inspires them to take their power back over their own health and wellness.
