Health from a Dietitian’s Perspective
Health is a state of being that is important to prioritize in your life. We had the opportunity to pick the brains of a registered dietitian, Kathleen Tabb, to help us understand and improve our overall health. She elaborated on a wide range of topics, from healthy fats to protein, to alternative junk foods!
For starters, we made sure to cover one of the main energy fuels: Protein. Protein is a vital macronutrient to incorporate into your diet. Tabb differentiates the types of protein stating, “Animal-based proteins (including seafood) are considered complete proteins meaning they have all of the essential amino acids that your body needs. Plant-based proteins, on the other hand, are incomplete proteins meaning you need to pair them together.” It’s important to remember that protein does not just come from meat. For vegetarians and vegans, certain plant-based foods like tofu, seeds, and legumes are great sources of protein.
Similar to protein, fat is another important macronutrient to incorporate for a healthy and well-balanced diet. With that being said, there are different types of fat depending on the food you are consuming. According to Tabb, unsaturated fats are the fats that are beneficial to the cell membrane and overall health. “These are typically liquid at room temperature and have anti-inflammatory potential. For example, avocados/avocado oil, flaxseeds, walnuts, fish, and olive oil,” she stated. Unlike unsaturated fats, saturated fats are solid at room temperatures like butter, lard, and coconut oil. “Saturated fats can be inflammatory in nature and also negatively impact heart disease risk when consumed in excess,” Tabb concludes.
We then moved on to the food sources that targeted certain health issues and needs, such as antioxidants, heartburn, fiber, and indigestion. For starters, “Antioxidants are substances from food that help prevent damage to your cells and therefore inflammation,” Tabb writes, “Antioxidants are found primarily in plant-based foods, specifically your brightly colored fruits and vegetables. The darker the color, the higher the antioxidants.” She then went in-depth about eliminating constipation and indigestion. We concluded that increasing exercise, water, and seed intake while reducing acidic, fried, and spicy foods will improve indigestion and constipation. In addition, she noted that pacing and portioning each meal can also help with indigestion. Tabb emphasized and concluded that “Fiber is great for almost all chronic diseases (Fruits, vegetables, beans, whole grains, etc.).”
It’s impossible to maintain a perfect diet. Tabb emphasizes the importance of eating in moderation to help build a healthy relationship with food. With the wide array and ever-changing health trends, Tabb elaborated on the sugar-free and diet foods stating. She states, “I believe sugar-free foods may be suitable for people on individual bases. For example, diabetics may choose sugar substitutes to control their blood sugars. However, some people do not like the taste! Overall, fat-free and sugar-free foods have been linked to more frequent overeating as they do not stimulate the pleasure part of the brain, so I typically recommend the regular fat/sugar alternatives in reasonable portion size or stevia/monk fruit as a natural sweetener.”
At the end of the day, we are all human and have random cravings. Tabb recommends less processed snacks, such as kind bars, trail mix packets, Yasso bars, peanut butter + fruit, and popcorn when those cravings occur. She concludes that moderation is the key: “It is easy to adopt an all-or-nothing style of eating but down the road, this can impair your relationship with food, which is an important relationship to have!”