Nutrition: Three trends I wish for in 2023
In the nutrition/dietitian world, there is always talk about the biggest nutrition trends this time of year. Some I can totally get down with, and some are more of an “eye roll” towards the (fairly inaccessible) wellness culture. So of course I got to wondering what my choices would be for trends to take off in 2023…
Disclaimer requirements for social media posts about nutrition
Here I mean a requirement to disclose your education and training on the topic of nutrition when you post any kind of advice about it. Right now, nutrition talk on social media is a dumpster fire of misinformation, posted primarily by folks who have no relevant background to understand what they’re talking about. Disclosure of education/training information for consumers of their content could be a game-changer. Like, should a nutrition-related post from Joe Schmoe personal trainer with 120K followers, no health-related education, degree or training, or Jane Doe with her online nutrition “coaching” certificate who likes to cook be in the same boat as the one by Regina Phalange, registered dietitian with 15 years of experience and a Master’s degree in nutrition? No! But I’m not sure consumers in general think about that sort of information, nor do many know the difference between a registered dietitian and a “nutritionist.”* Thus, a disclosure may be helpful to at least let the consumer make a more informed choice on whether to take certain advice or information to heart.
*(I will do a separate post on this, but registered dietitians are the only recognized experts in the field of nutrition and thus need A LOT of schooling, training and experience to become one, have a governing body with rules, do continuing education, etc.; “nutritionists,” “nutrition coaches,” etc. need nothing of the sort and anyone can call themselves one)
Normalizing carbs at every meal
While I do think the “low carb” craze has cooled a bit, individuals generally being afraid to eat carbs, substituting other foods for carbs or thinking of eating carbs as “being bad” has not (and this is based on what I’ve seen in session with clients and past patients). I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve heard a client say something along the lines of, “well, I had a piece of toast for breakfast so I can’t have a sandwich for lunch” or something similar. It’s so common to develop food rules like this that ultimately restrict carbs, create fear around carbs and can develop into an unhealthy relationship with food. I live for the day when there is a collective realization that carbs are energy, not the enemy, and in order for the body to get enough of them they typically need to be consumed with every meal. And in doing so, you’ll feel better, have less cravings, feel more satisfied, and perform well in athletics. Of course there is nuance here, which is a great reason to see a dietitian.
Weight neutral practices in healthcare
When I worked at a large hospital system, I was an N of one who practiced from a weight neutral lense. A “weight neutral” approach, also called a “weight inclusive” approach, is a therapeutic approach to improving the health of individuals by focusing on healthy behavior change as opposed to weight or BMI. Conversely, a “weight normative” approach does focus on BMI and weight, with weight loss and management being the goal if an individual does not fall within a certain range (this usually involves caloric restriction). Here’s a good article comparing the two approaches and ultimately finding more benefits to the former. I have a lot to say about this topic (I also wrote about weight stigma in healthcare here), and as someone who has practiced both ways (when I first became an RD I didn’t know any better than to use a weight normative approach), my patients and now clients have had so much more success focusing on sustainable behavior change to meet health goals as opposed to changing their bodies. I truly don’t know if healthcare systems will ever understand this approach, but know there are more folks starting to practice in this way now more than ever.
I feel like there should be a “part two” here to chat about more food-specific trends, so stay tuned for that.
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