By Elizabeth Meyer, LRD
People have a lot of assumptions about dietitians. Some are valid and may be true, some are not. I won’t speak for all dietitians, just myself. And I may not be the norm for a dietitian but guess what… my business cards and email signature all say Elizabeth Meyer, LRD (licensed registered dietitian) so I passed all tests!
When I’m out to eat with a group, or at a gathering with food, someone always says to me, “Don’t look at my plate!!” My first thought and response? “Don’t look at mine! I don’t care what you’re eating, don’t be concerned with my plate!”
Listen, I’m too concerned with what kind of dips there are ahead of me and if there will be a special K bar left for me. I’m only going to concern myself if you got the last of something I wanted, and I’m not above asking for a bite if you did. 😊
I didn’t become a dietitian because I think healthy eating is the be-all, end-all of humanity. I think it’s important of course and I mostly eat healthy. But, I mostly eat healthy because I have diabetes and I became a dietitian because of “the diabetes.”
I wouldn’t have a reason to even know or care what a dietitian did if I had never been diagnosed. I was 15 (just picture a pleasant teenage girl) and thrown a huge curve ball. My dietitian was the greatest thing to happen out of all of this. She was, and still is amazing. She’s one of my favorite people on this earth and taught me more than she will ever realize. She is the reason I chose this path. Not because I have a passion for kale, olive oil and portion control. I wanted to have the effect on just one person like she had on me. I know she had this effect on so many, she’s just that kind of person. But I wanted to make someone feel how she made me feel.
She made me feel like everything was going to be okay. She taught me that no foods should ever be off limits, that weight is only a number, that blood sugars are only a number, that I’m doing better than I’ll ever believe or give myself credit for and that there is so much more to focus on.
I remember telling her I had to stop buying peanut butter because I felt I couldn’t control myself around it. (This makes me sound like I was eating jars and jars of it daily, which was not the case.) I also remember her scolding me in a way that only she could – it was never actually scolding but more just complete logic – on how that was ridiculous. Why would I ban peanut butter when it was a food I love and it’s good for you? No foods should be off limits she said. Wise advice.
I agree. Completely. Food shouldn’t be associated with guilt. But it is. We feel bad if we have a piece of cake or candy. Or maybe have a few too many chips and salsa. We shouldn’t feel bad. Food is fuel. We need variety. And if it’s a birthday, or a wedding, or a Tuesday – why does it feel shameful if we had cake? It should be easier to just eat it and enjoy it and then continue with no further thoughts.
My point to all of this is that I’m not judging what you’re eating. Ever. If I’m staring, I’m just probably jealous. Dietitians aren’t evil. They eat too. Some days we eat great, some days we really don’t. Our bodies are smart, we’ve got this. Just keep doing your best, you’ll feel better at the end of the day.