A nutritionist eats mostly white carbs for a week, here is what happens...

Aren't nutritionists supposed to tell you to be disciplined, only eat "good" food & take the moral high ground when it comes to diet?

Not this one friends (It's me, hi).

For me this week consisted of mostly white starchy carbs, caffeine & paracetamol in terms of diet. I have been dealing with a wonderful combination of PMS & a cold, & my diet took the brunt of it😂

Of course sprinkled in there was some colour, fibre & what society would deem 'healthy' foods.

But predominantly shreddies & sour dough have been on the menu. But I know that this has been the healthiest choice for me this week.

You might be "wondering how can she say that"? How dare a nutritionist say caffeine & bread is the healthiest option! Read on...

Before working on my relationship with my body (& food) this sort of behaviour would have me overwhelmed by guilt, shame, self criticism, genuinely feeling like I was being unhealthy, poor body image, the urge to 'get back on it' or 'make up for it' next week etc.

Now...

I am leaning in. I am listening to my bodies needs & I am choosing comfort too.

I now recognise that food is more than fuel. 

I now recognise there is no such thing as bad foods.

I now value my health & body more than adhering to diet culture.

See this week she (my body) has been telling me she is getting comfort from white carbs & she has been significantly hungrier than usual.

Tiger bread, croissants, sourdough, gnocchi, noodles, baguettes...you name it, it is possible I have had it or thought about it.

Maybe these foods are not nutritionally dense compared to some others, but that doesn't make them unhealthy or irrelevant...or bad. 

They are still a great source of energy, & more to the point taste great.

You see, as a nutritionist, I know that a really important aspect of feeling nourished & getting what you need from food goes way beyond the nutrients in it.

This week the 'healthiest choice' for me wasn't forcing myself to gag down a bowl of raw veggies, or double down on the protein because movement has been lower, or make myself eat the leanest fat free foods I could find...

the healthiest choice for me this week was helping my body feel as okay as she could whilst spending more energy on fighting an infection & pms'ing.

The things that helped me cope were painkillers, teas & yes, carbs. Lots of them. Shoot me diet culture.

What is the 'healthiest choice' is not always what we are led to believe.

It is what is going to make your body feel nourished in that moment.

Sometime it will be the nutrient dense options. But other times it wont be...the sooner you get on board with that, the sooner you reduce your stress & preoccupation around food. The sooner you build trust with your body & feel in control around food & the inevitable life moments that disrupt your routine. (& yes this is also supportive of maintaining a healthful body weight).

"good nutrition" looks like feeling free around food rather than restricted or trapped, it looks like not judging yourself for when you do have days or weeks when your nutrient density is not 'optimal', it looks like actually enjoying what you eat, it looks like listening to hunger & fullness ques often, & sometime it looks like intentionally emotionally regulating yourself with food.

It certainly looks like knowing you can't be perfect all the time & really don't need to be.