Thank you Dr. Taylor!

My career in nutrition science has many ups and downs, twists and turns. Lots of U-turns too. Not many people know that after completing my dietetic internship, I packed my figurative bags and waited for the first bus out of Registered Dietitian Land. I didn't fit in and didn't think there was a place for me.

Dr. Martha Taylor PhD, RD, FADA

One woman helped changed this: Dr. Martha Taylor from The University of North Carolina at Greensboro. And, today Dr. Taylor is officially retiring.


As I completed my dietetic internship (fondly remembered by many RDs as our year of unpaid torture), I expressed my desire to change professions. I recall awkwardly explaining to her my desire to get to know my clients more instead of telling them what to do; appreciating the challenge of change and curious about its science. Dr. Taylor agreed and let me know our profession needed this diversity of thinking. Further, she let me know UNCG had a wonderful Counseling Department. A counseling master's degree potentially could marry my ways of thinking to help in the way I envisioned.


I remember putting her thoughts, suggestions, and empowerment in my back pocket. I chose to get a clinical nutrition job (still have that first paycheck stub!) yet wandered until I found the UNCG Counseling Department. Completing the master's degree, as she described, helped me find my niche and life work.


I thank you from the bottom of my heart Dr. Taylor. Your words and encouragement have helped feed my soul and find my place in this world.

Choosing to eat: brain vs body

Just caught a Yoplait cheesecake commercial. Seen it? We observe a woman drooling over a beautiful cheesecake within the work fridge. Her mind's debating dialogue tries to rationalize having a small, medium, or large slice. With each slice she considers ways to absolve her sin:

• eat it with celery
• give in because she deserves it
• run in place

There are millions of reasons why I stopped and rewound the commercial.  The obvious comical undertones bring to light a very common eating choice experience. What is missing from the conversation? Instead of just thinking, I wish the woman considered how she was experiencing:

• What does my body need right now?
• Am I hungry?
• What is drawing me to this food? Future physical satisfaction or a feeling of entitlement?

In the end, the torn woman compliments a coworker on her weight loss and she observes the coworker pick yogurt. Using her head, she thinks she could be worthy of peer envy too if she choose the diet food.


My Food Youtopia Principle: instead of arguing in your brain about a food choice including food cravings, stop. Go within. Check how you are experiencing your body. Ask it what it needs. Then trust it to lead you to health.

Post-baby weight loss competitions

Twisted baby weight loss competitions saturate my eyes within the grocery check out line. I skeptically notice the photoshop/crash diet poses and yearn for glimpses of normal post-baby bodies. 

I couldn’t wait to post this link. I appreciate these celebrities weren’t posing on the cover of a magazine and it is still nice to see what a woman’s body really looks like after creating a person. 

Most celebrity magazines suggest women can lose the weight in 8 weeks, 6 weeks, or even 2 weeks post birth. I don’t think I was able to brush my teeth the first 2 weeks after giving birth let alone endure starvation and endless exercise.

Pregnant women and moms of newborns note 2 things: extreme dieting and overexercising harms your breastfeeding child especially during the first 6 weeks post birth. These behaviors affect the nutritional quality and quantity of breast milk.

Second, most women lose all but 2 pounds of their post-baby weight within one year. Eating mindfully and engaging in movement as desired will help your body do the same. Please trust it and respect the time this vessel needs to recover. It did create a person after all.

A Mindful Eater's reaction to the USDA's new plate

Graphic from USDA's Choose My Plate

The USDA has retired the Food Guide Pyramid in place of a plate. In a fit of frustration I just threw the plate against the wall.


I appreciate the plate's simplicity as well as greater respect for diverse food choices. There appears to be more inclusion with less dichotomy (ok, still some good vs bad foods mentioned in the fine print yet less than the Pyramids). I would love to see a hunger/fullness/satiety scale at the bottom of the graphic.


The plate graphic is followed by a few words of advice directing our food decisions.


Something in the directions stopped me dead in my tracks: "Enjoy your food, (YEAH! love this)

Here's where they lost a fan: "but eat less." (Plates crashing.)


While learning to become a counselor, I picked up a valuable word tool: the conjunctions we choose to connect thoughts have powerful implications. In counseling, the conjunction and provides agreement and inclusion with positive connotations. The conjunction but has dire results: it negates the phrase before it.


When I read Enjoy your food, but eat less I think:

• the government thinks we are not to be trusted.
• when enjoying food, sit tight: you've had too much.
• if you listen to your body, you will overeat. 

Even though obviously redundant, the USDA goes on to say, "Avoid oversized portions." Just in case.

If they asked me (hint hint), I would encourage the following revisions to the directions:

Enjoy your food mindfully.
Eat when experiencing hunger. Eat until your body is satisfied. 
Make time for meals. If you are part of a family, enjoy many meals together.
Sit at the table to eat. Set a peaceful meal time environment that promotes mindful eating.
Notice how you experience foods. Notice which help you feel stronger and more energized.
Notice which foods make you feel more sluggish and sleepy.
Let your body guide you toward nourishing foods.