Nutrition and your relationship with food is complex and deeply personal. There is no one perfect diet or way to eat that guarantees nutritional completeness — not to mention, health and longevity — that applies to the entire population.
Even within subsections of the population, take women 25–50 years old, for example. Within this subpopulation, there are substantial variations in what constitutes the “best” diet for any one person.
For starters, there are a myriad of genetic differences, physical activity levels, chronic conditions, etc. that introduce variation in nutritional needs. There are also socioeconomic factors that must be considered when doling out nutrition advice.
With this in mind, I endeavour to counsel in a way that empowers clients with the nutritional knowledge and food skills they need to eat in a way that is supportive of both their physical and psychological well-being.
So when patients come to me asking for a meal plan, I give pause.
Look, I’m not dismissing the usefulness of meal plans in certain cases.
They can provide a helpful starting point for what and how much to eat to roughly meet a person’s needs. For example, meal plans can provide helpful guidance to primary caretakers on how to meet their…
