Ask the Nutritionist | Britni, LD, RD

By Nutritional Weight & Wellness Staff
August 21, 2015

You could say Nutritional Weight & Wellness isn’t your typical workplace. Where it’s completely normal for us to share detailed updates about our nutrition and health, it might not be as accepted where you work. While other’s main office kitchen chats may discuss the weather or the latest Bachelorette (we do that too) we’re also sharing our latest farmers market finds, new supplement news and what we cooked for dinner. There’s many “have you tried this?” or “are these numbers normal?”

To give you a glimpse, we’re starting a new series called “5 Questions” where we’ll get to know everyone from our knowledgeable nutritionists to our friendly front desk staff. Have a question you’d want to ask? Let us know in the comments!

To kick things off we sat down with Britni; read on.

1. Everyone has food struggles or triggers, what is that something for you? More importantly, what tricks do you use to avoid that issue?

I know for me that if I go too long without eating, maybe four or five hours, I’m very susceptible to carb cravings. I always make sure to have an afternoon snack around three hours after lunch. Even if I’m not always hungry for a snack I will still have one, because I know from experience if I don’t then my cravings will return. This keeps my blood sugar balanced, which is also key for my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS). So if I’m busy with clients, at the beginning of the day I map out when I can eat. I bet a lot of people can relate to that with meetings and everything, so I can’t reiterate enough how important it is to map out your day.

2. Do you have a go-to dinner when you just don’t feel like cooking?

Yes! Often I have cans of tuna on hand so I can quickly whip up some tuna salad. So in addition to that I might make a quick salad, I always have greens of some kind then I throw in whatever other veggies I have in the fridge. Another go-to for me is chicken sausages. I like the Bilinski’s brand, they’re pre-cooked, so I just throw them in a pan to brown and warm up. With those I’d also have some olives, mayonnaise and whatever vegetables are on hand.

3. What’s the number one thing you wish more people knew about nutrition?

Healthy fat is good. It’s as simple as that. Fat does not equal fat on the body. Start incorporating avocado or guacamole, I always recommend people have those individual Wholly Guacamole packets, or olives, on hand for convenience...and start putting butter on your veggies! Another way to get good fats is through nuts, a serving a day is around 1/4 cup, but don’t just eat almonds, there’s a huge variety out there. I’d also advise to stay away from peanuts, they’re more inflammatory. Technically a legume, who knew?

4. What’s one of your favorite client success stories?

This might sound cliché, but so many of them are fantastic, which is great. But recently I had a woman who came in with a lot of Gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms—diarrhea, bloating, and constipation—that were obviously negatively affecting her daily life. I just saw her the other day, I think we’ve met twice in the last two months, and she has no symptoms! Plus, on top of getting rid of her GI symptoms, she had already lost 20 pounds* and has so much more energy, just generally feels awesome. I’m always so thrilled, even after I see it time and again, that a person can see so many positive changes so quickly.

5. What do you share with clients who’ve fallen off their healthy eating habits?

Realistically it may happen from time to time. Just make sure the next time you eat it’s balanced. And, this is huge, don’t get mad at yourself for not making the healthiest choices because that’s what a lot of people do, they’re mad at themselves and then they eat whatever they want the rest of the day. When people make unhealthy choices I always encourage people to use it as a learning experience—to think about what drove them to make that choice. Maybe they went too long without eating or maybe they skipped breakfast. If people start to do that, they will learn more about their body and their triggers, and be much more successful in the long run.

*Because everyone is unique, individual results vary.