I was recently interviewed for an article where experts in the field of health, wellness and nutrition were asked to describe 3 things we wished people would stop saying about food – for me there was no hesitation to answer as I face this everyday in my office, counseling clients to tune in to their hunger and the wisdom of their bodies. What follows is my response to the reporter and the article in its entirety. What is the message YOU’D like to see go away when it comes to food, diet and weight management?

My desire is for people to stop judging food to be good or bad – while there are better choices for health and weight management, you need to let go of the moral dilemma that accompanies you to the table. When you continue to stay connected to the messages generated by a $60 billion dollar diet industry that has you convinced you can’t be trusted to know what is right for your body, you lose the connection to the wisdom of your body which is designed to signal when, what and how much you need to eat. That wisdom is sparked when you slow down, eat mindfully, and allow yourself to experience the taste, texture and complexity of the food before you. You need to know there is no one size fits all when it comes to dieting and weight management. As individuals our needs differ. When we slow down, tune into our bodies, tune into our hunger and satiety, we receive the message regarding what is right for us.

I wish people would realize that eating less by cutting calories is not always the answer for sustainable weight management. This is old science. Calories are substances that provide heat, and heat produces energy that fuels our bodies. This energy allows us to function physically, emotionally and psychologically. Rather than simply restricting calories, I recommend you examine the quality of your calories and choose nutrient dense foods which provide optimal energy and promote the most efficient use of your metabolism-the rate at which you burn calories. For example, 100 calories of high quality protein or fat is going to be more valuable to the body than a 100 calorie snack pack, commercially produced and comprised of refined, poor quality carbohydrates.

I wish people would stop demonizing fat. Good quality, healthy fat will NOT make you fat. Quite the opposite – you need healthy dietary fat to burn fat, fuel your brain, regulate body temperature and blood sugar levels, insure healthy hormone regulation and protect your organs. Fat is an essential macronutrient and facilitates the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K. These vitamins are abundant in the greens and vegetables we use to make our beautiful salads. Using a fat-free salad dressing in an effort to restrict dietary fat, turns that salad into a nutritional wasteland.

We can be empowered to choose foods that satisfy and nourish. Eating should bring pleasure to our lives in the proper context; eating with pleasure as opposed to eating to create or find pleasure; eating with emotion rather than eating so as not to feel emotion. Click here to read the complete article as there is great insight from other experts in the field.

Start to take an empowered and positive approach to your challenges around eating. Look at those challenges as a place to explore some of the dimensions in your life that impact your relationship to food, your weight and in the end, your health and well-being.