WHAT A NUTRITION COUNSELLOR CARES ABOUT (IT'S NOT WHAT YOU EAT)
Updated: Nov 11, 2022
Written by Shannon, founder & nutrition counsellor at Ease Nutrition Therapy.
As a nutrition counsellor, I don't do things like a regular nutritionist. Which means I don't care too much what you eat. Hear me out...
That's not to say that I don't support your health - whether that is in terms of food, movement, or other lifestyle factors.
In fact, I really take a holistic view of health.
There are so many factors that make up your health. In fact, health is so much less determined by your individual behaviours than you're lead to believe. Which is why when you work with me - we don't just speak about food and eating.
When I speak to people who are interested in working with me (i.e. potential clients) sometimes they don't really understand what a nutrition counsellor does, compared to regular nutritionists.
Once I tell them what a nutrition counsellor is exactly, they might ask me what we work on together. In this blog, I will tell you all the things that are important to me, other than what you eat.
If you're interested, I spoke about this on my podcast. You can listen to the episode "Confession time: I'm a nutritionist who doesn't care what you eat."
5 things that are more important to a nutrition counsellor than what you eat:
How you feel about the food
As a nutrition counsellor and soon-to-be Certified Intuitive Eating Counsellor, I truly do not judge what you eat.
Instead, I care about how you feel about the food.
When I'm working with someone, I care about:
Does this food bring you joy or unease?
Does the food feel triggering, buzzy, or unsafe?
Do you feel awful when you eat it - physically or mentally?
2. How much food you're eating
I don't mean this how you might think I do. "Normal" nutritionists usually care if someone is eating "too much" or not enough of the right stuff. This is not my approach.
I believe that you have the inner wisdom to decide how much to eat. And if you don't have that wisdom, I help you find it by increasing your connection to yourself.
So many of the people I work with are actually not eating enough. Yes, even if they are binge eating. Many people who binge eat are eating too little outside binging - and so they are in need of eating more food, not less.
If that's the case, I work with my clients to get them to a place of eating enough food. And not just enough food. I help people eat an amount of food that feels satisfying and gives them all the energy they need.
3. How much you're enjoying the food
I want my clients to enjoy food! For so long, so many of my clients hate food. Or they are in a love-hate relationship with it.
I love helping people like you regain control with food, and enjoy it once again.
4. What your thoughts are when eating
I work with so many people who used to berate themselves for eating certain foods.
Let's take Ella, for example.
Whenever Ella ate a meal that wasn't "perfect" she would tell herself that she had failed and she had to be better tomorrow. Ella would go to bed with a bit of excitement - she hoped tomorrow would be better. But, it never was.
Ella and I worked together for almost 8 months. We worked together to help her stop all or nothing thinking, and regain a healthy mindset around food. Ella now goes to bed thinking about her day and what she is getting up to tomorrow - not what she ate that day.
5. If the food satisfies you
Satisfaction is so key.
There's a difference between satisfaction and being full, did you know that?
Many of my clients often feel full, but keep going back to eat more. Perhaps finding snacks in the cupboards. They just can't stop picking at food.
One of the reasons for this might be a lack of satisfaction.
When we work together, I help you find foods that truly satisfy you.
If you want to work together, let's make sure we are a good fit.
You can apply to work with me here.
Shannon x
