text: This fresh summery salad dressing provides a light sweetness as well as a beautiful pink color to any salad. With the strawberries so fresh from the local farmers, this is the time to make this dressing! I personally serve it over a mix of spinach, goat cheese, cucumbers, green onions and avocado.
  This video really has nothing to do with food or health, but it's just so funny and it IS Friday so I thought I would share a good laugh. Advertising at it's finest.
  Healthy eating seems like it should be a pretty straight forward thing to do and yet with so many temping foods, misleading information and an overwhelming number of opinions on the subject it can actually be quite challenging.
  The reality is that if it were straight forward, individuals like myself would not exist. Sure there is more to your health than what you eat, but it plays a very key role. They don't say "You are what you eat" for nothing! Maybe your doctor has suggested you go see a dietitian and maybe you have been putting it off. Here are a few reasons you might be stalling that you need to rethink:
  If you have ever uttered these words, I'm sure you have had moments where you have mentally kicked yourself around for not having enough will power. Or maybe you compare yourself to that vegan marathon runner that lives in your neighborhood who just does it all without question (Thinks she's so perfect). Well the fact is that many people struggle with this and there are a lot of reasons for it. Maybe you haven't found a plan that works for you. Maybe you are trying to do it all at once and one little slip up sends you off the deep end. Maybe you really have heard it all, but if you are struggling to put it into action, a dietitian can also help you with this. Dietitians can help you identify what works, what doesn't work and what has you trapped in this state of limbo. Sometimes the outside perspective is all you need.
  2) I'm already eating as well as I can. However I am not (losing weight/lowering my blood sugar/ improving my cholesterol).
  It's true you may have made a tonne of changes to your eating and most likely they are for the better. But if you are not getting the results you want, perhaps there is something you have missed. It happens to all of us. There is a lot of information out there after all and new information is always coming out. Sometimes when you are too close to the problem you start to lose focus. Seeing a dietitian might be able to give you a new perspective you didn't realize before and help you to turn it around. The fact is if you are working your but off and you are not reaching your goals, it may be time to call in the experts. There is no shame in this.
  The progress they have made in medications over the past few decades are amazing. Things we never used to be able to treat are now treatable. Some drugs are even more effective and have less side effects. Very exciting! But these are not cures. For some people, the reason they end up with high blood sugars or high cholesterol is because of their genetics and lifestyle changes will not help much, but for the majority, lifestyle is playing at least some role in these numbers.
  A pill may help you reach your targets, but the reality is that if you don't make the necessary lifestyle changes, it will probably only hold for so long. As a result you will need more pills or medication down the line. It's like a band-aid. If you keep scratching at the injury it won't matter how good the band-aid is, it will not hold forever. Consider even seeing the dietitian to learn about a few small changes you could make that may increase the amount of time you can at least stay on the same level of medications you are on now. Your diet may not even need an overhaul. Sometimes even the smallest changes can make a big difference!
  We are not food police (despite what people might think). We enjoy chocolate, cookies and chips just like everyone else and understand that being forbidden from eating these foods the rest of your life is out of the question. Often what a dietitian will do is help you set better boundaries around these foods. They can help you to find a balance between enjoying the foods that you love and improving your overall health. It's not just about healthy, it's also about happy. You may live longer if you never eat a burger again, but you certainly might not be happy about it. Dietitians can help you be more mindful about your favorite foods and even teach you to savor them more so you can be happy with less. We promise not to take away all of your treats.
  Healthy eating can seem like an expensive thing to get into when you look at all the trendy health foods on the market. From supplements to going organic to trying to buy grassfed....it can be easy to clear out your savings account. Dietitians recognize that this extreme ideal is not realistic and also not necessary in many cases. It is very easy to eat healthy and still be budget friendly. Many dietitians are holding onto great tips for saving money and eating well like combining ready made products with fresh ingredients to finding frozen and canned options that still provide great nutrition. The idea is to customize a plan that works for you. Anyone that hands you a generic plan with foods you've never even heard of is not meeting your specific needs.
  There are many more reasons you may be avoiding a visit to your local dietitian. The fact might be you're just not ready and that is okay. We all get where we need to go eventually. Just remember that change can be tough and sometimes uncomfortable but if you want to reach your goals it's a necessary thing. Stay healthy!