FREE Nutrition Tools and Resources for YOU!

If Luciana can learn to use these kitchen tools, you can use these online tools!

​As a dietitian, there is not much I enjoy more than speaking with someone about their food choices and discussing ideas to make small changes to reach their health goals when they are really interested.   On the slip side, there is not much I enjoy about talking to someone when all they want is for me to validate nutrition myths they have heard or think I can just “give them a meal plan on the spot”.
 
The challenge: You or someone you know wants a free & quick answer for a nutrition question but is frustrated when the answer you receive isn’t applicable to your life.   However, you or your friend isn’t able or willing to invest the time and money for a qualified professional to provide a personalized answer.  
 
The solution: This post shares some free tools and resources that you can access to get answers to frequently asked food and nutrition questions.  If you have additional questions on how to apply this to your life or think that meeting with a registered dietitian would be beneficial, click here to find a qualified professional near you.

​Q: “I have no idea how many calories I NEED TO EAT, just tell me what to eat”

A.  Before I can suggest a level of calories, I’ll need to know your age, height, weight, level of physical activity and overall health & weight goals.  If you are also interested in knowing a specific recommended mix of macronutrients (carbs-fat-protein) I’ll need to know more about your past medical history and lifestyle.  Click here to calculate a "MyPlate Daily Checklist" based on YOUR information.

​Q. “I have no idea how many calories I EAT, I ate X-Y-Z yesterday, how many calories is that?”

A. Depending on what the food/meal is, I’ll likely have more questions.  Such as: how much of it did you eat & how was it prepared.  To get an idea of your overall calorie intake, you can keep track of your food for a day or two using this tracker, which will prompt you for serving sizes and preparation method.  Visit the "Super Tracker"' today to get started tracking your food and learning more about what you are eating!

​Q. “Is ______ [insert specific food or brand]______ good to eat?

A. It’s important to focus on your overall diet – it’s not just one food, one meal, or one day that makes or breaks a balanced diet.  Take a look at the Nutrition Facts Panel, specifically the ingredient list, for the food your are interested in – does it include any ingredients you are allergic or sensitive to?  If so, move on.  If not – take a look at the nutrient details.  If the food has 20% or more of the Daily Value for Fiber, Calcium, or Vitamins/Minerals and less than 5% Daily Value for Saturated fat and Sodium that means it’s a good source of nutrients we should consume, low in those nutrients we should limit, and likely a good choice.  You also need to think about when you are eating the food, what else you are eating that day and how much of the food you plan to eat.  If the food doesn’t have a Nutrition Facts Panel, Click here to search for the food in the  USDA database for nutrition information.  Click here to search for articles by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics on the food.

​Q. “How can I get my son/daughter to eat better?”

A.  I’m going to first ask you to take a look in the mirror – are you modeling the behaviors you want to see in your kids?  Are there any changes you can make to your food and nutrition choices or routine to increase the likelihood of your kids following suit?  Additionally, check out Kids Eat Right for tips, recipes and ideas for getting kids involved in food and nutrition. ​

​Q. “I would eat more fruits & veggies if I knew hot to prepare them – can you tell me how to buy and prepare ________?” 

A.  If you ask me this question, I will likely start rattling off my favorite ways to prepare the food – but you may not like that or have the necessary equipment to prepare it.  So, I suggest you check out this link to get a wealth of information on fruit and veggie buying, storing & prepping.  

​I know most of you fall somewhere in between the above two scenarios: you have a nutrition question or interest, but you either don’t need in-depth counseling, can’t afford the out of pocket expense, or don’t have easy access to a registered dietitian nutritionist.  Let me know what else would be helpful to see here!  What is your favorite food and nutrition resource?  Link to it in the comments below to share!