Examples of adding in foods to your diet

Make it stand out

Choosing healthy behaviors can be as straight-forward as adding in more nutrient-dense foods to your meals and snacks.

One of my favorite non-diet nutrition principles, which I first shared about in this blog post, is to focus on adding foods in instead of taking foods out. This allows for a growth mindset instead of the limiting mindset of a diet. Here are some ways I encourage my clients to add foods in to their meals and snacks to make them more complete, nutrient-dense, and satisfying:

• Instead of a plain salad for lunch, add in a roll or carb-rich side. And don't skimp on your added fats (salad dressings, avocado, nuts)!

• For dinner, add in fruits and/or vegetables to make it more of a complete meal. Ex: spaghetti and meatballs AND broccoli (can be pureed and mixed into the sauce, mixed in to the dish at the end, or roasted and served on the side).

• Pair snacks by matching two different macronutrients (carb + protein or carb + added fat). This will help increase nutrients as well as keep you full for longer. Examples include: apple and nuts or nut butter, carrots with ranch dip, Greek yogurt with granola and/or fruit.

This is one of the problem-solving parts of my job that I absolutely love! If you think you could benefit from working one-on-one with me as your dietitian, please reach out for more information and to set up a free 15-minute phone call to see if we’d be a good fit.