Who better to ask
about nutrition, than a dietitian?!
This month, we have interviewed Kiran Bains, RD, the CEO of a nutrition
counselling and corporate seminars company, Edo Vivo, to provide our readers
with great nutrition tips and information! She has been featured on various
Huffington Post news articles and other news sources! We welcome her to
Perceptions4Change.
Q: First and
foremost, when seeking nutrition advice, do you recommend readers go to a dietitian or
nutritionist? What is the difference?`
A: Dietitians
for sure! As per Dietitians of Canada, Dietitians are health care professionals
who have earned a Bachelor’s degree specializing in food and nutrition and have
supervised practical training through a university or an approved hospital or
community setting. Dietitians are registered with Provincial
Regulatory Bodies and are the only professionals who can use the titles
“Registered Dietitian”, “Professional Dietitian” and “Dietitian”, which are
protected by law. In most provinces there are not regulatory standards to protect
the title “Nutritionist”.
Q: What about
internet-trending diet advice from foodies? Clearly, if it’s trending, it must
work…?
A: It is important
to remember not all “trends” are truly healthy or safe, for that matter. You
must always look at who and where the information is coming from. Look to see
if the source of information is a credible source. For example, is the
information from a dietitian or is it from someone who doesn’t have
professional nutritional training? Has the person who wrote the
information cited any credible scientific and research-based articles? Is there
factual evidence based on clinical trials that this is healthy for
you? When it comes to diet advice, I always say, just stick to
the basics. I think we make healthy eating way too complex. There surely is a
science behind it which can appear complex and daunting but it truly is
simple. If you’re ever in doubt, ask a dietitian. We are always
keeping up with the latest trends and comparing it to what research actually says.
You can trust us!
Q: What do you
think is the most important nutrition-behaviour to upkeep? Because we all
know sometimes we have a “cheat” day.
A: If I
had to choose one thing to summarize a healthy “nutrition behavior”, I would
say, aim to have almost all of your food originating from as closest to the
original source from nature as possible. In other words, aim to have as much
“whole foods” in your diet as possible and stray away from processed foods and
foods with added sugars. This has been my long-standing diet advice and despite
all of the “trends” out there, I still stick with this. It has always worked
for my clients and myself.
If you want to get
more specific, aim to have at least 50 or more percent of your daily intake
from vegetables/fruit (mainly vegetables). The rest should come from a mix of
protein and carbohydrates. For protein, it should be from lean sources like
beans and lean meats (I mostly have fish, eggs, and poultry). For
carbohydrates, go for those that are high in fiber like quinoa and oatmeal, for
example. And no, carbs aren’t all that bad; you just have to choose the right
ones!
Aside from that, I
do have meals where I so-called “cheat” here and there but I don’t think of it
as “cheating”. I prefer to think of it as “living”. I became a
dietitian because I really do love food all in all and yes, that includes high
fat, creamy, and sugary foods but when it comes to things like that, it’s
important to know what “moderation” is. For example, I will have a
few bites of cake, shared between friends and I am rather satisfied by
that. The key is to aim for balance in your diet. If I eat something
unhealthy one meal, I will aim to balance out the rest of my meals that day to
ensure they are healthier.
Q: Do you think the
food industry plays into the nutrition advice the public receives?
A: Yes, indeed. For
example, Dairy Farmers of Canada disseminates a lot of information on the
importance of calcium and vitamin D requirements. They tend to stress the need
and rationale for ensuring a daily intake of roughly 1000mg of calcium daily
depending on your age. They also put out a lot of resources with recipes using
dairy products to help the public reach their daily intake. In
general, the food industry does take advantage of the recommendations Health
Canada puts out in relation to nutrition requirements.
Q: If readers want
more information, where can they go?
A: You can find me
on Instagram (@edovivo) and facebook (www.facebook.com/edovivo) or email me at Kiran.Bains@edovivo.com if you have any questions of requests. I also refer my clients to
the Dietitians of Canada website for credible nutrition information (http://www.dietitians.ca/)
Thank you for your
time Ms. Bains. We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to
answer some questions for our blog!
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