I recently went to a nutritionist, just to see if my newly pescatarian diet was providing me with the correct stuff. It was my first time visiting one and I was extremely excited! Our new diet had opened up so many doors, it was hard to sort all the information, so figured I’d treat myself to a session.

Prior to my appointment, the nutritionist, Jeff, asked me to complete an evaluation form, asking several questions pertaining to my dietary habits. Do I have any allergies, any medications I was taking, how serious was I about my goals. Many of the questions were geared towards fitness goals, even diet goals. I’ve never been a calorie counter, have always loved food and don’t believe in depriving myself of something due to the caloric count. That being said, I’ve always been mindful of the goodness of my food. Yes, that’s a very official term. What I mean by goodness is, the nutritional value of it; how much salt, fat, sugar it contains and how fresh it is. Having gone without land-animal meat for the past 7 months (can’t believe it!), plus having cut way back on dairy (omitting cow’s milk, sour cream, cream cheese and cutting way back on yogurt) and eggs (try to substitute in baking) along with moving more towards natural sugars (agave, dates, pure maple syrup) and limiting processed foods, I was extremely curious to put my diet under the microscope.

I had a great experience, although I found that much of what I had already read/researched had answered them. This information is out there, tons of it, and often there are different schools of thought. Soy milk vs. almond milk vs. organic cows milk. There are a number of factors that play into it, so I realized it boiled down to my personal choice. I don’t believe cows milk is good for you or the environment and the mass production of it, well, basically tortures these animals. But, that’s my personal opinion. So, again, you need to find out your goals before heading to a nutritionist. Do some research before and arrive armed with questions. My goal was to make sure Mike and I were consuming the right mix of stuff to fuel our bodies. With his job being so physical, and my working out/running on a regular basis, I thought, Why Not!? Let the experts take a peek into our nutritional journey to see if we were on the right path. So, I did my homework and went to my appointment with an open mind and two pages of questions.

Here are some of the more interesting ones I had in my 1 hour consultation, along with the gist of Jeff’s answers (Jeff has his nutritional certification and degree from a school in Rhode Island, so is legit- I’d recommend asking where your nutritionist got certified/studied before making the appointment. It’s not cheap and you want to be sure you’re talking to a trained expert.) Hope you find some useful info!

Me: When is the best time to eat vitamins? Should you eat certain ones with food?
Jeff: No, the time of day doesn’t matter, although you should consume them without food if possible, so they’re absorbed better. Eating a small amount of food is ok.

Me: Are supplements the only way to get certain vitamins or are there plant based alternatives to load up on vitamins, such as b-12, D, glucosamine (I have knee problems, but love to run).
Jeff: as a pescitarian, b-12 is essential, so taking a supplement is great. And the best way to get vitamin D is to spend time outside. Chia seeds have also been said to help with joints, although the best resolution for that is to build up the muscles around the knee – stretching after a workout, doing lunges helps too.

Me: What is the best thing to eat post an intense workout?
Jeff: Your body has just used up its reserves of carbs, so replenishing directly after with a piece of fruit is good. An hour or so after, it’s good to replenish your protein with a supplement or smoothie.

Me: How much protein should we actually be consuming?
Jeff: The recommended amount of protein is directly related to your body weight. (Here, he did a calculation, that honestly I forget, but the outcome was a bit shocking: he said I should be getting 75 grams of protein a day & Mike should be getting 135 grams. I have mixed feelings about this, as I don’t believe I need quite that much, based on my desk job…but, I’ve definitely made a conscious effort to consume more.) animal protein, a single serving of fish, has 23 grams of protein (these numbers may be a bit off, as I don’t recall his exact sentiment. My takeaway was to eat a serving of fish a day!)

Fun Facts I learned (or got reinforced)

You should keep all seed & nut based oil in the fridge. Once oxygen hits them, their molecular/chemical composition changes.

Sesame oil has a high burn rate, so you should only use it for sauces or finishing, never for sautéing.

Soy milk has a lot more protein than almond milk, so if you are conscious of that, opt for soy.

Complete amino acids are important, so eating whole grains with plant-based proteins complete a meal. Think rice and beans.

Eat a rainbow everyday and your vitamin and mineral consumption should be juuuust right.

I enjoyed my hour session with Jeff and definitely thought it was worth the time. If anything, it made me examine what we were eating, the food we were buying, and my mindset around food and nutrition. Before the appointment, I had done research on several websites (a few to note: nomeatathlete.com, onegreenplanet.com, thekindlife.com) and will continue to do so in the quest for happy food! Everyone’s journey is different and there are many ways to peel a carrot. I’ve come to the conclusion that knowing what I put in my mouth and how it will affect my body is just as important as how it tastes.

Happy cooking!