When the Pursuit of Wellness Gets...Complicated
Also: A close look at carbohydrate needs and some meal prep accountability.
There are about a million things that complicate the world of ‘health and wellness.’
For one, it feels financially unattainable for the vast majority of people. Then there are the issues of weight stigma, the rising use of medications like Wegovy and Mounjaro, and the fact that most things we put in and on our bodies are full of toxins. Uplifting stuff, right?
Since I can’t solve all that, I’m addressing some of the more personal issues I’ve heard clients grapple with lately. As always, if there are general food or nutrition topics you’d like to learn more about, don’t hesitate to shoot me a note. I’m wide open to requests.
Nutrition-Adjacent Tidbits
I used to say the only food I didn’t like was blue cheese. The muddy blue veins. The sharp stench. I wanted nothing to do with it. Then I ordered the Mixed Chicories salad with hazelnuts and stilton at Anton’s on Hudson street and my lifelong disdain for blue cheese died a sudden death. It wouldn’t be entirely wrong to report ‘Anthea Levi is in a relationship with Blue Cheese’ (who remembers those Facebook relationship status updates?). You can find me stuffing it into juicy medjool dates for a salty sweet snack and throwing it into bitter radicchio salads with toasted almonds, grapefruit, and a dressing heavy on the red wine vin. Just yes. Good thing cheese is basically a weight loss food! ;)
Is taking a fiber supplement the same as eating high-fiber foods? Sorry, but no. Whole food sources of fiber — think: berries, beans, and avocado — offer a whole lot more than Metamucil (you can find my Metamucil rant here). Unlike processed powders, whole foods deliver nutrients like vitamin C, inositol, heart healthy unsaturated fats, and potassium, all of which serve key functions in the body. Think of your fiber supplement as exactly that: a supplement, not a replacement, for real food.
Can we talk about carbs for a sec? I can’t tell you how many clients ask, ‘Am I allowed to eat bananas?’ or, ‘Are white potatoes actually ok?’ The answer is yes, and yes again. If you need some convincing, let’s work through the math together:
1 medium banana contains 27 grams of carbohydrates
Let’s say you’re aiming to eat 1,750 calories per day with 40% of your daily calories coming from carbs (which is actually considered fairly low carb, since national dietary guidelines recommend 45 - 65% of total calories come from carbs)
This would shake out to about 175 grams of carbs per day
To hit 175 grams of carbs for the day you’d need to include the below carb sources at each meal and snack:
Breakfast: 1 medium banana (yes, bananas are allowed!), 1/2 cup oats
Lunch: 1/2 cup cooked farro, 2.5 cups kale (yes, veggies are carbs too!)
Snack: 1 pear, 3/4 cup Greek yogurt (yes, yogurt contains carbs!)
Dinner: 1 baked white (yes, white potatoes are ok!) potato, 1 cup cooked broccoli
Snack: 1 medjool date, 1 tbsp peanut butter
Of course every body is different and some people really do feel better eating lower carb, but this isn’t true across the board. And severely restricting quality carbs can come with risks, from worse lipids to heightened anxiety and compromised fertility. Need more convincing? Check out this newsletter from
and this reality check from dietitian Alix Turoff.
~Wellness~ Woes
01: I don’t want to be the annoying ‘healthy’ friend but I do want to prioritize my health goals. What to do?
I get it. Being the only person ordering a salad when everyone else gets burgers can feel awkward. You might even get a, ‘You’re no fun anymore,’ from someone at the table. Oof.
What to do? Hopefully it goes without saying that if you genuinely want the burger, you should probably just order it. One meal won’t make or break your health. Heck, even a weeklong vacation of heavier eats is only .0002% of the average lifespan.
But if you’re genuinely craving a lighter option, you should feel at liberty to order that instead. Most of the time our peers’ comments reflect their own insecurities and values around food and body stuff. If you also value being fun, know that there are ways to cultivate joy and spontaneity that have nothing to do with what you eat or drink.
It can be helpful to liken the same situation to other lifestyle choices, such as smoking or drinking. It’s downright bizarre if someone pressures you to smoke or drink when you don’t want to in adulthood. (That stopped being cool right around when parties in your friends’ parents’ basements stopped being cool.) IMO, it’s just as bizarre to referee others’ dinner orders.
Try your best to let the unnecessary food commentary go, or seize the moment to speak up if you’re comfortable. A few different approaches:
Cool as a cucumber: This is what my body is craving today but I may very well order the burger next time
Just a touch o’ sass: Jeez, I hope my food choices aren’t what make me fun!
#MyTherapistWouldBeProud: I know you’re joking but when you say I’m not fun anymore it makes me feel _______. Do you think you could turn down the volume on the food commentary while I continue to work towards my health goals?
Permission to play the blame game: Tell me about it, my f*cking dietitian says I should eat veggies when I’m out to dinner… ;)
Remember: The only person who is going to feel the effects of your food choices is you. Feeling awful for six hours because you’re lactose intolerant but capitulated to the truffle mac and cheese is way more painful than 10 seconds of eye rolls when you place your order.
*It’s worth noting that the nature of others’ comments matters. If someone close to you expresses genuine concern about your food choices, that’s worth a longer conversation.
02: Sometimes I feel like I can’t tell the difference between healthy and disordered eating habits.
You’re not alone. This line can feel real blurry. Start by trying to parse out the intention behind your food and exercise choices. For example:
You BYO food to a party. It’s a-ok to bring healthy items to add to a party’s spread but if you’re doing it out of anxiety around eating unfamiliar foods or an unwillingness to eat food you didn’t prepare yourself, that may be a signal that you need to loosen the reins on your diet.
You wear a smart device to track your activity. Go for it if you find it motivating! But pay attention if it dictates your mood or what you allow yourself to eat. If you freak out when you forget to wear your smart watch out of the house or find that you feel guilty eating dessert unless you’ve hit X steps or Y active minutes for the day, it may be doing you more harm than good.
You cut out entire food groups. Are you cutting out gluten to see if it helps lower your thyroid antibodies and skipping dessert to get your hemoglobin A1c under control? Totally legit! However, if you’re eliminating all gluten and dairy because you have a beach vacation coming up, we may want to dive deeper into those choices. There’s nothing wrong with prioritizing nourishing meals ahead of travel, but banning entire food groups from your plate can quickly veer into toxic territory.
And one last personal example: I struggled with very restrictive eating in college. I remember a time when my family came to visit for a weekend. We went to a neighboring town for dinner and afterward considered where to get dessert. There were two different spots nearby: one was a classic ice cream shop with flavors like rocky road and mint chip and the other was a hippie froyo spot that used only ‘clean’ ingredients, like frozen bananas and unsweetened cacao, in its frozen yogurt.
At the time I insisted on getting the froyo while the others happily ambled over to the ice cream shop. The idea of eating real ice cream was just too anxiety-provoking for me in that moment. I hadn’t budgeted for those calories that day. The horror!
Today, I might still opt for the froyo if I was in the mood for something refreshing. But choosing the sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free froyo because it’s the only dessert you’re comfortable eating is very different from choosing the froyo (that happens to be sugar-free, gluten-free, and dairy-free) because you’re craving something fruity and light. Catch my drift?
As my client’s astute observation suggests, the why behind our food choices can be nuanced. For more on this topic, check out this podcast episode from fellow dietitians offering their take on the Q: Is this diet culture or not?
03: I feel like I could do more for my health but I’m not sure I really want to…?
Oftentimes when I’ve been working with someone for a while they come to a crossroads where they feel like they’re in a great spot with their nutrition and exercise and they also know they could keep doing more to optimize their health.
I usually ask them what ‘doing more’ will require of them. If it means getting less sleep when they’re already exhausted in order to wake up earlier and fit in another work out, it may not be all that beneficial. Ditto if it means even fewer get-togethers with friends when they’re already feeling disconnected because they’re choosing to eat at home more (though my clients know I’m all for inviting friends over to cook dinner or meal prep together).
The same goes for managing certain health conditions. Some people find that getting their cholesterol or blood pressure numbers down (sans medication) to the level their doctor recommends will require them to live a less full life. If this is you, starting medication — in conjunction with eating a heart healthy diet and exercising regularly, duh — is worth it.
A quote from this essay sums it up well: “There is a real danger in focusing so much on extending the number of years in our lives that we neglect to focus on the life in those years.”
I leave it up to each person to decide when enough is enough in the nutrition department. My hope is to help people learn how to nourish themselves and feel really good in their bodies without sacrificing life experiences. Because ‘It’s not a dream body if it’s a nightmare to maintain,’ right?
Back to School Real Life Meal Prep Series???
I’ve floated this idea before but I’m still considering hosting a series of meal prep sessions in the fall or winter months.
This will essentially be one hour set aside in your week to prep simple ingredients or easy meals. I’ll probably send out a list of 2 - 3 items or recipes ahead of time that we’ll then prep together on Zoom, though you can of course make whatever you’d like.
You’ll pay to attend, probably around $25 per session or $100 for the month (which may very well be less than your monthly Seamless spending, depending who you are). Ideally the financial commitment will provide incentive to actually show up each week.
In addition to accountability, you’ll get the hour to ask a registered dietitian any general food and nutrition questions you may have, connect with new people, and do something good for yourself.
Be warned: This will not be a cooking class. I’m not a skilled cook nor do I pretend to be. This is really geared towards those in need of some accountability and support around cooking more meals at home, especially after a busy summer.
If you’re interested in this opportunity, please fill out this form so I can get the ball rolling. I’d love to have you!
Hungry for more? Schedule your free intro call here if you’re interested in working with Anthea and subscribe to the ALIVE+WELL Nutrition newsletter for nutrition news you can actually trust.
Loved this newsletter and feeling inspired to stuff my dates with blue cheese, yum!!
Thank you for mentioning my piece about carbohydrates!