10 tips from a dietitian for a healthier diet

1. A dietitian is the expert in nutrition and health. Depending on the specialization and work area, the dietitian provides practical advice to people with overweight and lifestyle-related disorders on a daily basis. Although it is often believed that the dietitian is changing the entire diet, this is certainly not always the case. In fact, the dietitian will try to make the diet healthier with the help of small adjustments.

2. A dietitian is the expert in nutrition and health. Depending on the specialization and the field of work, the dietitian provides practical advice to people with overweight and lifestyle-related disorders on a daily basis. Although there is often the belief that the dietitian is changing the entire diet, this is certainly not always the case. In fact, the dietitian will try to make the diet healthier with the help of small adjustments.

1. Much needed

1. The Netherlands is a bread country. The average Dutch person eats four slices of bread a day. Yet there are a number of Dutch people who consider bread to be unhealthy. One has renounced bread. The other sticks to his old familiar habits. There are still two pressing questions: 'is bread unhealthy? 'and' does bread make you fat? '. Bread is not unhealthy. Whole grain bread in particular, made from whole wheat (wheat) flour, is high in dietary fiber and nutrients. Whole grain products have a positive effect on bowel movements and reduce the risk of certain heart diseases and diabetes mellitus type II. In addition, bread is the most important iodine supplier in our diet. Iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Bread is also not fattening, provided you do not consume more calories (kcal) daily than you need. This applies to all foods; if you eat more than you need, you will gain weight. What is the advice of the dietician? Just eat tasty (whole grain) bread.

2. The Netherlands is a bread country. The average Dutch person eats four slices of bread a day. Yet there are a number of Dutch people who consider bread to be unhealthy. One has renounced bread. The other sticks to his old familiar habits. There are still two pressing questions: 'is bread unhealthy? 'and' does bread make you fat? '. Bread is not unhealthy. Whole grain bread in particular, made from whole wheat (wheat) flour, is high in dietary fiber and nutrients. Whole grain products have a positive effect on bowel movements and reduce the risk of certain heart diseases and diabetes mellitus type II. In addition, bread is the most important iodine supplier in our diet. Iodine is necessary for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Bread is also not fattening, provided you do not consume more kilocalories (kcal) daily than you need. This applies to all foods; if you eat more than you need, you will gain weight. What is the advice of the dietician? Just eat tasty (whole grain) bread.

2. Rock solid evening meals

1. Another view that exists is that you should only eat solid evening meals under the supervision of a dietitian. That is to say: potatoes, vegetables and meat. Nothing is less true. No one will succeed in lifestyle changes if they are not enjoyed. If you want to exercise more, it is important to choose a sport that suits you. The same goes for the evening meals. If you want to eat healthy evening meals, it is important to prepare meals that suit you. Don't like cooking for hours on end? Or don't you like boiled potatoes? Then that is not necessary at all. A dietician has enough tips to get a meal on the table quickly. And potatoes can also be perfectly prepared in the oven, such as in / on an oven dish or as oven chips (without oil).

2. Another view that exists is that under the supervision of a dietitian you should only eat very solid evening meals. That is to say: potatoes, vegetables and meat. Nothing is less true. No one will succeed in lifestyle changes if they are not enjoyed. If you want to exercise more, it is important to choose a sport that suits you. The same goes for the evening meals. If you want to eat healthy evening meals, it is important to prepare meals that suit you. Don't like cooking for hours on end? Or don't you like boiled potatoes? Then that is not necessary at all. A dietician has enough tips to get a meal on the table quickly. And potatoes can also be perfectly prepared in the oven, such as in / on an oven dish or as oven chips (without oil).

3. More vegetables

1. The Nutrition Center advises to eat at least 250 grams of vegetables a day. In comparison, fifty grams of vegetables equals one serving spoon, five cherry tomatoes, half a bell pepper or a piece of cucumber. Vegetables provide little kcal and a lot of fiber and nutrients. Those who eat enough vegetables (and fruit) have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer. Figures from the Food Consumption Survey (VCP 2012-2014) show, however, that the average Dutch person eats an average of 139 grams of vegetables a day. Often it is still possible to eat vegetables during dinner, but this is not enough to get at least 250 grams of vegetables. The advice is therefore to pay more attention to vegetables during the day, for example in the form of: raw vegetables, fresh vegetable spreads on bread or fresh vegetable soup. This way you will quickly consume more vegetables than you think.

2. The Nutrition Center recommends eating at least 250 grams of vegetables a day. In comparison, fifty grams of vegetables equals one serving spoon, five cherry tomatoes, half a bell pepper or a piece of cucumber. Vegetables provide little kcal and a lot of fiber and nutrients. Those who eat enough vegetables (and fruit) have a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and certain cancers. Figures from the Food Consumption Survey (VCP 2012-2014) show, however, that the average Dutch person eats an average of 139 grams of vegetables every day. Often it is still possible to eat vegetables during dinner, but this is not enough to get at least 250 grams of vegetables. The advice is therefore to pay more attention to vegetables during the day, for example in the form of: raw vegetables, fresh vegetable spreads on bread or fresh vegetable soup. This way you will quickly consume more vegetables than you think.

4. Meat nor fish

1. The Dutch eat too much meat and too little fish. A pity, because there is a lot to be gained in both groups. The Health Council advises not to eat more than 500 grams of red and / or processed meat (including meat products) every week. Red meat is meat from cattle, calves, goats, sheep and pigs. Processed meat is smoked or salted for preservation purposes. Red and processed meat increase the risk of lung cancer, among other things. Men eat an average of 130 grams of meat per day (= 910 grams per week). Women eat an average of 86 grams of meat per day (= 602 grams per week). Reducing meat consumption offers health benefits, but it can also be used to lose weight. One way to do this is to choose suitable meat substitutes and the use of fish (advice: fatty fish once a week, such as herring, salmon or mackerel).

5. The brown beans taboo

1. Legumes, among other things, are suitable meat substitutes. The advice is to eat legumes once a week. Unfortunately, the association around legumes is still often: kidney beans and gastrointestinal complaints. Don't forget that the supermarket shelf has a lot more to offer than just brown beans. Try chickpeas, lentils or kidney beans, for example. They are rich in nutrients and, among other things, lower LDL cholesterol levels. You can eat them during the evening meal (for example in a bean dish), but also as a spread on bread (for example hummus).

6. Dining

1. Do you always eat at the table? Or do you sometimes eat your meal while you are working or watching TV? The dietitian will always advise eating at the table. By eating at the table, you increase your attention to the food. This allows you to take more time to eat and you will sooner notice that you are full. The chance of overeating is reduced. It is also important that you pay more attention to other colleagues, housemates and family members.

7. Suffer and Starve

1. Just watch out, because once you fall under the watchful eye of the dietitian, you will suffer and starve. Not true? No, fortunately that is not true. First of all, because not everyone comes to the dietitian to lose weight. Secondly, because a dietitian pursues a complete diet. This means that you get all the calories and nutrients that your body needs every day. No one is getting enough of these calories and nutrients just by eating three carrots and a rice cake. A dietitian teaches you that you can often eat more than you think.

8. The right proportions

1. What happens very often in practice is that people do not eat in the right proportions (or one-sided). For example, I have seen a client drink two liters of milk a day, but eat far too little of other foods. In his case that was not surprising, because the milk was already full. A dietitian will therefore often advise eating less of one food (eg meat, fatty products and sugary products) and more of the other food (eg vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, fish, legumes and dairy products).

9. A healthy party

1. You can turn every day into a healthy party. Everything you give positive attention to becomes easier and more fun. Just think of tasty toppings for bread, such as sprouts (such as alfalfa and garden cress), lettuce, cucumber or tomato. And what about homemade vegetable spreads or fried onion and mushrooms? Eat in between, for example, fruit (fresh fruit, dried fruit, fruit skewers, fruit mixes), raw vegetables (possibly vegetable skewers with a dip), dairy (such as a bowl of plain yogurt, cottage cheese or Skyr with fruit and / or a little cinnamon or cocoa powder), unsalted nuts , wholemeal products (such as wholemeal bread, wholemeal toast or a wholemeal cracker), a few olives or your own healthy baked goods.

10. An occasional outlier Â

1. 'Does a dietitian ever eat cake?' Yes really, a dietitian sometimes eats cake. And not just cake. Sometimes biscuits or another guilty pleasure. Why? Because it is okay to have an 'outlier' in your healthy diet every now and then. A dietitian does not want to teach you to stop snacking and snacking from now on. A dietician wants to teach you how to make your diet healthier and keep it healthier. A number of people and diets are very extreme; black and white. In that case, no snacks and snacks are allowed for a certain period of time. For a while that goes well (I can maintain that for a while), but the craving for previous habits is increasing. After a while, the gate will be over and there will be catching up with sweets and snacks. A shame, because what did you learn then? A dietitian teaches you how to permanently change your diet, even with the occasional tasty peak. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as you do not have tasty outliers too often. A Liesbeth van Rossum is an internist and endocrinologist and Mariette Boon is an internist in training and researcher into brown fat. Together they wrote the bestseller 'Fat important'. This duo knows everything about body fat and how you can influence it. Do you want to lose weight? Then listen to the podcast below before you start with a diet, because then you can avoid common mistakes.