Remuda Ranch Nutritional Philosophy
By Debra Johnston, RD, Culinary Services Manager at Remuda Ranch
American women and girls receive contradictory, and often questionable, nutrition messages from a variety of sources. Nearly every popular magazine displays articles about the latest quick-fix diet alongside a picture of a decadent chocolate dessert. Television commercials boast that a woman can lose ten pounds in one week, if only she purchases their product. Advertisements for fitness equipment use infomercials with the manufacturer’s promise of obtaining a perfect body in just minutes a day. This, coupled with an extreme zeal for thinness, puts many individuals at risk for eating disorders and serious nutritional jeopardy.
The treatment of eating disorders must be supported by a nutrition philosophy that patients can understand and adopt in place of these confusing, and often inaccurate, messages. It is important that a nutrition philosophy is scientifically accurate and easy to implement. At Remuda Ranch, we believe a healthy body begins with a basic nutrition philosophy that incorporates balance, variety, and moderation. We teach that all foods can be part of a healthful diet. The foundation of this philosophy is MyPyramid. This practical, easy to use, basic food guidance system was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 2005. It is designed for use by the general public as an updated version of the Food Guide Pyramid, which is a widely recognized nutrition education tool.
“All foods can fit” is an important concept for eating disordered patients to grasp. It is a healthful approach to meal planning and is endorsed by the American Dietetic Association. For a patient with an eating disorder, this concept is critical in working through the distorted belief that there are “good” foods and “bad” foods. By labeling foods either “good” or “bad,” the person’s nutrient intake is negatively affected. “Bad” foods are avoided, even though they provide necessary nutrients. When the patient with anorexia avoids a number of foods that she labels as “bad”, malnutrition will result. Patients with bulimia typically label the foods that they enjoy eating as “bad.” Then, when they avoid those “bad” foods they feel deprived. This deprivation leads to craving, binging, guilt, and purging.
When treating patients with eating disorders it is important to acknowledge that even though “all foods can fit”, all foods are not necessarily equal in nutritional value. We agree that some foods are higher in fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein, while others have less nutritional value. However, it is important to help the patient understand that even less nutritionally valuable foods have a place in a healthy meal plan.
Although all foods can fit, it is important to help the patient with an eating disorder understand how this concept works when planning healthful meals. We do this by teaching balance, variety, and moderation. We teach that balance is being flexible. It is adjusting our meals according to a number of factors: hunger, appetite, place, people, food availability, and time. Balance is eating a little more today because you are celebrating a special occasion with your family and friends or eating a little less tomorrow because you have a cold and just don’t feel hungry. Variety means eating a lot of different foods. It means making sure to eat foods from every food group in MyPyramid and eating a variety of foods within each group. Moderation is how much and how often. This is knowing how many servings from each food group is appropriate for your nutritional needs and understanding what an appropriate serving size is. Moderation is being able to say “yes” to a small slice of cake and a scoop of ice cream at a birthday party, recognizing that birthday’s only come once a year. It also means saying “no” to that second serving of lasagna, knowing that you’ve met your nutritional needs.
By having a nutrition philosophy that is based on a scientifically valid tool such as MyPyramid and by providing nutrition education that teaches concepts such as balance, variety, and moderation, our hope is to help girls and women break free of the nutrition misconceptions that are part of American life today.
For more information, please call 1-800-445-1900.
