Becoming a Nutritionist: Key Takeaways

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ingredients for a meal
Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash
 Over the holidays I finished up the requirements to become a certified nutritionist*. I am now officially a Nutrition and Wellness Consultant.

Friends and family have been asking about my key takeaways so here they are. Basically, you want to transition to a Whole Foods Plant Based lifestyle. 

 I've listed these in the order I recommend people tackle them.
  • Eat your vegetables. Like soooooooo many vegetables. Fruits, too. Aim for at least 10 servings a day. A serving in general is 0.5 cups. Of leafy greens a serving is 1 cup. For dried fruit, a serving is 0.25 cups. 
  • Knock it off with the calorie-free artificial sweeteners. And get your added sugars down to less than 25 grams per day. 
  • Pare down the processed food that you eat. Cook from scratch as much as possible. 
  • Treat meat and dairy like condiments and use sparingly. You don't have to go to zero but cut waaaaaaaay back on daily consumption.
That's pretty much it. Easier said than done though. I took two years to clean up my diet. Maybe I'll write about that someday. [update: I did]

*The state of Colorado does not have any regulations about who may call themselves a nutritionist - that is, anyone can claim to be one. However, I pursued a certification through a national organization (AFPA).