Contrary to what you might expect, we won’t immediately start the push to foundational nutrition. Before I begin reworking a client’s diet, I need to understand their normal habits.
Our process begins with a client eating the way they normally do with the caveat that they need to log everything—meals, snacks, beverages—they consume into the MyFitnessPal app. This process helps me pinpoint their main health issues and understand their key health goals in order to resolve the former and achieve the latter.
Once a client has logged a few days’ worth of meals, I will offer suggestions and require them to eliminate the poor quality foods in their diet, things like soda, sugar and other empty calories. I also ask that they add in healthy items like protein, vegetables and fat—and eat them at every meal.
And that’s foundational nutrition. It’s the basic, sustainable starting point for changing a lifestyle and increasing nutrition. We will begin here and then work our way toward optimal health.