Thank you to Atlantic Superstore for sponsoring this post and sessions with Ellen, my local Atlantic Superstore dietitian. As always, I share my honest opinion and experience with you.
September has come and gone, and with the change in season comes the familiar feeling of routine, normalcy and new goals. Whether or not you are back-to-school, the beginning of fall tends to be a restart kind of like New Years – often coming with the goals of focussing on your business, being more organized and paying more attention to your nutrition (now that all the ice cream huts are closed – man, those were the good sunny days!). If this sounds like you, keep reading because I spent my summer working with a registered dietitian from my local Atlantic Superstore and their service is one that will have your thriving this fall.
Do you want to meal-plan better? Are there dietary restrictions you need to work with and just can’t figure out how to balance your food? Do you have a picky eater at home and are stumped when it comes to lunch or dinner ideas that the whole family will enjoy? These are just a few of the challenges a Superstore Dietitian can help with.
Click here to find your nearest Atlantic Superstore dietitian.
When I first met Ellen back in May, I told her that my biggest struggles were with creating balanced meals that whole family will eat because my six-year-old was so picky. I also wanted to incorporate more veggies into our life, be it plant-based meals or even just as a side. Finally I wanted to tackle the challenge of weeknight meals because as a full time career woman, mom, and wife, I struggled with coming up with both new ideas for dinner and how to save time in the kitchen.
In four short visits we tackled all of these and more!
Meeting with a dietitian doesn’t have to mean you are looking to go on a diet. They are professionals on nourishing your body in a way that is balanced and fun!
Ellen asked about my family and our daily routine. Her suggestions and advice were all things that would make our lives easier, not more limited!
We planned out quick on-the-go breakfast ideas for myself, like smoothies and overnight oats; made a list of easy dinner ideas to try and add to the weekly rotation; we went through the grocery store together and Ellen picked out items for school lunches (like carrot chips and high-in-fibre granola bars) and items to make life easy (like frozen diced onions, riced cauliflower & zucchini and amazing flat-bread pizzas).
Every meeting started with a check-in to see what was working and what wasn’t, because not every idea or suggestion will work with every person/family when it comes to nutrition.
One of the last items we worked on was something that truly made the biggest difference. I had this misconception that in order to eat health everything had to be fresh and homemade. I put pressure on myself to make sure my daughter tried everything we served her. When I shared this with Ellen she helped me see that good nutrition is about balance and about enjoyment.
She suggested that, instead of forcing daughter to try things, to simply serve the meal and let her choose what and how much she will eat. Not only did we speak about taking the pressure off of my daughter at mealtime but also taking the pressure off of myself. Sometimes frozen pizza is a perfectly fine dinner. Adding in frozen veggies to a pasta sauce is just as good as using fresh veggies (and comes with a huge cost savings because they last so much longer.). Using pre-prepared chicken strips in a salad is still a great source of protein! Ellen helped me to understand all of these things and to let balance be the forefront of our meals.
I left our meetings feeling hopeful and empowered to enhance the way our family spends mealtime. And you know what? It worked! My daughter is trying new foods on her own, dinner time is way less stressful, and we are actually enjoying spending time in the kitchen together instead of feeling like it is a chore.
It was such a great, positive experience getting to meet Ellen and working through some nutritional challenges. I would highly recommend the experience! Click here to closest Atlantic Superstore dietitian and book your first consultation!
