My nutrition journey so far

As I sat here at my desk thinking about what kinds of topics I should write about on my blog, I didn't want to do the typical "here's a cool nutrient, let's learn about it". I am sure I will still do those but I think it is important for you to know a bit more about me. I want to be transparent and be a reminder that even those who teach nutrition are forever students.

For myself, I have had 2 big learning curves in nutrition so far. The first was learning that fueling for my sport meant fueling to be stronger and faster, not skinnier. In high school I trained and competed in x-country, track, and swimming. I did not have enough information or the right information to steer me from the path of restriction I went down. My beautiful parents as amazing as they are were pretty chronic dieters. I remember the soup diet, the low carb diet, and I remember my parents making negative comments about their bodies.

I am the youngest of 7 children. My mom's body created and birthed 7 humans (something I have a whole new appreciation for now that I have gone through it once), but she often spoke negatively about her body.

What I didn't see until I got to University was that a thin body was not necessarily a healthy body. A thin body did not mean a strong body. A thin body did not mean I would be faster or better in my sports. In actuality, it was inhibiting all these things. I got sick more often, I was tired all the time, my progress had plateaued and I felt weak.

Luckily, I was in the nutrition program and I was taking what I was learning and applying it to my swimming goals. I gained weight, I got stronger, I got faster.

This is something I am so so so passionate about now. I want to educate people, particularly athletes about fueling their bodies for their lives and sport. Reminding them of how good it can feel to nourish our bodies in a way that is easy and enjoyable.

My other learning curve has occurred over the last year and bit of my life. In March 2023 I found out I was pregnant. As per my doctor's approval, I continued being active as I was before, just listening to my body and slowing down if I experienced any discomfort. At 27 weeks, I had a scare in my pregnancy, a stay overnight in the hospital and was told I was at risk of delivering early. I was told to stop all physical activity. I was on what they called "modified bed rest". I was allowed to move around the house a bit, do some very light chores but nothing more. I had to work from home from my bed for the last 3 months of my pregnancy. No swimming, no running, no walking my dog. This was devastating to me. Anyone who knows me, knows I love to be active. It's such a big part of who I am.

But I made it! At 38 weeks, my OBGYN gave me the all-clear to be active again. I was so sick of being pregnant and on bed rest, you better believe I started walking up a storm. At 39 weeks, I delivered a healthy baby boy.

I got to learn firsthand what it felt like to eat throughout a pregnancy. From the typical restrictions (no sushi, deli meats, and so on), to managing morning sickness and getting in enough nutrition in the 3rd trimester when you are always hungry but feel like there is no room in your belly for food. I learned how to adjust my nutrition based on my needs during bed-rest. The biggest thing I did? Listened to my body and recognized that this was a temporary change in my habits. I fed my body according to my hunger, focused on nutrient-densee choices and enjoyed foods that made me happy.

Once our little guy was here, we had another bump in the road. Around a month old, we noticed he became fussier. We figured it was witching hour or just normal baby fussiness. But then we started noticing blood in his diaper. Our doctor suspected a cow's milk protein allergy and advised me to follow a dairy free diet to see if this cleared things up. Luckily it did! But this meant a massive change for me. Dairy is (was) a big part of my daily intake. I love yogurt and cheese. My goodness do I miss real cheese! We have found some good alternatives and are meeting our nutritional needs - especially once my son started eating solids. Although it has been tricky, I am thankful for the experience. I am now more prepared than ever to help other families through a similar experience.

So what's the next step? Well, my son is about to turn 1 year old and research suggests that about 50% of babies outgrow CMPA by the age of 1. I am eager to introduce dairy back into both our diets. Over the next few weeks I will be planning and beginning to implement what is called the milk ladder. This is an evidenced based approach for gradually adding dairy into the diet of a child previously diagnosed with CMPA.

I want to bring you on this journey with me. So over the next while, I will be posting on my Instagram and here on my blog as I go through this process. I am crossing my fingers for smooth sailing but I guess we shall see.

Talk soon!