When we obsess about weight loss, we miss an opportunity to use nutrition's truly powerful tools

It's diet season. Besides weight loss, what can nutrition do for us?

Dec 30, 2024

Diet season is upon us. In reality, in the US, diet season is always upon us. In January, it’s just on steroids.

I have mixed feelings about this time of year. As a nutritionist, it’s crazy-making to see people white knuckle their way through another restrictive diet or proclaim they’ll never eat sugar again starting January 1. On the other hand, it’s great to see people make wellness a priority. At the same time, I wonder why we have to reach such dire straits—completely ignoring our health or nagging symptoms or just generally feeling horrible—before we actually change anything. Unfortunately, it often takes significant pain or a scary diagnosis to get us off the couch to go for a run or to chop some carrots.

I actually appreciate that diet season creates a natural pocket of time every year where so many people are trying to make healthier choices and establish good habits. It allows us to leverage the health-conscious momentum of the crowd. It’s easier to make healthy changes when others are doing it, too.

Many people’s goals during diet season—whether overtly stated or not—center around reaching a goal weight or pant size.

While I’m certainly not opposed to someone’s body weight changing—as long as it’s safe and healthy to do so—I don’t believe that losing a few vanity pounds will change the wellbeing of an otherwise healthy person. In other words, I think it’s important to gain a sense of satisfaction with one’s life and body before losing weight. We put so much expectation on everything being fixed if were just a few pounds lighter. I’ve seen enough people lose those few pounds and still feel dissatisfied with their body.

Please remember, I want you to be healthy and well. There are just so many other reasons to make healthy diet changes than just 2-5 pounds of weight.

This is why I want to share with you the other benefits nutrition can offer that have nothing to do with your pant size or what the scale says:

Sustained energy: Ever crash mid-afternoon? (yeah, me either… wink) When we eat balanced meals (protein, complex carbs, and healthy fats), our energy lasts longer, and we’re not reaching for our next snack 60 minutes after we finish a meal.
Healthy metabolism and detoxification (micronutrients): Energy from carbs, protein, and fat (aka macronutrients or “macros”) are critical, yes. But how do we actually turn them into energy in the body? With micronutrients! (vitamins and minerals) “Metabolism” refers to the biochemical processes in our bodies that keep us alive and involves 1) making energy and 2) removing waste. These both require vitamins and minerals. Yes, white bread, potato chips and soda all contain calories (potential energy), but they don’t have many vitamins and minerals. To increase your micronutrient intake, let color and variety be your guide. Variety of whole foods, of course.
Lower systemic inflammation: While certain foods can be inflammatory for some people and not others (e.g. allergens or gluten), in general certain dietary patterns that lower inflammation (e.g. a Mediterranean style diet) and some that increase inflammation (e.g. the Standard American diet). Eating diets high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts and seeds can be anti-inflammatory. These foods contain lower amounts of advance glycation end products (AGEs) that can increase inflammation.
Improved digestion and “gut health” (see more here): Eating foods rich in fiber (e.g. oats, beans, lentils, broccoli, cabbage, etc.), polyphenols and antioxidants (e.g. black beans, berries, flaxseeds, tea, coffee, nuts, cinnamon, turmeric, etc.) help feed our healthy bacteria—supporting our gut microbiome. Among other benefits, fiber rich foods help us stay regular. While there are many ways to support a healthy gut, focusing on the quality of our diet—I’d argue—is one of the most powerful ways.
Well-fueled performance (physical and mental): Of course, we can eat well to fuel physical performance like a workout, competition, or weightlifting. We can also strategize eating balance meals (again, protein/fat/fiber) to sustain energy when you have a big day at work or a presentation, or if you just don’t have time to eat for several hours and need sustained energy (see Energy above).
Lower chronic disease risk: Eating more whole foods like fruits, veggies, nuts, whole grains, fish, etc. (and less ultra processed foods) can lower our risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and others. Yes, our weight might decrease when we start prioritizing these types of foods, but we’re also making ourselves healthier and more likely to have a higher quality and longer life.
Healthy pregnancy: Screening for diabetes in pregnancy or “gestational diabetes” (GDM) happens around 24-28 weeks of pregnancy. Catching GDM is critical because GDM increases risk of pregnancy complications for both mom and baby. Eating a healthy diet during pregnancy decreases the risk of developing GDM.
Healthy breast milk (infant nutrition): While certain nutrients like iron aren’t passed from mother into breast milk, other nutrients like fatty acids (i.e. omega 3 fats from fish, seeds, and nuts) make a big impact on the fatty acid content of breast milk and get transferred to baby (when consumed, of course). These omega 3 fats have been shown to impact baby’s cognitive development.

So, if you decide to take advantage of “diet season” and leverage it for your own benefit, good for you! What health goals or intentions do you have for 2025? I’d love to hear them and support you via my newsletter or working together one-on-one.

When we obsess about weight loss, we miss an opportunity to use nutrition's truly powerful tools

It's diet season. Besides weight loss, what can nutrition do for us?

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