Nutritional One (Two or a Few) Liners

One of the most important aspects of our jobs is to educate our patients. No matter what your discipline, a health care professional’s tendency is to try out all those polysyllabic words we spent so much time and money learning. However, it is often the most basic, straight forward and uncomplicated words and phrases that can find a front row seat in a person’s memory. If you can give them that ticket, your therapy will linger long after their original problem has resolved. Here are some of pearls s that have hit the mark over the years.

Re: weight loss

“Every step counts; every bite counts.”
“Show me the person who eats less than they want to and I’ll show you a person whose losing weight.”
“Take one less bite at each meal and you’ve skipped 5-10 meals a month.”
“He who shops on an empty stomach goes home with an empty wallet and wakes up with tight pants.”
"Seconds on the lips, decades on the hips."
“I can tell you what, when and how much to eat, but I can't be there when you visit with Ben and Jerry."
"Nobody gets fat eating apples, oranges or carrots."

Re: Eating Healthier Food

“There are 21 meals a week. If 18 of them are healthy, you’ll be healthy.”
“Eating the fruit is much better than drinking the juice.”
"Iceberg lettuce and a cherry tomato is not a salad."
"One green, one bean and three colors = a salad."*
“Avoid the middle of the market."
"Better food is fresher food and fresher food is on the perimeter of the market ."
“Food that goes bad is good for you.”
“Foods that keep forever should be kept out-of-your mouth.”
"Whenever you're out, it's sauce on the side."

*At least --one type of dark green --one kind of bean --and three different (and preferably bright) colors of vegetables.

Re: Supplements

“Show me a person with a magic pill, potion or powder, and I’ll show you a person after a bunch of your dollars.”
“If what they are selling cures everything, why didn’t it work for them?"
"You are what you eat, not what you take."
"A good diet without supplements is better than a bad diet with them."
"Sometimes you can't tell if something's helping until you stop taking it."
"If they recommend you stop a product that works, I recommend a second opinion."

When asked if I believe in vitamins, my answer is:

“No, but I believe you need them, and if you don’t get them from food, you’ll have to take them from a bottle.”

Regarding single pill products that have dozens of ingredients in tiny amounts:

"A product that has everything doesn't have enough of anything, to really do a thing."