Non-Diet Approach to Nutrition Counseling Educational Bundle

Non-diet dietitians and Intuitive Eating dietitians that see clients for MNT, this material is for you! It is non-branded and created to print well in color and grayscale.

This bundle of gentle nutrition advice was created for your clients working on their health in a non-restrictive way. Typical nutrition advice focuses on weight loss, labels food as good/bad and encourages portion control. Portion control is a form of restriction which can have harmful effects for many clients.

This bundle of material includes two similar handouts – one for general health and wellness and the other for clients with insulin resistance (type II diabetes, prediabetes, PCOS, metabolic syndrome). It also includes a handout that explains how to read a label without references to weight loss/portion control.

Insulin Resistance:

• Page 1: Intro page explains insulin resistance using the “rusty lock and key” method, quick explanation of diets not working long term and recommends adding nutrient-dense foods instead of restricting.
• Page 2: Non-Diet Tip List: sleep, exercise, stress management, increasing fiber, add protein with carbohydrates, eating every 4-5 hrs and supplements
• Page 3: Lists of carbohydrate foods (without grams/portions) and separates high fiber foods. Denotes carbohydrate foods that are high in protein.
• Page 4: Lists of protein foods (without grams/portions). Lists are separated for animal-based and plant-based. Denotes protein foods that are high in carbohydrates.
• Page 5: Clients love sample menus! 2 day sample menu (without portions) for a high fiber, high protein, “consistent” carbohydrate diet that does not limit sugar. The sample menu is 3 meals and 2 snacks. A disclaimer is also included that it is not meant to be followed perfectly.

Health & Wellness:

• Page 1: Intro page explains the problem with black and white thinking, eating as self-care, quick explanation of diets not working long term and recommends adding nutrient-dense foods instead of restricting.
• Page 2: Non-Diet Tip List: sleep, exercise, stress management, increasing fiber, add protein with carbohydrates, eating every 4-5 hrs and body respect
• Page 3: Lists of carbohydrate foods (without grams/portions) and separates high fiber foods. Denotes carbohydrate foods that are high in protein.
• Page 4: Lists of protein foods (without grams/portions). Lists are separated for animal-based and plant-based. Denotes protein foods that are high in carbohydrates.
• Page 5: Clients love sample menus! 2 day sample menu (without portions) for a high fiber, high protein that does not limit sugar. The sample menu is 3 meals and 2 snacks. A disclaimer is also included that it is not meant to be followed perfectly.

Understanding Food Labels:

• Page 1: Uses a picture of a label with color/number coding to explain serving size, nutrients and calories. Each description uses language to remind clients that the label does not tell them how much they should eat or what is a good or bad food. However, it does not skip over helpful information about what it means when the nutrient is indented.
• Page 2: Explains carbohydrates, fiber, total sugar and added sugar without vilifying carbohydrates and sugar. Includes subtracting fiber if you are needing to count carbohydrates for MNT. The middle of the page explains percent of daily value using non-diet language. Lastly, it explains how ingredients are listed and how to read for common allergens.