Beginning from Scratch with Canada's Food Guide

Earlier this week I went to a much sought after appointment with a dietician to develope a personalized eating plan that would enable me to eat the right foods to build stronger bones and aid in slowing down or even iliminating osteoporosis of my spine.

I arrived at the appointment 20 minutes early and even had two books with me that have been my guide for foods lately, one of course more then the other. I wanted to show the dietician what was influensing my food mangement decisions and I guess I also wanted confirmation that I was doing the right thing and also wanted more information regarding the balance of alkaline foods verses acidic foods. I thought I was well prepared.

What I was not prepared for was a closed minded individual who did not want to hear a one word I had to say or ask about diets other then what is suggested by Health Canada's Food Guide...

After asking me a series of questions all pre typed on a questionnaire, as to my eating habbits, what I eat, how much I eat, how much I weigh, when do I eat, etc, she then proceeded to pull out a full colour copy of Health Canada's Food Guide and started making changes and putting notes on it.

She then proceeded to explain the portion size, and stated that it was not necessary to count calories if I was following the guide and what she recommended I was getting what I needed.

I was shocked and suprised that a dietician would tell me not to count calories. I was ready to get up and just leave, as this is not what I had been waiting for this appointment for over a month for, but I just sat there and thought, ok, hear her out, and give it a try... I have been counting calories for over a year now and it has become very much a part of my food management program.

I sat in silence, dumbfounded through out the rest of the interview; when it was over, she weighed me and gave me a piece of paper to make an appointment to see her next month so then I got up and took the information she gave me and proceeded back to work.

All along the walk from the appointment to work I wondered, what happened? I did not get what I wanted. I already know how to access Health Canada's Food Guide as I had just visited it yesterday. I was curious about why grains are so important to the diet for it to have such a high recommendation for servings.

I started to think about the appointment, and started to evaluate it to find something positive. I needed that positive thought so that I could break even. When I got to work, I spoke with a co worker, who from her own point of view said that maybe the meeting was not as bad as I thought. That I got something which was better then nothing. I proceeded back to my desk, pulled out the guide and then looked at it... and pondered on the notes, and what was being reinforced.... I began to see a different pattern develope, one which I could actually work with - even without the missing information.

I saw conformation of what constitutes a portion size for various fruits, vegetables, grains, meats, all but chocolate!! (thank goodness for that because I am not giving up my chocolate!) I looked at her notes again and started thinking that maybe not counting calories might not be such a bad thing. I would still be weighing and measuring, but would plan different.

Within the hour I started feeling better about the visit and about myself. I started to see the positives. I started to see something I could work with, even though I was expecting something more personalized along the lines that I "thought" I needed.

Then today something incredible happened. I had planned to go to the lab for blood work - my Naturalpath Dr. had ordered a whole slew of blood work including the Vitamin D test as recommended in The Vitamin D Cure and related tests. It required blook work in the morning - alot of tubes!! and then going back 10 hrs later for one more tube.

After the final blood work, I headed over the the health food store to return some vitamines that I thought was too high in betacaratin (10.000 iu) and got a different kind. While I was talking the the health food tecnician I mentioned my visit with the dietician and how they would not even discuss the alkaline vrs acidic foods and gave me the Health Canada Guide instead. The tecnician made the comment that the health guide should be up side down, and then told me that they could provide me with a list of foods that would tell me what was alkaline what was acidic !! BONUSSSSS !! I got the vitamins and the list and then went to Wendies for a quick bite and a rest as I had been walking a lot this afternoon and I was starting to feel it.

When I looked at the list and started to examine it, I could see with this list how I could actually follow the food guide and still have some balance to acidic/alkaline as this list provided the foods in each category as mild, medium an strong!! And that is what I had been looking for !

I was so excited that I posted on my osteoporosis team in sparkpeople.com all about it and will be posting the list there.

Now I am really not feeling not so bad about that visit and maybe by the time I go back, I'll have something better to report.

On a side note, I had sent some questions to Dr Dowd on the Vitamin D Cure book and he actually responded and naturally backed up his book. He pretty well confirmed what I figured he would but I was surprised he responded. The book has some good ideas in it, but like many here, I am not sure I could follow that diet - well maybe 80/20 if I had to. It is after all about vitamin d deficiency and not about osteoporosis. He does make some valid points that I found in my other food management book - The Flat Belly Diet... so that kinda grounded that nicely.

Well there you have it, now I need to put a menu together and I've never done that before, boy who ever said your never to old to learn.,.... well I am not ! Onward I go ! Thanks for dropping in to read my journal entry, have a great weekend!