May
First Impressions
“So, what do you do?”
It’s an innocent enough question and one for which most of us probably have a standard response. I say “I’m a dietitian and kitchen organizer.” Harmless enough, right? Yep.
Unless there is food around.
Then one of two things happen:
- My new acquaintance covers his or her plate and says, “Don’t look at what I’m eating.” OR
- All eyes immediately turn to the contents of my plate (or glass or nachos basket) to scrutinize my choices.
It’s become so common that I’m sometimes hesitant to share my career. I’m not ashamed, but at times I find it hard to convince folks that I’m not in the business of judging what others eat. And the truth of the matter is, I believe there is room for all your favorite foods in your meal plan—in moderation. How do I know that you didn’t plan ahead to enjoy the buffet options at this reception? Or that you haven’t already eaten your 2.5 cups of green leafy vegetables before you arrived at tonight’s baseball game? And maybe I did too.
But maybe not. I’m human too. And there’s no denying the deliciousness of a warm cheesy pepperoni roll!
Now if you leave my food in the temperature danger zone, we’ll have a whole other issue on our hands.
Have you experienced a similar situation? When you meet a manicurist do you check out her nails? Maybe I should introduce myself as a “moderation promoter”?
Eh, probably not.
