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Last week, in the first of our series on local businesses that can help out with those pesky New Year’s resolutions, we looked at Going Green. This week’s topic, Eating Healthier, may just have you eating more green.

When Kate Williamson, who lives in Northeast, found she was pregnant with her second child, she decided to work with a nutritionist because she didn’t want to gain as much weight as she had with her first. “It’s hard when you’re pregnant because you want to eat everything,” Williamson told me.  So she found Kristen Ciuba, a nutritionist and Certified Health Counselor working with private clients as well as members of Results Gym.  With Ciuba, Williamson was able to create a tailored plan that factored in her evolving nutritional needs as well as the rest of her family, and met her goal of gaining less weight during her pregnancy. (BTW, congratulations to Kate who had her baby on November 23^rd!)

The key, emphasizes Ciuba, is to approach nutrition as a lifestyle change.  “Diet implies something you do for a set amount of time.  A commitment to nutrition and health should be part of your lifestyle.”  When getting started, Ciuba said it is really important to make small changes.  “Think of two or three nutrition changes you can stick with: trade orange juice for an orange, eat more veggies or bring lunch to work.  It’s different for everyone.”  For Williamson, switching to whole grains was an eye-opening change.  “Getting grains in was hard.  There was stuff I thought was whole wheat that actually wasn’t so [Ciuba] helped me learn what to look for when reading labels.  It definitely made me feel better about what we were eating.”

What can you expect from working with a nutritionist?  Ciuba emphasizes a holistic approach that first explores the different aspects of your life to see how they are connected.  She then tailors a program to each client’s needs.  Programs include things like education and practical tips plus recipes, meal plans and calorie targets personalized to take into account client preferences.  Meal planning has now become an important part of the weekly routine for Williamson.  “The meal plans are the best part.   I’ll write out how many days we’re shopping for and what we’re having specific days.  It takes discipline, but I think it’s worth it to sit down with someone who is trained and has the knowledge to help you.  Then you can take it from there.”  Organic products are a particular area where people often have questions.  Getting educated on the benefits and differences was part of Williamson’s plan.  She and Ciuba talked about priorities, then Ciuba, “gave me a list of the fruits and veggies that were important to get organic along with good tips on places with good prices.”

For beginners, Ciuba says the first step you’ll probably take is to eat out less and include more vegetables in your meals.  “People usually do well with fruit, but vegetables are harder.  And drink plenty of water.”  For people already practicing basic principles and looking to move to the next level, Ciuba said she might recommend learning to make more things from scratch and making more substitutions, such as eating wheat pasta; using quinoa and bulgur; and moving beyond spinach to greens like kale and chard.  Another important habit to cultivate is tracking what you eat.  “Research has shown that if you track what you eat, you eat better because you are more accountable.  But track as you go along because if you try recalling it later you often leave things out.  Same goes for exercise.”  No fancy diaries or notebooks required – use whatever you’re comfortable with, whether it’s a spreadsheet or resources from the USDA.

Ultimately, to Ciuba it is about “focusing on the good stuff: include more veggies, whole grains, drink more water, and move more.”