ALTON – A local dietician is sharing how to stay healthy as we enter the new year.
Many people make New Year’s resolutions that include weight loss or fitness goals. Rachel Bult, RDN, LDN, Supervisor Dietitian at OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center, encourages people to focus on building healthy habits rather than quick weight loss strategies.
“If you focus on changing your habits for the long term, this will help you get to your goal weight and keep the weight off for good,” Bult said. “We should focus on setting realistic goals and create a healthy relationship with food, emphasizing overall balance and not complete restriction.”
As a dietitian, Bult sees clients for a variety of reasons. She often welcomes community members who are managing chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes, digestive issues or heart disease.
But it’s common for her to work with folks who have food allergies or athletes who want to improve their performance. She also regularly meets with clients who are looking to lose weight or improve their overall health.
For the people who want to learn more about weight loss, Bult encourages them to focus on “gradual” weight loss, like losing one or two pounds per week. She emphasizes lifestyle changes rather than “temporary diets.” This might include cooking at home more often or incorporating 30 minutes of exercise into each day.
A diet can turn disordered, so Bult is more focused on helping her clients build healthy habits rather than quickly losing weight. As part of that, she focuses on balancing healthy eating with exercise.
Stress management is another important element that exercise can help with. Bult recommends finding activities that you enjoy. Her own hobbies — pickleball and rollerskating — bring her a lot of joy while also helping her manage her health and stress levels.
Bult noted that a lot of clients also don’t realize how important fiber is. Not only can fiber help manage weight and blood sugar, but it also reduces the risk of heart disease and aids in regular bowel movements.
Women are encouraged to get 25 grams of fiber a day while men need 38 grams. Over 90% of Americans don’t meet this guideline. Foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, lentils and chia seeds can help you increase your fiber intake. This is also where conversations with a dietitian can be useful, as they can help you make a plan to modify your intake.
Ultimately, Bult encourages people to focus on healthy habits over fad diets or restriction. Balance is key, and a dietician can help you figure out how best to manage your food intake. Bult urges people to listen to credible sources when it comes to managing their health, like dietitians and other doctors.
“It can be difficult for people to know who to listen to with so much nutrition misinformation being spread on social media,” she said. “It is important to remember to look for credible sources such as official health websites when you are researching nutrition topics and make sure the person you are listening to is educated in the field of nutrition/dietetics and holds a credible degree.”
For more information about OSF St. Anthony’s Health Center, including how to schedule an appointment with a dietitian like Bult, visit their official webpage.
