I’ve been told “you have it all”, more than once. It always gives me pause.
To be honest, hearing this causes me some discomfort. As a nutritionist, “you have it all” seems to imply that I have everything together and that I must have a perfect nutrition routine. As an immigrant woman, I wonder if I translated the phrase too literally in my head. As an English as a second language speaker, I wonder if it’s a figure of speech or a joke, based on cultural humor. As an athlete, I struggled tremendously with fueling my body during competitive athletics.
What I do know is that after my years of working with all different types of people, bodies, and nutrition issues, that hidden behind the phrase “you have it all” is perfectionism.
Perfectionism is something every single person struggles with. If we are entrenched in perfection, it affects our nutrition habits. We may seek the perfect meal or the prefect food or the perfect time to eat. Every single person I have provided nutrition care for has struggled with perfection.
In nutrition counseling, perfection does not exist. In fact, I can argue that perfection only lives in our minds. When we seek perfection in how we nourish our bodies, our choices are based on a foundation of judgmental and shame-based decisions. We may hyper-focus on being perfect and this may disconnect us from listening to our bodies. In nutrition counseling, this type of thinking can create rules and regulations that may lead to a disordered relationship with our bodies and food.
As a human who is passionate about helping you connect to yourself and create your own unique approach to nutrition, one of my goals is to help you align your nutrition with your culture, your passions, your body, your job, your pleasure, and your humanity. You eat for you and because you belong.
I would love to help you connect with things you may think of as imperfections and vulnerabilities but are actually opportunities and strengths. In my experience, the most meaningful and biggest teaching moments in nutrition journeys happen when you accept being. You are a human that is vulnerable, humble, and brave. Your nutrition care and your nutrition journey can be some of your biggest moments of growth.
At Rasa Nutrition, I encourage you to show up as you are. I respect, honor, and appreciate you and I know that making the first call or writing the first message to ask for help in nutrition requires a lot of bravery and vulnerability. But I believe in you.