Diet vs Nutrition

We've all heard or I'm pretty sure said at some point in our lives, "I'm going on a diet."

What does that mean?

Usually it means you want to lose weight and most people will try the quickest way possible, often wreaking potentially irreversible havoc on their bodies in the process.  Most people, don't give any thought to whether they are providing their bodies with what they need to function optimally.  They cut calories and hope for the best and then are disappointed when they don't reach their goals; they can't stick to the diet because its hard to ignore the body screaming for nutrients it isn't getting!

Note that diet and nutrition are not the same.  Diet is what you eat.  Nutrition is what you eat, digest, absorb, and deliver to the cells, as well as how the cells use the nutrients.  There are many steps to this process that can be faulty or inefficient, leading to higher-than-usual nutrient needs.  In many case, diet is terribly insufficient in meeting these needs. So while it may be fine to limit calories, you need to make sure you are still getting the proper nutrients. 

Why am I talking about this?  I'm not a nutritionist by any means.  I do have a passion for health and fitness, but I also have a very personal reason for pursuing the knowledge of all things nutrition.
I'm not a fan of medications.  I won't even take a Tylenol, unless my head feels like it is going to explode, and even then it's questionable.  So I have always looked for more natural remedies, encouraged in part, by my mom, who loves herbs and all things earth-related.

When my first son was born, and shortly after receiving his 4-month vaccinations, which is a whole other issue for another date, he developed severe eczema, dermatitis, whatever you want to call it, over his arms and face.  While it didn't provide him any apparent discomfort, I, was of course concerned.  We saw several different doctors, and finally a dermatologist when he was almost 2 years old, who recommended milder forms of soap, and some intense moisturizing creams, as well as some modifications to his diet. This was my only child who was bottle-fed, although I don't know if that was a contributing factor or not. 

He was also an overly sensitive baby, reacting very intensely to bright lights, loud noises, strange people, smells, etc, and as he got older, he became a very picky eater. 

The doctor suggested that lacking in some key nutrients, such as zinc, omega 3 fatty7 acids, and to a lesser degree magnesium, could be contributing to the aggravating factors, and modifying his diet certainly had no harmful side effects so what could it hurt?

I did some research on my own and learned that not only does zinc have a direct impact on skin integrity, but a zinc deficiency can cause a loss of taste at the taste bud level and also affects perception of taste in the brain.  Once taste is diminished, many foods can become unpalatable and even offensive.  As zinc status declines, taste perception decreases and aversions increase, especially to vegetables and often to specific textures, colors, and smells.  Some children will even gag at the sight of a food that is offensive to them (hello - that was definitely my kid!!!) Now this is not to say that every kid that objects to certain foods has some type of deficiency, but in our case, it definitely had some merit.

Perception is reality, and the child is responding reasonably to the taste perceived.  The child then limits choices to a few foods, such as sweets, pasta, macaroni and cheese, and ice cream.  (That sounds familiar!)  Some even prefer stronger tasting or spicier foods in an attempt to detect enough taste to make the food tolerable (not us).  Other children will simply avoid the unpalatable food (yep!)

So how do you get more zinc?  Of course, if you are concerned about a serious deficiency, you should always consult your doctor, but adding in some of the foods listed below shouldn't pose any harm, unless there are allergies to avoid. 

 With the skin care regimen, and adding more chicken and red meat (he wasn't and still isn't a fan of any kind of meat, but he does like it more now than he used to), yogurt, cheeses, and cashews and almonds, we started noticing a huge difference within about 4-6 weeks.   My personal favorite is of course, the dark chocolate! (Moderation, of course)

My son is now 13 years old, and occasionally has some spots locally on his arms, but I can usually always tie it to his diet/ lack of nutrition.

What was the purpose of my sharing this?  To hopefully show that your "diet" is about more than how many calories you eat, and just like there are different ratings for fuel for your vehicle, and certain ones won't run at their optimal efficiency with the wrong fuel, neither will your body. 

If you are cutting calories, make sure you are getting the nutrition you need and pay attention to any signs/ symptoms.  They just might be related to your diet.

Laake, Dana, R.D.H., M.S., L.D.N., and Compart, Pamela, M.D. (2013). The ADHD and Autism Nutritional Supplement Handbook. Beverly, MA. Fair Winds Press.