Given the name of this site, the term “Nutrition Added” comes up a lot here. You might be wondering what it’s all about.
Maybe you stumbled on this page looking for ways to be healthier without overhauling your whole life.
Or maybe you’re in the middle of a strict diet or lifestyle pattern and are looking for ways to break free without completely throwing away good habits.
Either way, you’re in the right place!
Read on to find out how to stop dieting, start nourishing, and live the Nutrition Added lifestyle!
What Does Nutrition Added Mean?
When it comes to improving health, most people think of what to cut out or stop doing. Eat less fat! Avoid gluten! Cut out alcohol! No more sweets! And on it goes.
But what if instead of obsessing over what NOT to put in our mouths, we start celebrating the power of what we DO put into our mouths? This is the Nutrition Added approach.
Removing vs. Adding
When we pull weeds from a garden, it looks clean and fresh–for a while. We pat ourselves on the back and feel pretty good about our hard work.
But if we don’t plant new things in the garden, what happens? The weeds will grow right back.
The same thing is true for food habits. We can pull the food weeds–stop eating sugar, cut out whole food groups, and avoid snacking or reduce calories for a while. But if we don’t replace those habits with new, supportive choices, we will eventually fall right back into old habits.
This is where the nutrition added approach can make all the difference! Filling your nutrition garden with supportive super foods is the key to shifting out of the habits that haven’t been supporting your health.
Adding Leads to Replacing
When we start adding highly nourishing foods, our plate will be more full. We will experience more satisfaction from our meals. Often there is less desire to snack.
And eventually, we start to include a little less of the least nourishing foods so we can be sure to have room for the more nourishing foods.
How do I Shift Into a Nutrition Added Mindset?
Instead of focusing on what NOT to eat, let’s shift our focus to adding superstar foods to our meals to boost their nutritional value. We can also add new habits that make eating well easier.
This approach isn’t just about eating more fruits and vegetables–it’s about adding “nutrition levers” that amplify the health benefits of everything you already eat.
By intentionally enhancing your meals and general nutrition habits, you can gradually create a more nutrient-dense diet without feeling overwhelmed.
What are Nutrition Levers?
Nutrition levers are foods or ingredients that are specifically added to meals (or snacks and drinks!) to increase their nutrient density. Think of them as small additions that have a big impact on the overall health of your meal.
Instead of eliminating foods, you’re simply leveraging the power of nutrients from whole, unprocessed foods to give your body what it needs to thrive.
The beauty of this approach is that you can make positive food choices instead of focusing on what you’re “not allowed to eat.” It’s about amplifying the nutrients that support your goals for health and longevity–more fiber, more vitamins, more minerals, more healthy fats, etc.
You don’t have to make drastic changes or eliminate all the foods you love to make this work!
Adding Nutrition Levers to your Meals
Here are some examples of how you can pull on some nutrition levers:
- Add some nutrition superstars to a smoothie: Berries, chia seeds, spinach, flaxseeds, or spirulina are just a few options to consider. Have a recipe you like? See if you can add in one or two nutrition superstars to improve the nutrient profile even more.
- Top your salad with fiber, healthy fats, and valuable micronutrients: Salads are already a great option, but pump up the nutrition by adding pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts, or extra protein like chicken, beans, or cottage cheese.
- Practice the “one more” mindset when it comes to vegetables: Having pasta? Try to add one more veggie to the dish. Making pizza? Add one more veggie topping. You can even try adding riced cauliflower to a soup, a smoothie, or taco filling.
- Bring on more flavor: Herbs and spices are nutrition power houses that are often under-used or all together forgotten! Experiment with adding in different herbs and spices to improve not only flavor and enjoyment of your meal, but total nutritional impact!
- Mix it up with water: We know hydration is important, and since we are drinking water anyway, try adding some lemon or frozen berries to get a boost of vitamin C and delicious flavor.
Food Mindset: Why Shifting your Perspective Can Change Everything
One of the biggest barriers to improving your health through food is mindset. So many people see nutrition as an all-or-nothing game. Either eat “perfectly” or you’re failing. It’s exhausting to constantly flirt with failure!
This mindset leads to stress, guilt, overeating, self-punishment, and can ultimately derail long-term health goals.
But when you focus on adding nutrition rather than cutting out foods, you adopt a mindset of abundance, not scarcity. You’re not depriving yourself–you’re enriching your meals.
This shift in thinking can make the whole process feel more sustainable and less daunting.
Embracing the Nutrition Added approach will help you build a foundation of health through positive actions. The constant battle of food restriction will fade away as you fill up with positive, additive choices.
What are the Benefits of Nutrition Added Approach to Food
Release Food Perfection
When we accept that there is no “perfect” way to eat, more possibilities open up! We can still include foods we love AND feel great about consciously adding some nutrition superstar foods to the meal.
Break the Cycle of Restriction
Food restriction often leads to a cycle of intense cravings -> overeating -> shame/guilt -> self-punishment -> more restricting (even better this time!). But when we take the focus off of what NOT to eat, we can break free from this cycle of restriction.
This approach promotes a sustainable, positive relationship with food. Instead of feeling restricted, you’ll feel empowered to nourish your body–one delicious and nutrient-packed meal at a time.
Increase confidence around food
When you’re no longer obsessing over what foods to avoid, you become empowered to make conscious, intentional choices about what you do eat.
The nutrition added approach celebrates what food can do FOR you. As you add nutrition to your meals, you’ll increase in confidence about your food choices.
Improve Your Gut Microbiome Balance
Your gut microbiome needs food, too! And it is fed by what you choose to eat.
Restrictive diets and a typical American diet often don’t provide enough variety and balance to support a healthy gut environment. But when you add in eat highly nutritious foods, you’ll be giving your microbiome some nourishing foods too.
Feeding your gut microbiome is so important because the health of our gut affects so many aspects of our health–mood, glucose levels, inflammation, sleep, and more.
Pump up the Nutrition Value of your Meal
When we look for intentional ways to add nutrition to our life, our meals will become more nourishing. Nutrient insufficiencies or deficiencies can be corrected. This means healthier cells and metabolism!
Health is Built One Step at a Time
The journey toward better health doesn’t have to be a battle of what to cut out. It can be about what you choose to ADD–One meal, one snack, one ingredient at a time. Remember: small, consistent choices can make a big impact over time.
One Meal at a Time
The key to this approach is making gradual changes. You don’t need to overhaul your entire food pattern overnight! And you don’t have to do all the things every day! Small, consistent additions to your meals will yield powerful long-term results.
Let’s Do This!
Let’s start today–I’m here to help you! To get you started, click below to get a FREE smoothie recipe collection that will help you start adding more nutrition to your life. And be sure to come back often for ideas, motivation, recipes, and some pretty cool facts about nutrition superstar foods!