Watch It, Buddy

I was enjoying myself with friends over a provided dinner of pizza one evening and making conversation with those around me.  The subject of work came up and once the guy next to me knew I was a Dietitian the next thing out of his mouth was, “So, as a Dietitian, is pizza in your diet?”  I do not appreciate such comments.

First, its hearing things like this that can fuel some girl's/women's insecurity.  Heaven knows it is hard enough to be a secure women in our society with constant reminders of the way we “should” look, in that you’re considered beautiful if you’re skinny or that you’re some how more desirable if you are a twig.  This is absolutely not true.  Yes, you are healthier if you are thinner and, in the medical world, have a normal body mass index because so many health problems stem from being overweight.  However, for those women who are naturally bigger or are like me and have thunder thighs, it can be a daily struggle to accept that you’ll never be a size 2 and that that’s okay or it can be a daily struggle to believe and stand by the fact that you truly just want to be healthy even if the scale doesn’t budge.  

Secondly, I do not think such things should be said to a girl, especially by a guy.  Some girls would take that to heart and terrible things may ensue.  Think about it, a girl who is already self-conscious of what she’s eating or what she looks like or both (most likely) wants to be accepted, liked, thought of as beautiful, and more and a pretty good-looking guy questions whether she should be eating what’s on her plate.  I won’t keep harping on this but it is no bueno.  The only way I’ve heard a guy speak to a girl about what she’s eating in an acceptable manner is when a guy politely asked me, “have you earned it?” which I took more as a question as to whether I had worked out that day or if I was going to.  However he meant it, that question went over much better with me.

Thirdly, the question should not have been asked because he is clueless.  For all he knew, I could have been having my cheat meal for the week or I could have just done something ridiculous like worked out for three hours.  Maybe I was having a bad week or day and was happy to be eating pizza because I like it and the last thing I want to hear is someone questioning my food choices.  Truth.

Fourth, I feel like the guy is assuming that I am on a diet when, in fact, I am not.  I don’t like the word diet because people think of fad diets or crash diets or whatever when I have (and promote others to have) a healthy lifestyle.  Because, let’s be real, people are going to have junk food or not the most healthy option every once in a while no matter who they are or what they do.  Plus, I think one poor food choice in a sea of good food choices may only cause a ripple but not a tidal wave.

Finally, the guy truly didn’t know to whom he was talking.  I am a Dietitian who knows quite well what I put in my body and that two slices of pizza is going to be okay.  I am also a Dietitian who is very aware of what profession I am in and with that goes the thinking that you should not be overweight, that you should be healthy, that you should always eat right, and so on.   Furthermore, I am a Dietitian who tries to practice what I preach, so I had restraint and only got two slices because just today I told a patient to enjoy pizza with her family with two slices and substitute healthier choices like a piece of fruit or some vegetables instead of a third or fourth slice of pizza because you can’t be in a bubble but need to live and sometimes your family gets pizza.

“So, as a Dietitian, is pizza in your diet?”

“Yes, yes it is” and then I took a bite of pizza.