At a recent health fair where we providing cooperate chair massage, we had the pleasure of running into Autumn Ehsaei of Perennial Nutrition. And while I was holding my second snow cone of the day Autumn and I were talking about chickpea pasta.
We hit it off and scheduled a follow up appointment at her office in downtown Cary to see how we could work together! She is so passionate about eating healthy, not necessarily dieting. She also gave some great insight to help my toddler eat something other than macaroni and cheese (but that is a different blog post!).
1. How did you get interested in becoming a Registered Dietitian?
My interest in becoming an RD probably started really early in life without me even realizing it! I was a dancer my whole life, starting at the age of 4, so I was always surrounded by the idea of nutrition playing a role in strength, activity, and a healthy life. I was unfortunately also surrounded by a lot of girls who had a negative relationship to food, suffering from disordered eating, and having to find their way back to a healthy life. This fueled my interest in nutrition and how we can work to find a balance in our lives. I studied nutrition in college, but was planning to go to pharmacy school. It wasn't until my senior year that I had a heart-to-heart talk with myself, decided what I was actually passionate about, and realized that nutrition was the right path for me. I switched gears just a little at that point to ensure that I could follow the path to becoming a registered dietitian, and have never looked back! I truly love what I do and feel so fortunate to have found my calling.
2. What is the number one thing you would tell someone is concerned about their diet?
Try not to focus on the minuscule day-to-day nutrition choices, but instead on the overall trends of how you eat. Sometimes we get so bogged-down by all of the new research, trends, and products coming out that we think one bite of a cookie has ruined everything! That is not the way nutrition, or our bodies, work. One of my biggest take home points with all of my clients is to focus on the overarching themes in your diet, not one specific day or eating experience. If, most of the time, you are eating a variety of foods, getting lots of fiber, drinking water, etc, you don't need to stress so much about that one cookie. Our bodies are resilient and generally can handle a lot. If you find a typical way of eating that makes your body feel best and follow that most of the time, it can handle little bumps in the road!
3. What is your go-to snack?
Tough one! I love snacking and eat 1-2 snacks most days to keep my energy up and blood sugars normal. I would say though that my go-to snack is a banana with nut butter. It is something I always have on hand, always fall back to because it is the perfect blend of energizing carbs, satiating proteins and healthy fats, and is perfect pre- or post-workout too.
4. What is a staple in your kitchen?
My top 7 foods that I always have on hand are: eggs, canned beans, bananas, some kind of frozen vegetable, nuts, bread or wraps, and some type of dark leafy green (spinach, kale, chard). If I have these foods I can always make a meal or snack.
5. When you aren't working with clients, where would we find you?
Teaching or taking Pure Barre (my other passion and job!), hiking in the mountains with my husband, or hanging out at home cooking and spending time with my husband and our sweet cat Frank.
6. And for the most important question, what are you currently binge watching?
We recently watched the last season of The Americans, and the first season of the new show Killing Eve. Both shows were so intense! I guess we are into spy shows now? Otherwise, The Office or Parks and Rec never fail to make us laugh, no matter how many times we've watched them.
