The Ladder of Nutrition Needs: Understanding Gentle Nutrition
Does it often feel overwhelming to think about nutrition or food? Is it hard to keep up with the latest health recommendations?
What if it didn’t have to be so complicated? Food doesn’t have to be challenging or boring to be “healthy.” In fact, we may be making things worse for ourselves by constantly focusing on every new suggestion; we might be making things harder for ourselves. Instead, let’s embrace the idea of gentle nutrition, shifting our focus to the big picture to better meet our needs with flexibility and ease.
Why is Gentle Nutrition Important?
The definition of nutrition is “the process of providing or obtaining the food necessary for health and growth.” For many, the purpose of focusing on nutrition or food intake tends to be driven by the desire to improve health. Have you ever thought “for the sake of my health” when changing food habits? You’re not alone! Yet, in our pursuit of health, we often stray from some of the most basic principles of nutrition. In attempting to “improve one’s health,” we might end up reducing intake or “cutting out” foods, which actually sabotages our pursuit of health.
Restriction can not only lead to a negative relationship between food and the body but also to inadequate intake and weight cycling (which has its own list of health risks). Instead, we shift the focus to what we can add to improve nutrition intake in a gentle way - this is known as gentle nutrition. If you would like to read more on gentle nutrition, Rachel Hartley is a great resource. Before we can delve into that, we first have to break down the basic components of nutrition. Imagine nutrition as a ladder with several rungs, each representing a different aspect of dietary needs. This concept suggests that basic needs, like consistency and adequacy, must be met before advancing to more complex nutrition goals, like adding to our plate for balance and variety.
The Ladder of Nutrition Needs is a framework based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Maslow described his pyramid of needs as the requirement to obtain the most basic needs (like food, shelter, safety, etc.) before higher needs could be met (such as jobs, relationships, self-esteem, etc.). Our model on this framework was inspired and influenced by both Rachel Hartley’s Hierarchy of Nutrition Needs and Ellen Satter’s Hierarchy of Food Needs, emphasizing a step-by-step progression through five stages:
Consistency
This can also be thought of as the timing of intake throughout the day. The first step to meeting nutrition needs is creating more consistency with intake, eating every 2-4 hours. Otherwise, a variety of mechanisms could be negatively impacted (hunger and fullness cues, sleep, energy levels, mood, blood sugar levels, etc.). When we graze or go too long between eating periods, both digestion and food behaviors can be impacted.
Adequacy
The next step stresses the importance of adequately meeting one’s nutrition needs. We all have differing individual needs for energy intake. No two people have the same needs, so we must learn how to tune into and honor our own bodies. Adequate nutrition is important because, without it, we are putting our bodies into more stressful states (increasing cortisol levels), reducing the efficiency of certain systems (such as metabolic and cardiovascular), and negatively impacting health status.
Balance
The energy provided by food comes from macronutrients (which literally translates into “big nutrients”). They are organized into three groups: carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. For sustained energy and satisfaction, we need to arrange a balance of these foods at meals and snacks. Again, this will look different to each person because individual needs differ. One of the key takeaways from finding more balance, however, is that no one food group should be singled out or excluded from one’s diet, as they all have a significant purpose. Creating more neutrality with all food can be helpful to allow more permission with all foods, especially the macronutrients.
Variety
As we move our way up to higher needs, we likely will find ourselves seeking more variety. For example, rather than just sticking to the two vegetables we typically choose (when we are focused on meeting basic needs at the lower part of the ladder), we may try to incorporate more options. The benefit of more variety is that different foods offer different nutritional benefits. For instance, vegetables that are orange in color are a great source of vitamin A (offering benefits to eyesight) while dark leafy greens are full of vitamin K (increases the body’s ability to clot blood and heal wounds). Variety also helps with food burnout, which can come from having the same things repeatedly.
Specific Needs
Once we’ve reached the top of the ladder, we are able to put a lot more focus on individual needs and preferences. Creating a positive relationship with food has many health benefits, and using specific foods to improve potential health concerns can be very beneficial. For example, probiotic food sources can improve gut health for an individual who suffers from digestive concerns, adding more fiber can positively impact cholesterol levels, and adding more protein sources can help stabilize blood sugar levels. Reaching this part of the ladder offers the ability to attend to the specific needs of the individual and to see what needs to be added (not taken away) from one’s diet.
Sometimes we overcomplicate nutrition, but getting back to the basics and simplifying how we think about food can help. Again, we all have different nutrition requirements, so if you are interested in learning more about determining your individual needs or learning how to implement the ladder of nutrition needs for yourself, reach out to the CV Wellbeing team to schedule an appointment with one of our dietitians!