Monday, August 9th, 2010 | Posted by Blake

Talking Nutrition with Maye Musk

Maye Musk, MS RD is a registered dietitian in New York City. In the past forty years, she has lived and worked in South Africa, Canada, and now the United States. After meeting with Maye this past Wednesday to get a true feel for the career I hope to have in just a few years, I was notably impressed with her reasonable and realistic views, which not many dietitians of today seem to have. For this reason, I wanted to ask her a few questions:

Blake: Do you think the wealth of knowledge we now have about nutrition, eating disorders, disease prevention, and so on, is changing people’s habits for the better or hasn’t had much of an impact? Have you noticed a certain age group making changes more than another?

Maye: The wealth of knowledge has confused people because MLM supplement companies are putting the fear into consumers about their eating habits and the quality of foods. The supplement industry has become a billion dollar business. Their marketing budget is huge. It’s hard to fight that with “eat more veggies.” Eating disorders haven’t changed since I started counseling 40 years ago. Disease prevention knowledge continues to increase; however, eating well, maintaining a healthy weight, and being active haven’t changed. People are looking for the magic pill, and this will continue. Eating better is hard. Portion sizes have doubled and people think they’re normal. Temptation is everywhere. Lower income groups are at higher risk for obesity and nutrition-related diseases as junk foods are low cost, and there’s the joy of eating large amounts of fatty foods among these groups. The most obese states are in the Southern USA.

Blake: Do you find that many of your clients who have suffered from eating disorders had troublesome upbringings? What parallels do you seem to find amongst these clients?

Maye: Eating disordered clients can be anorexics, bulimics, or overeaters. Many of my clients, eating disordered or not, have had troublesome upbringings. After a few nutrition sessions, it’s not so much about what food they’re eating, but which bad food habits in their past were triggered by tragic or sad emotional pasts. I’ve had eating disordered teens with absent or emotionally challenged parents, as well as with delightful, caring, concerned parents.

Blake: What similarities have you found with your clients looking to lose weight? Do you find that they’re emotional eaters, or that they feel so discouraged that they feel no choice other than to continue with bad habits? Please explain.

Maye: Most of my clients are emotional eaters. At the first session I ask them if they eat more when anxious, depressed, under stress, tired, bored, or socializing. Many say yes to some, and some say yes to all. I have to give them strategies to keep junk foods out of reach, and to eat healthy snacks such as fruits, vegetables, milk, yogurt and nuts when in binge moods.

Blake: How do you feel about schools looking to get rid of junk foods? Do you think this will rollover into students’ personal lives?

Maye: Schools should get rid of all junk foods. When these foods are hard to come by, they will be eaten less. When students find their weight decreases and energy rises with healthier eating, they may be encouraged to eat better at home too. They may even encourage their parents to keep nutritious foods at home. I always say “no junk foods at the home or office.” If someone feels like a muffin or chips, they can go out and buy a small portion for themselves. Basic common sense is important. Eat well, be active and you’ll feel fantastic!

To learn more about Maye Musk, visit http://mayemusk.com/