Do any of these stories sound familiar? "A friend of mine recently declined my offer of a PFC balanced meal, saying that she was doing a cleanse that only allowed her to eat vegetables for a couple of days." "Uncle Jeff told me he was trying to lower his cholesterol, so he couldn’t eat the egg yolks or use real butter—opting instead for those yucky egg beaters cooked in butter substitutes." "June, who is a well-meaning mom told me how excited she was to be able to find a sandwich filler alternative to peanut butter (Nutella) that her child would actually eat." These stories aren’t all that unusual. In fact, I’m sure you have at LEAST one story in which someone you care about has either offered you bad nutrition advice or is following bad nutrition advice in their own life. How do you handle it? Nutritional advice is something very personal, potentially embarrassing, and often very polarizing. Let’s dive in and talk about a few ways you can talk with loved ones about their not-so-healthy choices. Tip #1: Use your own experience. You know that in order to feel and be as healthy as possible, it’s important that all of your meals are PFC balanced. When friends are on a diet or cleanse that excludes one of the big three macros, you can talk about your own experience before trying PFC. No one can be offended if you’re offering your own story and there is nothing more powerful than a testimony. Let them know how you felt before eating balanced and compare it to how you feel now that you are eating PFC at every meal. You can use this opportunity to suggest they try it for themselves. Tip #2: Use a scapegoat. If there have been times when you knew that your friend or family member wasn’t making the healthiest choice, but couldn’t quite put your finger on what a better option would be, or you weren’t comfortable bringing it up because you don’t feel like an expert, this is a great opportunity to use Healthy Simple Life as a scapegoat! You could say something like, “Hmm… I read on this website that you SHOULD eat the entire egg and that it’s actually BAD to avoid eating fats. It was interesting; you should read it because I wouldn’t be able to explain it as well as they did at Healthy Simple Life. I'll send you a link!” If they don’t believe you, then refer them to someone they might believe… maybe us ☺ Tip #3: Use current research and stories. If you’re like us, you’ve seen the new Wall Street Journal report about saturated fats and have been ecstatic about it ever since! This is an awesome way to talk about current myths and false information about nutrition with your friends. We know that mainstream doesn’t always equal accurate, but for some of your parents, siblings, coworkers, etc., it does! It’s nice to see so much of our philosophy breaking into the mainstream. You can use these stories to jump into a conversation with some evidence that would be considered credible by the doubters you may be conversing with. Tip #4: Be patient. Chances are you won’t change someone’s opinion in a minute or two, so keep your expectations realistic and be patient. Change rarely happens in a day. In fact, most people’s journeys to a real food lifestyle weren’t overnight or even over-week transitions. Acknowledge they may be skeptical and probably won’t jump onboard right away, and that’s okay. Be available and open to re-visit the discussion should they bring it up again. Tip #5: Use Care. Finally, remember that nutrition IS a personal choice and some people just aren’t ready to make any changes. Make sure, like with any conversation surrounding a difference in opinion, that you are treating them with care, respect, and love. They need to know that the only reason you are bringing up their health is because you want the best for them, not because you want to prove them wrong or make them feel stupid or guilty about their choices. Like the popular adage goes; “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” Being genuine and transparent will go a long way in making the conversation a good experience for you both. If you need more clarification about specific health and nutrition beliefs that we hold, please don’t hesitate to make an appointment with one of our coaches! We want you to feel equipped to make choices that will better your life and the lives of those you love. Also, you can follow us on social media where we post nutrition tips and breaking nutrition news on a daily basis.