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Non-Binary Nutrition
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Finding the right fit for your nutrition 

Non-Binary Nutrition

What does it mean to be non-binary?

Binary means a condition with two options. When we refer to non-binary, we mean that there are more than two options, in fact there can many different degrees of something. The term non-binary in this instance in referring to people who do not identify with the male or female gender.  Non-binary individuals have been recognized for many years around the world and in different cultures.  

While Health Canada has moved their general nutrition guidelines away from the gender binary, there are still many nutrition calculators, equations, and recommendations that have not. For example, energy, macronutrient, vitamin, and mineral recommendations. This can cause a lot of confusion for a non-binary person trying to work towards maximizing their health when they do not see themselves into the guidelines.  

So, what can you do?

Until the guidelines and nutrition calculators catch up with society, I suggest you take nutrition guidelines as just that, guidelines. They are not hard and fast rules for how a person should eat.  

If you can, work with a registered dietitian who has experience working with the non-binary population. This person can help you figure out the best way for you to meet your individualized nutrition needs. This includes your food personality and your preferences in addition to the needs of the physical body. The dietitian may use a range of values to determine the needs for a non-binary individual, especially if this individual has started hormone replacement therapy.  

If you cannot work with a dietitian or not yet, start looking at what is working well for you.  

Consider these questions:  

  • How often do you like to eat?  
  • How is your energy when you eat in this way? 
  • Are there times during the day when your energy drops?  
  • What types of foods make you feel your best?  
  • What are your soulful foods? (The foods that you eat for taste, flavour, and fun!)  
  • When you prepare food, do you work from a recipe or are you more utilitarian?  
  • How attuned are you to your hunger and fullness cues?  

Next, identify one, maximum two, areas where you would like to make a shift. Stick with that change for a week or longer to see how the change makes you feel. Once you have mastered that, you can move onto the next.   

Your nutrition goals and strategies are individual and should be catered to you! Take what you need from nutrition guidelines, but don’t get too hung up on the numbers.  

Let us help make nutrition work for you.  

Looking for the right Registered Dietitian for you?

Our diverse team of registered dietitians specialize in a range of areas to support you such as: emotional eating, eating disorders, sports nutrition, meal planning, health concerns like diabetes, heart health, digestive issues, and more!

We offer both in-person (in Calgary) services as well as online nutrition counselling. Our team empower people just like you to live healthFULLY + soulFULLY.

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Success stories

"I am a psychologist in private practice and it is very important to me that my clients have the best care with other health care professionals. For that reason Health Stand Nutrition is my only source for exceptional Dietitians. Andrea and her team provide highly knowledgeable, compassionate, and real world support to my clients who require assistance with food lifestyle. I trust my clients to them and you would be in excellent hands making them part of your health care team."
Adele Fox, Psychologist
“This is the first time I feel satisfied; my cravings have diminished dramatically and I have a whole new relationship with food. I am eating guilt-free for the first time in my life. My energy has also dramatically increased and I feel great!
Rhonda Jenkins, Nutrition Counseling Client
“The Dieticians at Health Stand Nutrition help you to take action on the science behind eating well by making it practical, understandable, and fun. Their office is cozy and not at all clinical or intimidating. I felt like I was sitting down with a really smart, caring friend who wanted to help me make the best choices for my lifestyle and food preferences. They really are the best in the business.”
Marty Avery, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I have come to think of the program as a one stop shopping excursion for everything one needs to know about creating a joyous relationship with food and our bodies. In a single word, the course has gifted me with freedom from the punishing rigidity of disordered eating, old stories that never were true, and body dysmorphia that did nothing but make me lose sight of a body that has done everything I've asked, despite my careless dismissal of her needs. Now when I look in the mirror I find myself shifting from harsh criticism to gentle gratitude.”
Lynn Haley, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“I spent 3 hours when first diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. I learned more from my Dietitian about food in those 3 hours than I had learned in all the years of my life. I also love the newsletter, there is always something to learn.”
Peter Whitehead, Nutrition Counseling Client
“I didn’t realize how strong my “diet mentality” was, and all the rules I had in my head about food. I was in a cycle of reward/punish/binge/cringe. I booked with your business very reluctantly, on the repeated advice of my doctor, to get my slowly rising cholesterol levels in check. I thought I knew everything about food, and my behaviour with food, but I was definitely re-schooled. My weight is creeping down, I feel good about my diet, exercise, body image, and lifestyle.”
Amy Floyd, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Thanks Andrea for an amazing presentation, I have heard all positive remarks from attendees and the evaluations show the same sentiment. It is really gratifying when a speaker does their “homework” and weaves in our profession’s day to day challenges within their content, you did an awesome job of this! You truly took the “die” out of Dietician! Your information on healthy eating and simplifying how we can work towards this as we are all so busy really hit the mark. Andrea connects very well with her audience; she is energetic, funny, and very approachable.”
Carole Ann LaGrange, Transfusion Medicine Safety Officer

Event Planner for Laboratory Diagnostic Imaging Annual Event

I am a family physician who sees patients with a myriad of eating concerns – from wanting to know how to plan healthy meals for active families, to weight loss, to eating disorders, and so on. I cannot recommend the Health Stand team highly enough. I have worked with (and been to!) other Dieticians in the past and too often find that they just ask for food logs and make suggestions that are easily obtained online or in books. The Dieticians at Health Stand offer much more than just telling clients what they “should be eating.” In contrast, the team really does more of a counselling practice, and they work hard to help their clients learn more about why their eating habits may be off track and not optimal for them, as well as helping people to effect change at a deep level that, most importantly, is sustainable for lifetime health.”
Dr. Deb Putnam, Family Physician

Nutrition Counseling Client & Referring Physician

“I am a busy mom, with kids in high level sports, working full-time downtown, and running our home acreage outside the City. I now have the knowledge and tools I need to plan for and manage the chaos of meal planning.”
Gillian Gray, Pursuit of Healthiness Online Course Participant
“As a construction company, we select speakers who can relate to our industry and its employees. Andrea’s message was delivered with humor and empathy. She makes people feel as though they can make changes without leaving behind every favorite food. Andrea focused her presentation on healthy eating as a way to keep energy high throughout the day. This message and the way it was delivered resonated with our predominantly male, blue collar culture. I would highly recommend Andrea as a speaker for groups such as ours. She will get your message across without alienating anyone in your audience – which is a huge hurdle when trying to introduce a wellness program in the workplace!”
Stephanie Wood, HR and Safety Manager

Fisher Construction Group, Burlington, WA

I found my Dietitian warm, funny, and skilled at teaching nutrition concepts without the overwhelm. The general approach of each session was to mix science with emotion, which was exceedingly effective in helping me shift my perspective on food from one of anxiety to one of joy and curiosity.”
Erin Kronstedt, Nutrition Counseling Client
“Excellent presentation! What a refreshing change to have a speaker inspire rather than “lecture” about nutrition. Your captivating stories, tips and overall approach to healthy eating uplifts and puts people at ease. It was great to hear we don’t need to strive to be perfect eaters, and that small changes really can make a difference in how we feel and in our health. Thanks to Andrea, we have solutions to our everyday nutrition challenges that can actually work in real life!”
Tina Tamagi, Human Resources

ARC Resources Ltd.

“Had I not joined this course I would have struggled with no focus, low energy, and mindless eating. Excellent teaching and motivation. This is not just a course, it is a nutrition club with mentorship, support, and connections with other people with similar situations.”
Lorri Lawrence, Pursuit of Healthiness online course participant

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