Something that’s been weighing on my mind a bit lately is the disappointment that many people seem to have with dietitians and the reasons for this. Basically, it boils down to the fact that we’re not sexy. Nope, we can’t tell you the next great superfood you must buy daily (spoiler: there is no such thing as a “superfood”). We won’t recommend any breakthrough weight loss supplement; sorry, whatever Dr. Oz is selling we’re not buying. We won’t tell you “never eat these five foods“. And we won’t tell you that paleo, Atkins, low-carb, low-fat, gluten-free, vegan, <insert any trendy diet here>, is the best diet.

There are no shortcuts to health. There are no foods that you should never ever eat (I mean, obviously, there are some foods that should be consumed on an occasional basis, such as candy, and others on a regular one, such as vegetables). But we’re never going to tell you not to eat something. We’re also never going to tell you what diet to follow. Our job is to help you figure out the diet that works best for you and how to optimize it to make it as enjoyable and healthy as possible.

Yes, I know that there are loads of other people out there who are more than happy to tell you that their diet is the best, the only, the diet to end all diets. I know that, that level of certainty can be alluring. It’s much more appealing to have someone tell you exactly what you may and may not eat when you’re struggling on your own. It’s not easy to hear that no foods are off the table and that no superfood is going to swoop in to the rescue. However, let’s not confuse confidence with competence. Dietitians are here to help you make the best choices for you, not to impose our own dietary regimes on you. Maybe we’re not sexy or fun or exciting but we’ll be here for you when all of those other diets let you down.