I am a tried and true Duke Blue Devil. I bleed Duke blue. I think our blue is best. And yes, it is hard to be humble when you’re from Duke.

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“Thanks. You were with us every step of the way.”

I know … the enthusiasm of a Duke Blue Devil can be obnoxious. But my love for Duke grew even more after I learned that the men’s basketball team has a gratitude practice. During the 2014-2015 season, Coach K asked each player and coach on the team to write the name of at least one person on a team basketball. These names represented people who had helped them arrive at that place and time. Throughout the season, that special basketball traveled everywhere with the team. Every day, carrying it was the responsibility of one teammate. The basketball even came to their dorm rooms. When this team won the 2015 NCAA national championship, they mailed a handwritten note to every person whose name was written on that ball. The note said, “Thanks. You were with us every step of the ...

The sciences are always evolving. This is obvious in technology, right? Raise your hand if you’re still using a flip phone! (And, if you are, good for you!) But medicine is also rapidly changing. In my opinion, this is especially true in nutrition science. Raise your hand if you think eating fat will make you fat! (Skip to the end of this post for the answer.)

The only thing constant is change

Trying to master nutrition science is fascinating. Not only is there a huge volume of information, but our understanding of that information changes constantly. To paraphrase Heraclitus, the only thing constant is change. And that’s exciting! But it’s also confusing and frustrating when it comes to knowing what to eat.

In this post, I’m taking a little trip down memory lane. Don’t worry - it won’t be a long trip. I’m an 80’s baby; so, I’m starting with the 90’s. My hope is that if your current understanding of nutrition science is like a Motorola Razr … you’ll be ready to upgrade to an iPhone ...

If you’re anything like me, you don’t love the gym. It just feels … uncomfortable. Like, my tribe isn’t there. And that suited me just fine as a child. I was effortlessly active. I started dancing when I was three years old and continued until I was a senior in high school. I was also a sprinter and a high jumper. I kept moving but I never considered myself “working out.” I was just living my life.

My first year in college presented my first real fitness challenge. And I didn’t realize it until I returned home for the summer. In May of 1999, my grandparents and parents (who had seen me throughout the year) proclaimed over and over that I had “put on weight.” I didn’t see it and that was frustrating. So, I jumped on the scale. (Just to be clear - I don’t put much emphasis on weight. If it weren’t for my husband, I wouldn’t even have a scale in my home.) But there it was: the freshman 15. I. Was. Shocked.

My weight didn’t bother me, but my weight gain did. I definitely didn’t want t...