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| Lisa Valente believes that every food can fit into a healthy diet. (Yes, even cookies!) She’s a pro at breaking down nutrition science in a relatable way and often dishes her wisdom on Healthline's website and Instagram feed. |
| Below, Lisa spills foodie wisdom, including her tips, tricks, and hacks to help spice up your diet and cooking routine. |
| *This interview has been edited for length and clarity. |
| Q: |
What inspired you to become a registered dietician? And how has the knowledge you’ve learned helped you along your personal wellness journey? |
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| A: Heart disease runs in my family, and I was curious about the connection between diet and chronic disease. I wanted to help people eat better to feel better. |
| On my own wellness journey, a lot of what I’m applying is unlearning that my diet has to be “perfect” for it to be healthy. I embrace eating foods that I once thought were “bad” (like chocolate chip cookies) as part of my overall diet and aim to eat vegetables and protein when I can. My focus is much bigger and includes eating for joy — because life’s too short. |
| Q: |
A lot of people think healthy food means bland, boring, or exclusively salad. What are some tricks you use to add flavor to your meals? |
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| A: If you think healthy food is boring, you probably just need to spice it up a little. |
| Seasoning what you eat is key — salt, pepper, herbs, spices, citrus, vinegars, olive oil. |
| Fat adds lots of flavor and increases the satisfaction of your meals. You also need it to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K. So, add some oil to your pan or veggies. |
| Parmesan cheese is my favorite pasta topper, and peanut butter makes almost everything taste better (in my opinion). |
| Q: |
For those of us who find meal prep and planning overwhelming, how can we simplify the process? |
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| A: I need some flexibility during the week — I’m definitely not making 20 meals or spending 6 hours in the kitchen on a Sunday. But I do like to have a few solid ideas of what to cook. |
| If making five dinners on a Sunday feels overwhelming, ask yourself what you can do to get a head start. That might mean thinking of three dinners, getting your grocery shopping done, cooking some protein, or chopping some vegetables. Make meal planning work for you. It doesn’t have to look Instagram-perfect. |
| Q: |
What are some of your favorite little-known nutrition health facts or hacks? |
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A:
- Think about what you can add to your diet, not subtract. Instead of depriving yourself, add veggies, fiber, protein, etc.
- There’s protein in almost everything we eat — meat, seafood, grains, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and more. It all counts toward your daily intake.
- Drinking water out of a straw helps me drink more.
- Bell peppers have more vitamin C than an orange.
- Frozen fruits and vegetables are just as healthy as fresh.
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| Q: |
If you could give *one* piece of advice to someone who wants to improve their diet, what would you say? |
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| A: Start small. Many people slam their foot on the gas and give up after a couple of weeks. It can be tricky if you want to see immediate results, but you have to play the long game to make sustainable changes. |
| Focus on 1–2 small changes you can make: Walk for 10 minutes, add a vegetable to dinner, drink 8 glasses of water a day. Let those become habits and add on from there. |
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