overPUMPED.com Featured Trainer
Far too often we've heard people at the gym complaining about how hard they train but can't seem to see any results and if you haven't heard it, you may have seen it, as for some of us, we'd have to look no further than the nearest mirror.
A sound nutrition plan is the key to unlocking your full physical potential. Sometimes, more often
than not, guidance is required in developing such a plan and this is where nutritionists play a critical role.
Today overPUMPED.com features Mweia Elias one of Trinidad's finest nutritionists as she provides us with some excellent insight on general diet and nutrition.
INTERVIEW:
[Q] What is your background?
I am an integrative health coach who is trained as a clinical nutritionist/ registered dietitian, as well as a personal trainer. Before entering the health and fitness arena, I was a research scientist in the fields of pharmacology and cancer biology.
[Q] How long have you been involved in fitness?
I’ve been a certified personal trainer for 5 years now. My interest in fitness started off with dance in high school. I've always taken more of a movement approach to fitness hence I specialize in functional progressive movement training, Pilates, and corrective exercise, which all help people move better so that they can get the results they want, all while avoiding or recovering from injury.
I am an integrative health coach who is trained as a clinical nutritionist/ registered dietitian, as well as a personal trainer. Before entering the health and fitness arena, I was a research scientist in the fields of pharmacology and cancer biology.
[Q] How long have you been involved in fitness?
I’ve been a certified personal trainer for 5 years now. My interest in fitness started off with dance in high school. I've always taken more of a movement approach to fitness hence I specialize in functional progressive movement training, Pilates, and corrective exercise, which all help people move better so that they can get the results they want, all while avoiding or recovering from injury.
[Q] Why did you decide to pursue this field?
As a researcher in pharmacology I realized that drugs are good for suppressing symptoms, but I was more interested in helping people live happy healthy lives, not just suppress their symptoms. I started making changes in my own way of eating and discovered the power of real food to transform and heal. So I decided to pursue a career that would help people to discover this for themselves. Working as a personal trainer is actually how I earned a living while in graduate school in New York.
[Q] Are you currently certified as a nutritionist/dietician?
Yes, initially as a Holistic Health Coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC. I later completed my masters degree in clinical nutrition at NYU.
[Q] Why do people seek out the services of a nutritionist/dietician?
Some people are trying to address chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc., but most people are seeking to lose weight. I do also get a small portion of people looking to gain weight or build muscle mass. Most females come to me and say they just want to "tone" but not look muscular, but in order to "tone" you must build muscle. Therefore some strength training is necessary. So, I recommend a diet that compliments what they are doing at the gym to get the results they want.
[Q] With so much information on-line, why do you think people need a nutritionist/dietician?
There are many diets and online resources, however each individual is unique, with different needs, so I believe that at least once in their life everyone should take the time to understand what their own body requires. You see,there are many factors to consider including sex, age, activity level, family history, any existing conditions and specific needs. This can then be used to build a long-term plan
[Q] What can a client expect from you as a nutritionist/dietician?
At my private practice (Empower Nutrition), I provide personalized nutrition and lifestyle coaching including customized meal plans, recommended training, supplements, along with the knowledge needed to get lasting results. I also offer a six month coaching program where we make changes to your diet and exercise plan as you progress.I do consultations at some of the local gyms and at companies, where I give general health and nutrition advice to clients.
As a researcher in pharmacology I realized that drugs are good for suppressing symptoms, but I was more interested in helping people live happy healthy lives, not just suppress their symptoms. I started making changes in my own way of eating and discovered the power of real food to transform and heal. So I decided to pursue a career that would help people to discover this for themselves. Working as a personal trainer is actually how I earned a living while in graduate school in New York.
[Q] Are you currently certified as a nutritionist/dietician?
Yes, initially as a Holistic Health Coach at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in NYC. I later completed my masters degree in clinical nutrition at NYU.
[Q] Why do people seek out the services of a nutritionist/dietician?
Some people are trying to address chronic conditions like diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol etc., but most people are seeking to lose weight. I do also get a small portion of people looking to gain weight or build muscle mass. Most females come to me and say they just want to "tone" but not look muscular, but in order to "tone" you must build muscle. Therefore some strength training is necessary. So, I recommend a diet that compliments what they are doing at the gym to get the results they want.
[Q] With so much information on-line, why do you think people need a nutritionist/dietician?
There are many diets and online resources, however each individual is unique, with different needs, so I believe that at least once in their life everyone should take the time to understand what their own body requires. You see,there are many factors to consider including sex, age, activity level, family history, any existing conditions and specific needs. This can then be used to build a long-term plan
[Q] What can a client expect from you as a nutritionist/dietician?
At my private practice (Empower Nutrition), I provide personalized nutrition and lifestyle coaching including customized meal plans, recommended training, supplements, along with the knowledge needed to get lasting results. I also offer a six month coaching program where we make changes to your diet and exercise plan as you progress.I do consultations at some of the local gyms and at companies, where I give general health and nutrition advice to clients.
[Q] What are some common mistakes people make with diets and overall nutrition locally?
Trinidadians seem to prefer to overwork themselves in the gym before changing their diet, because I think they believe nutrition is all about deprivation.
Firstly, if we look at weight loss, the most common mistake is that many people try to starve themselves skinny and while that may work in the short term most people are unable to maintain it. What usually happens is that the weight comes back "with friends" putting them in a worse position than when they first started.
On the other hand, for individuals seeking to build muscle I've found that they don't eat enough. While they may think they eat a lot, upon investigation you find they often skip meals. The other challenge for weight gain may be that while it is important to create a caloric surplus, it must be done in a way that is not going to result in a "pot belly" or much worse… a heart attack. So maintaining a balance is key.
Another big mistake, especially among the guys is that while attempting to build muscle, they drastically increase protein intake. While more protein is necessary, overdoing it can overload the kidneys and result in kidney dysfunction. It should be noted that when increasing protein intake other increases are also necessary to maintain balance e.g. calcium and fibre.
[Q] Have you ever worked with any extremely challenging clients?
Yes. Some clients want immediate results so the difficulty is in encouraging them to remain patient and focus on progress and not perfection.
[Q] Do you have a most memorable client past or present?
Yes I do. This guy came to my private practice on a referral by his doctor because he was pre-diabetic and overweight. He was extremely determined and followed the eating and exercise recommendations very closely. In less than three months, he lost 30 pounds. The physical transformation was dramatic and equally as impressive was that his blood sugar levels returned to normal.
[Q] Have you ever worked with an athlete?
Yes I do, as I specialize in sports nutrition. I've worked with individual athletes as well as entire teams.
[Q] How different is an athlete’s nutrition requirements from the regular Joe?
Because they burn so much energy from daily physical activity, their metabolisms are much higher they often need to eat much more than the average person just to maintain their weight and performance. Because they are eating more than the average person, it places more stress on the body increasing the risk of problems in the future.
There is also what I refer to as the “ex-athlete syndrome” which is this: because they are accustomed to eating very large portions of whatever they want, they continue doing so even after retiring from sport, resulting in obesity or diabetes.
[Q] There seems to be a lot of hype around fitness these days, do you think people’s perception of nutrition is evolving as a result?
I believe that it is changing, slower that the fitness aspect, which is more advanced, but people are realizing that once they decide to make the effort to get fit, changes to nutrition are also required.
There are also a lot of nutrition fads that are not necessarily based on promoting health and people seem to be attracted by the claims and are more open to trying them to get specific results.
[Q] Do you agree that eating healthy is expensive?
I do not agree with that statement and I'm so tired of hearing it that I decided to do a workshop called “A Healthy Budget”, teaching people how to eat healthy on a budget.
Eating out is expensive! So if you think you are going to eat healthy but you do not want to cook, well then you are in trouble. The initial change in eating healthier may require that you spend more money upfront as you have to invest in some basics like olive oil and seasonings, etc but eventually it evens out.
Whole grain brown rice may be more expensive than white rice, but you will be eating less of it. The fancy, expensive “health foods” are not absolutely necessary, as there are a number of inexpensive healthy foods which are the staples in a healthy diet e.g. vegetables, chicken, peas and beans
[Q] What’s your favourite healthy snack?
I don't really snack but if I had to choose it'd be apples and almond butter
My overall favourite foods are mangoes, breadfruit, avocado and seafood.
[Q] What are the rewards of being a nutritionist?
Personally I'm able to apply my knowledge and experience to my own lifestyle. I'm more aware and in tune with my body and able to take better care of it.
Professionally it's very rewarding to be part of someone's transformation and see them begin to truly love themselves.
[Q] Any closing comments?
My hope is that everyone reading this will embrace the fact that what they eat has the power to change what they will become, and understand that it's not about deprivation but about providing your body with what it needs to be healthy and happy.
Trinidadians seem to prefer to overwork themselves in the gym before changing their diet, because I think they believe nutrition is all about deprivation.
Firstly, if we look at weight loss, the most common mistake is that many people try to starve themselves skinny and while that may work in the short term most people are unable to maintain it. What usually happens is that the weight comes back "with friends" putting them in a worse position than when they first started.
On the other hand, for individuals seeking to build muscle I've found that they don't eat enough. While they may think they eat a lot, upon investigation you find they often skip meals. The other challenge for weight gain may be that while it is important to create a caloric surplus, it must be done in a way that is not going to result in a "pot belly" or much worse… a heart attack. So maintaining a balance is key.
Another big mistake, especially among the guys is that while attempting to build muscle, they drastically increase protein intake. While more protein is necessary, overdoing it can overload the kidneys and result in kidney dysfunction. It should be noted that when increasing protein intake other increases are also necessary to maintain balance e.g. calcium and fibre.
[Q] Have you ever worked with any extremely challenging clients?
Yes. Some clients want immediate results so the difficulty is in encouraging them to remain patient and focus on progress and not perfection.
[Q] Do you have a most memorable client past or present?
Yes I do. This guy came to my private practice on a referral by his doctor because he was pre-diabetic and overweight. He was extremely determined and followed the eating and exercise recommendations very closely. In less than three months, he lost 30 pounds. The physical transformation was dramatic and equally as impressive was that his blood sugar levels returned to normal.
[Q] Have you ever worked with an athlete?
Yes I do, as I specialize in sports nutrition. I've worked with individual athletes as well as entire teams.
[Q] How different is an athlete’s nutrition requirements from the regular Joe?
Because they burn so much energy from daily physical activity, their metabolisms are much higher they often need to eat much more than the average person just to maintain their weight and performance. Because they are eating more than the average person, it places more stress on the body increasing the risk of problems in the future.
There is also what I refer to as the “ex-athlete syndrome” which is this: because they are accustomed to eating very large portions of whatever they want, they continue doing so even after retiring from sport, resulting in obesity or diabetes.
[Q] There seems to be a lot of hype around fitness these days, do you think people’s perception of nutrition is evolving as a result?
I believe that it is changing, slower that the fitness aspect, which is more advanced, but people are realizing that once they decide to make the effort to get fit, changes to nutrition are also required.
There are also a lot of nutrition fads that are not necessarily based on promoting health and people seem to be attracted by the claims and are more open to trying them to get specific results.
[Q] Do you agree that eating healthy is expensive?
I do not agree with that statement and I'm so tired of hearing it that I decided to do a workshop called “A Healthy Budget”, teaching people how to eat healthy on a budget.
Eating out is expensive! So if you think you are going to eat healthy but you do not want to cook, well then you are in trouble. The initial change in eating healthier may require that you spend more money upfront as you have to invest in some basics like olive oil and seasonings, etc but eventually it evens out.
Whole grain brown rice may be more expensive than white rice, but you will be eating less of it. The fancy, expensive “health foods” are not absolutely necessary, as there are a number of inexpensive healthy foods which are the staples in a healthy diet e.g. vegetables, chicken, peas and beans
[Q] What’s your favourite healthy snack?
I don't really snack but if I had to choose it'd be apples and almond butter
My overall favourite foods are mangoes, breadfruit, avocado and seafood.
[Q] What are the rewards of being a nutritionist?
Personally I'm able to apply my knowledge and experience to my own lifestyle. I'm more aware and in tune with my body and able to take better care of it.
Professionally it's very rewarding to be part of someone's transformation and see them begin to truly love themselves.
[Q] Any closing comments?
My hope is that everyone reading this will embrace the fact that what they eat has the power to change what they will become, and understand that it's not about deprivation but about providing your body with what it needs to be healthy and happy.
