HLTH 640
Kristen Skaugen
HLTH 640
Safe Diets: Interview & Analysis
Demographic information of your chosen
subject. Demographics include age, height,
weight, and any other variables that you
would like to add. Do not provide names or
identify the subjects.
Female, 38 years old, 5’2”, 150lbs, mostly
sedentary currently but used to be very active,
works from home, husband works outside of
the home, three children ages 10-17 that go to
school outside of the home and participate in
many activities.
What diet has your subject gone on before
AND why did they choose that diet? Have
them explain why they chose that diet.
Whole30 – she chose this particular diet
because it seemed to simplify the process of
food choice. There are limited foods to
choose from and many could be made in
conjunction with a version that the rest of the
family would prefer.
Have them describe the diet to you. The Whole30 diet allows just “real” foods and
eliminates the extra sugars, preservatives, and
other additives that end making your body
feel slow and sluggish.
How did things go on that weight loss diet?
Did they have success? How do they define
success?
She was able to completely stick with the
Whole30 foods for a few days (about 3), but
then started to make additions or
substitutions. There was some weight loss
initially, but once wiggle room was allowed
some of that was put back on. Overall
throughout the process of starting, wavering,
and restarting there was a 4-week span
(therefore the entire Whole30 was not
completed, since it requires 30 full days). In
all about 3 pounds were lost, healthier food
choices were made even during the “non-
compliant” days. Looking back on the
experience, she feels that the diet was
successful in bringing to light the poor food
choices she was making and finding
alternatives or replacements. In terms of
weight loss, it was minimal, so not necessarily
as successful as she would have hoped (the
goal initially was 10 pounds). There was also
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a renewed feeling of energy after the first few
days where caloric intake was lower due to
unfamiliarity with food choices and trying to
obtain compliant foods.
Have they gone on any other weight loss
diets? If so, what were they? What were their
experience(s) like?
In the past she has tried simply tracking her
foods with My Fitness Pal to stick to a caloric
goal. This has resulted in small amounts of
weight loss, but due to a lack of consistency
and no focus on nutrients being consumed,
the tracking did not last more than a week at a
time with 2-3 pounds lost at most.
What resources does the subject use to get
their nutrition information?
While the subject has a BS in Exercise
Science, nutrition is not a strong point in
understanding or practice for her. She usually
gets nutrition information from mainstream
websites or will read the books of diets that
pop up (such as the Whole30 book, which she
read portions of and then started to
implement).
Did the diet recommend regular exercise?
Have them describe. If yes, do they still
exercise?
There is no exercise component to the
Whole30 diet. However, the subject was
maintaining a daily step count goal (10k/day)
throughout the time she was trying to
implement this diet.
Did the subject take vitamins or supplements?
Why or why not? If he/she took supplements,
how much did he/she spend a month?
No, she did not. She has not taken vitamins
regularly in the past, so did not during this
either.
If the subject were to learn more about
nutrition and weight loss, what specifically
would he/she like to learn about or what
would be helpful to him/her?
(You are not to address or provide answers to
their concerns at this time, simply identify
their questions and areas of interest.)
She is hoping to find a diet that allows her to
find more balance in healthy choices,
especially ones that are family friendly, and
the comfort foods that the entire family is
used to normally eating. Ultimately, she
would like a meal plan that is spelled out for
her in order to take one responsibility (meal
planning) off her list without the research that
goes into learning to eat with more healthy
choices.
What concerns or questions does the subject
have about diet or health in general, if any?
(You are not to address or provide answers to
their concerns at this time, simply list their
concerns.)
She seems to be unsure of just how to proceed
without putting a lot of time into starting the
process and overhauling the way that her
family and her eat. Since she makes the
meals for the household, finding solutions
that appeal to the entire family is ideal since it
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is tough when she makes a healthier
alternative and then has leftovers from the rest
of the family to look at throughout the week.
Feel free to ask any other questions you feel
will help you better understand your subject
on this matter.
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Perceived Barriers
Some of the barriers within the Whole30 diet are ones that the subject noted in the initial
interview. One potential barrier that the subject alluded to was her desire to find something with
a short list of recommended foods. While, in the short term this might seem like an easy way to
jump start a diet, over the course of 30 days this may lead to boredom and therefore more
temptation to cheat or stray from the diet. The Whole30 diet is costly, recommending organize,
wild-caught, or pasture-raised foods more expensive than many people would normally
consume2. It is also noted that the foods and recipes that are compliant with this diet typically
take longer to prepare than most people’s typical foods. As a working mom with a busy
household this sounds less than ideal for her situation. Finally, while this diet is simply meant to
be a kick start to healthier eating, there is no transition plan for how to continue eating more
mindfully. As the subject mentioned in her interview, she would like the guesswork taken out of
developing a way to eat healthier, so without a long term plan, she will likely revert back to tried
and true foods that work for the household.
Did your subject choose a healthy approach to weight loss? Why or why not?
Overall, the Whole30 diet does not appear to be a healthy approach to weight loss,
especially if a subject would be very strict in their compliance. One note about a negative of the
diet was the elimination of foods that are known to help lower the risk of heart disease. As the
subject is currently leading a primarily sedentary lifestyle, this should be of concern to her.
Since there is no exercise component to the Whole30 diet, there must be a focus on what will
work with the current lifestyle best. Foods that help to keep the heart healthy include vegetables,
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fruits, whole grains, fat-free dairy products, fish and lean meats1. However, the Whole30 diet
eliminates the consumption of all grains (even whole grains) and dairy products. It leaves just
the vegetable, fruit, and protein food groups. There is little balance to the entire diet.
Public Health Nutritionist’s Role
For the subject that I interviewed, she would benefit from having a public health
nutritionist involved in the planning and implementation of a healthy eating plan in order to look
at what is realistic for her lifestyle, wallet, and long-term commitment. The want to change her
eating habits is there and the motivation of weight loss or energy gain may help that along,
however there is so much information out that my subject is completely lost. A nutritionist that
can help to connect the needs and wants of the subject (weight loss, ease in implementing
healthier eating habits for the household) to changes that are sustainable and work with the
lifestyle of the house (busy, with little time to prepare meals each day and perhaps a focus on
keeping them family friendly on a budget) would take the guesswork out. This would also
eliminate the barrier of the research that must be done in order to find a healthy eating plan that
works for the subject and ultimately the family unit.
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