Maya Reyes, M.S., RDNGentle nutrition: add before you subtract
Actual nutrition advice with zero rules: the add-first method. More fiber, more protein, more water, more joy — and nothing taken away first.
People are always surprised that I — an anti-diet dietitian — talk about nutrition at all. But anti-diet doesn't mean anti-health. It means the order of operations is different: safety and permission first, nutrition second. And when we get there, the method is addition.
The add-first list
Add a fruit or vegetable to what you're already eating — don't replace the meal, add to it. Add protein to breakfast and watch the 3pm vending-machine pull weaken on its own. Add water. Add foods you genuinely love, on purpose, so eating stays a pleasure and not a performance.
Addition works because it doesn't trip the scarcity alarm. Nothing is forbidden, so nothing gets loud. Your meals get more satisfying and more nourishing at the same time — which is what 'balanced' was supposed to mean before the internet got hold of it.
A note on bodies
Gentle nutrition supports the body you have, not a hypothetical future one. Energy, digestion, mood, labs — real markers, no before-and-after photos required.
About the author
Maya Reyes, M.S., RDN
M.S., RDN, LD · Anti-diet dietitian
Maya is a registered dietitian nutritionist in East Austin helping people quit the diet cycle for good. She writes the way she practices: science-backed, weight-inclusive, and allergic to food shame.