A new registered dietician is in Enterprise and is ready to tackle addictions to Southern-fried favorites and modify traditional holiday recipes.
Louisiana native Merritt Crawford admits she has a sweet tooth, loves ice cream and carb-laden breakfast muffins and thinks “diet” is a dirty word. Crawford opened a new office inside Gold’s Gym this month and said she is ready to help clients who want to lower their cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes, or gain more muscle. She said she expects many to show interest in shedding some pounds.
“Just losing ten pounds can make a huge difference,” she said.
Crawford said local food traditions and the reluctance to make lifestyle changes often impedes dieters’ success.
“Sweet tea is the drink of the South. And Southern-fried chicken is everywhere,” said Crawford, adding that the sugar content in sweet tea is comparable to regular soda, which has 16 teaspoons per can. “People can eat these things, but maybe not as much. I like to stress to clients not to think of it as a diet, because when you cut out something completely you just want it more.”
Crawford knows a thing or two about Southern tastes. She grew up in Baton Rouge and often visited the home of her grandfather, a soil conservationist and professor at LSU.
“He had rows and rows of blueberries, and as kids we just loved them. And that was before they became known as a superfood,” she said. “I love cooking. Love to bake especially, so it’s always been in my family and in my life.”
Crawford, who has extensive experience with cardiac patients, said one of her most useful methods involves altering favorite high-fat recipes so they are more healthful. Pumpkin pie for example, does not have to be a “guilt” food with a few substitutions.
“Change to dollop of Cool Whip to the light version, cut out the heavy cream and use evaporated skim milk instead, and switch to Egg Beaters,” said Crawford. “I encourage people to bring in their favorite holiday meals and we can look at it and make it better.”
Home cooking is often less preferred to eating out, a favorite local pastime, but Crawford warns calorie-counters to beware of deceiving meal choices.
“The salad bar is challenging,” she said. “Obviously the more veggies you pile on, the better, but it gets tricky once you get to the cheese and the egg and the ham and the nuts. And products labeled ‘low fat’ are usually not low-calorie so people just need to be careful.”
Crawford said recently emphasis has been placed on a high-protein, low-carb diet, and one of her clients is a vegetarian. She said food restrictions don’t have to be an obstacle.
“As long as they’re up front about their choices, then I can fit it into a diet plan,” she said.
Copyright 2008 The Enterprise Ledger
