It feels like practically every time I open my phone, I’m inundated with recommendations to drink water gloopy with chia seeds or eat a “raw carrot salad” (isn’t that just a carrot?). Nutrition has always been a loaded concept: it’s cultural, personal and universal all at the same time, but it’s been co-opted by internet nutritionists, which can be anyone with a smartphone who feels like giving nutritional advice. Luckily, there are people like Lindsay Wengler, a Brooklyn-based dietician who cuts through the noise and uses her legitimate qualifications to shed light on the confusing and ever-changing world of nutrition. 

Tell me about yourself and how you became a dietician. 

My family is originally from Brooklyn and Long Island. I grew up in Washington state, and after my first degree, I moved to New York. That was almost 20 years ago. I’m never leaving Brooklyn. 

Nutrition is my second career. I was in business management to begin, and I fell in love with helping others achieve their health and wellness goals. Going through my own health journey, I wanted to help people do the same thing. I went back to school for many years, completed my internship and became a dietician to do just that. 

You grew up in an Italian-American household. How did that affect your relationship with food?

I grew up in a kitchen. My mother and grandmother taught me how to cook, and food was always a huge part of my life. Part of the reason I love being a dietician is that I’m able to take that love for food and try to impart that to others. I love helping people come up with meals for their families that fit their budgets and culture and bring them joy. 

What is your philosophy when it comes to nutrition? 

My approach to food is pretty holistic. I think that food is interconnected with everything — how we interact with others, how we sleep, how we take care of ourselves. There’s a lot of nutrition misinformation out there. My goal is to help people sift through that, find their own balance and improve their relationship with food. I tend to work with people who have a pretty difficult relationship with food, so I provide individualized solutions for them. 

What are the most common myths or misconceptions about food people come to you with?

With the increase of TikTok and social media, there are a lot of people without a nutrition or science background making these claims about eating, or not eating, certain things to improve your health. A lot of it is just incorrect. People will restrict eating foods that would otherwise be healthy for them or develop a disordered relationship with food where they’re afraid to eat certain things. My goal is to make sure people are eating regular meals and enjoying them. 

From a cultural perspective, there are a lot of people saying that we shouldn’t eat things like pasta. I would die if I couldn’t have pasta! It’s part of my DNA. 

How can people discern who is actually qualified to give nutritional advice and who isn’t?

I’m technically a dietician. A dietician has gone through the appropriate amount of schooling, completed an internship and passed an exam. They’re qualified to provide nutrition counseling and medical nutrition therapy. Anyone can call themselves a nutritionist. There’s no official test or course. 

It seems like ultra-processed foods are top of mind in the nutrition landscape. From what you’ve seen, what do we know about the effects on the body of the preservatives added to these foods?

A big part of my job is to stay on top of all of the new research coming out about nutrition. Unfortunately, nutrition science is difficult to conduct. Accurate research requires control over people who are eating certain foods, and it needs to be done over long periods of time to see if there really are correlations between foods and health outcomes. 

I wouldn’t say that no one should eat preservatives ever. Preservatives are an important part of our food chain. Without them, our food would spoil quickly and a large portion of the population would not be able to eat. A lot of people don’t have access to fresh foods that they can cook nor do they have the time to prepare them. I would rather people have foods that have preservatives than not have food at all. It’s easy to vilify an ingredient or additive in food. When you zoom out, you see how important it is to the food supply chain. 

There are natural preservatives, like citric acid, vitamin C and salt that we can choose if we are concerned. Or we can make our own fresh food if we have the time and means to do so. It’s really about variety. If you’re only eating processed foods with lots of preservatives, that may be a problem, just as eating only fruits and vegetables and nothing else could also be a problem. 

Are there differences between the types or amounts of preservatives allowed by the FDA than, for example, by its European counterpart?

There are some food additives that are generally recognized as safe by the FDA but are not necessarily recognized as safe in other countries, and vice versa. The reasons one country wouldn’t see something as acceptable and another would are always up for debate.

On a less technical note, is there a particular meal you’ve been enjoying making during the late summer?

I hate turning on my stove in a hot New York City summer. A lot of my meals revolve around fresh veggies — cucumber and tomato salads with chickpeas. I love adding fresh olive oil, herbs, protein and whatever fresh veggies and fruits I can find. It’s hydrating and nutritious, and you don’t have to turn your stove on. 

Nutrition, as we’ve covered, is constantly changing. In the ‘90s, we were afraid of fat, but of course, now we know that fat can be good for us. What are you most curious about in the field of nutrition? 

I am still, to this day, telling people that it’s okay to eat egg yolks. I think we’re seeing an omnipresence of information about nutrition on the internet through social media. This affects a lot of younger and older people because they start to question their relationships with food. Food can be stressful enough without fearing it — it’s expensive and time-consuming to get, make and eat food. We may not fully understand it, but I’m excited to keep helping people relate to, and eat, food more mindfully.