Eating nutritiously is a balancing act.

As the tastiest treat time fades to penitent New Year’s resolutions, people surrender to “all or nothing” strategies that risk ridding diets of essential food sources.

Susan Katz-Scheinker, who has owned Cambium Nutrition Therapy in Kalamazoo since 2012, is more forgiving: “Every time you encounter food, you have a new opportunity.”

The registered dietitian, whose Dec. 16 appearance at Southwestern Michigan College was sponsored by its Wellness Committee, graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1997 and has a master’s degree in business administration from Wayne State University.

She was business account manager for Nestle Healthcare Nutrition for 10 years.

Katz-Scheinker, in addition to speaking to SMC staff on “Nutrition and Your Energy — Choosing to Create a Healthy, Nourished Body,” is conducting an eight-month pilot program with six employees selected randomly from volunteers enrolled in the college benefit plan.

She meets one-on-one monthly with participants between November and June, creating individualized meal plans after an initial consultation.

Data will be analyzed by the Wellness Committee to assess whether to offer such a program to all benefit plan employees.

“Nutrition is one of the most emotionally-charged topics,” Katz-Scheinker said. “Each of you is unique, with different lifestyles, genetics, food patterns, fitness patterns and medical needs. That must be honored to do well.”

“Nutrition is the process of providing or obtaining food necessary for health and growth. Food is any nourishing substance eaten, drunk or otherwise taken into the body to sustain life, provide energy or promote growth. Food is about having the energy to keep your body moving.”

Food falls under three major groups — carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Starch, fruit, milk and treats are carbohydrates. Proteins are pretty much anything that could have been an animal, including eggs. Fats are oils, even coconuts, which come straight from the earth. Nuts are both protein and fat.”

Incorporating all food groups energizes the body.

Removing one, such as banishing carbohydrates, creates imbalance.

Besides sugar, carbs encompass starches, such as peas, corn, lima beans and potatoes, and fiber from fruits, vegetables and grains.

“When you eliminate an entire category, you’ve gotten rid of food that comes from nature,” she said. “If you like those foods, you’re going to miss them. Your body is going to be confused because it’s designed for all three. One fruit serving could be a small apple, two tablespoons of raisins or an entire cup of raspberries for the same 60 calories and 15 grams of carbohydrate.”

Women’s bodies consist 55 percent of water, compared to 60 percent for men.

Women have more fat for childbearing, men more muscle mass.

“The color of your urine is a telltale sign about hydration,” she said. “If it’s yellow, you need water.”

Katz-Scheinker, who works with people with eating disorders, said, “We are so focused on how we appear, but your lungs, optic nerve, heart, liver and pancreas are all affected by how you nourish the inside of your body. Instead of all or nothing, which I see all the time, nourish the inside of your body,” navigating conflicting information about veganism, gluten-free, Paleo plans and Atkins low-carb diets.

A Paleo diet is foods presumed eaten by early humans, such as meat, fish, vegetables and fruit, excluding dairy or grain products and processed food.

“You shouldn’t be working for the meal plan,” she said. “The meal plan should work for you. You need to understand how you are eating now. Then you can make choices and changes.

“When I work with someone individually, I look at the pattern of what a day looks like. It’s like a bank account. If you spend all the time and don’t know how much you have, you’ll overspend because you lack accountability. The psychology of writing food down is there is no emotion. If you have a snack you don’t feel good about, putting it down lets it go. It’s one food encounter in a 24-hour period. Every time you encounter food is a new beginning.”

A nighttime snack might couple popcorn with peanuts or substitute yogurt for ice cream.

“It’s normal to be hungry at 3 o’clock, but you could have an apple and string cheese instead of chocolate. I encourage five or six food encounters a day — breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, marrying carbohydrates and protein for balance. Don’t just have an apple, but an apple and walnuts, an apple and cheese, cheese and crackers or a banana and peanut butter.

“If you have an apple at 9, your eyes are crossing by noon. You’re sweaty and hot and not feeling right. That’s your blood sugar talking. Even if you’re not diabetic, you’re off. You’ll sleep better with balance.”