This interview is with Barbara Smith, Nutritional Consultant, Lasta.
For Featured readers, how do you describe your work as a Nutritional Consultant and the types of client challenges you specialize in?
What I do as a Nutritional Consultant is, in essence, translation. I take what I know about nutrition science and make it something that people can truly live by, not just for a few weeks until life gets in the way. People don’t have problems because they don’t have enough information. They have problems because habits are difficult and motivation isn’t unlimited.
My clients, in particular, have already tried all the plans and hit a wall. They’re women in perimenopause or postpartum hormonal changes that traditional diet advice was never meant to accommodate. They’re athletes who train hard but eat poorly and wonder why they’re not getting results.
I connect nutrition and fitness as one system, because separating them is where things go wrong.
What experiences led you into nutritional consulting and shaped your current approach to fasting, mindful eating, and weight-loss planning?
My journey to nutritional consulting was as much personal as it was academic. My Bachelor’s in Human Nutrition and subsequent Master’s at Boston University provided great foundational tools; however, it was observing otherwise healthy, well-intentioned individuals struggle despite their knowledge and motivation, and trying to understand why, that led to the development of my methods.
The answer was rarely knowledge-based. It was disconnection: connection to hunger, to healthy habits, and to an honest understanding of how the body responds to stressors like sleep deprivation.
Fasting, to me, was where this all came together. It was not just another diet trend, but a way to reconnect to actual hunger and allow the body to recover. Mindful eating was similarly inspired and is often more effective than any diet plan.
Weight loss planning was not where I started, but where I ended. Once clients are connected to healthy eating habits and are fueling their exercise correctly, the results will take care of themselves.
My experience working with the Lasta app was the culmination of all of these parts into one cohesive whole. There’s no such thing as a singular nutrition problem or a singular fitness problem; people get stuck when they try to tackle these issues as siloed concepts.
When a client is curious about intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating, what first-week guardrails do you put in place based on your assessment?
Before we begin, I look at three key areas: what people are eating, their physical activity levels, and their stress levels. It’s not good to go into a 16:8 without that information. That’s where people go wrong.
In the first week, I don’t want to make things complicated. I’m not interested in people setting windows, skipping meals to do their workouts, or forcing themselves to eat when they feel dizzy. Usually, we begin with a 12-hour overnight fast.
I also look at compensation. Some people might eat a lot in the evening because they restricted themselves in the morning. That’s not fasting.
What is one mindful-eating practice you teach that consistently changes how clients experience a meal?
The one habit that has the greatest effect, I have found, is what I call the “first hunger check”: taking a moment before you begin to eat and asking yourself, “Am I hungry, or am I bored, or am I stressed, or am I just behaving out of habit?”
It sounds almost too simple. However, most people have never made that distinction between physical and emotional hunger before they sit down to eat. That one pause, that one moment of reflection, can begin to change the way people automatically relate to food.
Ultimately, clients report that they end up eating less, enjoying their food more, and not worrying about their food choices at all.
What is your go-to method for turning a single protein base cooked on Sunday into multiple craveable dinners that still support weight loss?
My go-to is what I call “flavor pivoting.” So, I have one protein base, let’s call it shredded chicken or baked salmon. I cook that protein base simply on Sunday, using just salt, pepper, and olive oil. I don’t want to season it in such a way that I’m locking it into one specific direction.
Then, the flavor profile changes every night. For example:
- Tuesday night: it’s a Mediterranean bowl with cucumber and lemon tahini.
- Wednesday night: it’s in a lettuce wrap with mango salsa.
- Thursday night: it’s a warm grain bowl with roasted veggies and miso dressing.
Same protein, completely different experience. My clients don’t feel like they’re eating “diet food” anymore. That’s honestly half the battle when it comes to successful and sustainable weight loss.
When emotional eating shows up, what in-session prompt or micro-skill do you use to help a client pause without shame before a meal?
My most frequent prompt is simply, “What do you actually need right now?” Not accusatory, not clinical, just genuinely curious. I ask people to sit with that question for sixty seconds before opening the fridge.
My aim is not to dissuade people from eating. It is to create a small space between desire and action. And in that space, choice happens. They might still eat, and that is perfectly okay. They just do it thoughtfully instead of mindlessly. And that breaks most of the shame cycle.
As they get more comfortable with this practice, this space between desire and action becomes second nature. That is when real change begins to take hold.
How do you integrate habit or mood-tracking apps into your nutrition coaching so clients stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed?
The most significant blunder I notice with regard to tracking apps is using them as report cards instead of mirrors. This is a significant difference.
In terms of Lasta, I encourage my clients to use just two or three tracked behaviors. That is all. Maybe water consumption, one meal log, and one check-in for their moods.
I find that Lasta is compatible with my methodology because it allows for habit tracking and wellness in one app. Clients will naturally maintain consistency if they feel they are being observed instead of feeling surveilled.
What is your playbook for helping clients enjoy travel or social meals while staying aligned with their goals?
My playbook begins before the trip, where we determine two or three non-negotiables that accompany clients everywhere, such as a protein source, a vegetable routine, and hydration levels. The rest is about flexibility.
In restaurants, my approach is to change the language: instead of “cheating,” it’s about choosing an option in an imperfect world. Order something that makes you happy, eat slowly, and stop when you are satisfied.
My clients who remain consistent while traveling are not the most disciplined; they are the most prepared. A brief look at the restaurant menu, a protein-rich breakfast, and most social meals are then taken care of.
What is one way you help clients redesign their routines around sleep, stress, or environment so their meal plan survives real life?
One thing that quietly changes everything else is linking the meal plan to a behavior that already exists instead of creating a brand new one.
I ask my clients: What is it that you already do, day in and day out, every single day, without even thinking about it? Is it brewing their coffee, charging their phone, or commuting to work? We add one small nutrition behavior to one thing they already do.
Lack of sleep and high levels of stress are going to sabotage even the most carefully constructed meal plan. Instead of fighting it, we plan around it: easy meals during high-stress weeks, extra protein after a poor night’s sleep, and no rules during completely crazy weeks.
Structure should be flexible, not break.