YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Summer 2015) | Page 3
ZOE NICHOLSON, APD
Zoe has a passion for food and one of her key goals in being an
Accredited Practising Dietitian is to help you enjoy all types of food,
especially the ones you love, but may avoid because “they’re fattening”.
Zoe does not believe you need to eat diet foods or deny yourself and will
show you how to manage your health without dieting.
Visit figureate.com.au or click here to learn more about Zoe.
EAT INTUITIVELY
AND CHANGE YOUR
THINKING
Nutrition expert Zoe Nicholson encourages intuitive eating as a way to change your
thinking around some of the most common myths about food and nutrition.
ietitians are not the food police! Some of us are
foodies, some of us just like plain simple food, very
few of us, if any, live on carrot sticks and lettuce
alone. Most dietitians eat and enjoy the same foods most
people do. Here are a few of the other common myths I’ve
come across during my time as an Accredited Practising
Dietitan.
D
Myth 1. Losing weight will make you a happier,
healthier person
In my ten years as a dietitian, I have seen thousands of
people who, despite losing weight, are still desperately
unhappy with themselves and their body. Often, it is only
when people let go of their desire to lose weight and focus
on improving their relationship with food and their body, that
their health improves and they start to feel happier within
themselves.
You can improve your relationship with food by relearning
how to eat intuitively. Intuitive eating means you trust
yourself with when to eat, what to eat, and how much to eat.
You did this when you were a baby and small child and you
can relearn to eat intuitively as an adult. It is more complex
than it sounds and you may need to seek help from a dietitian
who works in this area. As you start feeling better about your
eating, you’ll start feeling better about your body.
because someone else has told you to, usually leads to
wanting that food more, and over-eating when you have it.
In the long run, saying “no” can do more damage than
good, unless you’re doing it for the right reasons.
Myth 4. There are “good” and “bad” foods
Food does not have a moral value. Just as a chair is neither
good nor bad, chocolate is also not good or bad, it’s just
chocolate. Eating 50g of chocolate in one hit is not going to
harm your health, although eating 50kg of chocolate most
likely will. The same can be said for eating broccoli or
drinking water.
Eating a food you label as “bad”, tends to make you feel
bad or guilty about eating it. The food is not the problem –
it’s the thinking that needs to change.
Learning how to eat intuitively (or mindfully) is an effective
way to enhance your current thinking around food and
nutrition.
Myth 2. Diet or low calorie foods are a healthier choice
Extra virgin olive oil is high in calories but it’s also very
healthy. Diet soft drinks may have no calories, yet I would
not call them healthy. I would also pop diet yoghurt in with
diet soft drinks, although one could argue they are healthier
as they provide some calcium. However, diet yoghurts lack
taste and perpetuate “dieting”, which is not healthy.
Myth 3. The ability to say “no” to food you love means
you’re being good
Of course it’s sensible to say “no” to dessert or your
favourite snack if you’re not hungry or already full. Saying
“no” to a food because you are working on improving your
health is also fine, so long as it’s what you really want to do.
Saying “no” just because you’re following a diet plan or
SUMMER 2015 YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE
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