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 3