YMCA Healthy Living Magazine, powered by n4 food and health (Winter 2015) | Page 18
ZOE NICHOLSON, APD
Zoe has a passion for food with one of her key goals as a dietitian being to help everyone
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 in her business, Figureate (www.figureate.
com.au). You can learn more about Zoe at n4foodandhealth.com
MAKING
HEALTHY EATING
SIMPLE
Nutrition expert Zoe Nicholson shares her top three tips to
making healthy eating easier.
o you remember a time when it
was just cereal and milk for
breakfast, a sandwich for
lunch and meat and three veg for
dinner? This was pretty much how my
family ate growing up in the 1970s, 80s
and 90s – and we were fit healthy kids.
D
The good news is that eating well does
not need to be complicated. These
three relatively simple concepts are one
way to avoid getting confused about
what or how to eat, and you can apply
them to just about any style of eating.
1. Eat food because you’re hungry.
2. Eat the food your body needs.
3. Eat food that you enjoy the taste of.
So let’s unpack this…
1. Eat because you’re hungry
While this may seem like a no brainer,
many people are out of touch with their
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YMCA HEALTHY LIVING MAGAZINE WINTER 2015
appetite and eat simply because the
clock says so. Other people are eating
due to boredom, or in response to their
emotions. You may also eat something
simply because “it’s good for you”. You
don’t need to make food choices based
on calories, nutrient content or the
latest food trend – and no, you don’t
need to completely avoid sugar! You
should eat because your body tells you
you’re hungry and it needs fuel.
2. Eat the food your body needs
Choose a variety of whole foods, such
as fruit, vegetables, legumes, eggs,
meat, fish; and minimally processed
whole grains and dairy foods. While not
everyone chooses to include all these
food groups in their diet, if you do then
you should easily get all the nutrients
your body needs. When you are eating
in response to true physical hunger, your
body instinctively knows what it needs.