In this edition of our Nutrition and Wellbeing Clinic newsletter:
Eating more mindfully may be better than strict dieting
Organic foods – what’s in for you?
Gourmet salts: should you bring back the salt shaker
Recipe for creamy baba ganoush
Video: The best diet for fatty liver disease
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Stop Dieting & Become More of a Mindful Eater, says Dietitian Courtney
Adult obesity rates began rising dramatically in Western society in the 1980’s, likely due in part to the rapid rise in popularity of high energy convenience foods – think processed snack foods and fast food. Also, a trend in dieting that exploded, with many people attempting new and often unsuccessful ways to restrict their food intake to lose weight.
Unfortunately, depriving yourself of all the foods you enjoy and exercising as a form of punishment is not a sustainable long term solution to weight management. It often leads to cycles of weight loss and weight gain and a belief that your body is never healthy or slim enough. It can even damage your mental health leading to greater anxiety and depression.
But did you know there is an alternative to popular dieting?
Non-dieting styles of eating
The non-diet movement evolved because it was recognised that dieting and food restriction can often backfire and actually contribute to weight gain and altered body shape and size.
You may have heard of non-dieting styles of better eating, such as intuitive eating and mindful eating. The theory behind these styles suggests that everyone possesses the natural mechanism to eat in a way that nourishes their body and ensures a healthy weight.
Such styles of eating promote:
- Listening to your body’s internal cues
- Eating when you feel hungry and stopping when you are full
- Eating mindfully without distractions (e.g. NOT eating on the run)
- Moving your body for enjoyment
- Body acceptance - learning to accept your body’s natural size
- Enjoying all foods freely and without guilt
- Reducing food preoccupation by eliminating forms of food restriction
So, should you say goodbye to popular yo-yo “diets” and adopt a non-diet eating approach? Non-dieting styles place value on your whole health – including your thinking. They may help you to engage with what your body needs to feel healthy and nourished while being kinder to your mind. Therefore freeing you from the harmful restraints of food deprivation and helping you develop a positive relationship with food that can last a lifetime.
In contrast to traditional dieting, which typically focuses on what is wrong with your body, non-dieting styles can help you work towards body acceptance and appreciation of what your body can do for you.
A study published in the journal Eating Behaviours compared dieting vs non-dieting styles of eating, finding that non-dieting styles can be overall better for one’s physical and mental health.
Similarly, a systematic review of 24 previously published studies found a link between intuitive eating and positive body image, reduced disordered eating behaviours and improved emotional health and wellbeing. And a 2020 randomised control trial demonstrated that a non-diet approach can also result in improvements in eating habits and quality of nutrition, as well as weight-related behaviours in young women.
It is thought that when you allow yourself to eat the foods you enjoy without restriction and move for enjoyment, you will no longer feel deprived of the things you enjoy in life. And this might therefore help you crave nourishing, healthy foods more so you can settle to your body’s natural healthy weight. Of course, more research is required to prove this, but these non-dieting styles of eating do offer some valuable lessons for all of us.
Why you should become more of a mindful eater
- A more sustainable alternative to traditional dieting
- Learn to listen to your body and what it needs
- Body acceptance – learn to love your natural size and shape
- Say goodbye to food guilt
- No more food cravings!
- End your preoccupation with food – no more counting calories, fat, sugar
- Repair your relationship with food – make food your friend not your foe!
- Learn to enjoy physical activity
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Quote
“Everything you are searching for will be revealed to you. Everything you are after will come. Everything you wish to be, you already are.”
-Dulce Ruby
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What’s Cooking – Cookshop Announcement
Yay – we are finally out of lockdown!!
Due to the COVID-19 government regulations we have had to postpone our upcoming “in person” cookshops to ensure the safety of our community.
All upcoming cookshops have been be placed on hold until further notice. Those who have booked a place at these cookshops have been notified via email.
Now we are out of lockdown, we are busy planning the best and safest way to bring back our inspiring and award-wining cookshops ASAP. For more information, you can check out our webpage http://nwbc.com.au/cookshops/dates.html
In the meantime, we continue to bring you content via our website, social media and monthly E-Newsletters.
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Food Matters – Those Organic Foods
Read this article to find out what organic foods could do for you and why salicylic acid is important.
https://nwbc.com.au/columns/foodcolumn02_9.pdf
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Food InFocus – Gourmet Salts: is any type good for you?
Is pink salt healthy and should you indulge your taste buds? What about other gourmet salts? Watch this short interview with Dr Sue Radd to find out.
https://vimeo.com/45622432
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Recipe – Baba Ganoush
Have you ever tried making your own dips? This creamy Lebanese-style eggplant dip is also ideal as a spread to replace butter. Apart from being delicious, it is packed with viscous fibres that cut high cholesterol and help regulate blood sugar levels. Try it!
https://nwbc.com.au/resources/recipe_babaganoush.html
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TV Segment– How to Live Younger
Did you miss our very own Dr Sue Radd’s recent appearance on the ABC?
She appeared as an expert among scientists like Professor Luigi Fontana and Professor Valter Longo on the recent episode ‘Food’ in the documentary series called How to Live Younger?
An hour long doco covering the benefits of plant based eating (in particular a Mediterranean diet), the microbiome, styles of fasting and more!.
If you missed it, don’t worry. You can catch up on ABCiview right now!
https://iview.abc.net.au/video/DO2015H003S00
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