Ananda Mahony
NaomiWhats wrong with what we are eating? (LINK)
April 4th 2008 07:17
Diets abound! Everywhere we turn another best-selling, weight busting, body shaping diet is the latest answer to our eating problems. Atkins, Zone, South Beach, low carb, low fat, low protein – if it’s possible it has been offered as a solution to our dietary woes. But stop and think for a moment - if any of these diets was “the” solution, why is it that Australia is the second most overweight nation in the world? And indeed why are diseases common to Western nations such as Diabetes type 2 and cardiovascular disease on the rise instead of on the decrease?
What is wrong with the way we eat and why is what we eat contributing to the proliferation of disease states? Well it’s nothing you won’t have already read about. We eat too much sugar, too much refined and processed food, too much of the wrong kind of fat, too many preservatives and artificial sweeteners and sometimes just too much! Basically the Western style diet that predominates in Australia is calorie rich and nutrient poor. We aren’t getting what we need from our food, so our bodies crave more nutrition and we respond by eating more of the wrong foods. This cycle leaves us nutritionally deficient and often a few kilos heavier than we want to be.
The response to the general trend towards obesity is to create a new diet every year or so and promote it as the answer. For some individuals these diets may work but more often than not, people enter the “diet roundabout”, losing weight only to put the weight back on and sometimes even more on once they stop following the specific dietary principles.
So before you embark on yet another diet, take a critical look at the principles it promotes. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Is the diet sustainable in the long term?
o Is it so restrictive that you would find it difficult to maintain longer than a few weeks?
o Does it include food that is difficult to source in your local environment?
o Is this diet within your budget?
o Does it take too long to organise and prepare?
2. Does this diet provide you with the nutrition you need?
o A diet that restricts or eliminates key food groups may not actually be healthy in the long term.
3. Is this diet designed to meet a short term goal or is it meant to be a lifelong change?
o What is your motivation to go on a diet? Do you want to drop a couple of kilos fast or do you want to make healthier eating choices for the long term?
o Consider what you want to achieve with any diet as it may help determine if a diet is suitable for you.
4. Have you tried and failed at “fad” diets before?
o If you have tried diets before and not got the results you want or lost weight then quickly put it back on or just gave up because it was too hard, think about whether this is the right path for you. If so, how is it going to be different this time?
o Do you feel that you are denied foods that you enjoy?
Based on the above questions you may actually find that none of the current “fad” diets suit you at all.
Ananda Mahony ND is a naturopath and holistic skin specialist. Her practice focuses on the treatment of skin conditions and Food As Medicine. Ananda also owns Vitale Natural Skin & Body Care, a natural & organic skin care store in Paddington. www.vitalenatural.com.au
What is wrong with the way we eat and why is what we eat contributing to the proliferation of disease states? Well it’s nothing you won’t have already read about. We eat too much sugar, too much refined and processed food, too much of the wrong kind of fat, too many preservatives and artificial sweeteners and sometimes just too much! Basically the Western style diet that predominates in Australia is calorie rich and nutrient poor. We aren’t getting what we need from our food, so our bodies crave more nutrition and we respond by eating more of the wrong foods. This cycle leaves us nutritionally deficient and often a few kilos heavier than we want to be.
The response to the general trend towards obesity is to create a new diet every year or so and promote it as the answer. For some individuals these diets may work but more often than not, people enter the “diet roundabout”, losing weight only to put the weight back on and sometimes even more on once they stop following the specific dietary principles.
So before you embark on yet another diet, take a critical look at the principles it promotes. Ask yourself these questions:
1. Is the diet sustainable in the long term?
o Does it include food that is difficult to source in your local environment?
o Is this diet within your budget?
o Does it take too long to organise and prepare?
2. Does this diet provide you with the nutrition you need?
o A diet that restricts or eliminates key food groups may not actually be healthy in the long term.
3. Is this diet designed to meet a short term goal or is it meant to be a lifelong change?
o What is your motivation to go on a diet? Do you want to drop a couple of kilos fast or do you want to make healthier eating choices for the long term?
o Consider what you want to achieve with any diet as it may help determine if a diet is suitable for you.
4. Have you tried and failed at “fad” diets before?
o If you have tried diets before and not got the results you want or lost weight then quickly put it back on or just gave up because it was too hard, think about whether this is the right path for you. If so, how is it going to be different this time?
o Do you feel that you are denied foods that you enjoy?
Based on the above questions you may actually find that none of the current “fad” diets suit you at all.
Ananda Mahony ND is a naturopath and holistic skin specialist. Her practice focuses on the treatment of skin conditions and Food As Medicine. Ananda also owns Vitale Natural Skin & Body Care, a natural & organic skin care store in Paddington. www.vitalenatural.com.au
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