What I learned when studying nutrition
Good nutrition is so much more than a 'diet'
According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics - "In 2017-18, two-thirds (67.0%) of Australian adults were overweight or obese (12.5 million people), an increase from 63.4% in 2014-15. Do these statistics surprise you? The problem with these statistics is that we know without doubt that being overweight or obese increases a person's risk of developing long-term health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, and Type 2 diabetes. Most people know what to do when it comes to healthy eating and also know of the associated risks of not eating well, so why are we still so terrible at taking care of ourselves?
Diet culture is unhelpful at best and harmful in many cases
Rather than sharing simple solutions, we are bombarded by over-complicated concepts that leave people more confused than ever. Science is revealing additional complexities when it comes to obesity that we are yet to fully understand. Add this to readily available, highly palatable 'fake' foods and insurmountable levels of stress and disconnection, and you have the perfect recipe for a sick society.
Perhaps rather than continually bouncing from one diet to another, we would benefit ourselves by focusing on some really simple strategies aimed at promoting physical and emotional well-being.
History in the making
There is no doubt that we are currently sitting right in the middle of an emotionally tumultuous time in history. Mental health-related illnesses are also on the rise alongside obesity. The pressures of daily life are very real, I believe we need to ask questions as to how this too is playing into our food choices and the ever-increasing size of our waistlines.
Yo-yo dieting is damaging
Perhaps rather than continually bouncing from one diet to another, we would benefit ourselves by focusing on some really simple strategies aimed at promoting physical and emotional well-being. The thing is, reading a book about wellness strategies or following a program has very limited reach in many cases. We need government health initiatives that focus on teaching wellness from an early age. We also need more support for disadvantaged members of society. Basically, we need a collective shift that recognises how our current way of living is no longer 'healthy' for society as a whole. Australia is a beautiful country, but scratch beneath the surface and the dysfunction is sitting right there, right in front of our eyes.
If your family eats terribly and you feel pressured to do the same, how can you introduce small changes that they will accept?
Studying nutrition
I recently studied a Cert IV in nutrition and it opened my eyes once again to the complexities faced by many individuals. No longer is disadvantage limited to a few, it is growing and reaching people who were once protected by their higher income. How easy it is to tell someone to eat healthy food and move more often by joining a gym, but what about their capacity to afford these things or in fact, have the time to attend? What if you are already working two jobs just to make ends meet? Gym memberships cost between $60-$150 per month on average. If you are a single-income family with two children living in Newcastle NSW, this is a LOT of money when your rent/mortgage is already high and the cost of living continues to rise. Yes, fruit and vegetables are not the most expensive food on the supermarket shelf, but they are probably less appealing when your body is asking for high-energy foods for numerous reasons including stress levels, energy levels, and your need for comfort.
Healthy food but....
Just because we know certain foods are 'healthy' doesn't mean that socially, culturally, or emotionally, these foods are a good choice for us. Think about social expectations when it comes to drinking alcohol for example. If all of our friends drink alcohol and our whole social life revolves around drinking alcohol, how will we ever stop, even when we know the associated risks? The same applies to foods and behaviours. If your friends, family, and social support network eat in a certain way and connect through certain types of food and behaviours, how can you extract yourself and form different habits when this change comes at the expense of your emotional security?
The problem is complex in many cases and so are the solutions
Just because the problem is complex it doesn't mean you are powerless to make changes. If you are in a position to pay for a gym or exercise classes this will benefit you greatly even if you are heavier than you want to be. If you can afford good quality food and have a support network that backs you up, this is an excellent choice and will improve your health outcomes even if you are a little heavier than you would like to be. If you can't afford classes and gym memberships, walking is the lowest-cost exercise you can do to benefit your health. If your family eats terribly and you feel pressured to do the same, how can you introduce small changes that they will accept? Every small change makes a big difference over time.
Obesity is a complex problem that requires a multi-level approach
Good nutrition is so much more than a 'diet', it requires us to see ourselves in the context of our family, friends, and society as a whole. How do we fit in, what makes us fit in, and is fitting in healthy overall? If not, what needs to be changed and how can we do this?
Need help with your nutrition and lifestyle? Send me a message.
