Being slim = good health, right?
I see people make this assumption all the time, and they are wrong. Slim does not automatically mean good health!
Don’t get me wrong, being slim is good for your health (as long as you are a healthy weight and you are eating well). I know that in my life, when I am slim, I feel better, I have more energy and overall am in better health.
What is frustrating, is seeing slim people judge overweight people, blaming them for being overweight, when they eat much the same diet. There is an assumption that overweight people are unhealthy but slim people are examples of wonderful health. The other assumption is that overweight people’s issues are caused by “glutton and sloth”, this is far from the truth.
Dr Robert Lustig does a good job of dispelling this myth in his latest book “Fat Chance – the bitter truth about sugar”. Here is an excerpt from the book, (page 7): “Being thin is not a safeguard against metabolic disease or early death. Up to 40 percent of normal-weight individuals harbor insulin resistance – a sign of chronic metabolic disease – which will likely shorten their life expectancy. Of those, 20 percent demonstrate liver fat on an MRI of the abdomen. Liver fat, irrespective of body fat has been shown to be a major risk factor in the development of diabetes”.
As I have explained before, you really are what you eat. The body continually breaks down and renews itself, making new skin cells, new blood cells, new bone etc. To do this well, it requires good quality building materials, especiall good quality fat and protein, along with many vitamins and minerals etc. Before you judge anyone else, have a look at your own diet, are you eating foods that nourish your body and provide great building blocks or are you eating rubbish?
Some foods are what I like to call nutrient foods, they supply energy and wonderful building blocks for the body eg. vegetables, quality meat, coconut oil, organic blocked butter, avocado etc. Some “foods” are anti-nutrients, they add loads of sugar and nasty hydrogenated fats/vegetable oil to the body – all of which are inflammatory and cause harm to the body. This kind of “food” takes important nutrients from the body and puts the body under great stress. Eg. most fast food, frozen dinners, confectionary, biscuits, cereals, bread, cakes, muffins, chocolates, margarine, sugary drinks including soft drinks, fruit juice, flavoured milk, flavoured iced tea etc. If you regularly eat these foods you will always be under-nourished and not have quality building blocks for your body to use! This will ultimately lead to aging and many inflammatory diseases such as heart disease and dementia!
For more information or personalised advice on a healthy diet contact us on (02) 47 222 111 at the Informed Health Nutritional Wellbeing Centre or www.informedhealth.com.au
Childhood Obesity – are parents to blame?
This week I had a high school student attend the clinic to interview me for a school assignment. One of the questions was about how much parents are to blame or if parents are to blame for the obesity of their children. It really got me thinking.
I will admit here straight away that I am not a parent and this makes me a “perfect parent” because the only perfect parent that exists is the one in your mind before you actually have kids! Of course, once you have kids you learn that “perfect parents” and “perfect kids” do not exist. It is the real world and we all have strengths and flaws! Oprah’s mentor Maya Angelou’s famous quote “when you know better you do better” is absolutely true. Except for a small number of people, most parents actually do their best.
It is not unusual now for there to be three to four generations in a family who have not been taught how to shop and how to cook. In my experience most people are not taught to be “in tune” with their body. Eating is often followed by feeling bloated, sick, tired etc and this is considered normal.
Our bodies continually break down and rebuild themselves, new blood cells, new bone etc. For this to work well, the body needs a continued supply of good quality “building materials” and “energy”. Not many people truly comprehend that you really are what you eat!
When parents go looking for answers, they find a whole bunch of food company sponsored information that does little to help, sometimes much to harm. How can you blame parents for getting it wrong if they are been given bad advice from doctors, dieticians and other health professionals?
Then we have the media, besides all of the usual tv commercials for toxic “foods” that infuriate me such as “you ought to be congratulated” for feeding your kids toxic margarine! There are also all of the movies, tv shows and reality weight loss or cooking tv shows etc, where you constantly fed really bad information. You often hear lines like “we are cooking a low fat healthy meal” or “this is bad for you or fattening because of all the fat”. It seems that if you hear the same message enough, it becomes the “truth” whether it is based in fact or not.
Or maybe they look to the Heart Foundation which is unfortunately a BIG mistake as of course they don’t consider sugar at all when they “tick” foods for money, that ensures they can tick that breakfast cereal that is jam packed with sugar!
Every so often you will see someone giving great advice such as, Dr Robert Lustig and David Gillespie advising people on the dangers of sugar (particularly fructose) but of course they are usually drowned out by the junk food sponsored dietician explaining that they are wrong and of course we all know that sugar is part of a healthy “balanced” diet!!!
No wonder parents are so confused, they either don’t know why they should care about these things, or get fed really bad advice! I am currently reading “Fat Chance – The bitter truth about sugar” by Dr Robert Lustig, as he explains in this book, obesity is much more complicated than most of us understand. It is not simply about calories in calories out. Not all calories are the same and sugar, particularly fructose is a major cause for concern. Since the war on fat in food started approx 40 years ago we have replaced the fat with sugar/fructose in our foods resulting in increased obesity and diabetes.
Yes parents do need to set a good example, you can’t complain that your child eats too many chips or too much fast food when you supply it or when you eat it yourself! Though I really feel for parents today trying to navigate a “healthy” diet and life for themselves and their family when the overwhelming message is that obesity is about “gluttony and sloth”, therefore blame and shame! We need to teach ourselves and our kids to listen to your body, and eat the way nature intended, real foods that nourish and energise you, with fat and all!
What are your experiences?
For more information or personalised advice on a healthy diet contact us on (02) 47 222 111 at the Informed Health Nutritional Wellbeing Centre or www.informedhealth.com.au
FREE WEIGHT LOSS SEMINAR
Still recovering from Easter? Too many bunnies and buns?
Have you tried every Diet and still Overweight? Not able to Lose Weight or Re-Gain it every time – plus more?
Eat healthy and exercise but still no success?
OVER the Diet Merry-Go-Round?
Well Jump Off and GET REAL ANSWERS!
FREE WEIGHT LOSS SEMINAR
Presented by: Fiona Kane and Rachel Shaw, Clinical Nutritionists from Informed Health Nutritional Wellbeing Centre and
Darren Pereira, Personal Trainer from InPursuit Personal Training
Everyone is welcome!
Book Now: (02) 47 222 111
Details: When: Saturday, 13 April 2013, 9.30am to 11.00am
Where: Penrith Cricket Club, Station Street (just off Jamison Road – next door to the Football Stadium), Penrith NSW 2750
There is so much mixed information on weight loss and health! What do you believe?
Join us for an eye opening take on weight loss. This seminar is FREE and presented by two Clinical Nutritionists and a Personal Trainer.
Mythbusting: common diet myths and facts and how to control your weight loss hormones.
You will learn the truth about low carb, low fat and Paleo!
Is sugar the enemy or fat?
Find out what you can do right now to achieve healthy weight loss!
There will be giveaways and prizes on the day too!
Taking the time to attend this event will be an investment in your health!
My health story of overcoming auto immune diseases and fear! part 1
My story of auto immune diseases and overcoming fear so I could heal…
People often ask me “why did you choose nutrition and health as a career?” or “how could you know how I feel, surely you have never been overweight or sick?” . To be completely honest I was not particularly interested in health until I was sick, it certainly was not a career I would have ever chosen, as often happens, it kinda chose me……. as John Lennon said “Life is what happens to you while your busy making other plans“.
I was a fussy kid who wouldn’t eat much unless it was chocolate, soft drink or bread or something similar (I had all the food groups covered)!! I also suffered from lots of digestive issues (surprise surprise) and in my teens and early 20′s regular debilitating migraines and lots of fainting/dizzy spells. These problems were just a way of life for me, it didn’t occur to me that my diet could be causing these health problems! I had always been relatively slim so when I started piling on the weight in my early 20′s it took my a long time to understand that my diet was the cause! I had always eaten that way – why was I putting on weight now?
I now know, looking back that my body gave me lots of warning signs that I was not well (as if digestive issues, migraines and fainting were not signs!) along the way, I just chose to ignore these signs and largely accept these health conditions as just normal. It is quite common to collect little health issues one at a time and before you know it, you have some pretty big health issues. If you don’t listen to your body’s whispers, eventually it shouts at you until you listen, if you don’t listen – it forces you to listen!
For me, this happened on 1 November 1996, at the age of 25 – I suffered a stroke. I remember that day like it was yesterday, it was 40+ degrees (celsius) Friday afternoon, I was at my job in an office in the centre of Sydney and I had a visual disturbance come on so I knew a migraine would follow soon. I diligently finished my work and caught the train home (I was legally blind at the time I was on the train and the pain had started, I remember with great difficulty trying not to fall as I stepped off the train onto Penrith station). I caught a cab home and went to bed.
One of my husband’s mates rang and told me I sounded like I was “on drugs”. I was not aware at the time, I was slurring my words and he was not aware that it was a clear sign I was having a stroke! (Please remember that the person who is slurring their words may not be aware that they are actually slurring, I thought I was just speaking slowly). I was in incredible pain and violently ill the whole weekend, attending many medical centres and waiting for many hours in the hospital emergency. I knew by this time I was very ill, but not sure what was happening. I couldn’t get any doctors to take my concerns seriously as I was only 25, so surely it was just a headache, right?
Finally, the hospital agreed to do a CT scan on the Monday, and all of a sudden many doctors were all looking at my scan and very interested. I was now seriously worried as I knew they had found something wrong with my brain, I knew this for sure, the fear started to set in, there was something wrong with my brain and I was about to get a diagnosis. The doctors offered to get me a wheelchair to take me back to emergency so they could discuss my results, there was no way I was waiting for that, I walked back to emergency where the doctors did a neurological examination which felt like it went forever, before they finally told me the diagnosis. You have suffered a stroke! It resulted in permanent brain damage, losing 25% of my peripheral vision although in the early stages of the stroke I lost all of my peripheral vision and would have been legally blind – so I and extremely grateful that 75% of my vision returned. This literally stopped me in my tracks, life would never be the same again.
The scans showed that this was not my first stroke, I had experienced several “mini” strokes before this one. Now it began, the conflicting diagnosis and dire warnings from specialists, the medications with debilitating “side effects” – the fear merry-go-round. I was paralysed by fear – what if I have another stroke? will I die? will I be OK? I really wasn’t too sure that I would live until 30. After going to a whole lot of specialists – neurologists and haematologists – I was diagnosed with an auto immune disease described to me as anticardiolipid antibodies, I was told that this auto immune disease caused my blood to have a tendency to clot and that I would have this disease for life and need medication for the rest of my life too!
My headaches had stopped but I didn’t seem to be getting better, I was always tired and general unwell, a few years later I was diagnosed with yet another auto immune disease, Hashimoto’s Thyroid Disease, now I had to take thyroid hormone as my thyroid was not making enough. I was stuck in this victim mentality where I felt that my body had let me down, far from it, my poor body was doing the best it could under the circumstances! I was doing nothing to help myself as I didn’t know at the time that there was anything I could do and that my diet and lifestyle is what led me there in the first place!
Click on this link for Part 2.
For more information or personalised advice on a healthy diet contact us on (02) 47 222 111 at the Informed Health Nutritional Wellbeing Centre or www.informedhealth.com.au
Weight loss – is it simply about will power?
Weight loss is not simply about energy in/energy out, this works for some people but not for the vast majority who either don’t achieve their weight loss goals or put it all back on plus more.
Did you know that your food can be causing you to gain weight or stopping you from losing weight, even if you have a healthy diet and do not overeat? You might often feel tired or moody after a meal or be suffering tummy troubles but not sure what the culprit is.
It may be food intolerances otherwise known as food allergies! Over time; food intolerances damage your digestive system causing inflammation and an inability to absorb essential vitamins and minerals leading to weight gain, fatigue, depression, anxiety, stress, hormonal issues, more allergies, thyroid problems and much more.
It also can lead to a reduction the hormones and neurotransmitters in your brain such as serotonin, dopamine and melatonin. These are required to make you happy, motivated and help you to sleep well. If you are low in any of these, it will make it very tough for you to lose weight. It is not your fault, you are not lazy, and it is not about “will power”!
If you are eating right foods for you in the right balance and you have a healthy functioning digestive system. Your body will easily able to make these important hormones and neurotransmitters so that you are naturally energised, motivated and happy! If you are having trouble losing weight, investigate intolerances; as identifying these; will lead you on the path to long term successful weight loss and good health, rather than just jumping back on the will power merry go round!
For help with food allergies/intolerances – give us a call at the Informed Health Nutritional Wellbeing Centre on (02) 47 222 111 or go here for more information or to book online.
Surviving the festive season!
The festive season can be challenging when it comes to weight loss. Over indulgence during the festive season can easily put on 3-8kg. The weight gain occurs because we consume larger food portions, more alcohol and do more snacking on the wrong foods. We also tend to move less and drop all of our good habits. The extra kilos are much harder to get off than they are to put on, so be careful over Christmas.
At Christmas time for most people it is unrealistic to try to lose weight; it is more realistic to aim for a goal of weight maintenance, here are some useful tips to ensure that you maintain your weight and health and good habits:
- Don’t just drop all of your good habits for the next four to six weeks, Christmas functions are in full swing. If you start overdoing it now and continue until well after New Year’s you will undo all of your good habits. Don’t make Christmas 2012 something you have to spend much of 2013 recovering from – is it really worth it?
- Choose the parties/functions where you will allow yourself to indulge, don’t go crazy at every function, limit the days you indulge a little to Christmas day and one or two other selected parties, this will limit the damage that you can do to your waistline and your health!
- Alcohol is often a source of calories and carbs where people come undone. Beer and pre-mixed drinks are the worst offenders. Instead of a glass of wine, try a wine spritzer (with soda water). Spirits with soda water (instead of cola) are a better option and rotating an alcoholic beverage with water is good for both the waist line and your liver, helping to avoid a hangover from dehydration!
- Which is the biggest meal today? Change your eating habits accordingly. If you are going out to a big three course lunch then have what you would normally have for lunch for dinner, a chicken salad would be perfect.
- The key is to be selective and choose the healthier option most of the time, like small portions of fresh berries and nuts in place of pudding, or kebab sticks over party pies, raw vegies over fried spring rolls. At a cocktail function with trays and trays of finger food, avoid all things deep fried in favour of vegies, fruit, nuts and seeds and fresh seafood like prawns. A small amount of fresh items such as sushi, rice paper rolls and sashimi would be good too (don’t overdo it on the rice).
- You will often see me at these kind of events nursing a herbal tea or a plain water/mineral water to keep my hands and mouth busy – it works! (I always take a small snack of pecans/pepitas etc in my handbag just in case there is no suitable food for me).
- Don’t starve yourself all day it will cause you to overeat at the party.
- Limit high carb items. It is important to enjoy yourself however some foods are going to be much harder to work off and recover from as they drop your energy and make you continue to crave sugar (eg pudding, cake, pavlova, trifle and chocolates etc). Be mindful of what you are eating and make a conscious decision to choose quality foods that will nourish and naturally energise you.
- Stay positive. If you over indulge, don’t give up, just get back into your usual routine immediately!
- Most importantly, don’t drop all of your good habits, keep exercising! You may miss a few days but don’t miss weeks! It takes a while to create to habits, do you really want to have to do it all over again next year!
- When you think about it, allowing the calendar to dictate that this week or this day I don’t need exercise and should poison my body with sugary foods and overeat until I am sick is very strange!
- Of course if you are one of our clients you will be eating a great balance of protein, fat and carbs so shouldn’t be hungry or craving anyway. This gives you the freedom to choose what you would like to eat because you are in tune with your body!
With some sensible planning, go ahead and enjoy the Festive Season, it is not about missing out – it is about choice!
Weight Loss and Stress Management Workshops
Weight Loss and Stress Management series of workshops
Workshops on Thursday 10, 17 and 24 February 2011 from 10.00am at the Coffee Club, opposite Nepean River in Penrith (NSW, Australia). $10 per person.
The ‘Coffee Club’ in conjunction with ‘Looking Good and Feeling Great’ are now holding Weight Loss and Stress Management Workshops at the Coffee Club. These workshops are great for anyone who:
- Has struggled with Losing Weight in the past
- Is trying to Lose Weight and Keep it Off Long Term
- Finds the topic of Nutrition and Weight Loss Confusing
- Is currently suffering from Stress in their lives
- Would like to learn some Stress Management techniques that they can apply in a quick convenient manner
Looking Good and Feeling Great are offering all Coffee Club customers the opportunity to learn more about Weight Loss and Stress Management and how they can achieve success in their day to day lives. The workshops will be held by three leading practitioners in their field in the Penrith area:
- Denver Oliveux Personal Trainer and owner of Looking Good and Feeling Great
- Linda Campbell Hypnotherapist from Mind Mastery
- Fiona Kane Nutritionist from Informed Health
Together each Health Practitioner can help you understand how to overcome your current struggles with Weight Loss and Stress Management and provide you with a range of techniques, programs and advice that if applied will leave you Looking Good and Feeling Great!!
The details of our next workshop are as follows:
When: 10th February 2011 from 10:00am to 11:00am
Where: The Coffee Club, Tench Avenue, Penrith (opposite the Nepean River)
Cost: $10
For more information contact:
Looking Good and Feeling Great
Tel: 0403 691 855 or 0404 896 775
Email: enquiry@lgfg.com.au
Website: www.lgfg.com.au
Our relationship to food
I have just returned from an amazing trip through Cambodia and Vietnam.
Cambodia and Vietnam are both places of great beauty and indescribable horrors. The people; even though they have been through so much welcomed us with genuine smiles. As a nutritionist, one thing that I noticed very quickly was the difference in attitudes towards food between us and the locals.
In many western countries where we often eat meals that have been stored in the fridge, freezer, packet or fast food take-away that have been altered by additives and other chemicals to make the food saltier or sweeter and preservatives to allow it to be stored on the shelf for years, we often have no regular experience of “real fresh food”.
Even though for most of us in the western world, food is plentiful, many have great emotional attachments to food, some of the things we use food for are: to celebrate, to console, to relieve boredom, to express love, to numb our pain and to fill up the emotional voids. It is not uncommon to meet someone who is addicted to food, or addicted to certain foods such as chocolate, potato chips or soft drinks. Weight problems and eating disorders are also very common. Where did we go wrong?
We have unnatural relationships with food, and often eat until we are bursting without even noticing that we have had had enough, we no longer listen to our bodies and know what we need. You only have to watch how people behave at an all you can eat buffet to observe this in action. In Australia, I recently observed a child of 5 years old telling her grandma (after she had just eaten a whole small pizza) that her “tummy was full and she had no room” for the plate of hot chips sitting in front of her. Grandma’s response was “I thought you were a big girl”, therefore encouraging the child to ignore her body and the message it was giving her and learn that big girls must overeat! I was horrified, grandma would have meant no harm, and this was obviously taught to her at some stage too. She didn’t eat the chips but if she hears the same message consistently enough she will eventually learn to ignore the messages from her body. Can you see how harmful it is to give a child the message of not listening to their body or their instincts?
In Cambodia and Vietnam the food was wonderful, always fresh and tasty. The locals go to the fresh food market three times a day and buy what they need for the next meal. They don’t overeat; they eat until they are satisfied and no more.
When I asked our Cambodian tour guide what his favourite food was, his answer was quite profound. He didn’t really have a favourite. He explained that when you are truly hungry, any food is good. As well as all of the usual fresh fruit, vegetables and meat, they also eat cockroaches, spiders and pretty much everything else, there is no waste. Eating is about nourishing the body with fuel to function – that is all.
The student was ready and my teacher had appeared in the form of a Khmer (Cambodian) tour guide, while I don’t think I will be eating cockroaches or tarantula any time soon, I can’t help but think that we have so much to learn from these people who only eat fresh real food and only eat what they need.
You may also enjoy reading The key to Happiness
Surviving the Festive Season – more useful tips
- Snack ideas to provide or take to a party are: salsa and hommus dips with raw vegetable crudités (broccoli, cauliflower etc). Make your own avocado dip (if you read the ingredients list on the one in shops you will be horrified)! Raw unsalted nuts and seeds, fresh berries etc.
- When you approach a buffet, always head to the seafood, chicken or red meat first and then add salad and vegetables. Go to the vegetable based salads not the creamy and pasta/rice salads. Protein, fat and fibre will help you to feel satisfied and stop you from overdoing it!
- A roast is wonderful but a great alternative to the roast in Australia’s hot climate is seafood, cold meats, chicken and yummy green salads.
- If having BBQ have seafood, chicken, meat, home made rissoles, fish cakes made from salmon, tuna, chicken or seafood and vegetables. Vegetables are great on the BBQ such as capsicum, broccoli, eggplant or zucchini (finely sliced add a little salt and pepper and some olive oil – lightly cook both sides.
- Other vegetarian options are marinated tofu, vegetable and lentil patties and kebabs with tofu and vegetables. Always have lovely big salads with your BBQ.
- Desserts – choose fresh fruit such as berries. Serve with macadamias, cream, natural Greek yoghurt or Coyo (coconut yoghurt). Be aware of how much fruit you use, it is very high in carb so be careful!
- Take the edge off your hunger by having a small protein snack (egg, nuts, seeds, meat) before the event; don’t arrive ravenous.
Clear the table once the meal is finished to avoid picking at the leftovers.
Weight Loss Tip 4 – Surviving the Festive Season!
The festive season can be challenging when it comes to weight loss. Over indulgence during the festive season can easily put on 3-5kg. The weight gain occurs because we consume larger food portions, more alcohol and do more snacking on sweet and fatty foods. We also tend to move less and drop all of our good habits. The extra kilos are much harder to get off than they are to put on, so moderation is the key over Christmas.
At Christmas time for most people it is unrealistic to try to lose weight; it is more realistic to aim for a goal of weight maintenance, here are some useful tips to ensure that you maintain your weight this Christmas:
- Don’t just drop all of your good habits for the next four to six weeks, Christmas functions are in full swing. If you start overdoing it now and continue until well after New Year’s you will undo all of your good habits. Don’t make Christmas 2010 something you have to spend much of 2011 recovering from – is it really worth it?
- Choose the parties/functions where you will allow yourself to indulge, don’t go crazy at every function, limit the days you indulge a little more to Christmas day and one or two other selected parties, this will limit the damage that you can do to your waistline!
- Alcohol is often a source of calories where people come undone. Beer and pre-mixed drinks are the worst offenders. Instead of a glass of wine, try a wine spritzer (with soda water). Spirits with soda water (instead of cola) are a lower calorie option and rotating an alcoholic beverage with water is good for both the waist line and your liver, helping to avoid a hangover from dehydration!
- Which is the biggest meal today? Change your eating habits accordingly. If you are going out to a big three course lunch then have what you would normally have for lunch for dinner, like a salad or sandwich.
- The key is to be selective and choose the healthier option most of the time, like fruit and yoghurt in place of pudding, or mini-kebabs over party pies, and sushi over fried spring rolls. At a cocktail function with trays and trays of delicious finger food, avoid all things deep fried in favour of fresh items such as sushi, rice paper rolls and sashimi.
- Don’t starve yourself all day it will cause you to overeat at the party.
- Use smaller plates to help you eat smaller portions. Enjoy all the great food but moderation is the key.
- Limit high calorie items. It is important to enjoy all foods in moderation however some foods are going to be much harder to work off (eg pork crackling, turkey/chicken skin, pudding, cake, etc). Be mindful of what you are eating and make a conscious decision not to over-indulge in high calorie foods.
- Stay positive. If you over indulge, don’t give up, just get back into your usual routine the next day!
With some sensible planning, go ahead and enjoy the Festive Season!
Reviews:
- Fantastic, Life Changing! April 10, 2013
- Helped me lose 15kg and avoid Adult Onset Diabetes! April 9, 2013
- Understanding my intolerances was the key to moving forward. April 1, 2013
- Very understanding March 26, 2013
- Friendly environment with excellent advice March 24, 2013
- I am now in the best health of my life March 23, 2013
- Didn’t think I’d ever feel THIS good! March 23, 2013
- I recommend Informed Health! March 17, 2013