Why dieting isn’t necessarily the key to better health

The rise of the internet has made healthy eating more confusing than it’s ever been before. People are reading one thing and then getting a totally contradictory opinion in the next article they click on. There’s a lot of confusion out there about what needs to be done to be healthy.

If you’re trying to lose weight, it’s a matter of decreasing calories consumed and increasing energy used through exercise. On paper, it’s a simple matter. But humans – with all our hang-ups and beliefs – aren’t simple, and this formula can quickly become complex.

Historically, humankind has lived through periods of famine rather than feast. In the past, if we decided to restrict our food intake, it wouldn’t have been to our benefit. Even though circumstances have changed for many of us in the Western world, our brains and physiology haven’t caught up.

We have hormones that regulate our hunger and satiety, and when we restrict our food intake there is a physiological response that increases our need to eat. From a psychological point of view, if you’re restricting food you like, there is a battle of wills going on as well.

People seem to repeatedly cycle through this process of restriction and bingeing, or yo-yo dieting, and it’s not healthy. At the moment, skipping breakfast is a popular dietary choice. People think imposing that restriction is a good thing when research shows that it could actually raise your risk of heart disease.

On the far end of the spectrum of restriction are conditions like anorexia and orthorexia (an obsession with ‘clean’ eating). Unfortunately, we’re seeing restrictive diets are acting as precursors for disordered eating. There’s definitely a risk associated with getting too far into the habit of limiting food intake.

As a dietitian, I see a number of people who are totally obsessed with food and hate their bodies. It is not a fun place to be. It makes food the enemy, which in turn makes healthy eating a punishment. It’s not a long-term solution.

The best way to approach your health is choosing dietary decreases, not omissions. Anything or anyone that’s telling you to cut out entire food groups or meals is not helpful. Take carbs, for example. People think, ‘I like bread, but it’s bad for me, and it’s fattening. If I’ve had a sandwich, I’ve been bad. And if I’ve been bad, I may as well be worse and have two sandwiches and a packet of biscuits.’

That kind of thinking drives this whole unhelpful relationship with food that I see all the time in my practice. Alternatively, if you were to have small slices of high fibre, wholemeal or wholegrain bread then it’s perfectly healthy to have a sandwich. It’s a non-issue.

To maintain healthy eating habits, you’re going to need to relearn a healthy relationship with food that doesn’t include good or bad labels and restrictions. That’s where an Accredited Practising Dietitian or ¬– if you’re experiencing a particularly problematic relationship with food – a psychologist can help.

As soon as losing weight is the preferred outcome of healthy eating, you are going to get focussed on that. People can make healthy changes, eat well, and exercise more, but when they get on the scale and see they haven’t lost weight, it undermines all the good they’ve done for their health.

I like to think about it in the way that we talk about work. If you think of the reasons people go into a particular business, often it’s because they’re passionate about what they do. They feel like they can be part of a team and make a difference. Sure, money is a factor – but it’s not the driving motivation. If it was, you probably aren’t going to be as successful as someone who’s driven by a desire to help others.

We need to approach health in the same way. If the whole idea is about losing weight, then you’re ignoring other benefits like increased fitness, more energy, and better sleep. All of these things contribute to making you feel good overall, but as soon as the scales come into it, then everything can come undone.

If weight loss is your goal, then focus on the reason that you want to lose it – not the number on the scale. Maybe you want to increase your confidence or to be able to play with your kids. I encourage people to forget about counting calories and restricting food intake. Instead, eat three meals a day and focus on your hunger. We think of hunger as a bad thing when it’s actually the perfect biological feedback to determine whether you’ve eaten too much or too little at your last meal.

People complain that the rules of healthy eating keep changing. The reality is they haven’t, it’s the fad diets that are changing. As advanced as nutrition science is becoming, eating healthy is still pretty simple. It’s just that people don’t always want to hear simple.

If you’re struggling with your relationship to food, contact the Butterfly Foundation on 1800 33 4673

Lisa Renn is an Accredited Practicing Dietitian, speaker, author and business owner who is passionate about helping people discover the power of a healthy lifestyle to increase productivity, confidence and health outcomes. Her areas of expertise are nutrition, motivation, human behavior and health. Lisa has written two books and many articles aimed at helping people get motivated for healthy eating and she is a senior media spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of Australia.

Disclaimer:
The information in this article is general information only and is not intended as financial, medical, health, nutritional, tax or other advice. It does not take into account any individual’s personal situation or needs. You should consider obtaining professional advice from a financial adviser and/or tax specialist, or medical or health practitioner, in relation to your own circumstances and before acting on this information.