How to create a healthier relationship with food

When trying to achieve a healthier body, sometimes it can feel like food is the enemy. There’s conflicting advice on what and how much we should eat. Fad diets promise significant and rapid results, but they usually aren’t sustainable and can lead to additional health problems down the track.

Good food choices are crucial to maintaining a healthy weight. Rather than counting calories and weighing meals, focus on becoming more conscious about what you are consuming and your habits surrounding food.

We recommend a high water and fibre-based diet with plenty of fruits and leafy vegetables. Until you reach your goal weight, you should steer away from high carbs and calorie dense vegetables, such as potatoes.

Food combining is the most effective way to restore gut health. It focuses on eating foods that combine together well, allowing more efficient digestion – find out more at https://hopewoodlifestyle.com.au/2015/05/food-combining/.

Give yourself adequate time for meals so you can eat slowly and chew your food well. This can help you to recognise when you’re full and savour your food. Only eating until you’re full is vital to effective weight management.

Eat snacks throughout the day to keep your blood sugar levels stable and prevent overeating at mealtimes. Choose quality snacks such as fruit, rye crispbread with avocado or cottage cheese, veggie sticks and hummus, plain popcorn or low fat, low sugar yoghurt.

Identify bad habits and develop strategies to overcome them. If you tend to snack on unhealthy foods, try replacing them with fruit or vegetables. If you tend to overeat when you’re bored, create a list of distractions that you can do instead such as playing Sudoku or listening to music. The key to breaking any habit, is to do it gradually.

By making small changes, you can lay the foundations for good habits to form and create a healthier relationship with food.