A coup d’état on dieting

Before I launch into my coup d’état on dieting, I’d like to wish you a very Happy 2014. I hope you enjoyed a joyous Christmas and experienced some special moments to savour and keep your hearts hopeful and feelings fruitful for the coming year.

Now onto the dung heap otherwise known as the dieting industry, and to my mind an organisation partly responsible for growing levels of obesity and eating disorders. In a nut shell, diets simply don’t work and won’t make you, or anyone else happy.

Dieting essentially scrambles your bodies innate perfectly pitched metabolism into starvation mode, so that when temptation lingers or the faddy unhealthy diet ends, the bodies metabolic rate, in effect, takes a deep breath, sighs and seriously slows down, for fear of being starved again.

Here are some Feeling Food suggestions on how and why to ditch dieting:

• The very concept of dieting is based on creating dissatisfaction. We are being sold a hugely profitable lie, that if you’re not thin, you’re not beautiful. Buxom is beautiful, think Marylin, think Beyonce.

• Delete fast food from your shopping list, that’s not dieting, that’s called healthy eating.

• Healthy eating is a lifestyle choice. Choose fresh and natural produce and your body, mind and energy levels will all benefit.

• Replace processed ready made foods with whole foods, nuts, rich proteins, fruits etc. You know the drill…

• Don’t believe in all the hype, trust your instincts, and avoid glossy mags adorned with skeletal models, these are not healthy role models for women, however beautiful.

• Misery and depression may lead to people comfort eating and no amount of starvation will change this, the work/ healing needs to go much deeper.

• Dig deep into your soul, and treat yourself with love, this is the only sure way to feel good about yourself and anyone else for that matter.

• Love your body, treat it well, and love your fat, it’s part of you! We need fat to keep us warm.

Fat is simply,

“a natural oily substance occurring in animal bodies, especially when deposited as a layer under the skin or around certain organs:
whales and seals insulate themselves with layers of fat.”

The media’s diet dictate will soon roll on, as New Years pendulum of obsessive ‘change’ passes. What’s truly important is not how fat or skinny you are, instead how healthy.

The three key points,

1.Keep active, walk, run, swim, basically get moving – the body loves movement and in order to cleanse and heal, needs exercise.

2. Laugh! Laugh! And laugh some more! It’s good for the abs and those lovely feel good endorphins will be released into your brains… Happy hearts tend to make healthier choices.

3. Keep good company, those who truly love you, will not feel any differently towards you, whatever your size.

Obesity is a growing health epidemic, sugar effects the same part of the brain as cocaine, so we’re talking about food addiction.

I say it’s high time food companies give clear and honest labelling. Educational authorities need to reintroduce home economics to the national curriculum. Teaching our children the importance of good nutrition and balance is the key to unlocking the chains of the dieting industry, reducing obesity levels and instead welcoming good health and self acceptance. Also, by reducing the cost of healthy and fresh foods, which currently cost a small fortune, the whole country would benefit profoundly.

I look forward to sharing lots of healthy savoury and sweet treats over the coming year. It’s fine to eat a slice of cake, though it’s not fine to eat a savoury sandwich and consume more sugar than is found in the cake, that is deceptive and totally unacceptable. The government needs to step in and make sure that honest labelling is mandatory and not optional.

Babies have woken up! Best get back to them.

Here’s to a happy, healthy and hearty 2014!

Lots of love,

Sinead