Chances are, you have heard someone (or perhaps yourself) say “I know what to eat but I just can’t do it”.
Healthy eating is so much more than meal plans or education about what to eat. Whilst an understanding of nutrition is important, CFIH Dietitian, Kate Pollard, reveals there is often too much focus on “what” to eat to improve health, and not enough focus on “why” we are eating.
To truly improve eating habits and overall health, we need to understand our current eating patterns and behaviours.
We can eat for many reasons – boredom, stress, or socially, just to name a few. And traditionally Dietitians were known as the “food police”, cautioning clients to “eat less, move more” without really understanding how and why they eat.
However, CFIH Dietitians utilise their nutrition expertise in a different way. They work with clients to transform their eating habits – from “mindless” to “mindful”; putting them back in charge of their own nutrition and health.
Many clients describe their previous experiences with Dietitians as frustrating or pointless; simply being told what to do again and not taking into account the client’s own knowledge, experiences and concerns about making changes to their eating. Many people fear coming to a Dietitian as they’re afraid the Dietitian will make them feel guilty about what they do or don’t eat.
CFIH Dietitians are what are known as ‘NonDiet’ Dietitians. We work alongside our clients with a compassionate and collaborative approach, which means we work WITH clients, not against them. We understand change is a difficult thing, and that, although part of someone may want something to be different, there’s also a part of them that isn’t 100% sure about making this change, otherwise they would have made the change themselves already!
In summary NonDiet Dietitians provide a safe, non-judgemental environment for clients to explore their relationship with food and their body. They offer support and a collaborative partnership to help clients move towards a healthier relationship with food and their body.