Have you been on a million diets and youre still no healthier? Do you feel like you know what you need to do to get in shape but just cant make it happen? Have you tried every healthy eating trick but still fall off the wagon when things get busy?
Foreword
New Zealand, along with every other developed country in the world and many developing countries, is facing a health crisis. We now have a situation where it is more common to be overweight than it is to be a healthy weight, and lifestyle-related diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many cancers, continue to dominate mortality and morbidity statistics. There is no doubt that the way we are eating is at the heart of the problem.
On top of the health crisis, we should also not underestimate the huge impact that food and drink can have on the way we think, the way we feel and how well we are able to function day to day. What people are choosing to put into their bodies these days is less than ideal in so many cases. Claires excellent book could not be timelier and is much needed when it comes to addressing the problems we face.
While most people realise that their food choices have an impact on both their weight and their health, there is just so much confusion over the best way to eat. A huge part of this confusion has been brought about by the huge array of popular books and magazine articles with fad diets and quick-fix solutions. Freedom of speech is fantastic to allow expression of ideas; but in the case of a science such as nutrition, unfortunately it has meant that it is difficult for the public to assess where the information is coming from and to filter the good information from the bad. It is absolutely essential that solid, science-based nutrition and lifestyle medicine is used as the basis to truly turn our health statistics around. The public deserves and desperately needs good information from a reputable source.
Claire trained in the UK as a dietitian and has expertise in nutrition, exercise and the practical application of lifestyle change. In this book she brings together this knowledge in a highly readable, easy-to-understand but engaging way which I have no doubt will help you to truly understand what you need to do and how to put it into practice. She really does understand that so many people feel like they know what they need to do when it comes to eating, but still, for many reasons, cant do it.
Her own early struggles with her eating and body image give Claire an empathetic viewpoint that not all nutrition experts share, and it is this aspect of the book that makes it stand apart. Its all very well knowing what to eat, but if you lack the tools to change the way you think about food and your body, youll fail. The practical tips alongside the scientific evidence make this an essential handbook for anyone striving to lose weight and/or better his or her health. I highly recommend it and congratulate Claire on a fantastic, much-needed book.
Dr Joanna McMillan
Dietitian & Vice-President of the Australian Lifestyle Medicine Association
www.drjoanna.com.au
About Claire
I studied dietetics for four years in the UK and have worked in nutrition for another nine years on top of that. I spend pretty much all of my time (sometimes too much time!) talking about, reading about and up-skilling myself in the area of nutrition and wellness. It is my absolute passion.
I am also a huge fitness fan. I trained as a fitness instructor and personal trainer in the UK and, despite not having the time to train others one-on-one anymore, I live a very healthy, balanced and active life myself it keeps me sane and fit, inside and out.
In truth, though, what I have learnt the conventional way about health and wellness is only part of it. What really fuels my passion for finding long-term solutions to getting peoples nutrition and eating habits on track is my personal experience. I spent most of my childhood, teenage years and early twenties being plagued by a very troubled relationship with food. Practically as soon as I started eating, I realised that food could be so much more than just food. It can control the way you think and feel, it can control your weight and size, and other peoples emotions when you eat too much or refuse to eat. It can make a day seem good or bad and can make you feel like a success or failure. It has always fascinated me that something as simple as food has such massive power over the way people think and feel about themselves and that something so fantastic can be tied up with so much pain and irritation.
Having worked on my own struggles, I really, truly understand what it is like to know what you need to do but not be able to do it! I know EXACTLY what it is like when food has power over you, because it nearly destroyed and ended my life. Now, with the work that I do and by putting pen to paper, I am passionately striving to help other people break free from the frustrations around eating and go back to enjoying food for what it is just food!
In my time working in the health and wellness industry so far, not only have I worked with people who know only the basics of nutrition, but I have also helped professionals, such as nutritionists and personal trainers, who really know their stuff but still struggle to apply what they know. In some cases, I have figured out that the more you know, the worse it is. There are so many people who know so much about eating well, but they still have a very dysfunctional, unhealthy relationship with what they eat. Without disclosing any industry secrets, dont assume that because someone looks fit and healthy that they truly are.
Enjoy reading this book and getting your health and wellbeing in great shape! Also be sure to check out my website and Facebook page for on-going hints, tips and ideas.
www.claireturnbull.co.nz
www.facebook.com/claireturnbullnz
www.missionnutrition.co.nz
Introduction