Tag: Nutrition
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You’re not meant to know that
“From my perspective, everything is going really well,” I told my client. She gave me a wispy little smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “In fact,” I carried on, “It’s going so well I think it’s actually too good to be true.” Her smile fell flat. “I know you’ve been eating without a fuss. Which…
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All or nothing with food
“I open the pantry doors, and I sort of barricade myself behind them so no one can see me, and I just quickly eat the whole thing before anyone notices.” I appreciated that she was opening up to me and asking for advice, it takes a lot to be vulnerable like that… but in truth,…
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The benefits of binge eating
The exam was a week away. I had been studying for this for months, I was only going to get one shot at passing it, and the pass rate was 80%. Boy oh boy was I stressed. I snapped at my partner, I kept zoning out when playing with my toddler, and I had the…
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From binge eating to the bin
I went into the supermarket knowing exactly what I wanted: lolly cake. That classic Kiwi treat. There was nothing I wanted more in the world than a thick slice of malty fudge interspersed with chewy nougat-y candy. I had wanted the same thing the day before, too. And the day before that. I just couldn’t…
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Designed to fail
“Weight Watchers definitely works though, because I lost weight when I did it,” she earnestly told me. “And then what happened?” I asked her, although I already knew the answer. It was the same answer every yo-yo dieting client has ever given me. “Well, I did put the weight back on but that’s only because…
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I bombed my med school interview. It saved my life.
I stood at the back of Burger Fuel on Queen St, staring at the menu on the board behind the counter. My eyes darted across the different items on offer too fast to actually read anything. Frantic. Desperate. The queue was getting shorter and I still didn’t know what to order. Heat crept up my…
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Vegetable oils: a food industry wet dream
Looking back at my childhood, there are a great many things I am thankful for. From running barefoot in the grass and climbing tress, to carting my baby sister around on my hip and dressing my little brother up like a pixie. And one thing I’m very thankful for is butter. My parents aren’t always…
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Investigating ‘science’
It’s sort of the hot thing to bandy about words like ‘experts’, ‘science’ and ‘evidence’ right now. Throwing one of those words in your sentence is meant to make people take you seriously. Citing a study has become the holy jackhammer of “See? I know what I’m talking about!”. But research can be corrput, biased,…
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No, I won’t weigh your daughter
“She just doesn’t understand that she can’t be like her friends. They all go out and get chocolate bars and junk food and I just need someone to make her understand that she’s not a normal teenager. Dancers can’t do those things.” The woman on the phone kept up her diatribe, hardly drawing breath. “I’d…
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Outsmart food marketing: read your labels
“I eat that high protein Milo cereal stuff.” “Well I buy him Nutri-Grain because it’s got 4 health stars.” “I just use those porridge sachet things. They’re really low in fat.” And that’s just breakfast cereals. I’ve met countless clients who are incredibly misled by food marketing. And it’s amazing to watch their eyes widen…