This is the title of an Associated Press article a couple weeks ago. A Yale researcher is quoted saying something I’ve always agreed with: if diets worked everyone would be skinny.

No matter how often this headline appears, we still search for the next diet. In the April issue of a popular women’s health magazine, readers are referred to the magazine’s website to “find the right diet,” offering comparisons on more than 40 diets. This is a red flag. If we have to scour information on over 40 diets, something is not working.

Searching for the next diet/program/exercise that “works,” we place the burden of success on something outside ourselves instead of taking charge and getting the true results we want. But taking charge means work (on the inside). It means we are responsible for our results, or lack of. That can be scary – no program/diet/exercise to fix the perceived problem.

An initial spurt of weight loss from dieting can produce a temporary high – a feeling of control and success. But the feelings are temporary and rarely enough to promote permanent results.

Long-time readers know that I advocate the intuitive eating approach. When you learn to honor your hunger (eat when you’re hungry), respect your fullness (stop eating when satisfied), and get non-food needs met in non-food ways, your body responds by reaching its ideal weight. Yes, exercise plays a role and nutrition is important too, however paying attention to hunger, fullness, and emotional eating has a significant impact in reaching one’s goals.

Conduct a frank assessment of your eating habits. Does a particular habit stand out that you would like to change? Focus on one or two changes at a time. As you lock in new behaviors, you can implement more changes until healthy, mindful eating is simply the way you live… and your body shows it!

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The articles I write often come from topics in the media, comments from clients, or questions asked by audience members during a presentation – something always inspires me and the words flow. This month everything pointed to food. Appropriately so – I love food.

Apparently though, I’m not the foodie I thought myself to be. I took this quick quiz and discovered I’m far from a food expert (I fall in the “Occasional Omnivore” category – scoring only 14 out of a possible 38 points!). Okay, so I didn’t know what a “durian” is, but I still love food.

This Sunday, May 6th, is International No Diet Day. I am sending you a special treat this Friday with tips and ideas to celebrate the day, but more than that – to support you in living the life you’re meant to have with freedom from dieting. It is possible to look good and feel great without the guilt and pressure of diets.

Most people I know also love food. True foodie or not, loving and enjoying food cannot co-exist with dieting and disordered eating. Which road would you rather choose?

In health,
Heather Moreno

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When she first became a client, Doreen was eating only twice a day, often forgetting to eat and working through lunch, ignoring hunger signals. She wondered how anyone who ate more frequently didn’t gain weight. She was also not one to waste food and admits that she had at times abused food, over-eating to the point of feeling numb.

Doreen often attends events that offer buffets and was concerned that these situations might be a problem. The first concept Doreen took to heart was to eat only what she wanted. I suggested that she only put on her plate those foods from the buffet line that she really wanted to eat and to leave behind anything she put on her plate that ended up not tasting as good as she expected. Growing up with the message to not waste food meant that leaving food on her plate was a new concept. Now she only eats what she wants.

Doreen also used to skip breakfast, which slowed her metabolism and caused her to over-eat at dinner because she was overly hungry. Doreen now says, “I am amazed that I now eat four times a day and I’m losing weight and feeling and looking better. Since I’ve changed my perspective on eating, I found that I don’t need as much food as I used to think I did. I am tuned into what and how much my body needs.”

Perhaps the biggest transformation in Doreen’s eating habits is that she let go of The Rules, the guilt, and the good and bad extremes, learning to trust her body. If she over-eats on occasion, it’s not a big deal. She doesn’t beat herself up as she used to when she previously perceived she had “blown it.” She now understands that occasionally over-eating is part of normal eating. And, of course, she spends her discretionary calories on exactly what she wants. She eats foods that contribute to her physical wealth not because she has to, but because they give her energy and make her feel good. She says, “Eating well makes me feel that I am honoring the temple God gifted me.”

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If a product contains fewer than five calories per serving, the FDA allows it to be labeled “calorie free.” And if a serving size contains one-half gram of fat or less, the product can be labeled “non-fat.” Depending on serving size, this can appear deceiving.

For instance, have you ever read the label on cooking oil spray? It reads zero calories and zero fat. How can that be when the entire can contains oil, a nutrient that is 100% fat and, therefore, very calorie dense? Because the serving size is 1/3 second spray – that’s one third of one second. My finger doesn’t work quite that fast! While you will likely continue to use spray oil as I do – it’s easy and convenient to use – be aware of how long you hold that spray button.

This fat-free labeling also pertains to trans fats (the unhealthy fats experts warn us to stay away from or limit our consumption of). You will notice foods labeled “0 Grams Trans Fat,” but when you look at the ingredient list they’re in there. Again, it depends on serving size and if there is one-half gram or less of trans fats, the label can read “trans fat free.” If you want to limit trans fats in your food, look beyond the label to the ingredient list, searching for foods without “partially hydrogenated oils.”

“Whole grain” is also confusing. A label that says “made with whole grain” can mean the product contains either a little or a lot of whole grain. “Excellent source,” “good source,” and “multigrain” all mean different things. To make it easy, look at the label for the grams of fiber in each serving. Experts recommend 25-30 grams per day, so judge a food based on its ability to help you reach your fiber goal. One tip – look for labels that read “100% whole wheat” to offer a significant helping of fiber. Oroweat 100% Whole Wheat Bread has 3 grams per slice. One sandwich with two slices of bread gives you almost 25% of the recommended daily goal.

Reading labels need not be laborious. Once you understand what the labels mean, you can make informed decisions about the foods you buy for your family.

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