Eating well + feeling good

Eating well and staying active helps us to stay fit and healthy. Along with giving us the vitamins, minerals, and energy for everyday life, food can also taste good and be enjoyable. You may want to check out the factsheet on Benefits of activity and exercise for more information about being active.

Eating well to feel good

Body weight is influenced by height, muscle mass, bone structure, and body fat, and so judging your body image by how much you weigh may be unsafe. Instead it may be better to focus on eating well and being active. The national dietary guidelines suggest eating well means eating more breads, cereals, fruits and vegetables and less of the high fat and sugary foods. Check out the Nutrition Australia site for more information.

Eating a balanced diet and being active will usually put you in your healthy weight range. You can work out your healthy weight range by caluclating your Body Mass Index or BMI. If you are finding it hard to eat well and be active it may be a good idea to talk to your local doctor or a nutritionist. These people should be able to help you develop a plan. Check out the 'talking to someone' section below for information on how to find these people.

Changing your eating habits

Eating well may mean making changes to your eating habits and lifestyle. This may take time as habits are often things we have been doing for ages without even thinking about doing them. Some suggestions which may help you make changes include:

• Make small changes - Not doing everything at once may make it easier to stick with the changes. You may want to start by swapping a chocolate for a piece of fruit.
• Take an interest in what you eat - Being part of planning what you eat and helping to cook may help you make changes. Having a say in what you eat allows you to have an idea of what is in your food, leading to better eating habits. It may also be fun and allow you to experiment with different foods.
• Eat lower fat foods or foods with lower 'bad' fats (like saturated fats) - Foods that are high in fat have more energy and increase the likelihood of you gaining weight. Low fat foods have the vitamins and nutrients you need without the fat. If you are cooking you may also want to substitute certain ingredients for a low fat version. Nutrition Australia's site has a range of recipes you may find interesting.

It's not always straight forward though - some fats are 'good fats'. Omega-3 fats, found in oily fish, some plants and plant oils (eg. canola, linseed, soy and walnut), has been shown to have beneficial in several areas of human health, including heart disease and inflammatory disease. Check out the Nutrition Australia website for more info.

• Talk to Someone - If you are finding it hard to make changes you may find it useful to talk to your local doctor or a dietitian. By working together, you can develop a realistic plan for eating well.;

The Yellow Pages or Just Ask (1300 13 11 14 - Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) may help you find these services in your local area. Check out beyondblue Directory of Medical and Allied Health Practitioners You may also want to ask friends or a doctor if they can recommend anyone.;

Diets + weight loss

There are a lot of diets claiming if you follow them you will lose weight. Permanent weight loss usually results from eating a well-balanced diet and being active rather than following a special diet that claims fast weight loss.

If you are considering a diet it is a good idea to check them out to see if they have any scientific basis. Nutrition Australia, your local doctor, or a dietitian should be able to help you with this information. Check out the 'talking to someone' section above for how to find these services.

Dieting may be dangerous because it can stop you from getting the nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Dieting may cause you to lose weight in the short term, but often the weight returns. This is because when you diet your body slows down its metabolism to compensate for the reduced food intake.

Doctors + weight loss centres

Doctors and weight loss centres may help you make the changes necessary to what you are eating and your lifestyle. If you do choose to see a health practitioner or use a weight loss agency it is a good idea to talk to them about their products or programs.

Remember that you are entitled to choose your health practitioner. Good health practitioners should be concentrating on mapping out a healthy eating plan and not measuring success according to kilograms lost.

If you have a complaint about a program or product, address your complaint directly to the company involved, so they have an opportunity to fix the problem.

If you feel you have been misled by the claims of any weight loss products or programs, contact the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission Ph: 1300 302 502.

Before parting with any money, become fully informed and check out the safety and credibility of the program or product you're considering. It may be helpful to talk to Nutrition Australia, community health centres or a nutritionist for information about the products.

More information

Check out the links on the left hand side of this fact sheet.