Busselton dietitians Faye Castle and Wendy Baker are encouraging the community to reflect on their health habits as Australia’s first Smart Eating Week begins.
Smart Eating Week is run by Accredited Practising Dietitians, and supported by the Dietitians Association of Australia.
It promotes seeking advice from qualified health professionals for practical, evidence- based, and personalised nutrition advice and support.
Ms Castle said when it came to health and nutrition, there wasn’t a one size fits all solution.
“We’re all unique, with our own health challenges, goals, and lifestyle, ‘smart eating’ will mean different things to different people, and how we go about achieving it will be different too,” she said.
“Smart Eating Week is about more than weight, it is about the bigger picture and helping people achieve healthy behaviours so they can reach their health or life goals.
“People have more control over their health behaviours than their weight.”
Ms Baker reiterated healthy eating was about more than weight loss.
“Smart eating is about providing the body with the maximum resources to maintain health,” she said.
“It helps everything from your mood, to moving, to mental health and your immune system plus a healthy diet helps with chronic diseases – it basically helps you stay well for longer.”
The pair said society seemed to have lost the pleasure in eating.
“There is a lot of ‘dashboard dining’ with people feeling too busy, but by slowing down while you eat it heightens your senses and is a pleasurable experience, which eating should be,” Ms Baker said.
“It seems we have lost touch to trust our own body cues about satisfaction and pleasure,” Ms Castle added.
Smart Eating Week runs from February 12 to 18.
To see how your eating rates, take The Healthy Eating Quiz, visit healthyeatingquiz.com.au.
