The case for eating what we want
2014 June 19. | Szerző: shannon
Society has an eating disorder.
Food may be central to our health, but what we eat, how much, and when is endlessly discussed, debated and politicised. We’re eating too much, or not enough, and our attempts to become healthier are often misguided as we too readily place our trust – and our money – in diet books, celebrities, and proponents of pseudoscience.
But what would happen if we started ignoring the food and diet debates and started trusting ourselves?
In response to the well-documented failure of low-calorie diets to help people lose weight in the long-term; the potential for dieting to lead to disordered eating; and the physical and psychological harm that yo-yo dieting can cause, some people are turning to a dietary approach known as ‘intuitive eating,’ or IE.
It’s a way of eating based on three simple principles – eating when hungry; stopping when full; and eating anything unless medical reasons forbid it. Individuals are encouraged to abandon dieting behaviours such as restraint and conscious control of food intake, and are instead encouraged to listen to internal cues for hunger, fullness and the types of food the body needs to feel nourished.
Because there are no rules with IE, a lot of the backlash associated with breaking a diet is lost, says dietician and a doctoral candidate in Public Health Prevention Science at Kent State University in the US, Julie Schaefer. She led a study published in The Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recently that reviewed health interventions that promote eating by listening to internal cues.
“Intuitive eating is associated with body appreciation, optimism, and life satisfaction,” she says. “We found individuals who undergo an IE intervention improve body satisfaction, depression, self-esteem, and anxiety.
“Resolving this psychological distress and mental struggle with food and body image is a big step for individuals who struggle with these issues.”
You may be thinking that IE sounds pretty much like ‘normal’ eating. And this is sometimes what IE is called.
The problem is, so many of us don’t know how to eat normally anymore. We are pressured to clean our plates; are triggered to eat by visual cues and smells; endure societal pressure to achieve a certain body type; are too busy and stressed to eat our meals without distractions; and we are constantly told that certain foods are bad, making them more tempting.
“That all interferes with our ability to recognise and respond to internal cues to eat when hungry and stop when full, to view food as health-promoting and enjoyable rather than weight-reducing or weight-gaining agents, and to respect and accept our bodies rather than belittle and criticise them,” Ms Schaefer says.
Dr Nina Van Dyke, director of the Social Research Group at Market Solutions in Melbourne, works with academic research institutes, not for profit organisations and research companies to help them better understand health attitudes and behaviours.
She is lead author on a study conducted alongside Charles Sturt University and published last year in Public Health Nutrition that examined the peer-reviewed literature on relationships between IE and health.
Over the past few decades, ‘normal’ eating has meant following whatever the latest popular diet is, be it cutting out carbs or demonising fat, she says. And while IE isn’t a license to eat as much chocolate and cake as you want, it does encourage those who practice it learn to appreciate that what their body really wants is healthful, nourishing foods most of the time.
“I think the point in calling it ‘intuitive eating’ is to remind us that how and what we eat is better off coming from within us rather than from without,” Dr Van Dyke says.
Her research found IE probably works best for people who have switched their focus away from weight and towards becoming healthy, and those who had truly given up on dieting. In other words – being skinny isn’t the end game but being healthy is.
But like all ways of living, she says IE may not be for everyone, with more research needed to understand who most benefits and how.
Dr Van Dyke’s focus groups found women in particular often ate dinner at times that worked in around their children’s commitments and eating preferences, making IE difficult. People with medical conditions that require them to eat in certain ways, who have hormone imbalances that interfere with their hunger and food cravings, or who have severe eating disorders and difficulties trying to eat intuitively on their own, may also not be suitable for IE.
“This doesn’t mean one can’t shift in an IE direction – but these factors certainly can be barriers and one may need to consciously make changes in order to shift,” Dr Van Dyke says.
“And obviously it won’t work for people who are convinced that this is the next diet that will be the one that turns them into Kate Moss.”
This Woman Quit Her Corporate Job To Fulfill Her Lifelong Passion For Cakes
2014 May 8. | Szerző: shannon
Late last year, baker Nikki Lee of the Sydney, Australia cake shop Unbirthday took a leap of faith and left her corporate sales job in order to pursue her passion for sweets full-time.
It wasn’t that she was unhappy at her previous job. In fact, Lee worked for a great company, respected her managers and valued the integrity of the work. But she wasn’t wholly satisfied.
“Although I was happy in my job and doing all the things that ticked ‘success’ boxes, I knew I would always be settling for the easy path if I didn’t choose to bake,” she told The Huffington Post in an email. “I would have these beautiful, styled pictures of cakes and desserts cut out from magazines and pinned to my cubicle walls at work, reminding me that what I was ultimately working towards was having the time and space to be able to get into my baking.”
In April, Lee’s fiancé Thomas posted a photo of one of her confections to Reddit, writing, “Fiancé who quit her job to follow her dream just completed her first wedding cake commission.” The photo of the wedding cake (see right) garnered more than 2,500 upvotes on the site, and one commenter called it “the prettiest cake I’ve seen.”
How’s that for validation? Lee opened up to HuffPost Weddings recently about her life-changing decision.
What was the moment that you finally decided to quit your job and start Unbirthday? Was there one specific event that pushed you over the edge?
I have always been a big believer in pursuing personal passions, whether it be in your career or as a hobby. You could say “The Moment” came when I did my yearly evaluation of my life, something that I do in September around my birthday every year. I give themes to each year — for example, my 30th year was the “Year of Full Engagement”. Thirty-one was the “Year of Learning and Practice”.
I decided my 32nd year would be the “Year of Wholeheartedness.” I took the time to question what this meant for me, and what it would look like if I was living my life “wholeheartedly”. I decided it was important to immerse myself in doing things that I truly loved. Cake-creating was one of those things that I knew I had to do if I was really honest with myself. I also felt strongly that I was at a crossroads in my life — that I could stick to corporate work and climb the ladder, or I could let that idea of myself go and explore my creative side. I also saw this year as a small window of time where I had no major financial obligations in the form of a mortgage or any children that were relying on me, so I could afford to focus my energies on this process.
How long had you been dreaming of pursuing baking full-time?
Since I was a kid! Unbirthday is me as an adult fulfilling what I wanted to do as a child. I remember not wanting dolls or dresses for Christmas, but would dream of the day I would own my own cake mixer.
What role did your fiancé play in your decision? Was he supportive?
Thomas just proposed last week! He was a true supporter of me and still is to this day. He posted my photos on Reddit as a surprise. He keeps me grounded every day, but still pushes me to fly. He continually checks in with me to see how everything is going, always encouraging me forward. He’s happy to be my taste tester for new creations, and actually volunteers to clean up the kitchen while I work. A girl couldn’t ask for more in a partner!
How did other people in your life (friends, family) react when you told them that you quit your job?
They were supportive and are also used to me making these kinds of life-changing decisions. I dropped out of university when I was 19 to start my own graphic design business. My parents freaked out, and in hindsight, I understand why! I was young and overly confident, thinking I was invincible in my twenties. But that was the time in my life to do some invaluable learning and pick up some fantastic life skills that I wouldn’t have learned if I went down a more conventional path.
What was your biggest fear about going out on your own?
The most difficult thing was sharing something that was quite personal to me with others. This surprised me a lot, as my last role required me to make cold calls to prospective clients and sell them things. I know a lot of people would rather die than do that, but I loved it and found it easy. With Unbirthday, yes, I am selling cakes, but it is also a form of personal and creative expression which I initially felt quite self-conscious about showing others.
The other hard part was letting go of how I identified myself professionally. I went from being a corporate business development manager to a baker. It made me realize how much we identify and judge people based on what is written on their business cards. Shedding my old identity was hard, but it kept me true to my intentions.
I believe everyone has got their own version of “Unbirthday” somewhere, bubbling away under the surface. I just wanted to make sure that I was able to tell myself that I had given my dreams a real chance, regardless of what the outcome would be. One of my favorite sayings is, “Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” This is my mantra for life and Unbirthday.
What does your typical day look like since you started Unbirthday?
I wake up early when I can, and do a round of tai chi training with my father (both my parents are tai chi instructors). Then, I’ll either be fulfilling orders or experimenting with new ideas for cakes. I work from my kitchen at home, so it’s quite relaxing with very little pressure.
Was leaving your other job worth the risk?
Yes, without a doubt. It’s one of those things that I can check off my life’s to-do list — nothing more satisfying than that!
How to take a good selfie for your Facebook profile picture
2014 July 17. | Szerző: shannon
Let’s face it; first impressions do have tremendous staying power and profile pictures can make or break first impressions. Find out how you can pose your way to that perfect profile picture that’s bound to invite a deluge of ‘likes’, with a handful of tips and tricks.
Needless to say, girls love their pictures and quickly step into the ‘secret-angle’ that always works for them. The perfect click is nothing less than a fun game with ample factors to be played around with.
The basics: Don’t think you can fool people with a fake smile. A fake smile has no takers. When it comes to expressing your emotions, your eyes can be truly revealing. As pretty as you might be with that lovely broad smile, don’t just rely on your pearly whites. This also means you got to know your smile. Sometimes a lop-sided or half smile fits just right. You can choose to flash your teeth but don’t overdo it. Let your upper teeth show but don’t open your mouth all at once.
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Pouts don’t work for everybody. They surely are an attention seeker, but not all attention is good and you certainly don’t want to feature on someone’s ‘fail’ list. Some women or even men just have pout-perfect lips and can pull off such pictures effortlessly. Even if you get down to giving it a try, something could go amiss. Any discomfort on your face or in your body language is captured as is, so it’s probably best not to risk it.
Make-it-up: It’s safe to say, another very dear friend of a girl is her make-up. Make-up defines your features and with some camera-friendly techniques can do you proud! You’ve heard this before – while applying foundation, don’t cake up thinking your dark circles and spots will be completely hidden. Excessive make-up can just make you look outlandish. You could look out for studio-finish foundations.
You may have often noticed this annoying shine in your pictures. It’s the oil glossing out on the flash. If you suffer from an oily T-section, it would be convenient to brush on some loose powder or dab it off with some oil-blot sheets. Blot-sheets also spare you from the sweat that turns up as unnecessary shine in pictures.
Focus on either your eyes or your pouty lips. The prospect of using eye make-up may be quite enticing, but try not to get carried away; do it up as per the occasion. Eye-make up also comes into play if you are being clicked for a close-up. Paying attention to your eye-brow arch and shape is necessary. Usually, mascara works really well to make your eyes look bigger. It’s safe to go for one simple colour and spread it out just below the eyebrows. With lipsticks you have got to be careful. With darker, bolder colours, your teeth end up looking a shade yellow unless you have sparkling white teeth! Pinks, whether light, shimmery or matte, can save your day. If you are a diehard red lipstick fan, pick out the perfect shade for your skin tone and more importantly your teeth shade.
Touch it up: The right angle is one key factor that can change the way people look at you in a picture. Tilt your head slightly on either side. This is particularly helpful for anyone with a double chin. You would get a flattering angle if you’re not facing the camera directly. If you can edit your own pictures that could be quite a life saver. Ensure you are exposed to the right light and are not against it. Lighting, if treated well can compliment your face instantly. At times, close-ups work better for some of us, while others are better suited to full profiles. A last minute teeth-glossing secret is to wet them with water right before your click.
This should get you all set, for a 100+ likes on your profile picture and tons of friend requests.
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