No more “guilt-free” foods. How Australian Dietitians and Nutritionists Can Advocate for Non-Diet Nutrition.

Diet culture, which promotes restrictive eating and equates thinness with health and worth, has infiltrated our lives and negatively impacted our relationship with food. However, there is a growing movement of Australian dietitians and nutritionists who are advocating for a different approach - non-diet nutrition. In this blog post, we will explore the concept of non-diet nutrition and discuss how Australian professionals in the field can play a crucial role in breaking free from diet culture.

Embracing non-diet nutrition

Non-diet nutrition is a paradigm shift in how we approach food and health. It focuses on promoting a healthy relationship with food rather than focusing on weight loss or restrictive eating. The goal is to honour and respect our bodies by listening to their needs and giving ourselves permission to include all foods without guilt or shame. Australian dietitians and nutritionists can embrace non-diet nutrition by challenging traditional dieting practices and using them.

Using non-diet recipes

Another important aspect of advocating for non-diet nutrition is shifting the narrative around what foods are “guilt-free”. In our opinion, all foods are free from guilt and shame; using these labels only perpetuates the idea that food has moral value, e.g. if you eat “good” or “clean” food, you are a good person, we believe all foods fit in a healthy balanced lifestyle and most importantly - your relationship with food will benefit from an all food fits approach.

You’ll notice our recipes don’t use terms like “guilt-free”, we don’t use cabbage leaves instead of burger buns on our burger recipes, and we don’t use cauliflower bases on our pizzas. We believe these foods can be included and enjoyed, using traditional ingredients. Besides - we went to Italy to get the pizza dough recipe, so there’s no need to get cauliflower involved!

Collaborating and Advocating

Breaking free from diet culture requires a collective effort. Australian dietitians and nutritionists can collaborate with other healthcare professionals, organisations, and the community to advocate for non-diet nutrition. Advocating for a healthier relationship with food means changing some of our language around food. Ultimately, a sustainable approach to diet, focusing on a healthy relationship with food, will make a bigger impact on the general population's long-term health — and isn’t that what we’re all striving for?

Umami is a place where you can source inspiration, and provide a collection of nutritious recipes that support your client's health goals in a way that celebrates food and embraces health. We are proud to be the only nutrition planning software that embraces non-diet nutrition, and we cannot wait to share more with you as we prepare for our launch.

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