THE SEVEN FOOD HABITS THAT ARE MAKING YOU FAT
Body positivity has helped a younger generation to reject the idea of weight loss. But it remains the primary reason clients seek nutritionist Kim Pearson’s help.
“I see educated, intelligent people who are really struggling with their weight,” says Pearson, a Harley Street-based nutritionist, whose clinic specialises in weight loss. “This is not just about what people look like; it’s about the long-term implications on their health.”
Identifying the underlying cause of being overweight is Pearson’s first objective. The reasons may be out of their control – issues such as an underactive thyroid or the menopause.
Frequently, though, it is the psychological side of people’s relationship with food and eating that Pearson pinpoints as the problem. Her job is to make them realise the consequences of certain eating patterns.
“These habits are sabotaging them by stopping them getting to a weight they want and maintaining it,” she says.
Here are the seven food habits she helps people to break.
Thinking you’re having ‘occasional’ treats
It’s easy to think it’s just an occasional treat, but often they aren’t actually that occasional.
Before coming to Pearson’s clinics for their initial consultation, she asks clients to complete a questionnaire that includes a five-day food diary. “This can be an enlightening experience,” she says. “When people write down everything they actually eat, they often find that habits they thought were occasional are happening a lot more than they were aware of. For example, it’s not uncommon for our clients to discover that their ‘occasional’ Pret croissant is being eaten on more days than it isn’t.”
We’re designed to get pleasure from food, as back in hunter-gatherer times we were motivated to seek food out when it was scarce. But too many treats causes our blood sugar levels to spike, and long-term elevation of blood sugar levels can lead to type 2 diabetes.
Pearson encourages her clients to dial into what is driving their desire for a treat. Is it a reward, habit, 3pm office boredom?
She defines “occasional” as a couple of times a week, though it depends on the individual and what it is. “If it’s a couple of squares of 75 per cent dark chocolate after dinner, most people can have that most days and be absolutely fine,” she says. “Whereas if it’s a chunk of cake with 10 teaspoons of sugar in it, it’s not a great idea to have one of those every day.”
Using an app like MyFitnessPal can help you keep track of what you’re eating. Pearson says, “It’s easy to use as you can scan barcodes for a breakdown of the nutritional value.”
Using food as a reward
Rewarding behaviour is a habit that Pearson sees particularly in her female clients. “Women often give a lot of themselves to others – to work, to children – whereas men can be better at setting boundaries,” she says. The consequences are that women can become depleted and then use food – or wine – to “top up the tank”.
After a hectic day, juggling children and work, the temptation is to slump on the sofa with a glass of wine. “It’s this idea of ‘Right, it’s my time now,’” says Pearson. “Giving a lot of yourself – whether to work, family or just life in general – can leave you feeling deserving of a reward. Many of us were rewarded with food as children, setting up this habit early in life.”
Working with clients to create awareness around this sort of habit is a large part of what Pearson does. She encourages them to examine how they are using food other than for nutritional and energy requirements and then ask, if food and drink are a reward, is there a better way of achieving the same lift?
“I don’t want to make people’s lives a misery. I really believe that relying on willpower is only going to work in the short term,” says Pearson. She helps clients find other things they might enjoy: reading a magazine, having a hot drink and a bath or going for a massage. “It’s about finding ways to take time out and reward ourselves that don’t involve wine or cake.”
Fixing that dynamic of replenishing energy through food might mean asking for help, feeling supported and receiving energy from other people.
Being overly focused on calories
Having a kitchen full of Bran Flakes, Ryvita and low-fat Philadelphia, and an obsession with calorie intake, is a mistake Pearson still sees people making.
While it’s important to be conscious of how much we’re eating, where those calories are coming from is arguably more important.
“It’s an old-school approach. Weighing out food is just a miserable existence,” says Pearson. “Things like Bran Flakes and Ryvita simply don’t fill you up and satisfy you in the same way protein does.”
When we don’t get enough protein, and instead base our meals around starchy carbohydrates, it can lead to blood sugar fluctuations. This can result in excessive hunger and cravings for starchy or sweet foods.
“Putting yourself on a blood sugar roller coaster means that by mid-afternoon you will be prowling around the kitchen looking for anything you can get your hands on.”
The calories in, calories out approach oversimplifies how our metabolism works. “I explain to people that we have multiple needs for proteins and fats in the body. Protein is needed for our skin cells, muscle and for our immune system. When it comes to fat, every cell membrane is made of fat.”
Digestible carbohydrates, however, are only used as energy. “It’s much easier to over-consume carbohydrates and have them stored as fat for later use, whereas proteins and fats have multiple structural roles, so will be used for other things than energy supply. Getting your macronutrients right is more important than how much you are eating.”
Pearson says she has clients who drop their calories so low and raise their amount of exercise so high that it triggers so much cortisol in their body it causes them to hang on to excess fat.
“In the past I’ve made people eat more of the right foods and exercise less, by doing gentle and relaxing activities – and they’ve lost weight as a result.”
Eating too much fruit
We think of fruit as being equal to vegetables when aiming for a balanced diet, but Pearson advises clients to eat it with caution. “Some people just shouldn’t eat it at all,” she says. “I might be working with someone with type 2 diabetes, and I will recommend cutting it out altogether because of the amount of sugar it contains.”
Pearson offers similar advice to clients who are on a temporary ketogenic diet. It also depends on people’s carbohydrate sensitivity. For example, the way that two people respond to a banana might be very different.
“One thing we are doing more in the clinic is DNA testing, but you can reach similar conclusions around carbohydrate sensitivity from using a continuous glucose monitor.”
Fruit juices and dried fruit are also full of sugar. Low-sugar options include berries, coconut and grapefruit. Even so, Pearson says they are best consumed after a meal, in order to prevent a blood sugar spike.
Choosing food marketed as ‘healthy’
If you are still seeking out low-fat options in the supermarket, it’s time to stop. Fat has an important role in our feeling of satiety. “Fat tastes good. I want my clients to finish a meal and think that it was satisfying but also healthy, nourishing and supportive of weight loss,” says Pearson.
She draws the distinction between physical fullness and feeling sated. She says, “If your meal hasn’t been that tasty, that’s when you will seek out something extra, no matter how full you are. I’m a big believer in making healthy food tasty and satisfying – that prevents the desire to keep eating.”
It’s the reason that a sad salad is never a good idea for weight loss. “It’s so important to be getting protein and healthy fat,” Pearson continues. “Eating things like roasted Mediterranean veg with lots of fibre will leave you satisfied and less inclined to pick between meals.”
Another problem is the label “No added sugar”. This can result in eating foods that are seemingly healthy, but are actually high in sugar. “There are many foods that are marketed as healthy options, but they aren’t supporting weight management at all,” says Pearson.
“Granola, fruit juice, certain yoghurts and dried fruits are all surprisingly high in sugar. Dates, as an example, are around 70 per cent sugar – and it doesn’t matter that it’s ‘natural sugar’ – the body can’t tell the difference, and eating too much isn’t good for us.”
Eating when you’re not hungry
We eat for many reasons other than true hunger: stress, loneliness, boredom, or simply to reward ourselves after a long day. This, warns Pearson, can compromise your health and weight management. “We work with clients to identify their triggers and find healthier ways to self-soothe,” she says.
She has observed that many people have an aversion to the feeling of hunger, particularly parents who are worrying about their children. “They ask constantly: ‘Are you hungry? Here, have a snack.’ And then they’re surprised when their child won’t eat anything at dinner time.”
While Pearson doesn’t want anyone to starve themselves or suppress hunger, she says we need to acknowledge that it is a normal feeling. “It’s natural that we feel hunger so that we know when our body needs food. Constant grazing is not how humans are designed to eat.”
She blames the way snack time has been marketed to us – the idea that we should take a break and fuel up. Her solution is to work out regular meal times with clients, “because the body thrives on routine”. The times that work for you will be different to others. You might want breakfast first thing, while some people aren’t hungry until 11am.
It’s also important to structure meals so they have a balance of healthy foods that will leave you sated and less inclined to snack. Pearson says, “If you have fats, proteins and plenty of vegetables, you won’t feel hungry between meals.”
Eating too fast
Many people have a long-standing habit of eating too quickly. “This can date back to childhood or the early days of a busy work life,” says Pearson.
Eating too fast can mean that the stomach doesn’t have time to signal to the brain that it’s full, resulting in us eating until we are over-full.
Pearson teaches her clients to chew their mouthful until it’s smooth and has no lumps left. “This can take some getting used to, but after time, it will become second nature. Some people find it helpful to count their chews to start with. Certain foods may require more, some a little less.”
By eating more slowly and tuning into your sense of hunger, you will reduce the temptation to overeat in order to lengthen the pleasure of a meal. It will also help you to reduce discomfort and bloating associated with gulping down air while eating too quickly.
Eating more mindfully is key to appreciating when we are full. Although, Pearson explains, some people have a natural deficiency in their LEPR gene, which provides instructions for making a protein called the leptin receptor, involved in the regulation of body weight. “If those people really do eat mindfully, they can see when they get to a state of fullness. It’s also about working out what is an optimal portion size for each person.”
2023-05-20T10:52:11Z dg43tfdfdgfd