The answer stems from our very first moment
As soon as we are born, food and comfort become permanently intertwined with who we are. Think about it, from the moment we are held in security by our mothers and fed snug in their arms, food is immediately connected with being held, being safe and comforted.
This connection and want for comfort stays with us for the rest of our lives.
Throughout the years our milestones are marked by celebrations and parties all based around food. From Christmas, birthdays, Easter, romance, friends over and so on, food is nearly always celebrated with the occasion.
This is often how the role of nourishment and ensuring our survival can be outweighed by an occasion and habit.
While some of us use food as comfort or reward to a greater or lesser extent, for some of us it can become the main comfort in our lives. This can put us at serious risk for over eating, leading to weight gain, obesity and a variety of conditions which are listed further down in this article.
A food lifetime habit
The habit of over eating is something that was born out of love. We all remember being told and taught from a young age that you do not waste food and “not to leave a single morsel on the plate”.
Times have changed though. Food has actually decreased in price over the years when you contrast it to the average national wage, but that bread and butter habit of not wasting anything has stayed with us. Twenty five years ago a loaf of bread was 0.7pc of the weekly wage and now it is less than 0.2pc. The growth of commercialism and advertising has also played a big role with why and what we are eating with daily messages being bombarded on us to keep buying and keep feeding.
This has led us astray from what the real purpose of food is – Fuel – and most of us are not fuelling our own or our children’s bodies correctly.
We also need to factor in our activity levels. As children, we were all outside, playing and moving our bodies every day for hours!
How many of us now, be it ourselves or our children, stay still in front of screens for the majority of the day?
The maths is very simple – To stay fit and healthy, you must burn off what you consume. That consumption needs to fuel your body correctly. Vitamins, iron, minerals, fibre and hydration are essential.
If you don’t move and you keep consuming, you will put on weight.
It’s a Fact!
According to Safefood.eu more than half the women of Ireland are overweight or obese. This fact is very concerning as the risk of contracting the following is significantly increased.
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint)
- Sleep apnea and breathing problems
- Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
- Low quality of life
- Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
- Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning
What to do?
If you have fallen into this habit, don’t scorn yourself and as you can see from the figures above, you are not alone. The first thing that needs to be done is acknowledgement. By doing this, you can reach out for help. A problem shared is a problem halved and having gained a lifetime habit, breaking it on your own is achievable but very difficult. If you have a broken leg, you would not try to mend it yourself. You would want a trained professional, who knows what they are doing to help and mend you.
It is exactly the same scenario with being healthy and fit!
You need the help of a qualified nutritionalist. This does not have to be a daunting process and a good nutritionist will help, guide and support you always.Our friendly, non judgemental nutritionists have over 25 years experience between them. They have worked with women who have started at basics, to those training for a marathon. Getting to the core of eating habits and guiding/educating women to the best ones.
Consultations Include
- Weight Analysis
- Height Measurement
- Fat %
- Fat Mass
- Muscle Mass
- Bone Mass
- Ideal Body Weight
- Degree of Obesity
- BMI
- Customised Food Plan
- Hydration Plan
- Recipes
There is no judgement and no guilty feeling with our nutrition consultations. The recipes and plans are easy to follow and taste amazing. We firmly believe in Womens Fitness that if you educate the woman, you educate the household. So by combating your own health and fitness, you will be able to pass this knowledge to your loved ones around you.
With correct nutrition and guidance, you are going to be fuelling your body and mind in the way it was meant to function. You have one body, one life and one decision to make. The choice and consequences are yours.
If you would like to find out more about our Kickstart Plan which will teach you correct nutrition along with fitness, please visit our
Kickstart page.