Madison life - Health news: ‘What’s Eating You’ book review

WHAT
‘What’s Eating You’ looks at the psychology of eating, or rather understanding why we eat what we eat. The idea is that when we understand what drives our diet decisions, we are better equipped to change this behaviour and improve our health. The book looks at eating ‘triggers’ such as emotional eating and the ‘low fat myth’ and breaks down eating styles into four categories so you can identify your food type and tackle your biggest eating dilemmas.

WHO
Sydney-based nutritionist Kathleen Alleaume is an accredited exercise physiologist and nutritionist. She also has a lot of hands-on experience with clients, as the founder of The Right Balance Consultancy in Sydney’s CBD. In this book she combines her training with knowledge about realistic health management from her work as a nutritionist. The result is thorough, easy to read and follow advice about making healthier choices in day-to-day life.

THREE THINGS WE LEARNT
1. The difference between hunger and appetite, and that your goal should be to eat until satisfied, not necessarily until you feel full.
2. The truth about fats. There are three main types: saturated, monounsaturated and polyunsaturated. Just because a label claims to be low-fat, doesn’t mean it’s not full of refined carbohydrates and sugar.
3. What constitutes a portion and a standard serving? Alleaume breaks down a typical food label so you can learn to read it and make informed decisions in the supermarket aisle.

SHOULD YOU READ IT?
This book is great for those who have developed unhealthy habits but aren’t sure where they’ve gone wrong, or how to change it. If you’ve tried a number of diets, are someone that works best with logic and reason, or are interested in what drives us to eat, this book might interest you.

MORE
What’s Eating You by Kathleen Alleaume, $34.95, by Random House Australia. On sale January 2012.

Related content:

Health buzz: The China Study

Health buzz: Brain food

Health buzz: doctor food