Healthy eating advice has become almost as fickle as fashion. One week, butter is good for you; the next, it’s bad. One person swears by celery juice; for another it’s nothing but meat and dairy. Little wonder so many of us are confused.

The actual benefits of healthy eating, on the other hand, are decidedly clear: it can add years to our lives and reduce our risk of many chronic conditions. So, how do we work out what’s healthy and drown out the trends?

To help you learn how to trust your gut, we sat down for a chat with women’s health dietitian Dr Stephanie Pirotta.

How do we get in touch with that inner voice to help guide us in the right direction?

Dr Pirotta: Through awareness. How we think and feel about our eating habits is important. Are you eating certain foods only because you think they are healthy? Are you enjoying the taste and texture? What does hunger feel like to you? What does fullness feel like?

Awareness is the first step – next is understanding what your body is telling you.

If you’re excluding food groups, limiting your food intake or restricting what you’re eating when hungry, it’s important to be aware of what that voice is saying. Feeling guilt around food doesn’t help anyone. And the more we say, ‘Don’t eat this or that,’ the more our brain wants to do the opposite.

What do we do if we feel it’s guiding us in the wrong direction? For example, telling us to eat a whole bag of lollies?

Again, the answer is being aware of what your inner voice is saying. ‘I’m so bad, I ate a bag of lollies in one sitting. I’m so gross,’ is the negative voice. But reframing your perspective and saying, ‘I had a sweet craving and enjoyed those lollies,’ takes away that judgement and makes the negative voice more positive.

Meanwhile it’s important to understand why you had that craving. Did you skip any meals or snacks? Did you eat enough carbs, protein and healthy fats in the day to give your body what it needs?

All food is nutritious in its own way. Sometimes it can serve as emotional nourishment. That’s when we eat not because we’re hungry, but because we’re lonely, tired or stressed.

Not feeling guilty about this is important but so too is nourishing your body across the day with nutrient-rich foods to help reduce cravings if they are happening on a regular basis.

Every day, women in particular are bombarded with messages of what and when to eat. How do we know who and what advice to trust?

Dr Pirotta: When you come across healthy eating advice, it’s important to ask questions: Where am I getting this information from? Are they qualified to give this information? Are they trying to sell me something? Are they promising that if I buy their product or follow their rules, everything will work out for me?

Personal success stories can seem really convincing and it’s great to connect with people with a lived experience, but what works for another person might not work for you. My advice: remain healthily cynical.

What’s your advice for people who have a complicated relationship with food?

For people who are struggling, I would urge them to talk to a professional – a psychologist or dietitian with qualifications and training in this area. Unbalanced relationships with food are extremely common, but working with a professional can help you to have a healthier relationship with food.

More information and help

Butterfly: Support for eating disorders and body image issues.

Size Inclusive Health – Find a provider: Health professionals offering care from a weight-neutral framework.

Dr Stephanie Pirotta is an Accredited Practising Dietitian and research fellow, working in both clinical practice and research.

© 2024 Jean Hailes Foundation. All rights reserved. This publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part by any means without written permission of the copyright owner. Contact: licensing@jeanhailes.org.au