Hope isn't lost!

It has been a while since I have blogged, but after this week, I feel compelled to. After seeing Jamie Oliver, and attending a seminar on methods to address the obesity crisis, I am more inspired than ever to educated as many people as I can about the foods they are eating. Some of the things you may have heard about in the media lately include:

• Sugar is the devil and is worse for you than alcohol
• Jamie Oliver is fat, why should we listen to him telling us to lose weight and be healthy?
• We can't trust nutritionists and dietitians because they belong to associations whom receive funding from brands that manufacture junk food

What a busy few weeks it has been for nutrition in the headlines!!!

Instead of getting angry at various uneducated comments and peoples ignorance, I thought I should just write my thoughts.

First of all, my main philosophy regarding food and nutrition is to know what you are eating and to eat food that is nourishing. What do I mean by this? Soft drinks, biscuits, chips, deep fried processed meats and plenty of take away meals do nothing positive for your body. These foods don't provide you with the nutrients you need to stay healthy, fight diseases, feel great or sleep well. So it's an easy one - eat foods that will give you some benefits.

Education is key. Now I am not saying I agree with everything that comes out of her mouth (I don't), but Sarah Wilson has a lot to say about quitting sugar. She has lots of information on hidden sugars - and I think we all should know about that! Her website is http://www.sarahwilson.com.au/ One point about polyunsaturated fats causing cancer is just ludicrous, but there is some valid research about sugar and saturated fats (egg yolks are fine, as I have always said!)

Sugar is found naturally in fruit (fructose) and dairy (lactose), and we do need a bit of these sugars in our diet. But the refined white stuff is not required in our diets - it is cheap and addictive - so cut it out as much as you can.

This does however bring me to my next point. I hate being disappointed, and I found this news quite sad. Now I have always been cautious of the Heart Foundation tick program (their relationship with McDonalds backed that up), but it has now been put out in the public that the Heart Foundation have been financially supported by sugar companies, like CSR, and thus why we don't see sugar taking into account when products are given a 'tick' (mind you, products need to pay to use this tick...). The other big conspiracy is that the Dietetics Association of Australia receive funding from Nestle (not known for their abundance of healthy, nutritious foods).

This is business though - industry can't survive without money. To say that you can't trust a diet expert because of the association they belong to is ridiculous. There are good and bad dietitians, just there are good and bad doctors, personal trainer or accountants. Make sure your expert is up to date in their knowledge and word of mouth is key.

Now, I will say I am a giant fan of Jamie Oliver, he is one of my foodie heroes. What he has done for Victoria is amazing! Yes we have initiatives and celebrity chefs here already - but which of them received $5million of funding? His number one priority is EDUCATION. Teach people how to cook healthy meals, teach kids at school basic nutrition and where foods come from. How can any of that be negative?

So what if Jamie has out on a few kilos - you know what? He's busy trying to make everyone else healthy at the expense of his own health and fitness so shoosh. Haters gonna hate. The biggest killer in the western world is diet related illness and disease. I think that's a pretty good reason to start looking after ourselves and helping other to stay at a healthy weight, and maintain a healthy lifestyle.

There are a few things that tie this somewhat of a rant together. Educate yourself as much as you can. Know what you are eating - eat whole foods, avoid processed rubbish. Then you will have the power and knowledge to make up your own mind about claims and fad diets we will continue to see our entire lives. Treat you body with respect - it is your home, you don't get another one!

To end, here is Jamie Oliver's wish for the future. Inspiring stuff that we can all get involved in.

“I wish for your help to create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”