If you are a Dietician, Psychologist, Medical Doctor, Physiotherapist or other health professional that would like to learn more about the non-diet method, I would love to talk to you.
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It may feel irresponsible to stop telling our patients that they must eat their 9 portions of fruit and veg every day and limit the amount of sugar they eat and practice moderation etc. etc. etc. But honestly, how effective have these messages been?
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Being prescriptive about what people eat does not work.
What does work, is Eating Competence.
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A person with Eating Competence has:
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Positive attitudes about eating and about food
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Food acceptance skills that support eating an ever-increasing variety of the available food
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Internal regulation skills that allow intuitively consuming enough food to give energy and stamina and to support stable body weight
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Skills and resources for managing food context and orchestrating family meals.
The Eating Competence model was developed by Ellyn Satter. Research has shown that adults with Eating Competence have weights that tend toward the average. They are more satisfied with their weights and are less likely to cycle between dieting and non-dieting. They show better health indicators: higher HDL, lower blood pressure, total Cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides. Adults with high eating competence also do better socially and emotionally. They feel more effective, are more self-aware and are more trusting and comfortable both with themselves and with other people.
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You can learn more about this model and what the research says at www.ellynsatterinstitute.org