Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference 2016

Why did I eat that when I
know it’s not good for me?
Wendy Shah, RD & Colleen Cannon, PhD,RPsych
Dietitians Association of Australia
National Conference
May 20, 2016 Melbourne, VIC
www.cravingchange.ca/welcome

Part 1
Mind-full Eating

What’s Missing??
• Clinical experience teaches us that nutrition
counselling is not only based in science, but
also involves understanding the psychology of
eating.
• Simply providing clients with information
about recommended food choices and
portions is generally not adequate long-term.
• Many clients still struggle with their eating.

Why did I eat that?
I’m such a loser – I have no will power.
I know what to eat, but I
just can’t do it. I’ll have to
try harder.
How can I manage my blood glucose if I can’t manage what I put into my mouth?

Dietitians Need a New Focus
Diet Modification
Recipes, Meal Planning & Preparation
Nutritional Adequacy

Behaviour Modification/Goal Setting

Building a Therapeutic Alliance
Cognitive-Behavioural Interventions

Use an Iceberg Analogy

Use an Iceberg Analogy
• WHAT, WHEN and HOW MUCH our client eats
is just the ‘tip of the iceberg’ – the behaviour
we see.
• Under the surface of the water is the much
larger part of the iceberg that we can’t see.
• These are the thoughts, emotions and
situations that influence the eating behaviour.
• This is the WHY of the eating behaviour.

Mind-full Eating
Since birth, there are
many associations with
food and eating filed
away in the client’s
mind.
Their mind is full of
factors that influence
their eating that they
may be unaware of.

Mind-full Eating
Help your clients skim
under the surface of
their eating iceberg to
discover these factors.

Associations with Food
Note that our minds pair food and eating with:
• Memories
• Beliefs
• Advertising
• Teachings
• Experiences
These are under the tip of the eating iceberg.

Awareness Leads to Change

It Decreases Shame and Guilt

Change the ‘Why’ Factors
• Once the client has a better understanding of
WHY they eat the way they do, they can focus
on changing these underlying factors instead
of struggling to just change their behaviour.
• With decreased feelings of shame and guilt,
the client will feel more empowered and able
to problem-solve and address the factors lying
under the surface of their eating behaviour.

The Cognitive-Behavioural Model
Addresses the questions:
• Why is it hard to eat healthy?
• What are my problematic eating triggers?
• How can I change my triggers or eating
response?
• Learn more about the cognitive-behavioural
(CBT) model in Part 2.

Dietitians Association of Australia National Conference 2016

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