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Size Inclusive, Non-Diet dietitian Sunshine Coast
You may have noticed that Love What You Eat is located in two different states of Australia. While Zoe, the founder of Love What You Eat, is located in Melbourne, I’m living and working on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. Although I began working as a dietitian in Melbourne, where I was born and bred, I relocated to the Sunshine State in 2021 and have been here ever since working as a Non-Diet/Intuitive Eating dietitian.
I found my way to intuitive eating via a colleague who completed a Non-Diet workshop about 8 years ago. Initially it sounded like the right/best approach but admittedly I didn’t know if this would appeal to clients who had their heart set on weight loss. When I did further training/learning/reading I realised that if I truly wanted to help my clients improve their health forever, I needed to fully embrace this approach with all of my clients. It was the only way that I could work as a dietitian, otherwise I was just being part of the ‘diet culture’ problem. So for the last 7 years I’ve been practising using the Non-Diet/Intuitive Eating approach with all of my clients and continue to do so since my move to the Sunshine State.
The lifestyle in Queensland is certainly different to that of Melbourne with it’s beautiful climate all year round. This means that I’m able to enjoy my favourite activities of hiking, swimming and stand-up paddling as often as I like!
One of my favourite places to hike on the Sunshine Coast is Noosa National Park where I could literally spend all day exploring and just taking in the awe-inspiring beach scapes. It’s my happy place. Noosa River and Currimundi Lake are also my favourite spots to hire a stand-up paddle board & just float along the sheltered waters, so peaceful. As a dietitian who is also a bit of a foodie, I used to love to cook. However over the last couple of years life has thrown a few curve-balls so I just fell out of love with the whole cooking process and my meals became a little boring (can anyone relate?).
Since moving to Queensland though I’m starting to really enjoy cooking again and using some of the delicious tropical produce that the sunny coast has an abundance. I love visiting some of the local markets on my weekends including the Noosa & Kawana farmers markets, Caloundra Country Markets and the Caloundra Seafood Market. I find that when I keep the fridge and pantry stocked with produce that I know tastes great, I’m much more inspired to want to cook and organise my meals for the week. Trying new foods that I haven’t tried before also helps to ensure that I’m eating a wider variety of different nutrients and my meals are more satisfying.
What new foods would you like to try to increase variety and enjoyment in your eating? Are there any new places where you live that you might like to explore to make your movement/exercise more enjoyable?
