Two leading Irish consultant dieticians are to introduce a new weight-loss programme based on educating people about nutrition and the importance of healthy eating.
Aveen Bannon and Paula Mee from the Dublin Nutrition Centre will host a series of eight tutorials for the EatFit course, which was created in response to the increasing demand for the services of dieticians.
According to the Irish Nutrition and Dietetics Institute, the body representing dieticians, of its 400 members, only about 20 work in private practices and many are part time. "Our waiting list was getting longer and longer, and usually people get one hour with a dietician and it can be hard to get the message across in that time," said Ms Mee. "The aim is to help people understand nutrition. It's so important to understand that we are what we eat or, probably more accurately, that we are what we absorb."
The course, which is open to 15 people, will include tutorials on portion sizes, the importance of drinking water and how to read food labels. It will also offer simple timesaving tips for healthy eating. Participants will be challenged to lose 15 stone collectively in eight weeks.
"Time and tiredness seem to be the problem with most people. They come home and want something quick so they grab a bowl of cereal or a microwave meal and think, 'that'll do'," said Ms Bannon. "But with this on-the-go culture and people flying around the place, I'm getting an increasing number of people complaining of an irritable bowel, of being bloated or lacking energy - all of which can be helped by a change in diet."
Ms Bannon and Ms Mee believe eating healthy does not have to be time-consuming. According to them, we should plan healthy meals ahead and stock the cupboards with healthy meal staples about once a week.
They suggest making an omelette or adding a can of chickpeas to soup. They said learning to eat well-balanced meals three times a day and cutting out unnecessary snacks would not only help you lose weight but keep it off, and improve your overall health.
The EatFit course will take place on Monday nights from 7-8pm, starting on October 2nd until November 20th. It costs €550. Tel: 01 6477901 for details.