Book Review: Eating for You by Sallyanne Pisk

I recently caught up with Australian dietitian Sallyanne Pisk and was delighted to receive a copy of her new book Eating For You which distils the knowledge she has gleaned from years of private practice, health service management and research. Take a look...

Eating – the why, the what and the how?

Eating for You takes you back to the basics of eating — the why, the what and the how. Many people seek improved health and wellbeing through diet and lifestyle changes, and while advice is plentiful it isn’t all useful. We’re all different so the promotion of a perfect diet for everyone is misleading.

Eating for You provides personalised guidance enabling you to discover what works for you, your body and your lifestyle.

Mindfulness is key

Mindful eating and living are at the heart of what Eating for You teaches. Mindfulness allows you to tap into your eating habits and your motivations. It provides you with the tools to reassess your relationship with food and improves clarity and confidence in decision-making while creating a quiet space in otherwise busy lives.

The practice of mindfulness is pivotal to Eastern cultures and is now, as a result of scientific research, gaining acceptance in Western medicine. It has been shown to assist dietary changes, reduce blood pressure, increase concentration span, improve mood and is something that we all can learn.

The best of West meets the best of East

Eating for You combines Western nutritional science with Eastern practices, in particular, Ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It demonstrates how to incorporate simple Ayurvedic and TCM practices to increase your understanding of how your eating habits impact your health.

A healthy lifestyle

“All lifestyle factors — eating, exercise, sleep, relationships and time for personal reflection — are interlinked and of equal importance”, says Sallyanne.

“Each factor is a piece of the puzzle that contributes to your total picture. If you leave out vital pieces, you won’t enjoy complete health and wellbeing.”

If you have tried to change the way you eat and failed before then Sallyanne’s mindfulness approach may just be the one you’re looking for. She’ll help you embrace change by uncovering your habits and assisting you in making mindful choices.

New behaviours mean a new you

Eating for You says “Introducing new eating behaviours requires significant mind and lifestyle shifts. We need to acknowledge that change is possible, but often it’s not easy to introduce and maintain.

“Eating for You is a personal guide to eating and lifestyle. Rather than telling you what to do it provides guidance through information, tips, strategies and end-of-chapter reflection exercises. The reflections encourage you to consider the relevance of the different approaches offered and to assess how they may benefit you. You are also shown techniques that help you to align your thoughts and actions with what you wish to achieve.”

The layout

Chapters 1 to 9 contain topics and reflection exercises to help you identify what is important to your health and wellbeing. You are encouraged to complete the end-of-chapter reflections in the order presented as they are designed to provide the direction and content for your personalised eating and lifestyle plan.

10 principles

Eating for You outlines 10 principles for incorporating new choices into your life. According to the book it is through knowing yourself, your food and how to introduce and live with change that you can alter what you do in your day-to-day life. Sallyanne stresses that it is important to be realistic and to have a plan, and to be kind to yourself as you increase your confidence in making mindful choices that invest in a healthier and happier you.

The bottom line

This book provides a personalised approach to realising a healthy relationship with food and adopting a healthy and life-affirming lifestyle.

This is an edited extract of the Introduction from the book by Sallyanne Pisk.  You can buy the book plus a free workbook for A$29.95 directly from Sallyanne at www.eatingforyou.com.au/p/book . Or you can buy the book at Gleebooks, Megalong books and selected independent book stores.