A few random health facts...

What does your sandwich say about you?

According to a survey by UK neuromarketing firm Mindlab, what you put in your sandwich says a lot about the kind of person you are:

• Cheese and pickle = high IQ
• BLT on seeded bread = opportunist
• Ham salad on white = forward thinker
• Beef roll = impulsive
• Egg mayo = quiet homebody
• Tuna and corn = highflyer
• Prawns on brown = sensitive soul
• Chicken and salad wrap = extrovert

Position is key...

Fact. We are more likely to favour items in the middle row of our fridges and pantries. It's not just about buying healthy food - we also need to place it strategically in that 'easiest to reach' drawer or shelf. Keep the naughty items tucked away, out of reach.*

* Study in Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Do we know how fat we are?

USA
• % of overweight people = 64%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 43%

Australia
• % of overweight people = 60%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 33%

UK
• % of overweight people = 59%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 40%

NZ
• % of overweight people = 59%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 41%

China
• % of overweight people = 21%
• % of overweight people aware they are overweight = 25%

Yep, there's no avoiding it. Us Aussies are in denial about our expanding waistlines. The (pretty scary) stats above are from a 2011 'Health Pulse' survey by leading healthcare group BUPA. Time for a reality check!

How to eat well and fit into your skinny jeans!

On the menu this week: we answer our final two top questions. Enjoy!

1. What should I be eating?

This is an interesting one. There is no ‘one diet fits all’ solution. In fact, one man (or woman)’s food is often another man (or woman)’s poison! The concept I am referring to is that of ‘bio-individuality’. We are all unique individuals with our own individual dietary requirements and our own responses to particular foods.

What we should eat also varies according to location and season. There’s a reason everyone is talking about eating locally-sourced, seasonal produce. It’s good for the environment but it’s also better for us. Put simply, it’s more natural to be eating what is readily available to us in our surroundings.

Finally, the word ‘should’ when combined with ‘eating’ rings alarm bells to me. Eat what you want to eat, when you want to eat it (within reason) and you will often find you eat far more healthily (and far less) than if you impose restrictions on your diet (and end up reaching for the nearest pack of Tim Tams).

2. How do I lose those last five kilos?

Most of us have a normal weight and a ‘skinny jeans’ weight. I think the issue of losing the ‘last five kilos’ is really about something entirely different: letting go. Obviously I don’t mean renouncing all willpower and reaching for the nearest pack of chips. What I mean is letting go of our OCD calorie counting, treadmill pounding and habitual self-loathing. We are officially a nation of ‘orthorexics’ – people unhealthily obsessed with being healthy. Sounds ironic, doesn’t it?!

Now, I’m not saying that you can get fat by just worrying about it or look at a slice of cake and turn into one. But you can definitely shed the kilos if you stop agonising over your weight and just let go! If you think about it, it makes perfect sense. When you are relaxed and happy, you sleep better and make the right food choices. You get outside more and laugh more. You lower your stress hormones and boost your mood!

So next time you catch yourself obsessing over what to eat for dinner, take a step back, breathe and remember to live a little. You might even make a more sensible decision...