Top Santé – October 2005

I’ll Have A Tuna Niçoise Without The Tuna, Potatoes, Dressing, Olives Or Eggs Please!

Ever detoxed, cut out gluten, wheat, dairy or all foods beginning with the letter C? If so, you could be suffering from a new disorder which may put your health, fertility and happiness in danger.

…For many women, fads, whether it’s banning wheat, not eating after 3pm or out-right fasting, has become a way of life, almost a fashionable lifestyle choice. But despite what sufferers think, fad dieting isn’t healthy. ‘Five years ago, I would never have had people coming to me talking about “blood insulin levels” and the like, but these days I hear it all the time’, says Laura Williams, a nutritionist and personal trainer. ‘These are all intelligent women, who have latched on to a fad. What they don’t realise is they’re completely unsustainable and the science behind them is often flawed. For example, the Atkins fad traded on the belief that we’re all fat because of our insulin regulation but actually, less than one per cent of overweight or obese people have any kind of metabolic or hormonal disorders. So many women are ultimately risking their health because some “guru” is baffling them with wonky science to promote their book sales’.

But strange eating practices don’t just affect your health and finances. According to Laura they can play havoc with your fertility, too. ‘I’ve seen some women not being able to get pregnant because their diet lacks essential fatty acids’, she says.

So maybe it’s time to step away from the diet books and help yourself to a bit of garlic bread with that salad.

To book a session or to find out how Laura can help you get into shape, email her at laura@laurawilliamsonline.co.uk

Or call her on 07712 001525.