Avoid new year diet and find balance beyond food rules 

Instead of looking for new ways to lose weight, consider taking an intuitive eating approach, which teaches us to tune into our body’s signals so that we eat what we need and when we’re hungry

Restrictive diets can lead to an unhealthy relationship with food. Picture: iStock 

SINCE waking up on New Year’s Day, we’re likely to have been bombarded with messages telling us the feasting has to stop. The indulgent spirit of Christmas has been replaced with talk of diet and exercise regimens.

This annual pattern of revelry followed by restriction doesn’t help us maintain a healthy relationship with food. So says Elyse Resch, an American dietitian who co-authored Intuitive Eating: An anti-diet revolutionary approach with dietitian Evelyn Tribole.