Avenue Magazine Calgary Jan/Feb 2023 - The Food Factor: Why Exercise and Diet Go Hand in Hand
The Food Factor: Why Exercise and Diet Go Hand-in-Hand
Derek Cloutier
Establishing a new exercise routine is a great way to kick-start a healthier lifestyle, but it’s only half the battle. The other half is eating well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S. says a healthy diet helps you boost immunity, lower the risk of certain illnesses and live longer. Vincci Tsui, a Calgary-based registered dietitian, certified intuitive eating counsellor and author, says it’s important not to focus solely on weight as a motivator for eating a healthy diet. “Weight is not an accurate reflection of a person’s health status, and we have less control over our weight than we think,” she says. Tsui also pushes back against the notion that there are “good” and “bad” foods. “All foods nourish and all foods provide nutrition,” she says. “There’s a lot of messaging out there that any food that’s not an unprocessed, ‘whole’ food, or any eating occasion that is not a planned meal, is ‘bad’ or devoid of nutrition, when, in reality, all foods have nutrients and all foods nourish.”