'Indulgence is part of healthy eating': Food author who was once OBSESSED with eating 'clean' reveals how quitting diets for good changed her body and her life for the better
- From age 14, food author, Jessica Sepel, became obsessed with clean eating
- Developing orthorexia, she would work out twice a day and eat tins of tuna
- It wasn't until she learned more about nutrition that she started eating mindfully
- Ms Sepel now follows a flexible eating plan, which lets her eat as she wish
- She shares tips for overcoming emotional eating ahead of her new programme
For Jessica Sepel, eating used to be a disordered, anxious thing.
From the age of 14, the Australian food author and nutritionist cut out food groups and developed a form of orthorexia - an obsession with healthy eating - which saw her eat endless tins of tuna and work out twice a day.
Speaking with FEMAIL, Ms Sepel reveals how she went from being an emotional eater to a mindful 'flexible' eater.
She said she now believes that 'indulgence is a part of healthy eating, and flexible eating is a key part of a balanced diet.
'You should be able to go to dinner parties and eat whatever you want,' Ms Sepel said.
Disordered: For Jessica Sepel (pictured), eating used to be disordered and anxious - she developed orthorexia around the age of 14
Past life: This saw the Australian food author and nutritionist eat endless tins of tuna and work out twice a day - she overhauled her attitude in her twenties and now eats mindfully
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Of course, the 27-year-old best-selling author and qualified nutritionist hasn't always had such a relaxed attitude around food.
Like many women, she said throughout her teenage years and early twenties she felt insecure and anxious:
'I have a Type A personality, which meant that dieting gave me a sense of control,' she said.
'While my mother and my family had always been incredibly healthy, I discovered fad diets around the age of 14 and got sucked in. Skinny made me feel good.
'I was in a constant fight against my body and I only felt good when I'd lost weight. I only ever wanted to eat 'clean' foods and developed a form of orthorexia as a result.'
Happy: Jessica Sepel now allows herself to eat whatever she wants - she said she is a 'flexible eater' and believes 'indulgence is part of healthy eating'
Comfortable: 'You should be able to go to dinner parties and eat whatever you want,' Ms Sepel said (pictured eating out)
Being kind: Slowly and steadily, the 27-year-old began introducing previously banned foods - like fats and carbs - into her diet
It wasn't until her twenties - when she started studying nutritional medicine and health - that Ms Sepel began to realise what her disordered eating had been doing to her body:
'I remember sitting in lectures and feeling quite scared about how disconnected I'd become from my body,' she said.
Slowly and steadily, the 27-year-old began introducing previously banned foods - like fats and carbs - into her diet.
'It took about two years of being kinder to myself, but it really worked,' she said.
How Ms Sepel quit dieting was she gave up exercising twice a day and made a commitment to herself to stop restricting certain foods.
'The number on the scales had always been what determined my self-worth.
'But as soon as I started eating mindfully and more flexibly my skin started to clear, my weight balanced out, my hair got thicker and stronger and I started sleeping so much better.
'You can eat all of the greens but if you feel anxious around food while you're eating, you will never feel and look your best,' she said.
Change: 'As soon as I started eating mindfully and more flexibly my skin started to clear, my weight balanced out, my hair got thicker and stronger and I started sleeping so much better'
Attitude: 'You can eat all of the greens but if you feel anxious around food while you're eating, you will never feel and look your best,' Ms Sepel said
Ms Sepel has now devised tips to help other women get over their disordered or emotional eating habits.
'Don't allow yourself any technology while you're eating. Let there be no distractions. I used to eat breakfast with my phone and ten minutes later I couldn't recall ever eating.
'Eating mindfully reduces the tendency to overeat later.'
Secondly, Ms Sepel is a fan of making promises to yourself:
'Make a commitment to yourself that you'll give up dieting for life,' she said.
'And calm your body by taking between three and five deep breaths before you eat. Giving yourself permission to eat all foods in moderation is also a good idea.'
She said that over the past decade she has learned the value of imperfect eating:
'I try to eat healthily 80 per cent of the time and 20 per cent, I treat myself. Don't worry about eating imperfectly - your body responds to what you do most of the time.'
80/20: Ms Sepel said she eats healthily 80 per cent of the time, and 20, she treats herself - 'don't worry about eating imperfectly - your body responds to what you do most of the time'
Release: Jessica Sepel's new book, Living The Healthy Life, is out now (pictured)
In her new book, Living The Healthy Life, Ms Sepel delves into why the diet industry has got us so confused, and offers a practical guide for becoming more mindful and relaxed:
'There are so many problems out there right now,' she said.
'Young girls latching on to diets and taking them to the extreme, orthorexia, emotional eating, and binge eating, too.
'As a nutritionist, stress is the biggest thing I see. People don't realise the huge link between gut health and stress. The book and new programme will hopefully offer people practical ways to find balance.'
To buy a copy of Jessica Sepel's new book, Living The Healthy Life, click here. You can also sign up for her new programme which launches on 12 February here.
