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Fixing Our Relationship With Food

MAKING MEANINGFUL CHANGE STARTS WITH LISTENING TO YOUR BODY

Nutrition 5 Minute Read

FOR DIETITIAN EVE PERSAK, FOOD IS MORE THAN FUEL — IT’S ONE OF THE MOST IMPACTFUL SOLUTIONS TO BEING WELL. IN THIS COMO CONVERSATION, SHE EXPLAINS THE CONNECTION BETWEEN DIET, SLEEP, AND STRESS, HOW OUR FEELINGS DRIVE THE WAY WE EAT, AND WHY PARROT CAY IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO EMBARK ON YOUR WELLNESS JOURNEY.

Decoding the science behind nutrition

Eve Persak

Eve Persak is a registered dietitian and a specialist in Sports Dietetics, certified by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She holds ‘Certified Nutrition Support Clinician’ credentials — shared by less than 5500 doctors and healthcare practitioners worldwide.

Persak also conducts the Nutrition Reset programme at COMO Shambhala Parrot Cay in the Caribbean, which champions an individualised approach to nutrition with in-depth diagnostic tests and personalised meal plans to transform the body. She is also one of the contributors to the COMO Shambhala Kitchen cookbook, The Pleasures of Eating Well. 

TELL ME MORE ABOUT YOURSELF. WHAT LED YOU TO FOCUS ON NUTRITION?

My relationship with nutrition started very early on. As a young woman, I had a very active lifestyle — I ran my first marathon at 16. And when you’re involved in endurance sports, you learn very quickly that your performance is reliant not only on the training that you put in, but also on how you fuel your body. So if I ate well, my running felt easier and better, and when I did not, it felt tougher. I was actually studying sports medicine when I entered university, but once I took my first nutrition class, it was love at first lesson. I was so fascinated and decided to focus my studies on the nutritional aspect because I wanted to know more about what was happening inside the body. 

I finished my nutrition degree, and was awarded a prestigious internship. But I didn’t want to take it up. I attended school in an affluent community, and to me, it didn't feel right to not experience what true malnutrition was before embarking on this career path. A year later, I found myself in the African bush, volunteering with a medical team and working with orphans, infants, and adolescents with AIDS. After that, I worked at the hospitals in Southern California in the intensive care and organ transplant units for several years, before joining COMO as a nutritional consultant. 

WHAT IS A MISCONCEPTION THAT YOU HAD ABOUT NUTRITION?

Early on in one’s nutrition education and training, it’s easy to believe that nutrition is prescriptive – that there is one specific solution for each health concern or one way of eating that works for everyone. Over the course of my career, I learned that nutrition is almost entirely person-specific.  Everyone’s body is different.  And no two people have the same combination of taste preferences, cultural and social influences, food resources, cooking skills, budgets, etc.  The way we eat evolves over our lifetimes, as well. What worked for me as a young teen preparing for a marathon is different from the way that I eat now. And with years of clinical experience, I've realised that food is more than fuel. It’s a resource for healing.  In the context of injury, illness, or chronic disease, nutrition can alleviate symptoms, accelerate recovery, restore wellness and improve quality of life.

I’ve also had my own medical challenges.  As a result, I’m often able to anticipate common questions and concerns and help clients troubleshoot or course-correct when hurdles pop up or setbacks occur.  But more importantly, this allows me to treat my clients with a level of consideration and empathy that only comes from personal experience.  Reciprocally, they can also learn how strategic and proactive nutrition can boost energy, improve mood, and lessen the effects of stress.  This additional layer of understanding can transform the individual’s relationship with food – instilling a sense of agency and making any dietary changes more sustainable and long-lasting.  It creates a new and different conversation between the client, their body, and their lives.  When they start exploring that dialogue, they start to realise that there’s so much more to eating than breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

WHAT MAKES YOUR APPROACH TO NUTRITION DIFFERENT?

Whenever possible, I rely on diagnostic testing to learn more about what’s happening within a person’s body.  Most clients worry when they observe body changes or new symptoms, and many view it as a problem — or even a failure — when test results show that certain markers are out of bounds, as well.  So, I do my best to reframe both and suggest that these are merely requests from the body for additional attention and support. By taking a closer look into each, we’re able to better understand what the body needs and therefore respond more precisely and effectively. Rather than reinforcing any feelings of fear, the process becomes an opportunity for improved two-way communication between the client and his or her body.  The body expresses a need. The person responds to not only satisfy the need but, ideally, to steer the body into a healthier, more desirable direction, too. The body’s needs change considerably over the course of a lifetime. With a refined capacity to listen, respond and adapt we’re able to navigate every step with greater ease and optimise our overall wellness trajectory.  

HOW DOES OUR EMOTIONAL STATE INFLUENCE OUR EATING HABITS?

With food choices, feelings very often trump facts.  Our eating habits are easily steered by how we feel. When we’re bored, angry, depressed, sad, or lonely, we might detach from hunger cues or, alternatively, eat well past fullness.  When emotional, we’re more likely seek out meals that feel comforting, nostalgic, celebratory, or even naughty. Acknowledging the connection between feeling, moods and food choices, makes it easier for my clients to understand how creating more consistency in mealtimes and adjusting their dietary choices can help reduce feelings of stress and even alleviate mental health concerns. 

One major challenge is the stress factor. When days are busy, meal timings usually become erratic and food choices become more convenience driven.  Unfortunately, in challenging times, the body prefers high-quality food and a predictable eating schedule to rise to the occasion.  When it receives the opposite, it can create a sense of nutritional insecurity that further reinforces the systemic stress. The body then perceives that it cannot ‘trust’ when food will arrive or whether its needs will be met.  So, rather than readily metabolising the food for energy, it holds onto it, which explains why stress often leads to weight gain, typically around the midsection.  Shifts in cortisol (our predominant stress hormone) causes blood sugar fluctuations, too.  This can lead to stress-related carb and sugar cravings.  However, indulging these emotional and physiological longings for breads, noodles, pastries and sweets – all the comfort foods – only exacerbates the glycemic peaks and valleys. 

TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE NUTRITION RESET PROGRAMME AT COMO SHAMBHALA PARROT CAY.

The Nutrition Reset programme is made for anyone and everyone looking to improve their wellbeing. That includes people with gastrointestinal issues, those who want to manage their weight, those with extreme food sensitivities, athletes looking to improve their performance, people who are interested in longevity… the list goes on. I have a consultation with the guest before they arrive on their goals and concerns, and work with the chefs at Parrot Cay to tailor a menu for them that honours their needs and preferences, while tasting absolutely delicious. The guest is in control throughout the process and can choose when and how they wish to integrate it into their day— for example, they can start their trip with a more intensive menu before diving into something more indulgent for the last few days. And when people see that eating healthy doesn’t have to be painful or restrictive, they get excited to make that change. 

People can be reluctant to travel when they have dietary restrictions, so the Nutrition Reset programme also provides that opportunity for them to truly be at ease — because not having to worry about getting food that’s aligned with your dietary restrictions is a holiday in and of itself. And the dishes aren’t just a plate of chicken breast and vegetables. You’ll get the full experience of COMO’s award-winning cuisine, with just a few minor tweaks to the sauce, or swapping a piece of red meat with fish, or making something gluten-free.

What makes this programme extra special is the whole environment and atmosphere of Parrot Cay. When you take a person out of their daily hustle and into such a beautiful location, the whole experience allows them to decompress. The availability of wellness services and activities also lets them feel like they have an interdisciplinary team taking care of them, with opportunities to put their wellbeing first. They can take a nap by the pool or attend sunrise yoga, and at the end of the day, return to a stunning room and tuck into a wonderful meal. The experience literally feels like a deep and complete exhale. 

I reconnect with the guest for a second time before their departure. We discuss how to replicate meals from their menu, and what groceries to purchase in advance so that they feel well-stocked when they are back.  We also talk through how to sidestep any obstacles they foresee upon returning to their usual schedules so that they can stay on track. 

ONE OF THE BENEFITS OF THE NUTRITION RESET PROGRAMME IS BECOMING MORE RESILIENT TO STRESS THROUGH OUR DIETARY CHOICES. WHAT’S BEHIND THAT CONNECTION?

The physiology of stress is very similar to what we experienced many centuries ago, when we were cavemen and women — our bodies are using the same underlying equipment, but our life circumstances have changed very drastically.  Stress used to occur in short bursts, like natural disasters or getting chased by a mammoth.  Now, stress has become something constant, from the moment we wake up to the moment we fall asleep. 

While the stress response involves the mind and several bodily systems, the adrenal glands take the lead.  As a part of the “fight or flight” reaction, the adrenals secrete hormones that cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise. They also trigger the liver to release sugar into the bloodstream to fuel the body in the short term — that is, to fight the predator or to run from danger. However, in our modern world, a weird email, a difficult meeting, a speaking engagement, or an argument with a loved one can instigate this same physiological response. And the prolonged duration of stress means that blood sugar, heart rate, and blood pressure are more consistently elevated, without any outward physical activity to match the internal phenomenon. These stress hormones can also influence other hormones in the body, like the reproductive hormones. Metabolism can slow, as well, making it more difficult to lose or maintain weight or even leading to weight gain. Digestive issues can occur as the body directs blood flow away from the stomach and towards the limbs so that you can run or fight.

The Nutrition Reset programme can help to re-choreograph that hormonal balance and support the various systems involved in managing blood pressure, heart rate, and gut function. By eating consistently, de-emphasising sugars and refined carbs, and integrating gut- and brain-supportive nutraceuticals, the programme helps to replenish essential nutrients that run low during periods of chronic stress. Having a plan for how to eat during challenging or uncertain times can even create a much-needed sense of control and become a healthful coping approach.  Alone or when coupled with other modalities, like yoga, breathwork, and meditation, nutrition can transform the real-time experience of stress and make us more resilient to stressful times when they arise. 

The Nutrition Reset Programme by Eve Persak is available at COMO Shambhala Parrot Cay, in the Turks and Caicos. To book a session with her, click here. Stay updated on our line-up of visiting wellness experts here.

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