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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. HER NUTRITION RESET PROGRAMME AT COMO SHAMBHALA PARROT CAY IN THE CARIBBEAN CHAMPIONS AN INDIVIDUALISED APPROACH TO NUTRITION WITH IN-DEPTH DIAGNOSTIC TESTS AND PERSONALISED MEAL PLANS TO TRANSFORM THE BODY.

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’s expertise is founded on a graduate-level nutritional science education at Pepperdine University in California, USA, as well as over 15-years of hands-on experience.

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 very much 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?

I used to think that nutrition was prescriptive, that there was one way of eating and that it worked for everyone. Over the course of my career, I learned that nutrition is very much a personal thing — because everyone’s body is different. The way we eat changes 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 I've realised that food is more than fuel. It’s a resource for healing, and can transform a situation from an illness or sickness into one of wellness. It presents an alternative way of supporting the body and helping it to recover. 

  I’ve also struggled with my own nutritional issues, and this allows me to treat my patients with a consideration that only comes from personal experience. I’m also able to anticipate some of the emotions that a patient might be feeling, which has a direct impact on the way they eat. When you’re able to understand more of that emotional element and treat that aspect of the client’s wellness journey, the dietary changes become much more sustainable and long-lasting. It upends the individual’s relationship with food and how they nourish themselves. 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?

Nutrition is unique from person to person, so I rely a lot on diagnostics to learn what is happening within that person’s body. These tests allow the patient and I to understand what exactly the body is asking for, creating space for a mutual dialogue between the patient and their body. Most patients seem to think that that’s a problem or that something is wrong when the tests come back and there’s a marker that’s out of bounds — I like to reframe it as your body making a request and letting you know where some extra attention is needed. I’m always optimistic about it, and I tell my patients that there’s a solution for whatever the tests reveal. I work with a variety of doctors across almost every field, and the interdisciplinary knowledge that we share helps us to treat the whole person, enveloping them in a community of care — almost like a healthcare tribe that conspires to maximise their wellbeing.  

The best results I’ve seen in my patients are when they have a conversation with their body, they listen to what it needs and they don’t tell it what to do, there’s a mutual understanding that’s born through unpacking what the diagnostics are saying, and what your food choices are communicating to your body. It’s an ongoing dialogue that changes over the course of your life. And staying curious about these changes can also help with accepting that your body will change throughout the years. 

HOW DOES OUR EMOTIONAL STATE INFLUENCE OUR EATING HABITS?

One of the ways that the connection between emotions and eating can be experienced is during the menstrual cycle. Because of hormonal changes in the body, some women feel as if their eating habits become driven by their emotions. Athletes tend to regard food as purely fuel, but when they celebrate or get nervous, their food choices tend to become more liberal as well. The stress factor is also enormous — people usually compartmentalise their emotions and write it off as being too busy to think about eating. But when I do have a session with someone who is at a high level of stress, like a mother with four children struggling with sleep deprivation, a student studying for final exams, or even someone suffering a major loss in their lives, you can see clearly that they become so preoccupied with the problem itself, that the thought of paying attention to what they’re eating is too huge of a task. 

When our eating patterns become sporadic and there’s less rhythm to the day, the body becomes insecure about where their next meal is coming from. So instead of feeling comfortable enough to burn the food that is consumed, the body holds on to it, which explains why stress can lead to weight gain around the midsection. It’s a stress-hormone driven phenomenon, so people also tend to reach for the sugary and carb-heavy foods for comfort – stressed spelled backwards is dessert, after all! Acknowledging the connection between their feelings and their 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. Nutritional psychology is a very fascinating field and I work with a variety of psychologists and psychiatrists when patients are facing mental health issues as well, such as ADHD, depression, and anxiety. 

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

The Nutrition Reset programme is made for everyone. That includes people with gastrointestinal issues, people who want to manage their weight, people with extreme food sensitivities, athletes looking to improve their performance… 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 fulfills their goals, while tasting absolutely delicious. The guest is in control throughout the process — 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. 

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. It feels like a deep exhale. 

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.

The results from the programme continue even after the guests return home. I usually get requests from them about how to replicate the menus, and what groceries to order so that it’s at home once they get back. I also share what are the challenges to expect and how to troubleshoot them so that they can continue their journey. 

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 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. 

The glands that respond to stress are mainly the adrenal glands, and the hormones they secrete cause heart rate and blood pressure to rise. The liver actually produces sugar to help fuel the body in the short term — this is the ‘fight or flight’ reaction. That release of sugar is now triggered by a weird email, a difficult meeting, a speaking engagement, or an argument with a loved one. And this prolonged duration of stress means that blood sugar levels are consistently elevated, without the physical activity required to burn it off. And it also affects other hormones in the body, like the reproductive hormones. Some notice lower libido or changes in their menstrual cycle. Metabolism slows as well. 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.

Hence, when we’re conscious of the kind of carbohydrates that we’re taking in, we can manage the blood sugar spikes better as well, especially since the fluctuations in blood sugar levels can cause carb cravings. And that also helps mitigate the stress that you feel too. 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. It also gives a sense of stability and control when it comes to dealing with stress. Integrating yoga, exercise, and nutrition can transform a body that is depleted and drained into one that functions at its best again. 

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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