The year 2019 was a defining year for me, a year of growth …
After some major set-backs earlier in the decade I reinvented myself from 2014 onwards including returning to University and completing a Masters in Human Nutrition through Deakin University in October of last year, 2019. The course included a research component of four units. My research topic was Ultra-processed food and health outcomes. I also researched the Health Star Ratings, a nutrient-profiling system introduced in Australia in 2014. I am currently writing some papers form my research which is taking all my time and focus. After all that is finished I am planning to focus more on this blog to provide educational content.
One thing that this course has taught me is that science is evolving and nothing is set in stone as factual without controversy. The more I have learned, the more I know there is yet to know. The more expert I become in an area, the more I realize how in-expert I really am.
I have come to understand that there are so many unanswered questions, of how things pan out for public health initiatives, and for an individual. Even presuming individuals are humming along happily and healthily in good personal, financial and social situations (and not suffering from a personal crisis or trauma); there are still unanswered questions in regards to the current food environment we have today. I aim to explore these questions on my blog. Like a gardener, I intend to grow my knowledge and impart that to others.
My fields of interest are prevention of non-communicable diseases especially heart disease, type-2 diabetes and some cancers; food sensitivities; surviving the current food environment of excess food availability, and especially availability of ultra-processed foods; and constant social pressure to indulge with food. Moreover, I will explore the evidence of using diet and lifestyle to extend one’s health-span, not simply one’s lifespan.
That is my aim as I enter a decade of personal growth … it is never too late to be where you want to be.
Leonie Elizabeth
03 January 2020
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Image courtesy[digitalart]FreeDigitalPhotos.net
(This post was amended 05 November 2020)
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