Walk more, drink less – a Nutritionist’s guide to the silly season

With obesity surpassing tobacco as the leading risk factor for disease in 2024, Charles Darwin University’s (CDU) new Head of Nutrition and Dietetics is encouraging Australians to balance the joy this silly season.  

“I am big on the joy of sharing food, it’s such an important part of the Christmas season – but readers beware – is it really joyful when you’ve put on weight and injured your health with too much booze over the holidays?” Associate Professor Anita Star said. 

Released this month, the Australian Burden of Disease Study reported Australians lost an estimated 5.8 million years of healthy life due to living with disease and dying prematurely in 2024. 

Of the total disease burden, obesity or overweight health issues accounted for 8.3 per cent, surpassing the burden of tobacco use (excluding vaping) at 7.6 per cent. 

Listing pacing yourself, having a small amount of food you really love and making time to move your body as helpful ways manage intake over the next few weeks, Associate Professor Star also shared her rule of Joyful Five. 

“I would encourage everyone to think of five other joyful activities to help them maintain balance and rejuvenate for the New Year,” Associate Professor Star said. 

“On my to-do-list is go for a bushwalk with friends, read a book, complete a painting, spend lots of time in the pool with family, and plant some plants on my balcony.”

In a first for the Northern Territory, CDU will offer a Bachelor of Nutrition from next year, with the University also celebrating its first Master of Dietetics graduates in 2024. 

“CDUs Bachelor of Nutrition is an important next step for attracting more local students to train to become Nutritionists, and if they wish, to go on to the clinical dietetics training in the Master of Dietetics,” Associate Professor Star explained. 

“With the rates of obesity and chronic disease as high as they are, we need more Nutritionists and Dietitians in the Territory, and having local people means they are more likely to stay for the longer term.”

The Bachelor of Nutrition will begin Semester One 2025 with students able to enrol now.