With spring in the air and summer just around the corner, many of us are feeling the urge to eat better and start moving our bodies more. However, updated research reveals our diet personality type might be holding us back.
After a particularly unpredictable 2020 and 2021, we wanted to revisit our personality and weight loss study, CSIRO Diet Types, which we first launched in 2017.
Six diet personality types
With more than 245,000 Aussies participating in the new diet personality type study, our team of behavioural scientists identified the most and least common of the six main diet personality types across the surveyed population.
When it comes to our approach to diets in 2021, most Australians tend to over-think, have too high expectations and are anxious about failure – all of which can derail the best intentions.
To help get you motivated this spring our Behavioural Research Scientist, Dr Emily Brindal, has shared a few tips for each of the six most common diet types identified in our study.
Don't know your diet personality type? Take the online quiz now.
The Thinker
Thinkers are goal-oriented, motivated and analytical. However, they can be sensitive to negative feedback. This can lead to stress or anxiety, which can ultimately derail their diet.
Tips for Thinkers
- Remind yourself that the journey is the destination.
- Focus on daily positive actions, like trying new meals or tracking the food you eat during the day, rather than just on outcomes like weight loss.
- Establish a self-reward system that motivates you.
The Battler
Battlers are likely to experience regular food temptation as well as being prone to stress and worry. Battlers require some unique strategies to help them break the cycle and achieve long-term success in their diet journey.
Tips for Battlers
- Being healthy doesn’t mean you have to be perfect.
- Follow the 80/20 principle. Eat healthily most of the time and leave room for the occasional treat.
- Distract yourself from your cravings to break the habit. Go for a walk, take a few slow deep breaths or do a sudoku to keep your mind busy. The more often you do this, the less your mind will get stuck in using food to calm itself.
The Craver
Cravers are likely to experience strong food cravings. This may lead to overeating in ‘tricky’ food-related settings.
Tips for Cravers
- 'Out of sight out of mind' is an important strategy for Cravers.
- Avoid keeping treats you love at home or work. Or conceal them in opaque containers.
- If you eat when you’re emotional, don’t be tempted to eat less to 'make up for it' the next day. Just go back to your normal balanced diet.
The Pleaser
Pleasers are likeable and friendly but can also be sensitive to social comparisons which can make them feel like they are not doing well. They are likely to have many people to call upon to support them along the way.
Tips for Pleasers
- As a Pleaser, you tend to underrate yourself. Avoid comparing yourself to others – this will leave you feeling deflated and unmotivated.
- You tend to put others’ needs before your own. It’s important to take care of yourself so you’re able to deal with stress.
- Prioritising sleep, drinking water and staying connected to friends and family are a few simple ways to practice self-care.
The Foodie
Foodies are passionate about all things food including the experience of preparing and eating good quality meals. Foodies love variety and have the best diet quality of all Types.
Tips for Foodies
- Portion control is important for Foodies.
- You can still enjoy the delicious foods you love by learning to control your portion sizes.
- Explore new recipes to experiment with creative ways to add flavour and eat more vegetables to boost your nutrition and reduce how many kilojoules you’re eating.
The Socialiser
Socialisers are people-persons who needs flexibility. They need to make sure strict food restrictions don’t stifle social occasions or ‘kill the mood’ of an event.
Tips for Socialisers
- Alcohol could be a trouble zone.
- Learn strategies to drink sensibly, such as sipping water between drinks, trying new alcohol-free varieties, and refusing refills.
- Use your love of people to your advantage. Ask a friend or family member to do a science-based program like the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet with you. You can share the journey and it will make socialising easier.
The Diet Types program aims to identify your psychological characteristics, which will help you understand your food triggers and identify strategies that will work for you!
You can take the free CSIRO Diet Types quiz online by visiting the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet website and filling in a short quiz. Once you complete the quiz you will receive instant feedback about your Diet Type and the best strategies to achieve your desired health outcomes.