Foodie bandwagons can seem tempting, but are they right for you?
Most often in a quest to become leaner, many people go on restrictive diets that limit calories, fat, carbohydrates or avoid certain foods or food groups.
By restricting foods, many diets don’t supply your body with the nutrition it needs. A lack of proper nutrition can leave your body lacking energy, making you feel sluggish, and it can also increase your risk for developing vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which can lead to osteoporosis and chronic disease.
Yes, everyone has individual needs for nutrients, and this is also true for your satisfaction with food. There is no real one-size-fits-all diet that will work great for both you and your neighbor, so it’s important to find what works for you.
So, instead of jumping on the newest dieting bandwagon, let’s find your fit to help you be the best you can be!
Focus on YOUR Body
Your body is unique. Your mind is also unique, and it helps drive what you eat and how you feel about food, so it is important to reflect on your thoughts to help guide you in the right direction.
Ask yourself some key questions before jumping on the next dieting bandwagon.
Are you restricting whole food groups? (e.g., fruit and vegetables, meat and alternatives, milk and alternatives, or grain products)
Could you sustain this diet for the rest of your life?
Do you think you will be happy with this diet long-term?
What would you need to give up to be on this diet? Are you sacrificing your overall health?
What is the true goal you wish to achieve in making this change?
Answering these questions can be challenging, but it is important to think critically and honestly about a new change in your diet. Focus on making positive changes that will help you lead a happier and healthier lifestyle versus making a change you will not be happy with doing, or choosing something that yields only short-term rewards but isn’t sustainable.
Create Lifelong Healthy Habits to Be the Best YOU
Focusing on making positive long-term changes can help energize your body in both the short-term and long-term by taking the best care of your body now and for the future.
Sure, some dieting philosophies sound appealing and you may be able to take bits and pieces from a few of them that work for you, but many offer promises they can’t keep.
Simply put, drastic, restrictive “diets” don’t ensure long-term changes, and thus a yo-yo cycle is born: following a diet for a short period of time, cheating, feeling guilty, giving up, then going on to the newest, trendiest diet only to go through the cycle all over again.
You may already find yourself in the yo-yo cycle, but it’s time to break out and make lifelong changes that make you feel great both–in both body and mind.
More often than not, making a change means breaking old habits that can be hard to relinquish, but creating your healthy lifestyle is a journey, and it will not happen overnight.
Ask yourself what your lifelong health goal is. How will you get there?
What changes do you need to make?
Focus on
– making small positive changes, one at a time
– being mindful of how food makes your body feel
– eating real food
In addition to nutrition, being active can give you energy, relieve stress, increase strength, and help prevent chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease. Just like eating, the activity can look different to each person, whether it be skiing, running, playing hockey, gardening, or doing yoga.