Whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply find your way to a healthier relationship with food, turning to quick-fix fads will only lead to temporary results and long-term frustration. I know from personal experience — you name it, I’ve tried it (meal-replacement shakes, low-carb, high-protein, calorie counting, etc.). It wasn’t until I stopped fighting against food and started working with it that things finally started to click.
Where Diets Fall Short
It’s a temporary solution for a deeper problem. When people turn to diets, it’s often a sign that there’s something amiss about their relationship with food. Sustainable, whole-foods-based diets offer something that calorie restriction and deprivation can’t even begin to achieve.
Low-calorie and no-fat food substitutes can actually sabotage your weight-loss efforts. Studies suggest that when you consume sugar-free or low-calorie foods, your body responds by creating extra insulin, which in turn causes some nasty cravings and can lead to more serious problems like prediabetes and insulin resistance.
Ever wonder why diet soda doesn’t ever really satisfy your sweet tooth and you end up drinking 14 in a day? Find out more in “Poor Substitutes,” from the December 2007 issue of EL.
Diet plans often fail to provide guidance for sustainable, lifelong eating habits. Even the programs that attempt to provide long-term lifestyle changes frequently fail to address the underlying roots of our eating patterns, and can feel too rigid and unforgiving to the average Joe or Jane. No wonder it’s so tempting to just shrug our shoulders and give up on the whole thing.
Rethinking Our Relationship With Food
Truly healthy eating is about shifting your mindset, not your caloric bottom line. Rather than viewing food as the enemy that has to be “conquered” or vanquished, a successful eating plan should be based on fueling your body, eliminating chemicals and preservatives from your diet, and enjoying the experience of dining.
Fullness and satisfaction are keys to moderate eating. Chronic deprivation will not only slow your metabolism, but also will leave you more prone to overindulging on the very foods you’re trying to avoid.
The ever-expanding portion sizes in the United States are alarming to be sure, but what’s more important to our overall health is what makes up these portions. Our standard American diet of processed “white” foods (white flour, refined sugar, trans fat) may make us feel good for a short while, but it corrodes our health and leads to chronic disease (more than 109 million Americans now report having at least one chronic condition like diabetes).
How to Get Started
Cut down on fast food or, even better, cut it out completely.
Make your lunches at least three days a week.
Replace processed snacks with healthier options (veggies and hummus, fruit or whole-foods-based protein bars).
Eat before you get ravenously hungry to avoid the lingering hunger hormone ghrelin.
Drink lots of water. But ditch the plastic bottles: Use a reusable stainless-steel bottle instead.
Wean yourself off soda. If you miss the carbonation, try kombucha.
Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. Eat breakfast. Wash, rinse, repeat.
When you indulge, go for quality (dark chocolate truffles) over quantity (four gas-station hot dogs with a doughnut chaser).
Try just one new recipe a week.
Find inspiration from food-wise bloggers around the Web (Ethicurian, The Daily Table, Mark’s Daily Apple and What to Eat, to name a few).
Buy organic produce — it’s actually quite inexpensive if you shop at farmers’ markets or co-ops.
More Resources
Delving Into Diets
The Simple Way to Slim
Weight-Loss Rules to Rethink
Food Trap!
Have ya’ll seen this article on how we’re “wrecking our feet”? It’s definitely an interesting (if a bit one-sided) look at the biomechanics of walking.
