What is the deal with all these diets. Everywhere I turn I see a new diet that’s being marketed. Some are crazy ridiculous and others seem fine, at least on paper.
Recently my dad came home from the gym and mentioned that he never knew that he wasn’t supposed to combine carbs and fat in the same meal. I just shook my head.
I have a number of food sensitivities and I’m struggling with my thyroid and Hashimotos and I can’t get away from dietary advice. Everywhere I turn, there’s a new “diet” that I absolutely have to try. The thing is, much of it makes complete sense. The foods are supposed reduce inflammation, heal my gut (that’s the root of a lot of the issues) and help me lose weight. How can you go wrong with that? The issues begin when I actually start eliminating many of the foods that make up my staple diet. Somehow I always wind up feeling like I’m not getting a wide enough variety of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. Note that there are a number that I have tried that are based on eliminating certain foods and then reintroducing them. In general, I’m okay with that but it needs to be for a specific amount of time and under guidance. These are not forever ways of eating.
Unless you are on a specific diet for a specific reason, the best way to approach a diet is to not make it a diet. This needs to be a way of eating that you can maintain for life. Be prepared that you’ll have some better days and some not as great days, but you’ll never be stressing about food. I think that the second we make a big deal out of it, we’ll wind up giving up on it in time.
WHAT IS THE DEAL WITH ALL THESE DIETS
It’s time to rethink the way we eat. Instead of obsessing over food and making it seem almost evil we have to start thinking about it as the fuel that keeps our bodies strong and healthy.
Natural is always best. We should all know this by now. Food that’s unprocessed and natural is always going to be the best thing we can put in our bodies. And that includes all types of food. Rather than eliminating entire food groups, unless there’s a good reason that you need to, try incorporating as much variety as you can into every day.
Eat well most of the time. Look, a big part of this whole plan is to eat well without stressing or obsessing. So it doesn’t do you any good to be eating a bag of chips or having ice cream while feeling guilty. All that does is make you feel bad and then chances are that you’ll overeat and you won’t even enjoy it. Aim to eat well most of the time, like 80% and give yourself a break for those other moments in your life.
Don’t obsess. Yes I’ve said it a few times already but really it might be the most important point I need to make. Food is just food. You have many more important things to worry about on a daily basis, so why spend time worrying about food?
Know that there will always be a new diet around the corner, some of your friends will probably jump on the band wagon and tote it as the next best thing, but the richer in variety your diet is and the better you feel, the less tempted you will be to start a new one.
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