I learned about a great book, from a blog posted by one of the trainers at Innovative Results, Amanda Brown, RD, called Intuitive Eating. In the book they discuss the 10 principles of intuitive eating. Although I have yet to read the book, in the blog she posted these principles, which I have decided to use as a blog topic for the next few days. Today we are focusing on the first principle: REJECT THE DIET MENTALITY!
As I have mentioned I have not read the book, so this blog post is only based on my thoughts on this principle.
There are so many diets out there that all promise quick weight loss results, but always at the cost of something. Whether it is avoiding carbs, restricting caloric intake, eating low fat, avoiding eating at certain times, or whatever the current fad is pushing. All these diets do is leave us wanting more, usually never providing us a natural balance that leaves us merely satisfied.
We buy magazines that explain these new diets, we see pictures of celebrities that it has worked on, we go buy the types of foods they recommend and then when we don't see the same results as the super model did, we move on to the next. Dieting is a viscous cycle. But what if it doesn't have to be? What if we could learn how to eat without dieting, without starving or restricting our body from things it wants? What if we could break this viscous cycle of dieting, and overcome the resentment that we feel every time we eat something that could go straight to our hips?
Instead, let us reject the diet mentality and learn how to really eat. Let's learn to feed our body with foods that fuel and energize us, instead of wear us down and rob our energy. But most of all just EAT! Remembering that not all calories are created equal!
Think about why all those fad diets fail? They fail because eventually people cheat on their diet, and then cheat again, until they finally throw in the towel. These diets deprive people of foods that they crave and enjoy to eat. So, my answer to you is, eat what you like to eat, but learn how to eat it. I will never suggest fast food restaurants, donuts, soda, etc, but I will suggest continuing to eat the foods that make you happy. So if you love McDonald's hamburgers then why not make your own hamburgers using organic grass-fed beef, so that you can still enjoy that food, but now you will receive the extra bonus of omega-3 fatty acids in your meal as well. The Omega-3 EFAs in this burger may actually help to decrease inflammation in the body, which can help to increase weight loss. Is ice cream your guilty pleasure? What about instead you made your own fresh frozen yogurt, which is full of healthy bacteria that can help support healthy digestion, maybe even reducing bloat. Eaten correctly, foods you love may actually provide benefits to you, when you learn how they work for your body.
I am sorry to tell you, but you can search your entire life, but you will never find a diet that will work for everyone. Everyone is different, we all have our own unique biochemistry, and we need to learn what works for us. We need to learn what works for our own bodies, and note foods that make us feel good verse those that leave us wanting something more, tired, bloated, or sick. This isn't a diet; it is nutrition, learning the proper foods that work for us, instead of basing our meals around a prescribed "meal plan" that worked for someone else.
That is why we decide to reject the diet mentality! And instead indulge in good food that we enjoy, instead of depriving our body of nutrients or restricting calories. We say "no" to the newest fad diet and feel comfortable with listening to our own body when it comes to the foods we choose.
Pura Vida!
Alica Ryan, NTP
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