Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great day! Today I’m writing this blog post because I know December & January are “tricky” months regarding diets. Typically, December is a month were everyone is trying to eat everything & anything; while January is the month were everyone is trying to “start the diet” which ends pretty soon. Sounds familiar? Absolutely! This ends up being a never ending cycle & this is also how a disordered way of eating begins.
I know this will sound bizarre for a dietitian to say, but diets DON'T WORK! Yes, you read this correctly. In my experience as a dietitian I can say that there are two specific reasons why I do not recommend diets in general:
1. They usually restrict foods or food groups (without a real reason to restrict them, for example an allergy) with a low caloric intake. Which makes sense with math & numbers but are sooo difficult to follow for a longer period of time.
2. Typically, they're meant to be done in a few weeks or months.
I know we've all been taught that in order to lose weight we need to be very restrictive with our caloric intake (I include myself in this because I've heard this multiple times). Like I mentioned previously, makes total sense when you're doing the math, but how sustainable is this approach? Also, we often times forget that in order to achieve optimal health we need to consider our mental health too! We need to be okay with our body but our minds play an important role in this equation. Typically if we tend to restrict so many foods we will crave them even more that we did before & we eat so much of that specific food we are craving. Another scenario could be that in a social gathering we're so nervous about the foods that can be served & get nervous that at the end of the day we get more concerned about the food & forget to enjoy the company or present moment.
I've heard so many people skipping social gatherings to avoid this issue. Since they don't want to over eat or eat foods that are "not allowed", they end up isolating themselves from the fun & their loved ones.
It's okay if we want to include nutrient dense foods on a regular basis, but if you for some reason gather with your friends or family, think about how to enjoy this moment with them & not about how "unhealthy" the food really is. I know I've mentioned this before & it's about how we can remove the "good" or "bad" labels to food. We all have learned about this before. We know that there are foods that we "should't" eat because they are calorically dense without providing us major nutrients. But if it's not on a regular basis, why do we get so concerned?
My recommendations for this holiday season are to focus more on the present moment instead of worrying about the calories you just ate. If 2020 has taught me something is that physical social interactions with our loved ones are soooo important. Things can change in a blink of an eye that it's important to just enjoy what you're currently living. Also, another recommendation is to avoid restricting yourself foods that give you comfort. Restriction is not the answer because like I shared previously, we tend to crave these foods more, instead try to fulfill that crave & I promise you will just move on with your day, rather than thinking about it all day!
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f you want to improve your health during this new year, think about what you can add & not restrict. We can always improve in some way. For example, you can begin by thinking what fruits or veggies you could start adding into your meals. Instead on focusing on what you “can’t“ or “shouldn’t” eat I challenge you to identify those foods you could include to improve your fiber consumption or your micronutrient intake. Once you switch the way you see health, it will be a lot easier to achieve your goal!
I hope this message helps you & if you need assistance DM me or send me an email to andreamarro75@gmail.com.
Enjoy the holidays!
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