Successfully Changing How You Eat
For any gut, skin or mood issues, the food you eat needs to considered as one of the variables contributing to your state of health. As you eat numerous times a day, getting food right is an important part of any health journey.
How food might be contributing is varied. It might be that there are not enough nutrients, possibly certain food chemicals such as amines are creating an imbalance in your health. And many times, an otherwise healthy food simply does not suit you.
As up to 80% of our food is the same week in and week out, making changes to the way we eat can be difficult. On the one hand, making changes can have a significant impact on our health. On the other hand, making changes can be quite challenging due to this near habitual pattern but also due to time, money, ability, access to new ingredients, and factors unique to each person.
To change the way you eat needs to be carefully planned out and well supported for you to succeed. Even just taking out one item, such as gluten or dairy, needs to be well thought out.
Here are my top four tips on how to set yourself up to successfully change the way you eat:
Do your research and reconnaissance. Look at your diet and see where these foods are currently and then start looking for alternatives either to the food or the meal itself. Read labels so you know where these foods might be sneaking into your diet. ( Bonus tip: it is easier to stick to clean whole foods as there are no labels to read and therefore no surprises.)
Have a plan- look for new food approaches and recipes to make it easier. The Paleo and Mediterranean diets are good places to start for many. There are many online and print resources for both that can help you not only develop a plan of what to eat but also inspire and motivate you
Be prepared – you are more likely to fall back into old patterns when you don’t have something already prepared or planned. Do a weekly menu for all your meals, clean out your fridge and pantry of foods you need to avoid, check out the menu at the restaurant before you go so you know already what you can eat, have easy to prepare snack options on hand so you are not tempted by the office chocolate stash.
Get support – you may get tempted or frustrated, especially in the early days. So find ways to get the encouragement and guidance you need to succeed. Enlist your family and friends to be your cheer squad. Join an online group so you get the inspiration and guidance to keep you going. Find a professional to help you. Hypnosis is great for breaking patterns, a naturopath can help with recipes, accountability and giving you the tough love you may need to get back on healthy eating.
When changing the way you eat, there will be challenges, hurdles and some setbacks. And that’s okay, the goal is to make consistent, not perfect changes. So do your research, have a plan, be prepared and get the support to help you make healthy changes to what you eat. It is a powerful way to improve your health.