Gaining Perspective on Your Successful Diet

When it comes to balancing nutrition, calorie types (fat vs. carbs), and our busy lifestyles, the challenges can be tremendous. If we are to believe the marketing out there, there is always one true diet for all. The reality is thankfully quite different and much easier to do.

First, let’s look at what you are currently doing with your consumption of our favorite macro molecules; namely, fats, protein, and carbohydrates. We need all of these components balanced within our daily diets – mostly, but more on that a little later.

Without going into the nitty-gritty science of these molecules, understand that our bodies use a certain percentage of each of these nutrients in order to keeps things running. Fats give us the raw materials to make important things like hormones, as well as provide a really dense form of stored energy for when our bodies need it. Proteins give us the amino acids that make up much of our physical structure, like muscle. And lastly, carbohydrates are the sugars that give us that quick flash of energy. They also work with our metabolism of fats and proteins. So we need some of each and they all work to keep our bodies humming.

When looking at our bodies with nutrition in mind, we need to consider a number of factors. Each of these factors must be measured with a certain personal honesty. Most of us know what food type is our Achilles heel. For some it is the soothing comfort of those carbs found in sweets and cakes. For others, it is the more solid feeling from a high fat meal. If you don’t know where to begin in designing your diet, start by looking at what you like and moderating your intake of that favorite. Food is so often presented as a source of comfort in our society, it is not surprising that we run into problems when we take solace in foodstuffs during times of stress. We absolutely need to reward ourselves but when we turn these feel good activities into daily routines, we are getting too much of a good thing.

Notice too that I am not labeling foods or things or people as “good” or “bad”. Our body’s biology shows us that a lot of things happen without any qualifications of right or wrong. Things very often just are. So relax because we are focusing on changing the things we can change and working with the things we can’t.

So as you get to know what your body really likes, think where you can make adjustments in your lifestyle. What can you change in your diet/lifestyle/attitude right now? What things can you change over time? What we want is a gradual shift in thought and behavior from the “I’m too busy to cook” theme to the “how can I prepare this vegetable?” (Developing a positive attitude towards Life certainly doesn’t hurt either!) All things are possible. I too came from a “meat and potatoes” family and all of my healthy eating habits I had to learn over time. Be patient with yourself.

I advise all my patients to find the least processed food possible as a healthy eating choice because it is in the processing of our foods that nutrition is lost and our risk of lifestyle diseases like type 2 Diabetes increases.* With this least processed food in hand, look at proportion. Increasing the amount of healthy food while lowering the amount of less-than-healthy food provides our palates enough of the flavor to where we feel satisfied. When we are satisfied by a meal, we reinforce the healthier eating and changed habits develop.**

Splurging on that occasional piece of chocolate cake is not a moment to dread or feel guilty about. When I spoke earlier about balancing our diets between the fats, proteins, and carbs, a balanced diet allows us some fun too! Our omnivorous history means that we have historically been opportunistic eaters. Until we learned how to cultivate and raise our own sources of food, we were dependent on whatever we could catch and/or find. Our bodies are prepared for these infrequent events. So when you have been working hard minding your foods all week and circumstances present the chance to indulge in a favorite foodstuff, this does not undo the dietary balancing you have been doing. Just keep the fun food as an exception to your diet and you will not be doing any harm to the healthy eating you have been doing.

Which brings me to the junk food non-lecture because we all know what junk food is, how much fun it is to consume, and we know where to get it. Once we get started, junk food is actually pretty attractive stuff to our bodies. There is now information out that indicates that we may actually crave the junk over good food, even when both are available.*** Just remember that we still have brains that have the ability to override the whims of the body. You are a smart and powerful person. You can demonstrate this power whenever you consider how and what you eat.

Find ways to work with who you are. I devise ways to play to my personality strengths and weaknesses. In buying healthy food for home, I will sometimes crave something sinful (yes, my body can still remember the fun of junk food). If the junk food isn’t in the kitchen, and knowing that I am a lazy so-and-so unwilling to go outside to get it, I settle for the nutritious food and never make it to the drive-thru. Figure out ways to work with your own personality. Be creative!

So to find the diet that works best for you, the first step is to look at yourself. You know that person in the mirror so much better than any marketing campaign out there. You’ll be getting to know that person well because like any lifestyle change, improving one’s dietary habits is a journey and it is always good to travel with people you like.

Gaining Perspective on Your Successful Diet

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