The Best Diet for You

Diet is probably one of our most abused words. Commonly associated with having to deprive ourselves of foods and flavors we really like, diet gets a bad rap. Trust me. Eating well can be both fun and healthy. No penalty or guilt included.

In making such a big deal about our eating habits, I think we get the order backwards. Instead of life centering on our Diet, shouldn’t our Diets just be a part of our life? As food choices come from our lifestyle choices, what and how we eat can be a reflection of how we want to live. It is our food choices that then contribute to our Health, or not.

Rating a Diet

Science keeps quietly reaffirming that many different diets work for many different people. In a recent study, it was found that both low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets work about the same for weight loss. Everyone participating in a calorie-restricted diet, lost weight.

So there really is no magical Diet that works for everyone – despite what you see in your social media feeds and on websites. As with any bad advertising, it is just best to ignore the loud messages and look to your own priorities.

Start with what you want to do with your new Diet. Weight loss? Weight gain? Just plain feeling better through healthier eating?

For weight diets, look at portion sizes and food types. Carbohydrates are tasty but an excess contributes to fat storage in the body. Proteins are needed to build the body. Fats have more calories and in smaller proportions, help build also. Most weight diets involve increasing protein intake while keeping fats and/or carbs in check. (This holds true for athlete diets too. The portions are just a little larger.)

Simple enough, right?

For healthier eating, look to less processed foods and getting away from convenience foods. Yes, this may mean having to spend some time in the kitchen (gasp!) but home prepared food is healthier by and large and there is a lot of fun in the preparation too. Really. I have a great time working in the kitchen and I’m a guy! There’s just something about the flavors of a meal you’ve prepared yourself…

The Hardest Thing About Diets

As with so many of our other habits, it is not the starting something new – it is the letting go of the old. This is why so many fad diets die out so quickly. A fad diet will help you lose the weight but it does not give you the positive sensation that tells you that you’ve done something good for yourself. It just changes the numbers on the bathroom scale.

[pullquote2 style=”right” quote=”dark”]It is your lifestyle that makes you happy, not the food you eat.[/pullquote2]A diet that gives you something positive back is the one that you will give up, or at least modify, your earlier poor habits. Eating healthy will give you a feeling of energy. When you feel good, instead of just full, after a meal, you are more likely to eat that way again.

There is forgiveness also. The call of the drive-thru can be hard to resist sometimes, especially after years of the practice. When you are eating healthy and partake of the occasional processed food, you have not undone any of your work. In fact, this falling back on old ways is pardoned. The emphasis here is on the term “occasional”.

Which One is Best?

The best Diet for you is the one that makes you feel good, makes you feel good about yourself, and contributes to your Health and sense of well-being.

If your goal is to lose weight, decreasing calories while increasing activity works well.

Eating to boost your Health centers more on eating unprocessed and whole foods.

Remember that Diet is just one of your choices in living a healthy lifestyle. It is your lifestyle that makes you happy, not the food you eat.

Healthy Comfort Food from My Kitchen

When the weather turns chilly, I love to put together some good old-fashioned comfort food. Here’s an oldie that I started making years ago while living in the snowy Midwest. Perfect as an entrée with whatever main dish you’re having: chicken, fish, eggs, veggies, and beef (which doesn’t happen in my house too often).

The basic recipe is simple but the opportunities for improvisation are almost endless!

Herb Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

3-4 whole red or yellow potatoes
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Dried Oregano
Paprika
Dried Basil

Directions:

On a cookie sheet, place foil to cover the bottom (for an easy clean up later), then add a little oil and spread it to thinly cover the bottom. Wash the potatoes and pat dry. Cut the potatoes with skins into approximately 1” chunks. (I like to cut them so I end up with non-uniform pieces but all are about the same size.) Place them skin side down on the oiled surface so that the pieces are not touching each other or the side of the sheet. Lightly drizzle oil over the potatoes, then lightly season with salt, pepper, and herbs. Preheat and bake at 375⁰ for 20-30 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes start to turn golden.

Serves 3-5

This is a great recipe to play with! Garnish with some parsley or cilantro, substitute your favorite herbs for the ones listed, add a little sour cream or yogurt on the side – the options are limited only by your imagination.

 

It doesn’t take a lot of strength to hang on. It takes a lot of strength to let go.
    -J. C. Watts