Stop Restricting and Start Nourishing
December 30th, 2021
New year’s is often a time where people make unrealistic resolutions for themselves. 2021 has been another tough year for many which may have left you feeling out of touch with yourself including your food.
Do you often find yourself falling into a pattern of setting the same goals of losing a few kilos or starting a new diet only to find yourself back where you started in a few months or even weeks’ time.
Many so-called ‘fad diets’ involve counting calories or restricting entire food groups. They can often be incredibly harmful to people's relationship with food and consequently their physical and mental health.
Here are 10 nourishing resolutions that you can try this year instead
- Eat a balanced diet
All foods fit in a balanced diet - it’s all about moderation. The first step into a healthy mindset with food is to stop labelling foods as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ as this can create negative relationships with food and cause you to feel shame or guilt when eating those foods you enjoy. Aim to include a wide variety of all the 5 food groups in your diet à wholegrains, low fat dairy and alternatives, meat and alternatives, fruit and vegetables. For information on how many serves you need head to: Eat For Health.
- Go for food first
As tempting as it may seem to buy into the latest supplements, the majority of these products are usually overpriced and can almost always be obtained from a diet full of variety – your wallet will thank you in the long-run. Protein is one of the more common supplements that people buy into - research shows that consuming protein after training still has an effect up to 24 hours after your session, so unless you’re constantly on the go you can always wait until your next meal for some meat or eggs or just have some nuts or a yoghurt instead of a protein shake.
- Learn how to read food labels
As you know, food packaging claims are often highly misinterpreted. It’s best to know how to navigate these claims and learn to read the food labels. A good place to start when comparing two products is to compare against the per 100g column as serve sizes can differ. Another tip to know if a product is high in sugar is to look at the ingredients list. The earlier a product is in the list the higher the percentage in the product. For more information on what range of each number to aim from check out: EatforHealth Food Lables
- Practice mindful eating
Mindful or intuitive eating is the practice of tuning into your body’s hunger and fullness cues as well as all of your senses (taste, sight, texture, smell and sound) before, during and after eating.
Mindful eating can help you have more satisfaction when eating and develop a positive relationship with food - eating without guilt.
- Plan out your week
Planning out your week of meals is a helpful way to have your meals organised and makes it so much easier to eat a healthy meal each night.
Make a list of foods your family enjoys to eat and get everyone to help create a fortnightly menu. Perhaps one night of the week will be a big cook up so you can have leftovers for the fridge or freezer for a specific day. You could even allocate who cooks or helps with the cooking on each night of the week and who is on washing up duties. Remember to change it up seasonally to keep it interesting! For a Meal and Shopping Planner template, reach out to your Dietitian today.
- Build a balanced plate
When you build your plate or meals aim for around 50% of non-starchy vegetables (beans, carrot), 25% starchy vegetables (potato, pasta) and 25% protein (meat, eggs) as well as some good sources of fat (olive oil, avocado, low fat cheese).
- Eat at regular meal times including breakfast
Aim to eat something every 3 hours so you don’t become overly hungry. Skipping meals can increase your tendency to consume excess calories the next time you eat. Including a source of protein and fibre is going to keep you fuller for longer. Eating a nutritious breakfast gives us the energy our body and brain is craving to start the day. If you’re short on time in the mornings prepare some overnight oats the night before or have some wholegrain, low sugar cereals handy.
- Get your body moving
If you don’t do any physical activity at all, start by just doing some and build up gradually. Try setting some short and long-term goals for yourself and make them specific and achievable – such as ‘I will go for a 10 minute walk after meals’ or ‘I will park one block away from work’. Choose an activity that you will enjoy.
- Teach yourself to cook
With access to millions of recipes on the internet, teaching yourself to cook has never been easier. If you would like any e-recipe books, just ask your Dietitian.
- Follow accredited dietitians on Facebook
There is so much misinformation out there on social media, it’s hard to know what’s what. One way to know the information you're reading is backed by evidence is by following accredited dietitians and nutritionists on social media platforms. These guys go through years of training to become what they are, and are a trustworthy source of information that will lead you in the right direction and will not set unachievable goals or persuade you to start unrealistic diets.
From all of us at Bright Diets we wish you a Bright and Fruitful 2022!