Let’s face it…. nutrition is confusing. Catchy headlines boasting nutrition advice show up all over social media telling us what foods we shouldn’t eat and what diet is the magic fix. Quite often, the next site we see completely contradicts the last, leaving us with mixed messages and a sense of overwhelm. After just a few moments of searching you may even be wondering, “What IS considered healthy anymore?”
Food doesn’t have to be complicated. Nutrition skills are something to view as a slow-and-steady wins the race kind of thing. Small changes, consistently over time, add up to big differences. It’s not about changing everything all at once. If you’re looking for a few actionable recommendations to get you started towards improving your nutrition habits, you’re in the right place.
Here are 3 of my top pieces of advice to build nutrition habits that are sustainable.
Nutrition by Addition
You may not have realized it, but most diet culture advice is centered around restriction−ways to eat less, foods to swap for ‘healthier’ alternatives, and foods to limit/avoid at all costs. Try to reframe the conversation to focus on what you can ADD to your diet, rather than what you ‘should’ RESTRICT.
Focusing on what nutrient dense foods we can ADD to the diet helps normalize all foods, focus on health promoting behaviours, and get ourselves out of the diet spin cycle. Not to mention, it goes a long way in building positive relationships with food. As a side effect, you’ll feel more satisfaction, balance, and compassion towards yourself.
So, instead of asking yourself:
- How can I cut out carbs?
- What meal should I skip today to eat less calories?
Try asking:
- What can I add to my breakfast to make it more balanced?
- Instead of restricting carbs in my afternoon snack, how can I add more protein?
- Is there something fun or tasty I can add to my meal to make it more satisfying?
Listen to your Internal Body Cues
Ditch the external rules that diet culture creates and listen to your body for information on what, when, and how much to eat. This process takes practice and patience. Our bodies are innately born with the ability to regulate our intake, we just have to slow down and listen!
It’s not all-or-nothing
I repeat: It’s not all-or-nothing! One of the most common traps we get stuck in is perfectionistic thinking. This comes from the idea of attempting to do something always, leading to the goal of perfection. The problem here is that the moment we don’t reach our perfectionist standard, we feel as though we’ve blown it. We experience feelings of shame, guilt, and not having enough willpower to follow through.
One way of reframing is to focus on the idea of “for the most part.” It’s about making healthy nutrition choices most of the time instead of putting pressure on ourselves to make these choices all of the time. This introduces flexibility and consistency. Eating fun foods doesn’t mean we’ve failed, it’s all about finding balance!
If you have any questions or would like to explore further, please book a free, no-charge online appointment with either myself, Natalie Topp, BScFN, MScFN, RD, or another Waterloo Dietitian at CARESPACE. We are happy to listen and are here to help!
