Navigating the World of Dieting

By Tara Vardaman, MS, RDN, LD

“LET FOOD BE THY MEDICINE AND MEDICINE BE THY FOOD” – HIPPOCRATES

As many of you know, trying to diet comes with a lot of confusion and frustration. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Many diets that are heavily promoted today are what dietitians consider “fad diets”. They offer quick results with dietary changes that are almost impossible to maintain long term. These fad diets also often lead to the yoyo effect – weight loss and gain that continues to repeat without any last effect of continuous weight loss. The key to dieting is to actually not “diet” at all. Achieving great health comes down to simply making dietary and lifestyle modifications that you can sustain for life.

Consuming a diet that is full of fruits, vegetables, and unrefined grains, as well as lean proteins in moderation will provide your body a large variety of vitamins and minerals that are needed for the body to function properly. Additionally, consuming a highly plant-based diet helps to reduce the risk of developing chronic health conditions, and can even help with the treatment of many health conditions (heart diseases, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, etc.). Now I’m sure as you read the words “plant-based diet” I lost some of your attention. The truth is, you do not have to become vegetarian or vegan, but consuming a diet that has a strong foundation of whole, plant-based foods is likely to drastically reduce the intake of refined sugar, total cholesterol, saturated fats, and sodium, all of which have been linked in some way to increasing the risk of developing the health conditions outlined above.

In addition to diet modification, lifestyle modification is the other major component to achieving great health. This includes everything from physical activity to where and how you eat your food. Lifestyle modification can be broken down into three categories. The first lifestyle modification category is physical activity. It is recommended to engage in a minimum of 30 minutes of moderateactivity (brisk walking, biking, sports, etc.) 5 days a week, while also participating in resistance exercises (Pilates, weights, yoga, boxing, etc.) at least 2 days a week.

The best way to achieve physical activity modification is to set SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-based) goals or yourself and gradually increase your activity level each time you reach your goal. The second lifestyle modification category is mindful eating. Mindful eating essentially means that you are putting primary focus on your plate while eating. This involves ensuring that you are in a minimally distracting environment while eating. This includes avoiding visual distractions such as screens (TVs, phones, tablets, computers), books, and even eating while driving. Additionally mindful eating also focuses on staying in tune with your body and its hunger level throughout the eating process. Ideally, you want to start eating when you start to become hungry (not when we are starving) and stop eating as soon as your hunger has resolved. The idea behind mindful eating is that it will help prevent over eating. The third lifestyle modification category is eating habits. Eating habits play a huge role in how much we eat at meals. Due to the fast-pace culture that we live in, many of us tend to eat fairly quickly. The reality is, eating quickly often results in overeating due to the delayed signaling from the stomach to the brain to let us know that we are full. To help slow down the eating process, follow three simple steps: Take small bites, chew foods thoroughly, and set down utensils between each bite.

As you can see, achieving great health takes work but it doesn’t have to be overly complicated. Consuming a diet that is focused on whole-foods, engaging in physical activity regularly, ensuring that you practice mindful eating, and modifying your eating habits will help you achieve the health you want and deserve. It is also important to remember that results are not going to appear overnight. It takes time, sometimes a lot of time. Be willing to find gratitude in the smallest achievements, as those small achievements are what lead you to your greatest success.