Stop dieting. Start eating.

I’m on a diet... always

How often has someone told you, “I need to go on a diet?”

The probability that it was more than once in your lifetime is enormous, am I right? And you’ve been there too? That’s great! Why? The reason why it’s great is not the fact that you’ve gotten to this point of neglecting your health, but the point that you’ve realized the need for change. It all starts with a thought, after all.

Paying attention to what we put on our plates is the first step to a healthier life. Even small changes in our eating habits could reduce the risk of catching infections and diseases, strengthening gut health and immune system, which is now, more than ever, the number one concern. Immunity is in high demand in the era of the worldwide pandemic.

Let’s look into the word DIET a bit closer. What’s the first thing coming to your mind when you hear it? Weight loss? Restrictions? Negative connotations? Probably yes, and that’s very 20th-century meaning. But there’s more to it — the overall way of eating, the food choices, and habits. In conclusion, we’re all dieting, and we’re doing it constantly. All. The. Time. Some of us, without even knowing about it. The key to success is finding how we are doing it, which will suit us best and be maintainable for the whole lifetime.

Eat or pass

Searching for the one and only should be taken more seriously than just swiping left and right on the Internet, picking the most promising picture. They say the best diet for us is the one that we can maintain. No matter how cliché it sounds, it just makes sense.

Losing weight and reaching your goals in a short time might be a desirable solution, but what happens next? Jojo effect? We gain weight again; most people go back to the beginning, still searching for a quick fix. Others drop their towels and embrace the failure. That brings nothing but harm - a bad relationship with food, eating disorders, not to mention other side effects like social anxiety, obsessive thoughts, even depression.

What's the best choice then?

Let’s reach to the wisdom of others. U.S. News & World Report just released its top diets for 2022. The winner? (Drumroll, please.) Out of 40 diets, the Mediterranean diet is No. 1 for the fourth year. Meanwhile, other popular diets, including the ketogenic diet (“keto”), modified keto, and the Dukan diet, landed toward the bottom of the Best Diets Overall list at Nos. 37 (a tie), and 39, respectively.

That shouldn’t make you buy the lifetime supply of feta cheese, olive oil, or chickpeas, but it might be a good indicator of what to pay attention to.

Study shows that the Mediterranean diet is winning in many categories, namely Best Plant-Based Diets, Best Diabetes Diets, Best Heart- Healthy Diets (tied with the Ornish diet), Best Diets for Healthy Eating, and Easiest Diets to Follow. All the abovementioned shows there’s something that works about this particular diet. So what’s the solution then?

Food for thought

My solution might disappoint you, but there’s no one solution. I can only highlight things that are worth trying.

Educating yourself in the subject would be one of the most important things that you can do. Completely free options are listening to podcasts about nutrition, healthy lifestyle, or fitness, following specialist on social media, or reading articles on the subject.

Remember to take all the information you are getting with a pinch of salt. There will be many confusing things, but give yourself time and don’t panic.

Suppose you want to expand your diet knowledge and have some spare cash; hire a nutritionist, or sign up for courses and seminars. These options are a bit more expensive, but the suitable investment pays off in the long run. Working with a dietitian helps you understand how your body works, balance your meals, understand calories, your energy needs, and the basics of nutrition; therefore equips you with tools useful after your contact or plan expires.

Try out things that you think will work for you. As with everything, be mindful and don’t go all in. You’ve heard that intermittent fasting is amazing, and you want to try it? Great! Start with a short fasting period. Does it feel good? Keep going. If not, then don’t starve yourself for the sake of completing the 16hrs window. Do what serves you. Think about adding foods to your diet. Maybe instead of telling yourself that you won’t eat chocolate anymore, say: “I’ll eat one new fruit a day.” You may discover your new favorite snack. You might decrease the amount of chocolate you’d typically eat.

Forget about the labels

Don’t demonize foods! Forget about good or bad, healthy and unhealthy, cheat meals, and clean eating. All of these labels have very harmful to our psychology. Things that are forbidden make them more wanted. Eating things that are ‘bad’ or not sticking to the ‘healthy’ diet feels like a failure and creates a feeling of guilt.

The truth is that eating is the one thing that we all do. We cannot go without it. The rules about it shouldn’t be too strict. We need to enjoy it as well. Finding the perfect balance isn’t easy, I’m afraid probably impossible, so we should quit the pursuit of perfection, stop dieting and start eating.

Camila Novak

Source: Every day health: Diet and nutrition – Best diet plans Mediterranean