If you are struggling with what to eat and how to stay healthy in this hectic world then give the following steps a try. I call it my functional nutrition approach and it is based on principles rather than on a strict diet or eating plan. These tips will get you started on your journey to more mindful nutritional habits.
Diets Do Not Work
In my education at the IIN we were taught that diets don’t work. Actually, they do work but only in the short term. If you want to lose weight, choose any diet that promises you to do so and stick to it for a prolonged period. You are likely to lose some kilos but at what price? You MUST follow specific instructions and adapt your lifestyle and eating habits to this diet. It is like wearing unhealthy shoes where your foot must adapt to an unnaturally shaped shoe. That is emotionally draining and won’t set you up for success in the long run.
There are circumstances where a specific diet will help you in getting healthy again and set up a routine around eating. But it won’t work in the long run. What is working instead? Finding out which foods your body can tolerate easily, learning some basic principles about healthy eating and being not too dogmatic about it.
Bio-Individuality
Everyone is unique. Our bodies behave differently when it comes to food and digestion. We must take factors like food allergies and sensitivities, individual eating habits (time, lifestyle, tastes) and availabilities of certain foods due to location or budget restrictions into account to understand that a one-size-fits-all approach does not work.
Basic principles
As individual as our bodies are, most people can benefit from the following principles:
- More vegetables, fruits and whole foods
- Less milk and dairy products, sugar, meat, processed food, coffee, and alcohol
- Appropriate protein
- Adequate rest
- Enough water
Elimination Diet
If you want to find out which foods cause any troubles within your system you basically have two options:
Firstly, you could go to a doctor and have your blood (and genes) tested. This brings you only so far, as this will probably reveal any allergies but does not detect any food sensitivities you might have.
Or secondly, you can follow an elimination diet. Trust me, the second option involves a little more effort, but the results are worth it – not to mention the great feeling based on the fact that you have achieved this all by yourself.
Build From That Foundation
These two components – the basic principles and your individual food tolerances are the building blocks. From there you can start your own journey. Experiment with new recipes, try some meal preparation for your lunch at work if your options there are not that thrilling or integrate one big green salad into your daily meals. I can recommend the book “The Pegan Diet” by Mark Hyman, MD for further exploration. The title is a little misleading as it is not a typical diet program but a set of 21 practical principles for a healthier way to eat.
Is It Functional?
Another book that helped me find my way through the food jungle is “The Thrive Diet” by Brandon Brazier. It’s about a plant-based whole foods approach. But the very fact that I learned is to always ask yourself: How much value does this food add to my health and wellbeing?
Do I want this just because I am hungry, and any food at hand will do? Or is it worth thinking about what I need to eat now to satisfy my hunger AND to do something good for my body? If you need something sugary you can go for a mean chocolate bar which is processed food and contains a lot of white sugar. Or you can choose an apple with fruit sugar but also fibre, vitamins and minerals. If you really need chocolate you could swap the bar for a piece of dark chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa. Here you get some healthy polyphenols. You get the idea. Just be aware of this the next time you grab some food and ask yourself whether this will give your body the energy and nutrients it needs.
Think About Cravings
We all have cravings for sugary, salty or fatty foods. This is normal and our bodies tell us something with these feelings. It is ok to enjoy (!) a piece of cake or a fatty sausage with fries from time to time. But if you have these cravings often start to think about it. What is your body trying to tell you? Do you have any nutritional deficits? Are you lacking vitamins, minerals, or something else like sleep? This is one of the harder parts of the journey. A health coach can certainly help you with this.
Just Start
In summary, it is not that hard to find your way through the nutrition jungle. Just start off by:
- Accepting that everyone is unique
- Following the basic principles
- Finding out about your individual tolerances by doing an elimination diet
- Stick to reference works like “The Pegan Diet” by Mark Hyman, MD or the Mediterranean Diet by Andrew Weil, MD as a foundation
- Ask yourself about the nutritional value you add to your body when choosing food
- Think about cravings
One last tip: do not take it too seriously. Life is hard enough and it should be fun too. Eating is very personal, and it connects people. Anything too dogmatic can have negative consequences as this article on mindfulness reveals. If you follow the above advice about 90% of the time you are good to go.
Enjoy!
Blogpost picture by Tangerine Newt on Unsplash.
