However, because our body/cells are built on the nutrients we consume, a healthy diet is crucial if we want glowing skin, shiny hair, flexible joints, mental acuity, strong bones, emotional stability and an optimal functioning immune system.
Does that limit us to eating nutrient-dense foods all the time, or is there a way to maintain a balanced diet, healthy weight and still enjoy our favourite foods while leaving guilt behind?
In other words, “can we have our cake and eat it too?”
The answer is a resounding yes. Extreme is a word that may work when it comes to sports, but extremism when it comes to our food choices, our eating habits and our diets does not. Not only can we enjoy our favourite foods, even while dieting, but we should!
Focusing on developing a healthy diet is an admirable quest, but we must remember that the personal laws we set in motion and the actions we take to follow through to meet our goal must pass the sustainability test. Without sustainability built into our eating habits, we are subject to boredom and failure. Failure and feelings of failure lead to anxiety and depression. And guess where anxiety and depression usually end up? In our kitchen via emotional eating. It’s a vicious cycle that is hard to stop once set in motion.
Enjoying a sustainable balanced diet is a lifetime commitment, not a short-term promise.
What to avoid when dieting:
A black-and-white attitude. This type of attitude towards eating promotes extremism and should be avoided. The problem arises when one experiences a moment of weakness and wanders off their “black and white” diet, falling prey to their own self-built guilt trap, that in a black-and-white world is very unforgiving.
This type of mentality is an either-or type of mentality that does not allow for error. It is not sustainable, and usually results in yo-yo dieting because people who adopt this type of mindset either see themselves as dieting with severe restrictions on their favourite foods or off a diet leading to an excess of unhealthy choices. Black and white just as the words reveal. Any weight loss experienced due to extreme dieting cannot be sustained after one goes off this type of diet. The weight is easily gained back, and dieting begins all over. Yo-yo dieting strikes again.
What to embrace when dieting:
A cheat day. A cheat day is a popular option often used by dieters to help them stay motivated and on their diets. The opposite of extremism, a cheat day (or time) allows us our favourite food choices even if they are not the healthiest ones, within a defined timeframe.
Why not call it something else like “play day” or “reward day?” The word cheat just invites negative thinking. However, no matter what it’s called, setting aside one day per week to enjoy some of our favourite foods gives us breathing space, allowing us to be human. Let’s face it, maintaining a diet is challenging. We are much more likely to succeed if we have something to focus on and work towards such as a “reward day”, the day we reward ourselves for being good all week long!
80-20 rule:
Like a “reward day”, using the 80-20 gauge, we focus on and eat nutritious foods 80% of the time, with the other 20% open to other choices.
The rules for 80-20 eating are not set in stone. Some people opt for a 90-10 ratio rather than 80-20. Some use the ratio for meals, 80% of meals weekly are healthy ones while 20% allow more freedom. Some use days as a frame, 80% of my day is nutrient-dense while 20% is open for experimentation. Make up your own timeframe, adjust and do what works for you. The important thing is that healthy foods are being consumed most of the time, leaving a window of time to play a bit.
When it comes to developing healthy eating habits, it’s been proven over and over that denial does not work nor does extreme dieting. With a little creativity, there are multiple ways to enjoy our favourite foods even if we’re actively dieting, without guilt. Avoiding traps like black and white dieting while embracing occasional indulgences following the 80-20 rule or via our reward day or meal is the glue that keeps us motivated and firmly anchored on our path to a balanced diet, optimal weight and healthy lifestyle.
