What is a “Healthy Diet”?
You have likely heard the recommendation countless times, to ‘eat a healthy diet’, but what does this actually mean? What are we even supposed to eat anymore? Is [x food ] ‘bad’ for me? I get these questions all the time from clients, and the answer is, it depends! With endless information about diets & nutrition online and in books, it’s easy to end up overwhelmed and confused about which direction to go. In this series of nutrition posts, I will give you some simple tips to help you eat a healthier diet, and help you clear some of the clutter!
First things first though-- let’s start with striking the word ‘diet’ altogether, because this has the feel of a short-term fix. What we’re really looking to do is to develop long-term healthy eating habits, and reframe ‘diet’ to seeing food as medicine. Healthy eating is an integral, non-negotiable aspect of your self-care practice. Just like lifting weights to build muscle tone, you can train your ‘nutrition muscles’ to develop healthy eating habits. The truth is that it can take a long time to figure out what works best for your body, plus time to make new nutrition habits stick. This process is also ongoing-- as we age and go through different phases of life and different seasons, our nutrition needs will change.
You are Unique
You know your body best. When you begin tuning in to your body’s signals, you will start to notice which foods work best for you and which ones don’t. Then it’s a matter of listening to those signals, and more consistently choosing the foods that make you feel your best. Feeling brain-foggy, fatigued, and bloated after a meal? Think about what made up that meal. Was it the foods themselves, or perhaps the quantity of food, or the combination of too many different foods? Are there any foods you eat that make you feel satiated, focused and energized? I always encourage keeping a food diary as you begin this process, to help determine which foods work best for you, and which ones don’t, as we go through the process of refining your nutrition plan.
There is no single nutrition plan that fits everyone, and there are so many factors that go into figuring out the best plan for you. This is why I spend time during each of our visits talking about nutrition, and helping to design a more customized plan. This involves an extensive evaluation of your health history, current symptoms, and digestive health.
Your nutrition plan is also viewed in the context of your overall health goals. Perhaps you want to address an autoimmune condition, reduce inflammation, balance blood sugar, address adrenal / thyroid health, or balance your hormones; each one requiring a more targeted plan. Then once you start on that plan and put it into practice, it’s important to be able to adapt it to fit your lifestyle and routine. The plan is always flexible, and should not be a cause of additional stress in your life. On that topic, I’m not a fan of adding to food stress by being overly restrictive, or eliminating entire food groups without justifying it in some way. This can create an unhealthy relationship with food, when what we’re doing is trying to improve your relationship with food and learn what your body needs most. With that said, I do utilize various types of short-term nutrition plans that may avoid certain foods, but these are meant to be used for a specific timeframe, with a therapeutic goal in mind. For example, if you have underlying digestive health issues like a Candida (yeast) overgrowth, SIBO, IBS, acne, or hormonal / blood sugar issues, a very specific nutrition plan will be beneficial until your body is back in balance.
When I was first starting my own journey into improving my nutrition and lifestyle, I did quite a bit of experimenting with different diets. While I certainly have not tried them all, this is what I discovered: I would always come back to the same three basic foundations of healthy eating:
Eat more nutrient-dense, REAL foods
Purchase high quality groceries
Prepare most meals at home / meal prep.
Really? Only 3 strategies? I told you we were going to get rid of the clutter! The truth is that this is a HUGE topic, and I’m certainly not trying to over-simplify it by any means. But think about it like learning a new skill-- we need to start with the basics before we move on to more advanced strategies. Creating a more customized strategy is also something we can do in a one-on-one session if you’re needing more support with nutrition. In future posts, I will be delving into each category in more detail!
In Health,