DIETS, NO THANK YOU .
Everyday i feel like there is a new diet trend out on the market. Okay, I might be exaggerating, but you can’t tell me you don’t feel the same way. By diet, I don’t mean eating healthy is a diet, eating healthy is a lifestyle. When I say diet, I mean cutting out something entirely, restricting yourself extremely. Allergy restrictions, is a hundred percent a different reason for restricting, and that is necessary. I am referring people who cut out carbs from their diet and increase the amounts of healthy fats tremendously, or people who have a high carbohydrate diet and low fat, etc, or people that choose to eat gluten free when they don’t have an intolerance to gluten. You get the trend, and don’t be extreme.
First things first, carbs are not enemies. Nothing gets me more fired up, vegetables are a carb, fruits are a carb, a lot of healthy foods are carbs. So people who are eating low carb diets, you are restricting eating vegetables and fruits? Let me tell you, eat your veggies, chances are you are not getting your 7-9 servings of vegetables a day anyways, so don’t cut that done when you already are not getting your daily requirements.
These diets are fads, and they only last awhile because when more studies are done they realize the results and often when it is restricting something and taking it out of your life completely there is usually negative outcomes. Some maybe not as severe, but they come to the conclusion that a balanced diet of carbohydrates, protein, and fats is how the body best functions.
When we eliminate something from our bodies we are creating a sort of intolerance in our body. For example, if you eliminate gluten from your diet, if a year later you want to start eating gluten, your stomach is going to have sharp pains and discomfort because it hasn’t had to process it in over a year. If you are eliminating something from your lifestyle completely, just know that if you want to start incorporating it back in, you might have issues digesting it when you do reintroduce yourself to it.
What it comes down to is this, eat healthy. Don’t overcomplicate it. Don’t be crazy and have all of these restrictions and limitations with healthy foods. This doesn’t apply if you are trying to cut pop or processed foods from your lifestyle, but again, you don’t have to be crazy and NEVER have it in your life again. I love Coca Cola, does that mean I have it often? No, but I will have it once in a blue moon. I have found alternatives to my bad habit, I personally love the naturally sweetened pops, Zevia. They have all different flavours and it absolutely is satisfying and keeps me content with my love for carbonated drinks! No one is perfect, and we all have our favourite dirty secrets with food, but that doesn’t mean we can’t find alternatives. Today there are so many delicious alternatives, it is quite amazing! I know that not all of these alternatives will be a complete replacement, but just try, because after awhile your taste buds do change a bit and so will your cravings. One thing at a time, take baby steps, but trust me, you’ll realize how much better you feel once you take out the processed foods!
So don’t make your lifestyles complicated or dramatic diets. Stick to the basics, and keep everything in moderation. Balance and moderation go a long ways, and they are enough, trust me. Eat your veggies and fruits, get in your protein and healthy fats, don’t cut any of those things out or eat copious amounts of fats or carbs, etc. Just eat balanced meals and snacks, it really is that simple. This is just my two cents, but I see it all too often on my pinterest and social media of people going to these extreme measures to make up a meal that isn’t balanced in the slightest. Don’t eliminate a healthy component of a balanced lifestyle, keep everything in moderation.
Happy eating, xoxo
Mara
