Anti-Diet: How to eat healthy Long-term
When most people talk about losing weight or eating healthy they usually mention some sort of diet. And trust me there are plenty out there. There is a new term emerging, especially among those who are educated in nutrition; that term is "Anti-Diet". As a professional, I can say that I would rather my clients change their lifestyle and eating habits for long-term health benefits than doing a short diet.
So the biggest question therefore is why aren't these diets good or sustainable long-term? There isn't one easy answer to this, but I will try to narrow it down for you as best as I can. I will go over what the anti-diet idea is, some general reasons why certain diets don't work long term, and how to use nutrition to create healthy habits.
Let's be very clear here, while I am "Anti-Diet" I will still tell you about them in other posts so that you have the most information available to you. Also, calorie counting, macro tracking, etc., are not diets.
What does "Anit-Diet" mean?
To understand the term "Anti-Diet" I first need to explain why this term is making such huge ruffles in the world. Most diets today, even those that preach about lifestyle changes often place restrictions on those who follow it. These restrictions can vary in degree. Fad diets are the most commonly discussed when people are anti-diets.
The issue with diets is more than just the Fad diets that pop up from time to time. With the whole diet culture that seems to envelope the western world, people are struggling with several different health issues to achieve the idea of thinness. Diet culture entails so many different things including the unhealthy habits that are promoted for weightloss, the body shaming and so much more.
Being anti-diet means being anti-diet culture.
What it doesn't mean, that its against using nutrition as therapy or for health.
Why Diets don't work long term?
Now don't get me wrong, certain diets are required for long-term well-being for those with certain health disorders or conditions. An example of this would be the Keto diet for those who suffer from seizures or a gluten-free diet for those with Crohn's disease.
Fad diets are something that have occurred for years. They become popular in mainstream and then everyone wants to try them. The Keto Diet, the Paleo diet, Whole 30, all of these are common fad diets that we deal with now. Some of these are even the same fad diets that were around for years but their names have changed with the times.
It has been found that all popular diets result in short-term weight loss if followed correctly. It is the long term and maintaining that becomes hard to do. Diets that are low-calorie usually result in body fat loss. In the short term, high-fat, low-carbohydrate diets cause a greater loss of body water than body fat. With Fad Diets, one of the biggest struggles is making sure that you take in enough vitamins and minerals that you get from a well-balanced diet.
How to use nutrition to create healthy habits
Food is fuel for your body. You should be using it to make sure your body functions as it is designed, not loading it down with junk. With that being said food tastes good and its something that most of us enjoy. I can say that even healthy food tastes good, so we have to reteach our body how to eat better.
A good example of how to get started is by trying the Elimination diet. This diet helps to determine if you have any food allergies or sensitivities. I wrote a simple article on how to use the Elimination Diet and you can check it out here. But basically, through trial and error, you determine if you have any food issues. And then you can create a better way to eat for your body based on it. The Elimination diet is a diet you are supposed to use long-term. It does help you to learn what makes your body feel better.
If you start to feel better based on what you eat, it will help to reinforce healthier eating habits. You aren't restricting calories or certain foods unless they benefit how you feel. It makes it easier to make small changes as you embrace healthier living.
So What's next...
My suggestion to anyone looking to make changes to their daily lives to help improve their overall health would be to start small. Make simple changes and don't try to do too much at one time or you will become overwhelmed. Too much change stresses the body out and can make it feel impossible to maintain long term.
When I work with clients I encourage them to pick a lifestyle change that affects their nutrition in a positive way. But is something they can easily do. Something simple to start such as reducing the times they eat out or incorporate more fruits and vegetables.
Improve your overall healthy eating habits by making simple sustainable changes.