A Balancing Act: Food & Nutrition
Written By: Heather Gerrish, MS, RDN
We all could likely imagine a time in our lives that we “went on a diet” or changed the way we eat due to external cues (and not those expressed by our own body including natural hunger and satiety signals). But how does this influence us long term? What are the lasting effects of diet culture on our lives, families, and friends? This blog will review some of the ways to find balance in this crazy world of nutrition fads and diets and find out what works best for YOU long term!
Historically, and even in the last few years, diet culture has been influencing young teenagers and adults alike to modify the way they eat to meet their goal of ______ (fill in the blank here with something related to physical appearance or weight loss). Not all of this attention to “eating healthier” and “living healthy” is a negative change, but the overly strict and elimination diets can have lasting effects on our relationship with food and is often not a sustainable way to find a healthy balance.
What is a fad diet? How do you know your new routine is “sustainable”?
First, when evaluating any new fad or program you should first do your research. Is this information backed by science? Does it make sense? Is the diet or program eliminating a food group, or does the diet sound like I could do this long term?
How might this change your routine? One a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being a 360 change from your current practice, how would this change influence your current routine?
What are the “pros and cons” to this change? Will it benefit you long term? Do you anticipate it causing any harm?
The next concept is how to define “balance” and what this means to you. Making a change or altering your routine ultimately comes down to how the change itself is aligned with your goals. If you could describe your overall “goal” regarding your nutrition practice, what would it be? What components do you need to include to make this happen? What would this look like for you long term?
Balance looks different for everyone, but one similarity is consistent with all sustainable routines. The fact that your routine can adapt and change with your needs, support your goals and provide nourishment to your body is really what any “nutrition routine” is all about. Don’t fall for the fad/quick fixes out there - ask yourself, is this benefiting you and your sustainable nutrition practice? If so, how? What will this change look like long term?
Need some recipe inspiration? Look no further than the TLAG Recipe Booklet! Packed full of delicious recipes to sustain your nutrition practice and support your training goals!