Diets VS Nutritional Culture
It’s when everyone is trying to stick to their New Year’s resolutions, which for many people means dieting.
But what if there was another way? What if you could ditch the diets and still achieve your goals?
I’m not talking about some crazy fad diet or unscientific “hack.”
I’m talking about developing a nutritional culture.
Nutritional culture is about making healthy eating habits part of everyday life without deprivation or calorie counting.
Sound impossible? It’s not! Here are four tips to help get you started.
What Is A Diet? (And Why It Usually Sucks)
A diet is a plan that people use to lose weight or to control their weight.
Most diets are usually unsustainable for most people because they are too restrictive, and people cannot maintain them for an extended period.
More often than not, diets are restrictive and bound to a set time frame.
The existence of a start of the diet implies that of an end, and after that, it would only feel natural to get ‘back to normal eating.’
That normal eating is based on the many bad food choices available.
Those, in turn, lead to overeating and ruined nutrition for the day!
What Is Culture (And How It Applies To Eating)
Culture has a significant impact on the way we eat.
Our culture tells us what is considered good food and bad food, what is appropriate to eat and what is not.
Our culture also dictates how we should behave around food and what foods are associated with celebration or sadness.
Our nutritional culture is also heavily influenced by our cultural values.
In some cultures, it is essential to have large meals that include many different types of food.
In other cultures, people prefer smaller meals focusing on one type of food.
In others, fasting or avoiding certain foods is a sign of strength or piety.
However, nowadays, especially in the USA, the global nutritional culture is warped beyond belief.
We tend to be busy, so eating fast food is, for the most part, the new normal.
But as we said, nutritional culture is all about making the right food choices without strict diets and calorie counting.
It’s about making a shift in your eating HABITS and maintaining them for a lifetime!
Here are our best tips to help you do just that.
#1 Choose Whole Foods
Modern-day fast-food diets don’t work because they usually lack sufficient nutrients of good quality!
Relying on whole food products is the best way to ensure that you’re getting the nutrients you need.
This means that you should eat foods that have been minimally processed and are as close to their natural state as possible.
Eating whole food products has many benefits, but most importantly, they will keep you satiated, which means you won’t need an unhealthy snack every hour!
Choose foods like grass-fed beef, meat, organs, fruits, vegetables, eggs, and dairy products!
These products will provide the body with enough nutrients for healthy functioning.
#2 Cheat More Frequently
Wait, did we say, “Eat cheat foods more frequently”?! Is there a horrible mistake our editor made before publishing this?
Not really. We advise you to eat those same bad foods more frequently but in lesser amounts.
We believe that if people eat cheat foods more frequently, they will become less special, and their desire for them will decrease.
The same goes for anything we do frequently—the more often we do it, the less special it becomes.
This is because our brain gets used to the stimulus and stops releasing as much dopamine (the “pleasure” hormone).
So listen up—as long as the balance is in favor of nutrient-dense, whole food products, everything is alright!
#3 Exercise!
Establishing better food habits is intended to boost health, well-being, and, last but not least, looks!
So, the nutrients from your newly established eating habits can actually be put to work if you exercise!
The quality protein will help you recover your muscles, the carbohydrates will fuel them, and the fat will help all nutrients get absorbed better and improve your hormonal health!
So, pairing good eating habits with exercise is a no-brainer! It has too many benefits to miss.
Final Thoughts
While labeling someone as lazy or undisciplined might be easy, it’s probably more accurate (and helpful) to think about them as misinformed.
The good news is that with a little education – and maybe some gentle encouragement – even the most dedicated junk-food addict can become a nutritional culture buff.
Are you up for the challenge?