Whole foods, raw foods, vegan, paleo, keto, Mediterranean, and more. There are many diets that are discussed in the wellness world, such as whole foods, raw foods, vegan, paleo, keto, Mediterranean, and more. Paleo, keto, intermittent fasting, FODMAPs, GAPS, WAPF, and more.
How you nourish your body is up to you. There are many ways of eating that can lead to a healthy and balanced life. A diet or protocol that once benefitted you may no longer be doing so.
You might be ready to move on from your diet when:
- You’ve hit a weight-loss plateau
- You’re always thinking about food
- You’re obsessing over calories
- You’re skipping meals
- You’re restricting yourself to only a few foods
- You’re no longer seeing results from your diet
If you’re obsessing over food and calories to the point where it’s negatively impacting your life, it might be time to consider changing up your routine.
How do you eat if you do not have a set diet to follow? We will discuss when diets may not be optimal for you and how intuitive eating can help maintain your health.
You Don’t Have to Follow a Diet Forever
We often talk about diets at Wellness Mama that share commonalities. The benefits of probiotics include promoting gut health, reducing inflammation, and addressing root causes of autoimmunity.
These are all good things! Your nutritional needs can change over time as your body changes.
If you diet for a long enough period of time, it can become a habit. You may not realize when your body is ready for a different way of eating. If you are not working with a nutritionist, it may be difficult to tell when your diet is no longer effective.
Our genes are not one-size-fits-all. Your diet shouldn’t be either. Your cells are constantly replicating and changing over time. Your nutrient needs can change, too!
If you experience a change in your life such as becoming pregnant, starting to breastfeed, or going through menopause, your body might need to adjust its dietary needs. If you find yourself under more stress or you experience new health challenges, you should change your diet to support you.
If you find yourself eating the same foods and sticking to the same routine, it may be time to switch things up. A diet should be something that works for you, not against you. Let’s say you battle Hashimoto’s as I did. You find a way of eating that makes you healthy again. After time, you’re a lot better off.
You may be able to eat more types of food or even relax your dietary standards, but you may feel too loyal to the way of eating that got you to where you are.
Although you may feel comfortable with your current diet, you may be hesitant to try new foods. Although it may be understandable to sit all day, it can also have negative consequences on your health. Your food plan should serve your current physical needs. If those needs change, your diet should, too.
Could Your Diet Become an Eating Disorder
Eating disorders are more common than people think. They don’t always look the same either. Approximately nine percent of the U.S. population suffer from eating disorders.
While anorexia and bulimia are commonly discussed, unhealthy relationships with food can transition into disordered eating.
Orthorexia is an eating disorder that focuses on eating healthy foods. While this may seem like a good thing, it can lead to long-term dieting and a restricted eating pattern.
If you’re on a diet, you may not be getting all the nutrients your body needs.
If you’re constantly comparing yourself to others, you may develop an distorted view of food and nutrition, and how they relate to your body.
Being constantly worried about what you eat and whether it is healthy can be a sign of an eating disorder.
Eating disorders can affect people of any weight, size, or shape. Even if you are normal weight or overweight, you can still have an eating disorder.
Eating disorders are often stigmatized, but part of having a healthy relationship with food is recognizing that this stigma is misplaced. Anyone can struggle with one. There is no shame in seeking professional help to develop a healthier relationship with food. Just as you would consult a medical professional for other health concerns, consulting a professional for guidance with your relationship to food can be very beneficial.
Professional help for eating disorders is important, too. They eventually result in malnutrition and other health concerns.
Finding a Balanced View on Diets
An unhealthy eating pattern is one in which most or all foods are thought to be bad.
I would definitely say that vegetable oil is a bad food. But for the most part? It is important to have a balanced view of food and nutrition.
Different people can have different reactions to food. For example, someone may be sensitive to oxalates and so need to avoid foods that contain them. You can eat foods that are not necessarily nutritious, but are still not harmful. Like ice cream! Although it’s not possible to live off ice cream, it’s also not accurate to label all sweet snacks as bad for you.
There are some diets that try to make a certain type of food seem bad. If you need to, it is fine to stick to more regimented eating patterns, especially when you are trying to improve your health.
We have to be careful not to think in terms of absolutes when it comes to food. Whether a food is good or bad for us depends on our current needs.
It is important to be aware of the reasons behind your diet or food plan. The Carnivore Diet is a curing diet used to heal a specific condition. Is it for weight loss? Do you do something because it is popular or because you have seen others doing it?
It’s important to note that you shouldn’t follow a diet or eating pattern just because someone else is. You know your body. Make sure you get balanced perspectives on food, even if you’re not working with a nutritionist.
It’s easy to see that many people on social media are promoting different types of diets. However, it is not usually necessary to make major changes to your diet. Do plenty of research from multiple sources.
You should regularly assess your diet to ensure it is meeting your needs. This is especially important if your health changes or if it is a new season. Don’t just eat the same things because you’ve always eaten them.
READ MORE: 13 Mindful Living Tips In 2022