When you hear the word diet, what are some of the first things you think about? Restricting your food intake, not eating what you want, being extremely strict, being hungry and unsatisfied, fighting cravings, the unpleasant listgoes on and on.
Let’s call this what it actually is – DEPRIVATION.
The word Diet has become so twisted it doesn’t even resemble the true meaning of the word. The word actually comes from the Greek root ‘Diata’ meaning “a way of life”.
Depriving the body and mind of what it needs to survive is not ‘a way of life’ anyone should be living. Let’s be honest…many of us (if not all) have tried some form of dieting. Maybe we wanted to lose a few pounds before a big event, maybe we thought dieting was the way to be “healthier”, or maybe we have been struggling with weight and body image. No matter what the reason, deprivation is NOT the answer, AND it simply does not work!
Why today’s way of dieting sets us up for disaster:
- The concept of withholding ourselves from having something = a set up for failure. If we are told we cannot have something… we want it that much more. With that said, if we take something away from our bodies that it needs to operate… our bodies are going to crave it. So what ends up happening… you finally break from your diet and find yourself eating anything and everything… and what’s mostly available and convenient to grab… junk food! This type of yo-yo affect is very stressful for your body, and creates more issues in the long run.
- The majority of diets do not take into account QUALITY of food. For example… There is a difference between fats from processed foods like fast food, chips, and fried stuff VS. Essential Fatty Acids (Fats) from fish, and nuts. We NEED carbs, fats and protein to live, they are called macronutrients for a reason! We need to understand what these 3 things are and what they do for us, and what forms of carbs/ fats/ proteins nourish the mind and body.
- Diets make us feel BAD about ourselves before we even start! The major reason todays version of diets exists is due to the constructed idea that to be sexy, loved, happy and healthy you MUST lose weight and be thin. Then when we have a cheat day, or fall off the diet bandwagon, we feel ashamed, guilty and basically shitty about ourselves.
DIETS ARE A DISTRACTION FROM ACCEPTING AND LOVING OURSEVLES.
Why place so much significance and rely so much on one constructed idea which makes us feel insecure to dictate our happiness? Instead, let us work on expanding the things that we love about ourselves and about life. What are your passions and values…what are the things that are really important to you right down to you core? Let’s live our lives based on these things! If we are supporting ourselves from all aspects of our lives from the things we value the most…we will be more ourselves, and that much closer to true happiness.
Let’s create a different relationship with food, and with ourselves… a relationship that nurtures us and nourishes us to be truly happy and healthy.
If we provide each and every powerful cell in our bodies with whole foods (foods that are in natural form) that nourish, we will feel fuller longer, satisfied, more energized, and have a better mood. When we eat real, fresh foods that our body can recognize and utilize, it will be less burdened, and will have more time to spend on making you feel amazing. Extra weight will come off naturally, skin will clear, mood will lift and you will have the energy to do the things you love.