Nutrition Basics: Where to Start

The most common New Year Resolution is to “get healthier”. While I think this is great, most people don’t follow through or stick to any change to their diet. Less than 10% of people achieve and maintain their resolutions.

Why? There are many reasons, but the top ones include:

1) Too much conflicting information. Carbs are bad, no wait…fat makes you fat! Macro counting is necessary to lose weight. Intermittent fasting is helpful…but only for certain people. AGH 😐
2) Lack of a personalized, realistic plan & make too many changes at once. They get frustrated when they don’t see results OR can’t maintain their “diet”. Long term success is built on small, tangible changes & action steps, no “diets” required.

There are MANY ways to Get Healthy in 2019. Congrats on your desire to improve your health!

Here are some great Nutrition starting points that can benefit everyone:

• Eat more. Yes, eat more color, vegetables & REAL food in your meals. A whole food “plant based” way of eating is truly medicine for our body. You’d be amazed on your energy, digestion, sleep, mood & more changes once you start eating more REAL food.
  Plant based doesn’t necessarily mean vegetarian or vegan! It means: planning your plate with the majority of the food coming from plants. Veggies, fruit, nuts/seeds, root & starchy veggies (ie squash & potatoes) whole ancient grains etc.
• Choose the highest quality food available to you. There are many eating styles: vegan, vegetarian, paleo, low carb, Keto, gluten free etc. There is no “one size fits all”. But whatever you choose to consume, aim for the “cleanest” choice possible. What does this mean? Food, drinks, condiments free of: artificial ingredients, flavors & dyes, hydrogenated & processed fats & oils, GMO (genetically modified, found in the majority of packaged & processed foods) pesticides, chemicals, etc. Choose organic produce when possible & look for “non-GMO verified” if buying a pantry item. All of these little swaps do add up.
• Eliminate the fast food, processed & packaged foods (like crackers, cookies, breads, pastas, frozen meals etc) These contain refined sugars, flours & inflammatory oils & provide little to NO nutrients. They are a stress to the body (Really…it raises cortisol) and can lead to a host of digestive, mental and physical health conditions.
• Find replacements for white flour & sugar. Sprouted grains/ breads provide nutrients, fiber & are less inflammatory. Lentil or bean pastas are great alternatives to regular pasta. Eventually switching to sugar alternatives like stevia or erythritol is a great goal.
• Choose only high quality & humanely raised animal products. Conventional animal products are filled with harmful toxins that affect our own hormones, heart health & more.
  Look for: Free range, organic whole eggs (pastured raised is best) poultry without hormones or antibiotics, grass fed beef, etc. Don’t be afraid to ask about ingredients when at the meat counter, restaurants etc.
• Slow Down & take your time with eating! Digestion only occurs when the body is in a relaxed state. Eating while standing, driving, working etc? Designate even 5 min to sit down & be mindful when your food.

Takeaway: You don’t “need” to follow a diet to see results. If you do…Make sure you are aware of WHY it’s intriguing and WHY you want to start it. I believe everyone can benefit from implementing all the “basics” listed above. I suggest one stay consistent with their new habits for a set amount of time before trying a diet or restrictive eating plan.