Anyone who’s trying to take a more active role in their health will have at least heard of a few popular diets. Some of you may have jumped from diet to diet, never finding one that really works for you. Sometimes, this is due to people trying to force their existing lifestyle and habits into the parameters of a strict diet. Other times, the issue is a little more complex. If you’re sick of diets that always feel near impossible to stick to, this post is for you. Here’s the best advice on finding your perfect diet.
Forget the Popular Definition of “Diet”
Many people taking an active role in their health can easily become obsessed by diets. The media’s generally to blame for this. Remember that before the word “diet” started meaning “restricting your eating to lose weight” it simply meant all the different foods a person ate regularly. Before you settle on your perfect diet, you need to focus on disassociating the word “diet” from all the negative connotations it’s picked up over the years. The notion of depriving yourself of certain kinds of foods can exacerbate your stress faster than few other things can. If the word “diet” to you means torturing yourself by staying away from the foods you love, it’s very likely to backfire, and send you rushing towards junk food. Try to work on new, more positive associations between good nutrition and better performance in the gym, at a certain sport, or just feeling better!
Learn from Every Diet, Even If You Don’t Follow Them
All the different kinds of diet we read about is enough to overwhelm anyone. However, if you take the time to look into the details of every diet that professes to be the best one, you’ll quickly find that they’re nowhere near as different as you might think. The next time you’re in the market for a nutrition plan to get on board with, do your homework. Our post on the benefits of a vegan diet, along with pages like this comprehensive review of Venus Factor Diet, will give you a lot more insight into the diets you may have heard mentioned elsewhere. By weighing up the similarities and differences, you’ll make it so much easier to figure out what little nuances work and don’t work for you. Barring some of the most extreme diets, many of the more popular nutrition plans share a few traits that anyone can stick to. All of them tend to place a lot of emphasis on whole, nutrient-dense foods, and flushing heavily processed junk out of your system. Each diet will also make you more aware of what you’re putting in your body, and what the effects can be if the bad stuff isn’t controlled. Many popular diets also help you to control your feeling of satisfaction after eating, and in turn, your levels of food intake. More nutritional foods, especially those that are rich in fiber, tend to lead to better overall satisfaction.
Pin Down Any Deficiencies
When you’re able to zero-in on the things that make you feel a little crappy, you’ll get a much more solid and actionable solution than simply telling yourself you should cut down on sugars and fats. Barring yourself from unhealthy foods may not be enough to get your body to where you want it to be. In some cases, a glaring nutrient deficiency could be the main thing behind poor energy levels and motivation. Studies into certain popular diets, including Atkins, have found that people on these diets tend to be slightly deficient in key nutrients, including Vitamin E, Vitamin D, and iodine. No matter what kind of nutrition plan you follow, there’s almost certain to be some kind of chink in its armor. Instead of simply tying yourself to a single plan, you may fare better when you concentrate on pinning down the deficiencies, and making a point to eliminate them. Take a step back, and have a good, long look at your current nutritional profile. Do your homework on what you need, and plan to fill in any blanks you come across. You may even want to note down your typical diet over the course of a week, and have it analyzed by a professional dietician. There are also online food journals that you may want to start using. When you’ve got a set plan for getting all the most important nutrients in your diet, you’ll be in a much better position to carve out a diet plan that works for you.
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