Top Tips to Eat Well for Life
Let’s talk about one of the most burning topics out there: food! You could choose to ignore all the other aspects of wellness (although I don’t recommend it!) but one thing’s for sure: we all have to eat!
If feelings of overwhelm or confusion about diet popped up, you are not alone. Even if you’re not having those feelings now, there is a good chance you will experience them from time to time throughout your life. And there’s a good reason why food can be confusing: There is no one-size-fits-all perfect diet. Just because something worked for your sister, or your best friend swears by the latest diet book she just read, it doesn’t mean the same strategies will work for you. On top of that, sometimes strategies that have worked well for you for years, suddenly start causing you trouble.
Ultimately, the goal is a sustainable way of eating that allows you to maintain a healthy weight, achieve hormone balance, feel abundant energy, stay disease free, and overall just feel good in your skin. Part of that is having the confidence in making choices that serve your body, mind and spirit.
I know what you’re thinking. You just want to know, “WHAT should I eat?!?”
The truth is, only you get to determine what’s right for you to eat, and what you decide will depend largely on trial and error, learning to listen to what your body is telling you in response to different foods. But here’s the big secret the diet industry doesn’t want you to know: nutrition is actually pretty simple!
If what to eat is causing overwhelm and confusion, focus only on these guidelines:
Drink half your weight in ounces of water daily
Eat mostly whole foods
Fill yourself up on lots of leafy greens and non - starchy vegetables
Avoid / limit eating inflammatory foods: sugar, dairy, wheat / gluten, alcohol, and soy
Avoid ingredients that you cannot pronounce (aka highly processed foods)
While there is no one size fits all diet, these guidelines can support everyone in developing a sustainable diet that supports health and energy. And this next tip that is also universally beneficial. After you eat, listen to your body by asking yourself:
“Is my HEC in Check?”
HEC stands for:
Hunger
Energy
Cravings
This brilliant concept is credited to Dr. Jade Teta, and here’s what It means: If 1-2 hours after a meal you’re not particularly hungry, you have steady energy, and you’re not really craving anything, that is a WIN! That indicates that your meal satisfied your nutritional needs and allowed your blood sugar to stay balanced.
On the other hand, if you find that within 1-2 hours after a meal you’re hungry (or “hangry!), you’re on an energy roller coaster, and you’re craving things like mad, especially sugar, that’s your body telling you that your meal choice did not work for you.
In addition to your HEC, pay attention to whether you experience other physical symptoms. Bloating? Puffiness? Headache? Gas? Generally satisfied or dissatisfied? Negative symptoms indicate something about your meal isn’t agreeing with you and it’s worthwhile to keep track of what foods you’ve eaten when you feel this way. Again, trial and error will usually lead you in the right direction of choosing foods that help you feel good!
It’s important to accept that not all meals will be perfect, that is a given. But as you learn about your body and what types of meals serve it best, you can start to set standards that you shoot to follow most (80-90%) of the time. When a meal isn’t perfect, or your energy is off, don’t worry about it. Just make your next best choice and move on.
Weekly Practice: Ask yourself an hour or two after every meal, “Is my HEC in Check?” Set a reminder on your phone so that you are consistently checking in with yourself about this throughout the week.
📒Use your journal to make notes of your observations throughout the week. If you notice patterns one way or another, or have reactions to certain types of meals or foods, those are valuable bits of information to use as you fine tune your nutritional choices.