How to make lasting & feasible dietary changes
When it comes to making dietary changes, or doing a total 360 with a new diet, plenty of questions and worries and thoughts come to the surface.
How can I afford to buy whole, fresh foods?
I don’t have the time or energy to cook meals.
My kids won’t want to eat these meals that I prepare.
This is too much effort. I don’t want to give up these foods.
I’ve never in my whole life heard of this ingredient.
Sound familiar? These are absolutely normal and very common responses when making this kind of transition. So, I’ve provided below a list of simple strategies that can be applied to assist in the success of making dietary and lifestyle changes for optimal health.
Evaluate your spending habits
Review and redevelop a budget that supports your goals and the values that you are implementing for your wellbeing. How is your income being divided? Are there unnecessary expenses that could be put towards your food budget, health services, a group activity or hobby, instead? Of your grocery bills, which items are supporting your wellbeing, and which items are not- can these be removed? You might even find that after a few months of rearranging your groceries that you are spending the same amount (if not less) when you purchase whole foods, in comparison to the processed and pre-made foods previously consumed.
Review your schedule and routine
Where are you being inefficient with your time? Some popular habits that might not contribute to our progress are things like using social media, watching Netflix or television, sleeping in too often, or having a very sporadic schedule. Taking a moment to plan your day or week ahead of time can greatly reduce “dead time” that gets in the way of you having the space to implement changes, actions, or work to reach your goals. For example, rather than (or while) watching a movie on a Sunday afternoon, try batch-cooking a meal that you can use throughout the week or freeze for later. Even taking just 20 minutes one evening to meal plan for the week can greatly reduce expenses from eating out, save you time from cooking too often, and reduce the stress involved with an erratic schedule.
Do some detective work
Various grocery stores, bulk distributors and markets in your area will have some differences in pricing for their food items, as well as sales. Do some stores offer cheaper prices if bought in bulk? Are you looking at their online or paper flyers, and saving coupons? Are the produce you are wanting to buy within their growing season? It’s not always the case, but you will be surprised by the amount of local products available that are less expensive than those imported.What foods are currently available that were grown, raised or made locally? Are farmers co-op programs (like CSA boxes) available in your area? There may even exist community gardens that you can volunteer very little time each week in exchange for produce, or rent a small seasonal plot to grow your own garden.
Quality over quantity
As a result of industrial and large-scale agriculture practices, within the last century especially, our soils are now severely depleted of nutrients. Most of our livestock are being fed foods outside of their natural diet, in closed industrial settings. We also import so much of our food from far away locations, where chemical-free growing practices aren’t necessarily supported, produce is harvested too early (unripened, when nutrients are not fully present), and the long distances further reduce nutrient content.
So, although we have access to a greater quantity of food, we do not necessarily have access to an adequate amount of nutrition. In this case, I normally recommend to emphasize local produce (even if non-organic), and smaller cuts of organic grass-fed/wild/pasture-raised animal produce. Nutrient-dense foods, as opposed to calorie-dense foods, are typically unrefined, unprocessed foods in their “whole” form. Because the body will uptake a greater amount of vital and non-vital nutrients from foods in their natural form, the satiation point will be more readily obtained. In other words, you will feel fuller more quickly and for a longer period of time, because you’ve given your cells and tissues what they need to function optimally.
Discover new recipes
As you change elements of your diet, the meals that you consume will likely change too! To avoid feeling overwhelmed, or left empty-handed, it’s important to develop an arsenal of new and easy go-to recipes that you are excited to try. Keep it simple. Discovering just 1-2 new recipes a week can be easily implemented (snacks, breakfast, smoothies, beverages, meals, etc), and will facilitate the transition to your new dietary protocol. This will help to guide and inspire you to increase food diversity in a more feasible manner.
Reduce stress associated with making dietary changes by gathering resources (such as recipes), planning ahead, budgeting, and taking notes of the progress made. If you live with family or a spouse, invite them in your journey! Children in particular, when they feel involved and engaged in the process of making changes, will present less resistance towards the changes. Show your enthusiasm and encourage their curiosity to try new foods by inviting them to discover new recipes that they want to try, or by helping you to make the meals.
Success sometimes feels icky
Implementing lifestyle and dietary changes is typically uncomfortable. It takes effort. At this point, you could ask yourself, “Do I want to feel uncomfortable staying in the same circumstances and state of health as I have been, or do I want to feel uncomfortable while making changes to successfully improve my circumstances and state of health?” Every event, and every choice that we make, is neutral. It’s important to pay attention to the emotion, thought or meaning that we attach to our neutral states of being, events and circumstances.
So, take some time to reflect on how your perceptions are shaping your experience as you implement changes that diverge from “the norm.” What could your future look like, if you were to choose? How could your future self feel once your goal is achieved? How will your life be different, what will your new normal be, as a result of your current and ongoing transformation?
Ready, set, go!
Overall, the key ideas to take away from this post are the following:
- Evaluate and keep track of changes and progress
- Preparation and planning ahead will ensure success
- Get comfortable with trying new ideas and new foods; and remember your “why”
Why are you making these changes? What will be the benefits from making these changes, and what could the consequences be from not making them? These are good questions to reflect on or to explore through writing in a journal, to gain clarity on the Why, How, and What types of questions especially.
Enlist your loved ones to support you in the process and celebrate the milestones with you. This process is going to look different for everyone, so have fun making it your own unique journey!
You’ve got this.
P.S.
This post was originally written and published on my other website, Arbor Holistic Coaching. I may have reviewed and edited the content to best suit my audience here at Planting Spoons Growing Health. You can find the original article here: https://www.arborholistic.com/writing/feasibility
