We have all been there. Telling ourselves that we will eat ‘No more cookies’, ‘No more late night snacks’, ‘No more sugary drinks’. If you are anything like me, this usually lasts for about a week at best before I am back to indulging in whatever vice I have tried to outlaw for myself.
We have heard it all. Don’t eat fruit. Don’t eat carbs. Don’t eat after 6 pm. Potatoes are bad. Rice is bad. Bread is bad. Fruit has too much sugar!
Sound familiar?
In today’s society, you are conditioned to remove foods from your diet to improve your health, be more “fit”, lose weight, and look your best!
Pick up any magazine or scroll the “health and fitness influencers” on social media and someone is boasting how cutting this or eliminating that is the secret for losing weight, feeling better, trimming your waist, and boosting your energy!
Instead of eliminating certain foods, have you ever considered what you could be adding in? Adding, rather than eliminating, foods to your meals is a really great strategy for healthy eating and behavior change that hasn’t gotten nearly enough attention.
I like to call this, Nutrition By Addition.
Nutrition by addition focuses on adding foods into your diet and lifestyle to optimize your health, maximize your results and ultimately feel your best!
Keep reading to learn 5 ways you can ADD more FOOD to need to get the results you want without dieting, eliminating or demonizing certain foods.
Improving nutrition habits is a common goal for many, whether it’s to lose weight, feel better or prevent chronic diseases. It is also a major challenge because you have been conditioned to associate “eating better” with eating less of or restricting certain foods.
It’s easy to cut certain types of food from your diet – think carbs, sugar and processed foods – BUT a more effective, sustainable approach is ADDING nutritious foods to your meals! By adding healthier options into your diet, you improve your nutrition without depriving yourself. Not only is it healthier, it’s but way more sustainable than any elimination diet.
Here are 5 ways to start adding more of the healthy foods you need:
#1. START WITH BREAKFAST: Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and a great place to start enhancing your nutrition. Begin by adding protein and fiber-rich options to your breakfast instead of sugary cereal or pastries to stay satisfied longer and prevent overeating later in the day.
Protein and fiber are the two easiest ways to keep your appetite at bay and provide sustained energy throughout the day. An easy way to do this is to make a smoothie at home to control the ingredients and create a well-balanced breakfast.
#2: SNACK SMARTER: Snacks are an easy way to add more nutrition, but it’s important to choose better-for-you options. Instead of chips or other crunchy snacks, try snacking on fruits, vegetables or nuts. Each is packed with nutrients and keep you satisfied throughout the day. And just like breakfast, focus on having a source of protein with your snack so that you get enough protein and stay satisfied between meals.
#3: UPGRADE YOUR MEALS: Instead of cutting out foods, it’s time to upgrade by adding more nutritious options. For example, add a side of roasted vegetables to your dinner, swap out white rice for quinoa or add beans to your salad for extra protein and fiber.
#4: EXPERIMENT: One of the best ways to add more nutritious options is experimenting with new foods. Try adding a new vegetable or fruit to your meals or test a new recipe that incorporates healthy ingredients.
#5: MAKE IT FUN! As odd as it sounds, sometimes eating healthy gets a bad rap. Adding healthy foods to your diet doesn’t have to be boring.
Experiment with different spices, sauces and seasonings to make meals more flavorful and enjoyable. Along with that, think outside the box and try a new cuisine; you may be surprised by what global favorites you enjoy!
Time to get to work! Think of the ways you can ADD more nutrition into your diet so that you can improve your nutrition and get better results without depriving yourself. Remember, it’s not about restriction, but ADDITION so your body gets the fuel it needs to thrive. When tempted to cut out certain foods, always try adding nutrient-rich options instead. Your body (and taste buds) will thank you!
To remind you of the different mindsets:
Elimination Diets
These zero-tolerance restrictions almost never work. They always seem to end up backfiring and leaving us where we left off or even losing progress. Over the years I have come to realize this with not only myself but also clients who have tried this approach. At best we revert to our old ways. At worst we swing even further in the other direction and overeat these same things we are trying to avoid.
Addition Diets
But fear not! I have a great strategy that I have used for myself and others that it is a great way to combat these negative patterns. The strategy is to use addition in your diet, not subtraction! Put simply, instead of saying ‘No this, no that’, let’s try to say ‘I will eat a better breakfast’. Or ‘I will eat 35g of protein at every meal’.
By adding these guidelines or frameworks to you diet, you start to build healthy habits that will set you up for long term success. Imagine if you had three or four of these guidelines that you followed with your diet and stuck to them everyday.
Find two or three positive additions you can add to your diet and try to accomplish them each day for the next 30 days! You will be amazed by how this can positively improve your diet through eating adequate amounts of protein and veggies, while also curbing those cravings for junk food and sweets.
If you are looking for more delicious, healthy, no bake desserts and treats to help you reach your health, wellness and fitness goals, you will love my collection here: Blended Bites
