Diets are typically associated with restriction. This is typically why they are not successful methods for pursuing health: they are not sustainable. Yet the word diet is not bad in and of itself. One’s diet is simply what one consumes. So perhaps a more productive way to think about diet is to consider ways to change it rather than going on one. Change does not necessarily mean restriction or sacrifice. It simply means change, and change can be good.
Favourites Will Not Be Lost
When people change their diets, it does not have to be at the expense of what they love to eat. This may come as a surprise, but many meals can be tweaked and thoroughly enjoyed. Some of the top cooking substitutes available are similar to the original ingredients, and the dish tastes just as good. Some trial and error may be required to find the best replacement to recreate the word, but delicious alternatives are available and bound to be discovered.
New Favorites Will Be Discovered
Despite its reputation, a healthy diet does not have to be lacking in taste and satisfaction. When people change their diets, they open themselves up to a world of new foods and recipes. This means that there will be fresh foods and recipes to love. Not only does changing one’s diet not mean restriction, it means opening oneself up to opportunities to discover new favorites and adding foods and dishes to their recipe book.
Whole Foods Should Be Integrated
When cooking old favorites with new substitutes or preparing a new choice, a key to changing one’s diet hinges on the fact that the new diet should consist of whole foods; whole foods make a huge difference in the quality of the food being consumed. This is because whole foods require preparation and cannot be taken out of a package or picked up at a drive-thru. The quality of what people ingest directly relates to its impact on their bodies.
Results That Feel Good
Committing to a new diet is not easy because change is not easy, and it takes time to discover the substitutes and new recipes that will make the change easier. But a factor that will make staying the course easier is that changing one’s diet inevitably results in feeling better. Doing something to lose is not usually a good incentive, but when people gain, staying committed to what helped produce the gains is easier. When people notice the improvement in how they feel when they have changed their diets, they will see that the changes to their diets were worthwhile.
Change and restriction are not synonymous. When people change their diets, there is an adjustment period, but the challenge of the adjustment period will pay off with healthier meals, new foods and dishes to enjoy, and bodies that feel better. It is essential that people not think about changing their diets in terms of what they have to lose but what they have to gain because they have so much to gain.
