You Have More Dietary Discipline Than You Think (Part 2 of 3)
Can You Be Strict for 30 Days?
[Click here for Part 1] When someone tells me that they cannot change their diet, I tell them that some changes are easier than others. I try to negotiate a strict 30-day change and have them follow the Roadmap to Health. Many people have followed strict weight-loss programs longer than that. The Roadmap to Health may be easier to follow because I am not asking them to “never” have pizza or chocolate cake again. Thirty days is enough time for them to learn what a large difference diet can make. Sometimes a sense of despair keeps them from trying (junk food is addictive—read books by Michael Moss to learn more) and we need to do things gradually.
Some Changes Are Easier Than Others
- If you can’t do it all the time, can you do it part time? People think of the foods they love and their heart sinks at the idea of not having them. Can you follow a program for the work week and cut loose on the weekend? Can you be strict one day each week? You don’t need to be perfect; you just need to do better. Maybe have one day each week when you are strict, then two, then three and so on.
- Eat better junk: There is a difference between a pastry from a good bakery and a Hostess Twinkie. Maybe you can’t give up sugar, but avoiding additives is not that hard. The same thing applies to white bread—read the label. Refined flour is not ideal, but avoiding preservatives, additives, and artificial ingredients is a step in the right direction. You get the idea.
- Snacking and intermittent fasting: Insulin insensitivity (also called insulin resistance) is a common problem with people who have trouble controlling their diets. Snacking between meals causes you to produce insulin and makes everything worse. Eating between dinner and bedtime is even worse than snacking. Intermittent fasting also helps you deal with insulin resistance. Some people will only give themselves an eight-hour window to eat. If dinner is at 6:00 pm, then breakfast is at 10:00 am. You can be less strict and give yourself a 12-hour window. Dinner is at 6:00 pm and breakfast is at 6:00 am.
- Eat only protein for breakfast: This is another insulin resistance practice. It will help you control your appetite and lower your blood sugar.
- Dilute your junk food with salad: If you love pizza, for example, and normally eat four pieces, having a big salad before your pizza might make two pieces satisfying.
- Don’t worry about “don’ts” focus on “dos”: There is almost nothing you can eat that someone won’t warn you about. Grains cause inflammation. Animal fat and dairy are full of dioxins. Fish are full of mercury. Plastic is in everything. Don’t eat nuts, they irritate your intestines. Beans and certain vegetables “clump” your cells. It seems like nothing is good for you. Most people just give up and eat “whatever”—learned helplessness. True, the Roadmap to Health avoids certain “good” foods, like grains, but not because they are bad for you. It is short term advice to help with digestion. The important message of the Roadmap to Health is to eat foods that help reduce inflammation—namely fresh produce. Get plenty of fiber and polyphenols and worry less about what is bad for you.
- Make good soup: Much of the crap we eat is because of convenience. It has a long shelf-life and is quick to prepare. Making a big pot of healthy soup, with lots of vegetables, one day and eating it the rest of the week will help you replace at least some quick junk food meals. Here are links to some good recipes: Cabbage soup, beef vegetable soup, chicken vegetable soup.
- Eat 2 carrots or two pieces of celery before meals: (Especially before going out to dinner). Follow up with a big glass of water. You will eat less “bad” food at your meal.
- Eat slowly, chew your food thoroughly: Relax and eat peacefully. You will eat less and crave less. For example, sit, relax and slowly chew a carrot. Notice the taste. It will be more satisfying. Junk food messes with your sense of feeling satisfied—this can help break the pattern.
Get Better, Not Perfect
I knew a doctor who once said, “The road to good health is always under repair.” He was right. Get better, not perfect. I have been to nutritional conferences, and the doctors were eating desserts after meals. Cookies, potato chips, diet soda, regular soda and all kinds of refined food were available. I don’t eat perfectly. I do, however, tighten up if I am not happy with how I am feeling.
Don’t Let Diet Advice Make You Miserable
You don’t have to decide which diet is best and follow it for the rest of your life (although, focusing on health is a good thing—you just shouldn’t stress and worry about it). Every diet you have been told about has its strengths and its weaknesses. We all know the foods that are obviously bad for us. Don’t get caught up in controversy; work on avoiding the obvious junk. Don’t get hung up on nuts, night shades, animal protein, and the dozens of foods you may have been warned about. As you progress, you will know what is good for you and what isn’t—and it isn’t always something you saw on a blog. The death rate in the US is very close to 100%, so enjoy yourself while you can.
Please don’t think “eat whatever I want”. The message here is to do the best you can and keep improving. I am just trying to help you avoid the anxiety that most dietary advice causes. Also, if you have symptoms, you may need to be very strict (for a while, at least).
Part 3: Supplements Can Be a Saving Grace for the Undisciplined.
