Someone asked me recently for the top things to avoid in their diet and they were pretty surprised when I said I had no idea. But look, I don’t know anything about their daily needs, preferences, health profile, or a thousand other things relevant to this question. Plus, I truly believe that all foods can fit into a balanced diet. No individual food is going to poison you or doom you to a life of poor health.
On the other hand, if you ask me what to add, then I start cranking on some ideas… Not only is it more fun to talk about all the things that you can (and should!) enjoy, it is actually much more productive from both a psychological and nutritional standpoint.
Psychological Advantage
Restriction is tricky. It seems like the most direct route to cleaning up our routines, but it is laced with pitfalls. It is very common for restriction (even just perceived restriction) to trigger cravings. And when that happens, we’re often relying only on willpower to get us through. But willpower is finite. It might help us get through short-term temptation but it is not a reliable strategy for long-term habit change.
Restriction also lends itself to a pass/fail, binary way of thinking which can be very demotivating. Addition leads to a more productive “growth mindset” where we can focus on progress over perfection. We can shift to thinking about options and abundance rather than avoidance.
Nutritional Advantage
There was a time in my life when I ate salads with no dressing. I had read something pithy stupid in a women’s magazine like ‘if it shines, leave it behind’ or whatever. This was the low-fat era of pop nutrition and it was really dumb advice. Not only does salad dressing taste good, it actually makes it more satisfying, helps with nutrient absorption and keeps me full longer.
But the key lesson here is that nutrition is additive by nature. Foods don’t cancel each other out. Even if the salad dressing added nothing but flavor, it wouldn’t have diminished the other virtues of the salad in any way.
Master the Minimum
Again, I know nothing about you and your baseline, but let’s say you could stand to add more fruits and veg to your diet. This is true of most people, so it’s a fairly safe starting point. Here’s how it works: just add one serving each day. You do not need to jump straight from wherever to full-blown Mediterranean diet perfection. Every additional serving of produce is associated with increased dietary improvement and health benefits (until you get to ~10 servings and the curve tapers off).
So choose one thing and make it easy. Have a serving of fruit at breakfast and get the win early. Add one serving of a basic side salad to dinner. Cut carrots and peppers in advance for a convenient snack. You don’t need to make ratatouille from scratch on a weeknight if that’s not your jam. Try instead adding frozen peas to a pasta dish. Choosing a simple addition will make it easier for your future self to follow through.
If vegetables aren’t your thing, that’s fine. Maybe you already eat 5+ servings a day or maybe you just don’t feel excited about produce. Here are some other ideas you might pick instead:
Include beans/legumes several days a week. Nutritionally, beans boost your protein and fiber intake. Canned and pre-prepared beans are a great convenience food and can be added to a surprising number of other dishes including salads, pasta, soup, and rice. And feel free to explore beyond the chickpea… Lentils, black beans, white beans, kidney beans are all versatile and easy. Even baked beans and refried beans and bring something to the table.
Add a serving of nuts or seeds to your regular rotation, increasing your fiber and healthy fat intake. I find nuts are a more satisfying snack when combined with something else, like an apple or banana. A square of dark chocolate is also a nice nut companion. Nut butters count too. If you are concerned about overeating nuts, you can pre-portion them or buy individual serving packets. Sunflower seeds are a classic snack, but they are also add good crunch to a salad. Same with pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds.
Avoid eating mindlessly, including eating in front of the tv or while scrolling on your phone. Being present when you are eating increases awareness around hunger/fullness/satiety. I find that snacks in particular are far more satiating if I actually take a break rather then eating while working.1 If you find that eating without scrolling is uncomfortable, that should be a sign that this is something you can work on. You can start this one with just 3-5 minutes each day.
Inventory your go-to grains and try to replace most of them with whole grain options. I could write a whole post on this alone, but you need to read labels here. You’re looking for wholegrain to be the first ingredient when buying bread. Try out wholegrain pastas and alternative pastas made out of beans to find brands that you like. The good news is these tend to be pantry items so you only have to do this work once and then just continue to rely on that product going forward.
Get Started
The key to this approach to habit change is to keep it small and consistent. As each addition becomes part of your regular routine, then you can move onto another addition. Progress always trumps perfection in the long term.
Is there anything you might try? Let me know what you think in the comments!
In some instances, that feeling of hunger is actually just a desire for a break.
Love the concept.