The term ‘diet’ is used to convey a message of restriction, denial, or selection of foodstuff as defined by the word(s) placed in front of it; low carb, no sugar, keto, raw, vegan. While some of these diets are specific to people with allergies and intolerance's as a society, we are always looking for the next diet promising to generate the results with the least amount of effort.
Rarely is this sustainable and the restriction mentality is destined to fail. Tell a woman she can’t have that chocolate and watch her eat the whole block right?! We need to take a maintainable approach or we are setting ourselves up for failure, which has compounding detrimental effects to our psyche.
As a woman, a mother, a wife, and business owner, my energy is required is at all times of the day to put out whatever spot fire, attend to chores, washing, cleaning, cooking ……and tick off the business to do list so why the hell would I not want to function at optimal capacity?! To fit into a bikini that I wore at 18 years old, pre-kids?! Are you kidding me?!
I’m all for being healthy and having a positive body image however there is healthy at every size! These days whilst I still wear a bikini and might not look as good as I did back in 1998, yet I appreciate that it has labored a child, lived through incredible stress and still provides me with the ability to move and function as I desire… I’m not a size 6 (what % of the population is) and my love of food will never allow me nor should my mind! YOU want to know why?!
Because I’m on the happiness diet!!
If we strip this back to the origin of the world, rather than our modern twist on it, you will find that the word diet comes from the Greek word ‘Diaita’, meaning, ‘a way of life’.
A way of life! No mention of ‘don’t eat this, ‘you can’t eat that’. It’s about a healthy approach to eating with no rules limiting, restricting, counting calories or weighing. It’s about making the smart choices, most of the time, a way of life. Pretty sure the Greeks LOVE their food, wine and embrace their curves! Why not?! It’s a lifestyle and one that can be dedicated to health that embraces the balance a good shiraz and cheese platter brings!
Sound simple? Because, it is! Why should this be hard? We need to fuel our bodies in order for them to function, so why do we treat it like a rubbish bin? We crave salty, sweet and fatty foods like fries when we are so fatigued, run down and looking for a quick hit. It’s the equivalent of an addict looking for a quick high. Other than being a kill joy, it’s scientifically proven that sugar is more addictive than cocaine!
For our bodies and brain to function at optimal capacity, we need to ensure that what we put in our mouth is providing nutrients for this amazing machine, our body, to run! The term nutrient identifies the substances in food that provide essential nourishment to maintain life. When we are devoid of nutrients through restrictive diets or unhealthy eating habits, we start to see deficiencies that lead to disease, mental and physical disorders and early death.
Our change of diet over the last few generations, to more highly processed foods has seen deficiencies in key nutrients such as magnesium, B12, iron and vitamin D along with healthy fats such as Omega 3, all essential for optimal mental and physical health.
The change to our diets directly correlated to the obesity epidemic, and explains why we have the highest rates of depression in history. The shift in eating habits have pre-disposed us to excessive weight gain creating stress on our system and further leads to depression, chronic headaches, diabetes, anxiety and the list goes on!
A balanced diet of predominantly plant based and wholegrain foods is what I recommend. By eating foods as close to their original state it maximises the intake of key nutrients from these foods. The more processed our food that we consume are, the more likely we are to compromise our immunity and develop deficiencies and disease.
If you want to boost your mood, brain power and create more energy and vitality, avoiding chronic disease, it come down to what you eat, what thoughts feed your mind and the movement you create to empower your body!
Working through diet diaries I can assist in identifying any essentials nutrients that may be lacking from your diet and work together to find solutions that work for you and your family based on current eating patterns. Its all about small, sustainable steps towards optimal health!
Free 30 minute consultations are offered allowing you to discover the role of a health coach and how I can enable to positive and permanent changes within your lifestyle!
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Amanda x
"People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. Its as simple as that." - Earl Nightingale