Written by: Emily Christine Schield, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Whenever I hear someone say they want to start eating healthier, the most common thought boils down to, “Okay, time to go on a diet (and restrict myself from eating the foods I love).” Contrary to popular belief, the word diet comes from a Greek word meaning “way of life,” not “restriction of food.” In today’s world, our food choices are more important than ever in preventing chronic disease and living in a body that is healed and healthy. A body we are confident in and where we are truly in charge of our health and our food choices.
It’s helpful to note that changing the way you eat doesn’t need to be difficult or frustrating. When done with the right support, aligned guidance and awareness of underlying thoughts, the transformation of change becomes invigorating, motivating and incredibly fulfilling.
Here are what I’ve observed to be the most common mistakes women make when trying to change their eating habits:
They take too big of a leap and change too many eating habits all at once
This is a big one. When you desire to change the way you eat, it’s easy for your brain to get fixated on a plan, certain foods to eat, a specific diet and following a meal guide. While seemingly helpful, what meal plans don’t address is the difficulty your brain has in keeping up with all the new changes. When you think about how many years it took for you to develop your current eating habits, it’s important to know it will also take time to incorporate new ways of eating. Why? Because the brain is still living in past programming with thought patterns that are deeply rooted in your current eating habits. By taking too big of a leap, it can lead your brain into a state of overwhelm and cause you to give up on all your newfound eating habits in a short amount of time. A better approach is “crowding out” foods that aren’t serving your health goals and including more real food in gradually so your brain has the capacity to fully incorporate new habits.
They eat foods they don’t enjoy to adhere to a specific diet
Food is a part of our human experience and was always meant to be nourishing, enjoyable, flavorful and shared with others. When you force yourself to consume food that may be good for you, but you don’t enjoy, it will be incredibly difficult to sustain eating in that fashion for a lifetime. Again, the brain is more in charge than you may think and by forcing food down, you will soon experience resistance. Unless you understand what real whole foods you truly enjoy cooking and eating on a consistent basis, this cycle of dieting will continue.
They aren’t in the mindset of creating long-term habits and instead focus on short-term results
When creating sustainable, lifelong transformation, the short-cuts our brain wants to take are not going to get you the result you want for life. Unraveling what thoughts are actually preventing you from creating real change will create a healthy foundation for all eating habits to be stacked on. No one would invest a lot of money and build a home on a rocky foundation, yet this phenomenon happens all the time in nutrition world. Women build new habits on a rocky foundation (her own brain) that isn’t solid enough to sustain the new eating habits. Creating what I like to call a “detoxed brain” where old stories are released and new beliefs are formed is often overlooked, but is truly the starting point for every woman who wants to eat for her body and change her health once and for all.
They are following advice that doesn’t actually align with their body
Does intermittent fasting feel good for you or leave you light-headed and unwell? Do you miss dairy products and do you feel better eliminating them? Do you restrict yourself from eating sugar and eliminating carbohydrates? Ultimately, the most important question you can ask yourself is this, “Do I feel healthy in my mind and body majority of the time?” The goal of creating eating habits that align with your body is for you to truly feel good and not be constantly thinking of all the things you “should” be doing or not be eating.
They aren’t listening to bodily cues and being in tune to inner guidance
Our bodies are vessels filled with incredible wisdom, but our own thoughts and feelings can easily block the cues it gives us. One of the most important questions you should ask yourself after meals are if you feel full and truly satisfied after eating? It’s an Okinawan philosophy that you should eat until you are 80% full. I adhere to this wisdom as well, knowing I do not wish to feel “stuffed” (like after so many of our Thanksgiving meals) and that I also do not want a rumbling belly that is still hungry. Eating slowly and mindfully will help your body signal to you what it needs more of and when you are comfortably full. Taking mindful breaths every few minutes is helpful along with ending a meal with peppermint tea which aids in digestion.
In conclusion, changing the way you eat is not concrete and is a transformation that takes time, consistency, support and tremendous self-belief. By creating a mind that is truly open to change, the results you desire will be so much easier to build into your life. Healthy eating won’t seem so daunting and complicated and will instead bring a source of joy, peace and freedom to your life.
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Emily Christine Schield, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Emily Schield is a holistic health and nutrition coach specializing in whole-food eating. After a decade-long battle with cystic acne and gut issues, she found healing in eating real food and set out on a journey to continue to improve her eating habits by attaining a bachelor’s degree in Nutrition and Culinary Arts from Bastyr University. She is passionate about cultivating a healthy lifestyle and helping women understand how important their mindset is in creating the health they desire. Emily enjoys teaching practical and fun culinary techniques to inspire women to reconnect back to their kitchen, local food, and ultimately themselves. She believes everyone is capable of creating a healthy body and healing is possible when given the right guidance and taking aligned action.
