When you think about nutrition, you usually think about making changes to what you eat and drink. This is important, but something perhaps equally important is internal changes. Change can only happen when your thoughts, emotions, and actions are aligned. If you force yourself to eat healthier with the sheer force of willpower, you may be successful for a little while, but eventually your cravings and old habits will be overpowering. To prevent that from happening, and to make your change easier, you must work equally as hard on the "inner game" as you do the "outer game."
A simple change you can make is the way you think about food. There are actually three ways you can think about eating.
Mindset 1: Eating for pleasure (Short term). With this mindset you judge the food based solely on how much pleasure it gives you in the moment. Every show of the Food Network is based off of this idea. Unfortunately, a lot of the best-tasting food is refined sugars that have been literally manufactured to taste pleasurable even though they have been stripped of their nutrients.
There is nothing wrong with eating food that tastes good. In fact, you will be more likely to stick with a diet if you enjoy the way the food tastes. However, when you make pleasure the number one priority when determining what food to eat, you will have a difficult time staying away from the kinds of foods that are bad for you.
Mindset 2: Eating for fuel (medium term). With this mindset, you judge the food that you eat on how good you feel in the hours after you eat it. From this perspective, food that gives your body energy and a clear mind is better than food that makes you feel tired. Refined sugars give you a few minutes of pleasure, but the cost is immediately felt for the next three hours as you crash and just want to lie down. On the other hand, eating an orange may not give you immediate gratification, but for the next few hours you will feel energized and happy.
Mindset 3: Eating for health (long term). There is a lot at stake when you sit down and eat. That is because you are what you eat. Every year your cells replace themselves- in other words, you get a new body every year. Those new cells are the culmination of all the food and drink that you have consumed all year. While diseases have many causes, the foods that you eat are a big contributor.
All three mindsets have their benefits, and you should always take all three into consideration; however, the simple change that I would like you to make is the order in which you consider each one. Mainstream culture tells us to first consider how good something tastes, then to consider two and three. This is the exact opposite of how you should consider each one.
This is the single most important change that you can make in order to eat better. From now on, when you are at the grocery store looking at a food item, consider first its health benefits, then it's ability to fuel you, and only then how good it tastes. It may not sound like a big change, but it could very well be a game changer for you. It will be easier to quickly filter out food that is bad for you and pick out good tasting food that is good for you. You will be well on your way to a good diet that will help you meet your weight loss and fitness goals.
A simple change you can make is the way you think about food. There are actually three ways you can think about eating.
Mindset 1: Eating for pleasure (Short term). With this mindset you judge the food based solely on how much pleasure it gives you in the moment. Every show of the Food Network is based off of this idea. Unfortunately, a lot of the best-tasting food is refined sugars that have been literally manufactured to taste pleasurable even though they have been stripped of their nutrients.
There is nothing wrong with eating food that tastes good. In fact, you will be more likely to stick with a diet if you enjoy the way the food tastes. However, when you make pleasure the number one priority when determining what food to eat, you will have a difficult time staying away from the kinds of foods that are bad for you.
Mindset 2: Eating for fuel (medium term). With this mindset, you judge the food that you eat on how good you feel in the hours after you eat it. From this perspective, food that gives your body energy and a clear mind is better than food that makes you feel tired. Refined sugars give you a few minutes of pleasure, but the cost is immediately felt for the next three hours as you crash and just want to lie down. On the other hand, eating an orange may not give you immediate gratification, but for the next few hours you will feel energized and happy.
Mindset 3: Eating for health (long term). There is a lot at stake when you sit down and eat. That is because you are what you eat. Every year your cells replace themselves- in other words, you get a new body every year. Those new cells are the culmination of all the food and drink that you have consumed all year. While diseases have many causes, the foods that you eat are a big contributor.
All three mindsets have their benefits, and you should always take all three into consideration; however, the simple change that I would like you to make is the order in which you consider each one. Mainstream culture tells us to first consider how good something tastes, then to consider two and three. This is the exact opposite of how you should consider each one.
This is the single most important change that you can make in order to eat better. From now on, when you are at the grocery store looking at a food item, consider first its health benefits, then it's ability to fuel you, and only then how good it tastes. It may not sound like a big change, but it could very well be a game changer for you. It will be easier to quickly filter out food that is bad for you and pick out good tasting food that is good for you. You will be well on your way to a good diet that will help you meet your weight loss and fitness goals.
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