Beginning a real foods diet, keep in mind that it’s a balancing act. Most people can’t completely rearrange their lives just to change their diet. You need to balance the ideal against what is practical.
A Long-Term Strategy
Try not to think of your diet as a temporary plan. It’s far better to think of it as a new way of living – and one that you will ease into. View it as an ongoing series of continual improvements to your diet.
If you slip up — inadvertently devour an entire package of Oreos in one sitting (or whatever your personal food demon is) — don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s OK! Just recognize it as an opportunity to identify a potential pitfall, and look for ways to avoid it in the future. With that in mind, here are a few tips.
Healthy Fats and Protein Help
Remember that we are hardwired to favor sugary, fatty foods — and to avoid starvation! Those are two tremendous reasons that typical dieting is so difficult. One good thing is that when you start eating a real food diet, you don’t have to deprive yourself – you just have to make healthier choices.
One example of this is exchanging normal low-fat diet foods for more satisfying choices. Real foods that are rich in protein and good fats – think eggs, grass-fed meat and dairy – will help you stay satisfied.
For me, a super easy adjustment like swapping cereal for eggs for breakfast made a big difference. I stopped suffering the pre-lunch energy crashes, and my sugar cravings dropped to nothing. Even better, I lost some fat — and my cholesterol looks terrific!
Work on Paying Attention
Another classic diet tip is to truly try to pay attention to just how much food you need to feel satisfied. On a real food diet you’ll be eating fewer refined carbohydrates, which are all too easy to overeat. As you switch to more real foods with high-quality protein and fat, you’ll be satisfied with less – if you make an effort to notice. Just gradually work on making it a habit.
Although the typical diet advice is to not go back for seconds, I can’t advise that. Personally, it just encourages filling up my plate with a lot more than I really want or need, and feeling like I need to finish everything. I think it’s a healthier idea to begin with a tiny serving and go back as many times as you need to. Just proceed slowly, and notice how satisfied you are between servings.
Don’t Stress Over Cravings
Don’t get too concerned about cravings while getting started with a real food diet. Fighting against them will only make you miserable. Keep the idea of continuous improvement in mind, but give in here and there. As your diet gets better, cravings will diminish and will become less troublesome for you. Should you not find this happening within a few weeks, it’s time to revisit your diet and try some different things. Be certain that you’re eating enough good fats and protein, and keep working on decreasing the sugar you take in.
I also highly recommend making sure that you always have one indulgence available to you. Mine is chocolate, made with high quality real ingredients. Just try to make it a nourishing real food version of whatever it is that you love, and don’t go crazy with it, of course. Knowing that you can have that one good thing can go a long way toward keeping you in the right state of mind about your new diet.
You Deserve to Succeed
Finally, keep your objective in mind, and do not forget that you are worth the effort! You deserve to eat well, and you are worth the extra effort that it takes to enjoy healthy real foods. Also realize that it will only get easier and faster with practice — stay with it!
Get the facts on real food diet plans. Visit www.real-food-diet.com to get the best advice on real food diets and how they can improve your health.
