This time of year is bittersweet for me…I love reflecting on the year passed and getting excited about the year ahead. I love the new energy that we can bring to focusing on reaching goals and maintaining healthy habits. But I get so tired of all of the “detoxes”, “cleanses”, and restrictive diets we get […]

This time of year is bittersweet for me…I love reflecting on the year that passed and getting excited about the year ahead. I love the new energy that we can bring to focusing on reaching goals and maintaining healthy habits.

But I get so tired of all of the “detoxes”, “cleanses”, and restrictive diets we get inundated with, directing our newfound energy to the wrong place. We see our friends, coworkers, and family members going on diets, making us feel like it’s what we should be doing. But is that really what you WANT to do?

I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t want to feel stressed about removing and restricting foods from my diet. I want to feel indulged, nourished, and satisfied. I want to make lifestyle and diet choices that reflect my belief that I deserve the best things and foods that this world has to offer.

Sometimes that means a hearty salad, a nourishing smoothie, or avocado toast. Sometimes it means (heavily) buttered popcorn at 9 pm, a freshly baked chocolate chip cookie, or a Margherita pizza from my favorite pizza joint. All of those things bring me joy and when I eat them, I try to eat them slowly, with intention and gratitude. Emphasis on TRY definitely doesn’t happen all the time!

So let’s talk about why dieting doesn’t actually work…

WHY DIETING DOESN’T WORK

Dieting can give you short-term results but doesn’t work long-term, period. There has been a ton of research on this topic and it all shows the same result. Restrictive dieting actually causes weight gain in the long term and does not encourage a healthy relationship with food. This recent study showed that people who went on restrictive diets saw modest weight loss after 6 months, but after 12 months were back to where they started.

After the initial weight loss effect of a restrictive diet, our bodies gets used to being in a restricted state, so our metabolism starts to slow down, we hold onto fat stores and start shutting down other “non-essential” systems like reproduction (common in female athletes, known as RED-S). So now all of a sudden you have a slower metabolism than what you started with and maybe some other health issues.

The bottom line, food should be celebrated, not a cause of stress and anxiety. It’s one of the greatest pleasures in life (in my opinion!). So, let’s create sustainable habits around food that aren’t based on diet or restriction.

My favorite food resolutions

Instead of making resolutions to “eat fewer carbs” “remove sugar from my diet” or “stop eating bread”, switch your mindset to “eat more (insert food here)”. For example, “eat more vegetables with every meal” “incorporate more nuts and seeds into my diet” OR “start eating more fish every week”…

Here are some other favorites:

• Learn how to cook more from home
• Incorporate more fish and seafood into my diet
• Make an effort to eat more seasonally
• Try to eat slowly, with intention, and gratitude
• Buy more locally-produced foods
• Plan your meals for the week ahead
• Bake a nourishing treat from scratch once a week

HOW TO COOK MORE

I believe the best way to improve your health and diet long-term is to learn how to cook more nourishing foods from home. If you can learn how to make vegetables taste amazing and how to put nourishing meals on the table with ease, you’re setting yourself up for life.

The hardest part about getting real food on the table is trying to decide what to make. Do you ever feel like, after a long day of work, you just can’t make any more decisions? So you reach for your phone and order take-out or you have popcorn for dinner (we’ve all been there).

The answer is obvious, but harder than it sounds – plan your meals for the week before the week starts. No decisions are necessary! Except for the day when you have to make all of the decisions about what you want to eat that week…

That’s why I created the Cooking Club. For people like you who want to eat nourishing meals every night, but need a little help getting there. I wanted to make planning your meals a little easier by giving you some structure that you can build on. I want to teach you cooking skills and techniques to help you become a better, more confident cook. Lastly, I want to keep you inspired in the kitchen, so you don’t get bored with what you’re eating.

If that all sounds great to you, check out the Cooking Club (if you aren’t a member already…)!

Stay safe and healthy everyone!

– Natalie, Your Nutritionist, and Personal Chef