What "should" you eat?

 “I know what I should be doing, I just don’t do it” -most people

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that! So, I ask my client, what should you be doing? Oftentimes after I ask this the uncertainty comes out. Maybe I should be fasting or I shouldn’t have creamer in my coffee or I shouldn’t be eating potatoes. There are some shoulds that are true: you should not eat food you are allergic to and you should not eat foods that have gone bad, those are very true! But, other than that there is a lot of gray space about what is best to eat and how it’s best to eat.

Truly we are all different and what we want and need to eat is different too. Maybe you love to cook or dread time in the kitchen. You could be great at meal prep or be a terrible planner. You could love to eat out or rely on “girl dinners”. None of these things mean you can’t eat good food and be healthy. Plus, all these things are important when planning what you “should” eat.

Here are some things to consider when thinking about a healthy diet:

1.     Are you meeting your nutrient needs? Having adequate nutrients supports your immune system, energy, bones, heart and everything else. Having too little or too much both stress your body.

2.     Is your diet sustainable? If your diet causes stress or leads you to spend a lot of time thinking about food and food rules that’s probably not the right plan for you.

3.     Does your diet affect time with others? Social interactions are important for our health too. Does your diet allow you to enjoy spending time with others?

Let’s start with nutrient needs. Often when people think of what to eat they start with calories and maybe think about protein. But, there are a lot of other nutrients that your body needs. The reason eating patterns like the Mediterranean diet or DASH diet are so beneficial is they are full of nutrients that reduce inflammation, support the immune system and improve overall health and longevity.

Here are some of the foods that are emphasized in these diets and the nutrients they provide:

Whole grains: Try: barley, teff, oats, buckwheat Nuts and seeds: Try: pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, pistachios, hemp seeds. Fruits & Vegetables: Orange/yellow (yams, carrots, orange peppers, peaches, mango) Red/purple (apples, red cabbage, berries, beets, eggplant, prunes) Green (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, kiwi, herbs, asparagus, kale) White/brown (onions, garlic, mushrooms, cauliflower) Soy foods (edamame, tofu, tempeh) BEANS (chickpeas, black, pinto, cannellini)

Rich in: vitamins: A, E and B vitamins, fiber, minerals: magnesium, zinc, protein. Rich in: healthy (unsaturated) fats, protein, fiber, vitamins B & E, minerals. All contain antioxidants and fiber, help with healthy aging, digestion and immune function. Rich in vitamin A - help with vision and eye health, can help keep your heart healthy. Rich in vitamin C, potassium. Helps prevent some cancers, important in heart and lung health. Rich in anti-cancer compounds, iron, potassium and Vitamin K-- helps prevent blood clots Help improve immunity, can help lower blood pressure and cholesterol. Rich in plant-based protein, calcium, magnesium. Helps with balancing hormones, bone health and cancer prevention. Rich in fiber and plant-based protein

This is just a brief overview of some of the benefits of these plant-based foods. You can imagine that by combining these foods you are getting a lot of nutrient bang for your buck!

Easy ideas:

·      Add spinach or riced cauliflower to smoothies, soups

·      Add beans to wraps, blend into mac & cheese, use hummus as a dip

·      Snack on edamame

·      Eat fruit and nuts as a snack

Hopefully this brief overview helps with the sustainability and social aspects as well. Focusing on adding in these nutrient rich foods can be as easy as grabbing a bag of frozen veggies to add in to what you were going to eat anyhow (throw in spaghetti sauce?) or looking at the menu before heading to meet friends and deciding on a hummus plate as an appetizer. The easier it is the more likely you are to stick with it.

The other side of this coin is how reduce the less-healthy habits. We all have little treats or cheat foods or things we feel like we shouldn’t eat. It helps to focus on being intentional about these foods. Here’s an example: you are going to your favorite burger joint, you only go occasionally and you are craving a juicy burger and fries, you get it, eat till you’re satisfied and man it was good! Compare that to: you’re going to happy hour with your friends, you always get the burger and fries, eat it all and have heartburn when you get home. In scenario two think about if you would feel better getting a salad or a chicken burger with no mayonnaise and still enjoy hanging out with your friends and not have the baggage that came with ordering something you didn’t really want. It is not important to always make the “good” choice, but thinking more about what you want moment to moment can help prevent either physically or mentally feeling bad after eating.

At the end of the day what you should be doing is to find ways to enjoy eating healthy foods, so they become a larger part of what you eat. Make it easy, keep doing it, consistency is the key. If you generally eat a good diet, then have a run of indulgences, it will be a blip on the radar. On the other side if you generally eat badly, then have a run of eating well, that will also be a blip on the radar. Make good choices most of the time and you’ll be on your way.

If you have any questions or want help finding out about what your nutrient needs are or how to implement some of these changes into your life, please reach out.

-K