Changing Your Eating Habits (Diet): Why and How!

When we talk about changing our diet, immediate apprehension arises. We begin to think, because we’ve been conditioned, that we have to eat like rabbits. As images of little strips of lettuce carrots and celery dance around in our heads, our first response is an emphatic No!

When we talk about changing our eating habits, it becomes more considerable, because we can see eating less of the foods we enjoy eating, so we can say,, ehh, ok, I’ll try it. These are both one in the same and in order to start bng healthier, we need to start with what and how we eat.

It starts here! The food we eat can, and does affect our health, our weight, and our risk for certain diseases. To eat healthier foods, we may need to change some of our daily habits. We may also need to change some things in our environment.

Our environment includes the thing around us, like our home and workplace. The goal of changing our diet is to become healthier. Some choose to lose weight, others to adopt a #healthylifestyle. You don’t have to be overweight to have diabetes, or develop heart disease, or experience joint pains. When changing our eating habits, we are changing our diets. Your diet is nothing more than what and how you eat — To eat right is to Diet Rite!  What is right seems to be a matter of great debate, but the simple truth is when we eat right we feel better. We are more disciplined about our eating and our food choices. We are full, not stuffed and we keep our bodies functioning at its optimum level for as long as we live — hopefully.

Why Don’t we Eat Healthily?

We believe, erroneously, that when we are young we can eat anything we like because it has no effect on us. This is not true (All your parents take note). What we eat does have an effect on our bodies. It may take some time to see and feel these effects, but we will and we do.

In fact, many of the aches, and pains we encounter when older stems from the things we did when younger. Believing what you eat has no effect on you, allows you to develop poor habits that become hard to break as you get older.

We are creatures of habit. We buy the same foods from the same grocery store, prepare the same recipes over and over, and live within our own familiar routines. But if you’re serious about eating healthier, losing weight, and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, you need to change those bad eating habits, and start thinking differently about your diet.

Changing your Mindset

First, you need to redefine the word Diet. When we think of dieting, we think of a temporary event that brings up a lot of negative emotions such as deprivation and more. We think of diets as unpleasant, difficult, and restrictive in order to lose a few pounds. Once we lose weight, we tend to go back to the habits that caused our initial problems.

Many programs are marketed as this temporary event to fix a weight loss problem i.e Mediterranean Diet, Keto Diet, Atkins Diet, South Beach Diet, etc..

We need to think about our diet as a permanent thing because it is. Your diet is your eating habits and you want to adopt an eating lifestyle that will allow you to stay healthy, to lose, or maintain a healthy weight, reduce the risk of chronic diseases.. and something you enjoy doing so you continue to eat this way for as long as you are here.

The Diet Rite System is a protein-rich, low-carb diet where meals are designed around mostly plant-based foods. We believe, however, that your diet should be more than just losing weight. We know that eating healthy is something we should always do as it has many benefits that continue long after you have reached your desired weight.

When we stop thinking of diets as temporary events and adopt a healthy eating lifestyle (Dieting Rite) we will discover many startling benefits. You will not only lose weight, but your self esteem also improves, you have more energy, better mobility, and just feel better physically, emotionally, and mentally,

These seemingly simple changes will make you a good model for others. They may not say anything, but they will watch and begin to imitate your behavior. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. You will improve your heart, reduce the risk of diabetes, reduce inflammation and the list goes on.

How do you change your eating habits?

 

When you are trying to change your eating habits, the first thing DRS recommends is to not think about using the word diet. The word diet brings up many negative emotions and expectations, such as deprivation, rules, food logs, etc.  When it comes to breaking bad habits, it is helpful to think of current habits in terms of self-care.

The problem is that we get so comfortable in our ways that it’s hard to give up those old habits.

Many people are skeptical about changing their diets because they have grown accustomed to eating or drinking the same foods, and there is a fear of the unknown or trying something new,” says John Foreyt, PhD, director of the Baylor College of Medicine Behavioral Medicine Research Center.

You don’t need to make huge changes to eat healthier. And you don’t have to change your habits all at once. Many diets seem to create that impression, and as a result, they don’t work. This, in fact, causes frustration and often leads people to throw their hands up, believing their goal in unachievable. Nothing can be farther from the truth. When developing a new healthy eating lifestyle we need support and encouragement as we change.

This is not an easy undertaking. It is a process that takes time. You are undoing years of bad habits, constant prodding by food manufacturers trying to convince you and your loved ones to do something that is ultimately not good for you.

Many diets don’t offer the long-term support you need. This is where DRS tries to be different.

It’s best to set small goals and change your habits a little bit at a time. Over time, small changes can make a big difference in your health.

Tips to help you Change:

There are a couple of steps to take when changing your eating habits. We know that everything sounds easy on paper, but putting it into practice is not so easy. It can be done, you just have to stick with your plan. Here are some simple steps.

  • Educate yourself In order to eat healthily, you have to understand which foods are actually healthy and which ones are not and why. As you educate yourself, your mind will begin to adopt the idea of eating healthy. Read nutrition books and websites. Visit https://dietritesystem.com/blog/ Read the articles, verify the information and take your time. Educate yourself. and begin to apply what you learn,
  • Learn To Substitute Foods And Ingredients Quite often, convenient foods are laced with too much salt, sugar, and other ingredients, which are not considered healthy. These ingredients can often be hidden, so it is important as part of your education to learn to read food labels while at the grocery store learn what ingredients to avoid, as the primary ingredients are listed first on food labels. Verify and compare fat contents since many food items — which are promoted as ‘low fat’ or ‘low calorie’ — might very well not be. Try simply substituting some ingredients when cooking. Try olive oil instead of butter for frying. Reduce salt by adding spices. Try to cut back on red meats and increase your intake of fish and skinless poultry.
  • Become More Mindful. One of the first steps toward conquering bad eating habits is paying more attention to what you’re eating and drinking. “Read food labels, become familiar with lists of ingredients, and start to take notice of everything you put into your system

. Once you become more aware of what you’re eating, you’ll start to realize how to adjust your diet. Some people benefit by keeping food diaries.

  • ·  Be Around Others Who Eat Healthy When you begin eating healthy it usually requires support. Initially, that is difficult to find, but Diet Rite is always here to support your efforts. We recommend you spend time with other people who already eat well. This will help inspire you to eat healthy as well. You’re basically using teamwork to help you achieve the goal of eating healthy.
  • Eat Slowly When you take your time and eat slowly, you will enjoy your food more, you will begin to savor the taste and flavor of your food. You will also find that you get fuller faster than you imagine. You should take about 20 minutes to eat your meal. You will find the feeling of being full begins about 7 – 10 minutes after you start eating. At that point, you begin to eat more slowly, and you will find you’re full before you finish eating and you don’t need as much food as you put on your plate
  • Take small steps: Remember this is a process that will take a little time to incorporate into your life. You are changing years of doing something one way and that does not happen overnight.

Remember to be patient with yourself. Learn to forgive yourself. Be firm with yourself, not hard on yourself.. It does happen, but it takes a little time.

Keep this thought in mind… To be good at anything takes practice… lots of practice. Every great athlete, great musician, great artist practices their craft constantly right?

Even when they do things that are stunning or unbelievable, the next day or so they are back practicing again.

Conclusion

There’s really no magic in how to build healthy eating habits and make them stick. Good health is long-term and the only way to achieve it is through all the little successes that add up when you have another healthy meal and finish another workout. Follow the above tips each day during your meals and snack periods to ensure optimum health.

https://www.lifehack.org/articles/lifestyle/how-to-build-healthy-eating-habits-and-make-them-stick.htmlhttps://www.webmd.com/diet/obesity/features/6-steps-to-changing-bad-eating-habits#3

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