The Diet Mistake We're All Guilty of Making
The Mistake
We’ve all done it.
After years of eating whatever you want, you finally decide to improve your lifestyle. This time it’s different—you’re really ready to commit to a better diet.
Naturally, the next step is to cut out all the junk: No soda. No sweets. No bread. No air.
I understand the enthusiasm, but please don’t do this—especially in the early stages. If you make eliminating foods your primary focus, a few things can happen:
1. Your mindset may shift for the worse
Your mind becomes hyper-focused on staying within your limits. You start thinking, “I can’t have….” and “I’m not allowed to eat (a,b,c).” Some people may develop an unhealthy obsession with their dietary restrictions.
2. You may feel more deprived and limited in your food choices
You’ll likely cut out foods you enjoy and CAN have within reason. You may start feeling like there aren’t enough options to satisfy your taste.
3. Dieting and eating better may feel like a chore
When you overly restrict yourself, the good habits you’re trying to develop will seem like punishment.
The Solution
Don’t get me wrong: cutting out or limiting less nutritious food is important and can help you progress. But if you’re just starting out, limiting your food choices might feel impossible. It may not be the best way to go. I encourage you to consider a different approach: practice addition!
Addition is a powerful tool that requires you to shift your focus from cutting things OUT, to adding nutrient-dense food IN. A few things happen when you make this shift:
1. Your mindset shifts towards abundance
Sometimes it’s our perspective that’s hindering our progress. Addition will help you feel like there are more options available to you.
2. You'll instinctively move towards eliminating "junk food"
One of the best parts of addition is as your taste buds adapt, you’ll find yourself craving “junk food” much less. Also, it’s hard to overeat “junk", when you’re full from nutritious food! (Side Note: stop calling certain foods “junk,” “bad,” or “clean”. We’ll get into why you shouldn’t use these words to describe food another day!)
3. You'll feel less deprived and restricted
Feeling deprived is one of the most common reasons people quit their diets. This is why it’s helpful to start by adding nutrient-dense food in. You’ll still get to enjoy the food you’re used to, BUT you’ll also be enjoying more nutritious food. You can slowly transition to eliminating at your own pace, while still maintaining balance.
4. You'll actually be excited about consistently eating better
It’ll give you a chance to try food, without pressure! You’ll no longer suffer from the disappointment of accidentally eating something that isn’t on your diet. Instead, you will be thinking of new and creative ways to regularly add nutritious food.
Most people give up healthy eating because it’s too much-too soon. I hope addition helps to ease you into consistently eating well. Check out 3 examples of how to practice addition below!
P.S. If you found this helpful, you’ll love my nutrition coaching services. No meal plans and no bullshit. Here, we get to the actual root of your nutrition issues and create sustainable changes in your diet.
