No one really wants to diet. It's all about what NOT to eat -- denial and deprivation. To compound the difficulty, how can you even know WHAT not to eat when advice keeps changing? No carbs, low carbs, no fat, yes fat, loads of meat, vegan. Here is an easier strategy. Instead of fixating on what you can't eat, you focus on what you should add in. It's a diet/nutrition plan where you simply have to add more good to your meals -- or, as I like to say, "boost the beneficial." The upshot is a great combo of weight loss and better health.
The first thing to know is this: According to the CDC, "research shows that people eat a fairly consistent amount of food on a day-to-day basis. This finding holds true whether the amount of food contains many or few calories." What this means is we tend to eat the same quantity of food everyday -- it could be a big plate of fries or a big plate of roasted vegetables! We could eat an apple or a croissant -- and if you eat the apple first, you probably aren't going to want the croissant! When we add-in more good, our hunger is satisfied and we crowd out the bad.
I have a simple technique that will help you do this. It gives you a quick snapshot of both your positive eating habits as well as the areas where you're lacking. I call it "The Wheel of Healthy Eating." It underlines where you might want to make changes and seek improvement by giving you a quick visual of just how your diet is stacking up.
In the end, it helps you map out a diet/nutrition plan where you basically have to add more "good stuff" to your meals. Simply put, just increase the healthful components of your diet and when you do this, the unhealthy elements - the overly processed foods, sugar, simple carbohydrates, excess fats -- will all, as a natural consequence, decrease.
So, take a look at each of the food categories in the wheel and plot your general consumption for the week. How would you rank the amount of leafy greens, or whole grains, or legumes and pulses you have eaten on a scale of 1 to 10? One should signify that you have very little of that nutrient in your diet and 10 that you eat quite a bit of it. In the chart below you can see the results plotted for someone who needs to improve their intake in many categories.
Now take a look at the wheel as healthier, more nutritious elements are added to the weekly diet:
If you think of the white space as your less healthy food choices, just look at how they are being displaced and reduced.
Why these particular categories? Let's take a closer look at how they help you decrease the unhealthy foods in your diet and lose weight.
1. Leafy greens
We can easily fill ourselves up on large portions of certain foods that are less calorically (and energy) dense than others -- it's a matter of choice. Studies have shown that eating a salad before meals reduces the number of calories eaten during the meal -- you actually fill up more quickly when you eat the leafy greens first. As a result you will eat less of the high calorie foods that come after.
2. Vegetables and 3. Fruits
Vegetables and fruits can play a very similar role in weight loss although vegetables with lower sugar content should be emphasized. Once again, studies have demonstrated that eating these foods at mealtime increases satiety -- that great sense of satisfaction that tells us we're done eating. This is because fruits and vegetables have a high water content, which lowers the energy density (the calories -- and of course water has no calories). At the same time, the ample water content gives the food weight, which in turn makes you feel as if you are actually eating more. The beauty of this is that you can make any dish healthier and lower in calories per portion by adding more water rich vegetables to soups, pastas, chilis, casseroles, etc. So load in foods like zucchini, celery, spinach, broccoli and peppers. It's easy and delicious, and you will see the benefits.
4. Legumes and pulses
Chickpeas, beans, lentils, peas -- recent studies have shown that eating a serving a day of any of these foods increases your feelings of "fullness," which in turn makes it easier to lose weight. Another study of chickpeas found that when they were added to participants' usual diets they ended up eating fewer calories and less processed food, but they felt more satisfied. Loaded with fiber, high in protein and nutrients, and low in fat, legumes and pulses have so many benefits.
5. Whole grains
Whole grain foods are simply good for you. They're loaded with vitamins and nutrients. When you add in whole grains, the simple carbs in your diet will naturally decrease. Refined grains have little fiber and nutrients and are known to cause weight gain. They're not as filling, so you want to eat more quickly than if you ate whole grains. As an added incentive, studies have shown that consuming whole grains in place of refined grains leads to a significantly greater reduction in that hard-to-shake abdominal fat!
6. Lean Protein
Protein is an essential component in our diet and keeps the body working well. In terms of watching weight, the benefits are vital -- protein helps to stave off hunger and costs your body extra energy to digest and use, so, it helps you lose weight. But some proteins are high in saturated fat and harmful cholesterol, so it's important to choose your protein wisely. Focus on proteins such as lean meat and poultry, fish, beans, low-fat dairy, eggs, and quinoa.
7. Nuts and Seeds
Many people avoid nuts and seeds because of their high-fat content and high-energy density (calories), but studies have shown that the fat in nuts and seeds is actually the "slimming monounsaturated kind" and help reduce belly fat! In addition they are rich in protein and fiber, which we know fill you up and keep you feeing full for a long time. Research has shown some remarkable benefits. People who eat nuts weigh less than people who avoid them, and those on a weight-loss diet that included nuts lost more weight, body fat, and, "ended up with a smaller waist." Eating nuts and seeds as a snack is a more satiating and considerably more nutritious choice than typical snack foods. But keep in mind, this does not mean that you should eat large quantities of nuts and seeds, and you must stick to the no salt, no sugar and no fat added varieties.
8. Water
Drinking water does not create weight loss, but it can make it easier for you to lose weight, for a number of reasons. First, people often confuse the feelings of being thirsty with being hungry, so if you drink a glass of water first before you grab for a snack, you just might feel satisfied. Second, studies have shown that people who drank water before meals consumed fewer calories during the meal. Third, people who drink more water consume fewer sugary sodas, sweetened teas, coffee drinks and juices -- hence, fewer calories. And, finally, research has shown that reducing the number of calories you drink leads to greater weight loss than reducing the number of calories you eat.
The end result of using my Wheel of Healthy Eating is that you appreciate just where you need to make improvements in your diet. You will clearly see where you are coming up short and know just what you need to "add-in" for a maximal healthy balance. You focus on improving the ratio of healthy foods to less healthy, even detrimental ones. The beauty of this add-in strategy is that as you fill up and are satisfied, the natural consequence is that you eat less of the highly processed, high fat, empty calorie foods -- and you will lose weight.
