4 Ways to Simplify Your Diet & Get Results

SEPTEMBER 18, 2018 by OLIVIA NEELY, RDN, LD

simplify your diet

Just about everyone can benefit by simplifying certain areas of their lives. This could mean cleaning out that overloaded closet, or even saying “no” to events that we feel obligated to attend (when in reality the world would keep spinning without us there). Diet is another great area to simplify by going back to basics.

The world of nutritional science is a complicated one; it can seem like one week’s nutrition news completely contradicts the next! If you did try to listen to all the buzz, you’d likely be totally overwhelmed—if you’re not already.

How to Simplify Your Diet

Here are four ways we can control the noise by bringing things back to the basics.

  1. Nutrition news may be contradictory, but one rule has always remained: we all need more vegetables. Fill half of that plate with non-starchy veggies and build from there!
  2. Begin eating three meals a day to achieve balance and then adjust for your personal biochemistry if desired. It’s important to get that metabolism going with breakfast first thing in the morning—and no, just coffee doesn’t count.
  3. Don’t cut out any one macronutrient group completely for the long term. We all need carbs, fats and proteins for successful long-term nutrition.
  4. Take at least 10 minutes to eat meals (yes, even lunch at work) and watch cravings start to dissipate. Eating mindfully allows time for the stomach to tell our brains we’re satisfied. This article from The Institute for the Psychology of Eating even reveals research suggesting that “what you think and feel about a food can be as important a determinant of its nutritional value and its effect on body weight as the actual nutrients themselves.”

Looking for personalized nutrition guidance? Learn about becoming a member with Moday Center.