Tuning out the diet noise

With so many different diets, intermittent fasting, keto, paleo, low fat, blood type, gluten-free, vegan, whole30 the bible diet, a Daniel fast, juice fast and the list goes on. You are left confused, and stressed you want to be healthy, but have no idea what to do. With so much information it is easy to get overwhelmed with everyone's opinion and the newest trend in health, but realistically study after study has shown that diets do not

Focusing on a Healthy Lifestyle

We need to stop letting the scale define us and to tune out all the different conflicting diet information and focusing on creating a healthy relationship with food. Those diets do not ask you to evaluate if you are hungry or full and how foods make you feel. You need to start listening to your body. You are the expert of your body and only you will know if you are hungry or full. Start by asking yourself if you are hungry or full before, during and after you eat. Just mindfully be aware of why you are eating. It is not against any rules to indulge a bit and eat even if you are not hungry, but knowing that is good to know. Diets and wellness experts labeling food as good or bad, clean or unclean make you think that restrictive meal plans, and counting calories to move the scale are the only way, but paying attention to how you feel is key. I do not mean in an obsessive way, but realizing that if you get indigestion that may be something you want to avoid. It may also mean that you are missing some nutrients. Your list of foods that make you feel energized and nourished are different for everyone. Those foods that others label as “unclean” may be perfect for you! There is not much overlap the is universally great for everyone. For example, people with sulfite sensitivities have a hard time with kale and people with histamine sensitivities have a hard time with spinach. Some diets say you can only eat very low levels of fruit or boast how important a meal is, but when you tune that out you can develop something that works for you! We need something that works for you body, and your lifestyle right now. See if you can think about your hunger level and how you feel afterwards. I know it is easier said then done, but slowly implementing this whether it is a reminder on you phone at the end of the day, something you can only do on the weekend or something you do during your break at work can give you a lot of useful information.

Additionally, I love the idea of starting your meal with a prayer, not only does prayer relax you makign digestion easier for your body, it is also a great time to hear from God some truths about how much He loves, accepts and values you. This momentary pause can give you space to evaluate you hunger while living a life of gratitude. Hearing from God can make a huge impact on your journey to a healthy life.

One huge factor that is typically overlooked is our society and the stigma of having extra weight. As a society, we view people who are weight more differently than people who weigh less. We have a tendency to think someone who by society standards has extra weight is lazy and has no self control, while someone who by society standards is thin is disciplined, dedicated and hardworking. This is obviously completely false, but studies have shown this multiple times. Unfortunately, this is not the worst part of it, most women say these negative, untrue words to themselves. They run a tape in their head and say to themselves that they are not enough, a failure, and feel shame about the way they look. This tape that you are probably speaking about yourself ,as the VAST majority of women speak over themselves, is hindering your life! You are not your weight. What society wants you to look up to typically is a result of dehydration, photoshop and good angles. I know lots of people who barely eat or drink anything before a shoot to promote health. How is dehydration the picture of health? Our society is obsessed with looks and it is really easy to get swept up thinking our weight means health. One step that may help is to identify write down or reflect on what you think when you see images of skinnier people, or what you think about when you look in the mirror. As you get those thoughts down, turn to the bible and write down the truth next to them. This is going to be a process, but those negative thoughts are holding you back from living the life God called you to. Those negative words and the diet confusion is not helping you to live your best life.

“The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.” Zephaniah 3:17

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. " John 3:16

God loves you and you have so much potential!
<3 Jessica