Has the time come to change the way we eat? We all experience a certain degree of satisfaction with our current way of eating. However, particular circumstances such as a change in eating preferencesa stage of life cyclehe current activity levelthe pace of life or the state of health of each person can lead us to think about the need to change our way of eating.

There is no doubt that the need for change associated with factors of food gratification and pleasure It is highly subjective. It is oneself who has to determine whether one’s current behavior is close or far from what one desires.

However, we have well-defined criteria about what is considered a healthy diet. To the extent that our habits deviate from these recommendations will become more evident need to change.

In any case, once the decision is made to change the way you eat and start eating healthier, it is advisable to establish a good plan so that the changes are lasting over time.

4 symptoms that you should change your diet

Here is a relationship of common eating mistakes They are a good indicator that you should eat differently. Any of these cases are susceptible to change if what you want is to eat healthily.

• Your diet is unbalanced. Excess fats, sugars and proteins together with deficiencies of vitamins, minerals and dietary fiber, resulting from an insufficient intake of vegetables, fruits and legumes, and an excess of meat, dairy and pastry products.
• You have irregular eating rhythms. Skipping main meals, snacking between meals, not having enough breakfast, having a heavy dinner, dieting during the week and then «releasing» during the weekend…
• You consume inadvisable preparations. Too much salt, frying too much or poorly, using too much animal fats and butter, habitually eating pre-cooked foods, eating few raw foods…
• You take in more calories than desirable. We must distinguish here between healthy weight and desirable weight. We have a reliable criterion, the Body Mass Index (BMI), to which we must look to determine the degree of adequacy of what we eat. Maintaining a weight within the parameters considered normal indicates that the calories ingested are in balance with those expended.

How to start eating well and keep the change forever

Suppose we come to the conclusion that It is important to modify certain aspects of our diet, which we want to change some of our habits.

Without a doubt we will have given a necessary stepfundamental, but in no case sufficient. This places us in the change thresholdat the starting point, but now you have to get going and travel the path.

At this stage, it may be useful to know some of the characteristics most important associated with all change process:

• There is no magic formulaunique and infallible to change. We must forget about finding a kind of recipe or list of commandments that is easy to apply and that is enough to follow to achieve what we want.
• Change is not easy. It is necessary to assume this reality, given that our general behavior is largely based on habits, that is, on behaviors that have been consolidated and automated through repetition, and that are activated very easily. They are, therefore, difficult to move. And there is no doubt that our eating behavior is full of these habits.
• Alert against relapses. Understanding the previous point can prepare you to address difficult moments and relapses with better guarantees. And expecting habits that have been ingrained for a long time, perhaps years, to disappear overnight seems impossible. Knowing this can be prevented or face possible catastrophic and paralyzing readings such as «I will never be able to», «this is too much for me», «I am a failure», «I don’t have enough willpower», etc.

In the spirit of Confucius’ maxim: «our greatest glory is not to never fall, but to rise every time we fall,» it will be easier to give yourself second or third chances.

• Definition of objectives. This is another fundamental question. The objectives represent the goal, the destination, they determine the direction to where we want to go.
  • The chosen objectives must be possible, achievable. Many change processes fail because they do not adjust demands to capabilities. Excessive expectations are fertile ground for undermining self-esteem and confidence in one’s own abilities. It is advisable to take the change process as a long distance racewhere every step towards the goal is important. And, if possible, enjoy the tour.
  • The objectives must be defined in a concrete and specific way. «I want to eat better» can be an excellent statement of intent, but not very practical. It must be translated into concrete facts, defining as accurately as possible what has to be done and when it has to be done, that is, setting day and time.
• Reinforce desired behaviors. It is very important to keep in mind that, to a large extent, behaviors are maintained or not depending on their immediate consequences. When a behavior is followed by a favorable consequence, it is more likely to be repeated. This issue is of great relevance in the case of eating behavior, because while the sensory pleasure derived from the consumption of food is immediate, the benefits of a healthy diet are only reaped in the long term. Hence, it can be very useful to establish certain types of reinforcements (gifts, rewarding activities, words of recognitionetc.) after carrying out the desired eating behaviors. Interesting for everyone, this measure is of special interest to the little ones.
• Radical changes? No, thanks. When it comes to diets, experience shows that very often important changes are difficult to maintain over time. This is what happens, for example, with many weight loss diets. It is important not to forget that eating behavior is an axis on which many other aspects of our lives revolve and that the changes that occur in it can have many important repercussions in different areas.

• If you want to change, act. No matter how much theory and knowledge we have, absolutely nothing will change until we start to act. Most people have enough information to eat better than they do. They know, for example, that eating vegetables is healthy but they eat insufficient quantities of them. They also know that fats should be taken in moderation but they still eat them in excess… What is needed is to get to work.
• Customize the changes. Adapt the changes to each person’s reality: to their tastes, their preferences, their lifestyle. Each person is different and what may be good for one may not be useful for another. Instead of wearing a dress of standard measurements, it is about making one that fits as closely as possible to each person’s measurements.
• Change is stressful. In many cases this is the case, as it is associated with a certain feeling of loss of control. We abandon behaviors and territories known to others that are not yet known or are not well established. It is a period that is usually dominated by provisionality, uncertainty, ambivalence, fears, doubts… And you have to count on this to persevere in difficult moments. The better we know the nature of change and the dynamics and factors involved, the greater the guarantee of success we will have.

In terms of healthy eating, any change that implies an improvement is always welcome, no matter how small. Perfection is not sought.

The right disposition: healthy mind for a healthy body

Once we have identified what we are not interested in and want to change, and defined the objectives with realistic expectations, The time has come to take actiona determining moment for any process of change.

In practice it is face different situations that are presented in the most effective way possible. It can help a lot for this task. get rid of rigid patterns of behavior and thinking particularly harmful.

In this sense, some common mistakes are:

• see things in terms of all or nothing,
• think that A single transgression ruins all efforts. and the capacity for change,
• take success or failure in the process as a yardstick to measure whether we are fantastic or failures throughout,
• take advantage of the slips as a passport for chaos,
• think that we should choose between health and pleasure…

On the contrary, can help us positions such as:

• take perspective,
• relativize the issue both in the negative and positive aspects,
• tolerate ambivalence,
• or think about changing dietary habits to eat better It is not a penance or renunciation but a decision made freely to improve.

We do not seek perfection, we seek to change as necessary and possible. It doesn’t matter if it’s something as simple as replacing a cola drink with a glass of water, or using aromatic plants instead of salt in a stew. This allows end excuses that hide in beliefs of the type «either I do it well or I don’t».

What to do with the changes that resist?

Some foods may present more problems than others when it comes to giving them up. To a large extent it depends on the gratification they provide and the role they have been given up to that point.

With those changes that are more resistant, special strategies can be used: gradual reductions, use of substitutes, prioritizing other changes that facilitate its subsequent abandonment…

The most important thing is Don’t collapse and look for solutions to the problems.

For example, when during the day we have not been able to adjust to what was planned, we can use dinner as a wild cardboth in terms of quantities and types of foods consumed.

Or when a food does not feel good to us, we should not force ourselves to continue consuming it; for better or for worse, there is no essential food.

Depending on the intended objectives, certain situations can sometimes be expected. observable changes: have greater energy, regulate traffic intestinal, adjust the weight body to desirable values, improve skin conditionetc.

However, we must keep in mind that these will never be changes that occur from one day to the next, but rather they will need their time. Besides, many other favorable modifications will be difficult to observeso the only positive response we will have at our disposal is knowing that we are doing things properly. Nothing more and nothing less.

Beyond day-to-day monitoring, Every week or every fifteen days you can make a general balance of how things are going, a kind of panoramic review to detect the strengths and weaknesses of the change, and take appropriate measures.

Once the changes have started, and if we persevere, Time plays in our favor, because…