Nutrition: Starting Strategies

Introduction

So many diets, how to know which one works best for you? Where do you even start? It can certainly can be overwhelming, and there are often several variables that can determine what works best for you.

How do we know where to start?

Nutrition has many layers to unfold, but knowing where to start is perhaps the biggest barrier. It’s one thing to set your expectations, but you know yourself better than anyone and you must be realistic with yourself. So find one area of opportunity with your current eating habits and focus on that one habit. We’re looking for changes that will be long term.

Accepting your genetics

How do our genetics have a role with the food we eat? Well depending on your genetic profile, the responses we have to the food we eat will vary. I’ve always scratched my head in confusion when the morning coffee I had seems to affect my sleep yet coworkers could have several cups a day, and sleep like babies. Some of us possess the fast enzyme that will process and remove quickly the caffeine, whereas some of us possess the slow enzyme where the process isn’t quite as effective. This is simply a small genetic difference that we have no control over.

Eat yourself happy 

There is a huge range of diets out there, many constantly coming fresh to the health and wellness scene. The key factor here goes back to you being realistic. You can find the research to see what Chris Hemsworth (Thor) and Christian Bale (Batman) were consuming for specific roles, but would those work for you? I feel some of the more practical approaches can be based on a successful nutrition plan with your modifications that are tailored to your needs and likes. I can barely stomach the taste of eggs, so I’ll consume them in an omelette – perhaps it’s odd to most but making my modifications to ensure I consume certain nutrients has been pivotal to me enjoying my eating regime.

Summary

Find your happy medium with enjoying what you eat and consuming what is necessary. What I will encourage with my clients is to eat as clean and fresh as possible during the week and allowing themselves to eat more freely during the weekend. We strive for a healthy lifestyle with an endless cycle – diet does imply a time constraint. So eating with an optimal nutrient consumption for ⅚ days of the week for the rest of your life sure outweighs trialing a series of varied diets.