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The beginning of April marks the start of the Health Challenge, an initiative that I particularly like for its positive influence on the lifestyle of the population. The organizers of the challenge invite us, throughout the month of April, to honor these 3 strong concepts, simple and in my opinion, fundamental to living well and in health: Eat better, Move more and Keep your balance.
The search for balance is undoubtedly one of my greatest quests and one of my greatest obsessions. How to find the right balance between physical activity, netflix, the pleasure of eating (and drinking!), The need to eat adequately and get enough sleep to become this famous best version of ourselves? #skyisthelimit
Technologist in nutrition by training, I am passionate about everything related to health and nutrition and I like to browse what is written on the subject to keep me up to date, to question myself and to modify my interventions according to the new known scientific facts. Nutrition is a very young science. The state of knowledge is constantly changing. In my opinion, this is great news!
But it is clear that in the age of social media, it is increasingly difficult to distinguish the true from the false. Nutrition is becoming a paying machine. It is increasingly difficult for everyone to know whether we are dealing with wise advice or misinformation. And the diet industry is fierce!
I have to admit it is extremely enticing to imagine yourself losing all these naughty kilos by snapping fingers. And what about going straight from the sofa to the marathon! #we can always dream
Eat better without diet, without portions and without miracle products, what is it?
I offer you 2 zero-diet strategies to eat better:
1- Start by rejecting the idea that weight loss is the solution to weight loss.
This is the # 1 concept of intuitive eating, approach led by Karine Gravel, Doctor in Nutrition. Weight loss diets create false hopes, especially in long-term results. The finding is very generally the following: At the end of the cycle of the new fashionable diet, there is a body that adapts, a gain in weight (because there are no new habits acquired) and a metabolism that goes into storage mode. Back to square one with a body which, each time, learns to adapt to the calorie and nutritional deficit. #leffetyoyo
Before starting any dietary change, here are some questions to ask yourself before starting:
- Am I able to follow this type of diet over a period of 10, 15, 20, 30 or 40 years?
- Should I ban any foods or food groups?
- Do I have to cut out a macro-nutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat)?
- Do I have to buy a product and repeat the purchase of that product to get and maintain results?
2- Then learn to reconnect with the feeling of hunger and satiety.
The body is a magnificent machine programmed to tell us our real needs. Unfortunately, the distractions of our modern lifestyle tend to disconnect us from ourselves altogether. So what about our feelings of hunger and satiety? Are we able to recognize them? And if we learn to recognize them and fill them, wouldn't that be the best way to discover our weight? ideal?
To modify our eating habits in order to become aware of our real appetite, and consequently our real needs, it may be interesting to test and observe the results of these few small gestures that are easy to integrate into everyday life. For example:
- Place your utensil between each bite of your meal. This gesture may seem strange, especially if you are used to eating in a hurry, but I assure you that you will have a different point of view on your food intake. Taking the time to chew, taste and savor food allows us to be able to listen to our bodily signals. Did you know that it takes about 15 minutes for your stomach to send the signal for fullness to your brain? Imagine the amount of food you can overeat when you eat fast!
- Eat in good company, away from screens as often as possible. Conscious eating necessarily leads us to eat less and better.
- Drink a glass of water before starting the meal (in case you were more thirsty than hungry). It is a known fact. It is easy to confuse hunger with thirst.
- Simply ask yourself the question before eating: Am I hungry or do I want to eat? Emotional hunger or real hunger? True hunger comes with physical sensations (gurgling, lack of energy, etc.) while emotional hunger attempts to fill with food, boredom, sadness, joy, solace, pleasure, excess. , and so on! To become aware of this is to sow in oneself the beginning of a change.
Eating better is not THE diet, the food or THE miracle drink! Sorry (or not).
Eating better is above all wanting to take care of yourself, one new habit at a time. Honor his successes and his body in its diversity. Just like walking precedes running and 5K, marathon.
Totally agree. Too bad a lot of people trust social media gurus rather than people with real skills.
Thank you for your comment Laurent. The relationship to food is for many people the equivalent of a daily struggle. It's understandable to succumb to instantaneity. But aren't the tough things the most satisfying? 😉
Very good text. It feels good to be reminded of these few rules every now and then. Thank you !
Thank you for your support Caroline! I like the idea of eating to enjoy, savor, share a good time and to feel good and healthy. The day we accept each other, beautiful and unique in our diversity, the diet industry will fall apart! # we can dream 😉