As humans, we strive to be the best version of ourselves. With these efforts, there is a tendency to be perfect, go all in, be 100%… It is no different when it comes to making improvements with our nutrition.
That is stressful.
When we talk about taking a long term approach and adopting healthy habits over a lifespan, we do not expect that you are 100% dialed in all the time. We are imperfect humans who make mistakes. Part of being human is accepting that we won’t be perfect. This is especially true when we are making efforts at improving our nutrition.
So, when we look at nutrition, what are 5 signs that you are human, and how can we address these areas?
- You get hungry when you don’t eat for long periods of time. Sometimes, despite our best efforts to meal prep and plan for a busy day, we don’t eat enough food. Here are some ways to approach this.
- Make the best choices possible when on the go. Often gas stations or grocery stores will have healthy options like fruit or yogurt for a quick snack.
- Have the mindset that being hungry is not an emergency.
- Being hungry and failing to plan out a meal or snack is not an excuse to eat unhealthily and overeat.
- Hunger may also be a sign of thirst. So take a moment to drink some water.
- If you do mess up and find yourself really hungry, remember that each day is a new day to plan out meals and snacks to better prepare to fuel all that you do.
- You have nutrition slip-ups. All of us as humans will overeat or over-drink from time to time. It’s important to address that this happens, but more important to look at how to get back on track after a slip-up.
- Don’t use this as an excuse to let things slide for the next several days.
- Avoid beating yourself up for slip-ups. This happens and it doesn’t define who you are as a person.
- Give yourself permission to be a little imperfect.
- If you have a slip-up, use this as motivation to get back on track and make better choices at the very next meal or snack.
- Give yourself acknowledgment that you overcame the slip-up.
- You love dessert and all things sugary. Sugar not only tastes amazing but on a deeper level, when we eat sugar, this leads to a release of dopamine, the “pleasure and reward” chemical in the brain. When we eat sugar, our brains are often triggered to want more and more of this great tasting substance. To stay on track, here’s a way to make a healthier choice if you are craving that bowl of ice cream before going to bed:
Banana ice cream recipe:
Take 2 ripe bananas, slice them and place in the freezer. Add bananas to a food processor, and blend, scraping down the sides of the food processor occasionally. Continue to process until smooth, approximately 3-5 minutes. Optional: add a small amount of nut butter and unsweetened cocoa for a peanut butter/chocolate version of this healthier alternative to soft-serve ice cream.
- When you are stressed, you don’t crave broccoli. Emotions play a role in our nutrition choices. Often when we feel overwhelmed, we turn to comfort foods, things that make us feel good as a quick fix. These are often foods that are high in sugar, high in calories, or high in fat. Challenge yourself to recognize these patterns when you are feeling well, and avoid the temptation to have these unfavorable foods in your house if life happens.
- You feel like you need someone to keep you accountable to your goals. We get you. This is why we offer a program that has a nutrition coach available to help you map out short and long term goals, develop a plan that is individualized to you, and comes with a coach to keep you stay accountable to becoming the healthiest version of yourself.
If you are interested in getting started, here’s a link to book your free nutrition intro.
To Your Continued Success,
Coach Don
