It’s the New Year, and while you may not be a fan of a new year being the only time for new changes for the better, frankly it’s never a bad time to make new changes for the better. One of the first aspects individuals aspire to improve in their life is their health and nutrition. Nowadays, the list of diets out there seems to be endless, along with debates of which diet reassures the healthiest physical and nutritional outcome. From Paleo diet, Plant-based diet, to Juicing and Intermediate Fasting. In addition, there are such varieties of goals for people which determine specific food necessities such as weight loss, building muscle, toning, gaining more energy. It can all become quite overwhelming and definitely confusing when beginning your own journey of health.
Therefore, more than suggesting specific diets or recipes for you to begin your journey, the Transpose team wants to encourage a more balanced and flexible mindset of eating with the purpose of nourishment. The health industry’s creation of “Clean” eating, for profit making purposes, has resulted in its targets to believe there’s such a thing as Dirty eating. This approach is quite black and white and may not encourage healthy relationships between individuals and food. Completely depriving yourself from “dirty” foods or feeling an intense level of guilt after consuming it is not the way to live your life. An alternative and much healthier and balanced approach is the mindset of eating for the purpose of nourishing yourself.
This approach explores the grey area, entailing nourishment not just for the physical health, but for the mental and emotional. For instance, eating a fruit salad is nourishing for your body and mind, but having an ice cream for dessert after a long day can be just as nourishing for your mind and emotional state. This is because the energy going into resisting and fighting against your crave for chocolate for instance, can be even more damaging than allowing yourself to indulge in it. This approach allows what today’s money-thirsty health industry thrives from, the so-called “Slip ups” from clean eating.
Moreover, the Transpose team wants to provide universal and simple healthy tips, reminders and habit suggestions that we believe would be beneficial for all our readers.
- Drink enough water – We’ve all heard this one. Drink at least 2 litres of water a day. Get yourself a water bottle to keep with you during the day, morning time, class time, gym, car, etc. Buy yourself a litre-sized water bottle if that helps to keep track.
- Drink a glass of water on an empty stomach in the morning – While water is no match for a delicious and warm coffee first thing in the morning, this habit can bring a ridiculous number of benefits to your life! It flushes toxins from your body which improves the quality of skin and your immune system. It boosts your metabolism and facilitates digestion which can help with weight loss. It stimulates the growth rate of red blood cells, giving you more energy, and it regulates blood flow.
- Complex carbs > Simple Carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, soda…) raise your glucose levels quickly and cause a quick sugar crash. In other words, it drops your energy as fast as it raises it. Complex carbohydrates (include wheat bread, brown rice, sweet potatoes, fruits) raise your glucose levels at a steady pace, keeping you energized for a long period of time.
- Carbs are not the enemy: This mindset has been ingrained in many people’s mind in their transition for a healthier life. While it is true some diets don’t include as many carbohydrates as others, it is important to remember that carbohydrates are not the enemy. This goes back to the belief that there is such a thing as “Dirty” food. Carbohydrates essentially are glucose which give energy to the body, nothing to be afraid of.
The best advice for last. Firstly, remember that what works for someone else may not work for you. Everybody is built differently, some individuals have specific dietary needs depending on their health needs, some individuals’ metabolisms are faster and slower. Just because a specific diet or method worked wonders on someone, it is better to approach it with a flexible and open-mind on their methods having a different outcome on you. Lastly, accept what your body was meant to look like with a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Often people begin their health journey with unrealistic expectations of how their bodies will look. Everybody is different, and consequently healthy looks different on everyone!
BY Marissa Sosa Balbuena
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