When you decide that you want to go on a health kick, it can be tempting for you to just cut things from your diet and try to go cold turkey. However, this is not the best idea. No matter what your goals might be, you should try to aim for moderation, not complete cuts. Here are some of the reasons why you should aim for diet moderation.
Withdrawals
You might decide that you want to try to cut down on something that you eat or drink a lot of. However, doing so without giving your body the correct considerations means that you are going to suffer from some sort of withdrawal. You need to make sure that you are giving yourself a little less every day so you can wean yourself off without getting withdrawal symptoms.
A great example here is coffee. Many people like to get a coffee to help them get through the day, but then they realize that they are drinking far too much. Instead of trying to cut down by a cup a day or so, they just try to cut it out entirely. Caffeine withdrawals are not fun to go through, and you should try to avoid them where you can. Therefore, you need to come up with a system where you can successfully cut down while avoiding the worst of the withdrawal symptoms.
Some Health Benefits
Cutting out some of your favorite food and drink does mean that you could lose some health benefits. There are actually very few foods and drinks in the grand scheme of things that can prove to be seriously bad for your health. When enjoyed in moderation and as part of a balanced diet, you should be able to still indulge in some of your favorite things and know that they have some select benefits to them as well.
One question that often gets asked is – is wine good for you? It is alcohol, and with it can come issues such as addiction. If you are concerned that you are drinking too much, you need to reach out for help. However, a glass of wine every now and then could also prove to have several benefits for you. You can learn more in this article if this is something that might interest you. If you believe in the mantra of everything in moderation then you can definitely find some ways to adapt your favorite foods to your new diet.
“Healthy” Does Not Always Mean Good
Everything in moderation does not only apply to bad food. There are plenty of foods out there that are considered to be extremely good for you – but in moderation. If you were to eat nothing but these foods, you would inevitably run into issues.
A great example of one of these “healthy” foods that can prove to be problematic is avocadoes. They are a favorite of many and are also incredibly versatile as a food-stuff. However, they are also very high in fat.
These fats in avocadoes are good fats, and there are certainly much worse ones out there that you can eat. However, if you have a fat-heavy diet then you are going to see that reflected in the way your body performs. You might enjoy having avocado toast every now and then, but you need to make sure that you are not going to be eating it constantly if you want to try to have a moderated and balanced diet.
Focus on Fuelling
If you cut out parts of your diet without taking proper consideration as to what you are doing, there is a chance that your body is not going to take to it well – beyond the chance for withdrawal symptoms as mentioned above. A big issue could be that you are not going to fuel yourself correctly for the day ahead.
This can be a big risk if you are going to cut down on your portion sizes, or if you want to make a move such as reducing the amount of carbs that you eat in a day. This could strip your body of some of the energy that you need to be able to complete everything that you need to get done. We so often put down a sense of sluggishness or unrest to not getting enough sleep – but it could also be simply because you are not getting the right kind of food.
If you do want to cut down on some part of your diet in this way, you need to make sure that you are adjusting the rest of your nutrition so you do not end up with some sort of deficiency. For example, you could look into slow-release carbs and proteins that could give you the energy you need while also helping you to achieve your goals.
Falling Off the Bandwagon
You can get up and tell yourself that you are just going to eat salads for lunch every day that week, and you will also have something simple for dinner. However, one night, you get a craving that you just can’t ignore. Next thing you know, you have fallen off the bandwagon and have grabbed an unhealthy feast to have instead. This can leave you feeling demoralized and unsure as to whether or not you can continue on.
Cravings are incredibly difficult to beat. Though there are guides everywhere that claim to help you beat your cravings, there is a chance that they might not be as effective as you might imagine. Instead, you should take every cheat meal or wobble as just another hurdle in the road. It might even be a good idea to choose a day in which you are going to have a cheat meal each week so you know that you can have a day to relax and eat what you want. So long as you are committed to getting back on track, you should be in a much better position for maintaining your goals.
Remember – It is a Marathon, Not a Sprint
Cutting things out of your diet is rarely the way to go about making a change in your life. There are success stories of people who have managed to go cold turkey in this way, but they are truly few and far between. Instead, you should be focussing on making small and realistic changes that you know are going to make a massive difference overall to your health and diet.
A small change here and there means that you are going to be able to turn what will start as an active change into a habit. This is going to take time and a lot of dedication and hard work on your part. It could be quite easy for you to change your diet, or it might be very difficult. However, you do need to make sure that these changes are done in moderation. Make sure that you are aware of how each change could transform your diet and health overall. The slower and steadier you can make changes, the more likely they are to stick in place. Remember, no matter what, moderation is key!
