Eating healthier doesn鈥檛 have to mean sacrificing your favorite foods, according to an expert from the University of Virginia.
Sibylle Kranz, an associate professor and registered dietitian, said there are dietary guidelines that Americans are recommended to follow. It has taken on many different variations, such as a pyramid or plate, and considers how many servings of meat, fruits and grains people should be consuming.
But, Kranz said, 鈥渂ecause it鈥檚 a one-size-fits-all approach, it doesn鈥檛 really work the for the individual person.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of knowledge of what we should be doing for healthy eating,鈥� she said. 鈥淭he problem lies in the translation for that.鈥�
For one, Kranz said, there are clear guidelines about avoiding foods with excess sugar and saturated fat, but it鈥檚 likely unrealistic to expect someone who enjoys dessert foods to skip dessert.
Instead, Kranz said, people should consider what types of foods they enjoy and what about them they like. Then, if it鈥檚 clear that the diet isn鈥檛 healthy, 鈥淲hat am I willing to add to that? Or what am I willing to give up?鈥� she said.
That could result in a list of suggestions. Instead of sacrificing a food, Kranz said it鈥檚 helpful to consider, 鈥淎m I really hungry? Am I sitting down right now to eat because I鈥檓 bored or upset, or I鈥檓 in a social setting and it feels like I should be eating something?鈥�
Another helpful perspective is considering whether the food item meets the goal for a healthier lifestyle.
鈥淣ot every meal has to be very high on the list of, 鈥榊es, this is perfect for my body,鈥欌�� Kranz said. 鈥淚t can be kind of like trading in for the things you crave, the things you really like, that may not be top of the list on the healthy foods, but also bringing in some of those healthier foods; so that the individual is in the driver’s seat and can figure out for themselves, ‘Why do I like the things I like, and what can I substitute it with?'”
Chewing slowly and avoiding technology while eating could also be helpful, she said.
鈥淭he 20-minute meal has come up several times lately,鈥� Kranz said. 鈥淭hat might just be too fast for these signals to even be processed in the brain, to reach the brain and then being processed. So, overeating can happen.鈥�
Broadly, Kranz said, any diet or change that 鈥渞equires a huge amount of discipline or not meeting one鈥檚 own needs for what food means in their life and what鈥檚 important for them around eating is always going to be a short-term solution.鈥�
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