If you’re anything like me, you love food. Whether preparing food for yourself or for a social gathering of friends, eating is a huge part of our lives. When choosing a diet to follow, it’s important to remember that food is fuel.
With so many restaurants and food options out there, it’s easier than ever to overeat, undereat, or miss out on proper nutrition. If you have room for improvement in your eating habits, you’re not alone. Studies show that most American diets exceed the recommended calories, sodium, and saturated fats.
This article can help you understand different types of diets and provide the necessary advice for starting a diet that works for you.
1. Identify Your Needs
Even if we all ate the same foods and worked out the same way, we’d all have different body types and needs. Before choosing a diet for yourself, understand that your needs will differ from anyone else’s. You may have specific health requirements or goals that will change the types of diets you follow.
Determine whether you have weight loss goals, weight gain goals, or weight maintenance goals. You should also identify any health conditions that may require certain foods or lifestyle choices.
It’s also important to consider the lifestyle you already follow. Do you eat out often? Do you have at least three meals every day?
The answers to these questions will help you decide on which type of diet can benefit you the most.
2. Learn About Basic Food Groups
While there are countless fad diets out there, following them with no knowledge of basic nutrition may prove unsuccessful. Remember, just because a diet is published online or in a magazine, doesn’t mean it will work for you. Before choosing your diet, educate yourself on the basic food group servings.
Each of these food groups is important to keep our body and mind healthy. Every day, we should be eating meals that provide us with components from each group. Depending on the diet you choose, be sure that you incorporate a balanced amount from each of the five food groups.
If following a vegan or vegetarian diet, be sure to include proper sources of protein. Consider finding nutritious meat and dairy replacements that fit into your diet.
The basic food groups are:
- Grains (bread, pasta, rice, etc.)
- Fruits and Vegetables
- Lean Meat, Poultry, and Fish
- Milk, yogurt, cheese
- Fats, Oils, and Sweets
3. Determine Small Changes to Start Today
When choosing a diet, it’s important to start with small changes that are realistic for your life. While crash diets may promise fast results, they aren’t always sustainable or possible for the average person. For long term results and a real lifestyle change, determine small changes that you can start today.
If you’re trying to cut calories and lose weight in a healthy way, you may consider cutting out red meats or dairy. If this seems impossible for your current lifestyle, dedicate certain days of the week to eating vegetarian. This will allow you to make changes at your own pace.
If you’re looking to add more energy to your life in a natural way, you may consider adding supplements to your diet. Many supplements like Spirulina pair well with the foods and drinks you already love. Other popular supplements come in a daily vitamin form.
While small changes may seem insignificant, they add up for a healthier and happier version of yourself. When choosing a diet, choose one that seems realistic and doable with small changes to make every day.
4. Consider Your Budget
Whether we like it or not, money plays a big role in many of our lives. It’s important to choose a diet that can fit into your financial situation. Dieting can often come with a change in budget, so be sure to choose one that works for you.
While there are many expensive diets with complex plans out there, a high price doesn’t guarantee results. You may be able to find a diet plan that works for you at little to no change in spending. Before choosing a diet, be sure to consider all the costs.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture found that the average American household spent around 11 percent of their overall income on food. This includes both eating out and grocery shopping.
Some costs of dieting will include money spent on food, supplements, and learning materials like books or classes. If your diet pairs with exercise, you should also consider the cost of a gym membership or workout program.
5. Prepare to Adjust
Once you’ve found your perfect diet, understand that it may change. As your body develops with your food choices, your plan will as well.
If you start to feel negative effects like a lack of energy, too much weight loss or gain, or a negative change in mental health, it may be time to adjust. Understand that adjusting your diet as time goes on is not a representation of failure. It simply means that your body and needs are changing, which is completely normal.
Before and during your diet, be sure to log your eating habits, exercise habits, and bodily response. Tracking your progress will help you keep recognize patterns that should either change or continue.
It’s also important to understand that life happens to us all. If you’ve gone through a financial setback, important move, or lifestyle change, it’s okay to adjust your diet. Evolving your diet with your life is one way to ensure that you’re making realistic, sustainable changes.
Learn About Choosing a Diet For You
We all deserve to live our happiest and healthiest lives. When choosing a diet, the most important thing to remember is that there is no one size fits all. Everyone will require different foods, workout plans, and lifestyle changes.
Remember that good health starts from the inside out. If you’ve never followed a diet before, be sure to always listen to your body. If you feel weak, sick, or unhappy with your choices, you may consider consulting a doctor or nutritionist.
If you enjoyed these tips for choosing a diet, be sure to check out our other articles for helpful information on health, lifestyle, travel, and more.
