I've basically given up on New Year's Resolutions, at least those that involve me changing my diet or lifestyle. I feel like the deck is stacked against those resolutions succeeding, because the motivation to succeed is all external and as other people start failing in their own resolutions that motivation fizzles out quickly. I also have a birthday a few weeks into January, which I know is a huge obstacle for me to succeed at any dietary changes.
But, after that birthday passes, I like to try to focus on changes that are going to make me feel better on a day to day basis. Last year, at this time, I took on a hypoallergenic diet to identify which foods I have a sensitivity to. I set the date in early November, knowing that just after my birthday would be the best time to make any major changes, because there were not a lot of social events that would challenge me through January and February. I find that setting a specific date in my mind is the best way to ensure that I will be successful in major changes. Over the next 2 months I was able to identify 4 foods that are an issue for me.
A positive aspect of food sensitivities is that a small amount of the food sometimes will not cause a reaction. This aspect also makes it challenging to avoid them long term, because it's easy to slowly turn a small amount of the food once in a while to a major part of my diet. This is what has happened in the last 10 months, especially in the last month with the holidays. So, like last year, I've set the date of January 21st in my head to completely reset my eating habits by eliminating those 4 identified foods for at least 6 weeks, and after that I plan to keep them to the "sometimes" food category. I have good motivation: when I'm eating a lot of foods that cause me problems, I will eventually start suffering from more frequent migraines, I experience brain fog and my mood becomes harder to control. I believe that huge part of maintaining long term health is not about being perfect all the time, but about recognizing the signs that you need to focus on re-balancing your diet and lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I often wish I could just be perfect with what I'm eating all the time, but other things tend to get in the way (eg. social events where I don't want to cause a fuss over what I am not eating, or the fact that sometimes I just love nachos), so a good compromise is making sure I'm aware of the subtle signs that I need to be a little bit closer to perfect in what I'm eating.
I use the word "reset" because this isn't about cleansing or detoxing, which are easier words to grab for when describing large dietary changes, it's about remembering how good I feel when I'm avoiding some of my food triggers. This will help encourage me to make better choices in the coming year to keep me feeling that good.
If you think that you may have unidentified food sensitivities, it's always worth seeing a naturopath to discuss how to go about assessing them. I don't expect that patients will forego their favorite foods forever because of a sensitivity, but knowing that a specific food will affect how you feel makes it much easier to to decide whether it's worth it to eat that food.
I'll report in periodically about the challenges and successes as I go through this year's reset, especially if I think that information could help others who are trying to make positive changes for their own health.
But, after that birthday passes, I like to try to focus on changes that are going to make me feel better on a day to day basis. Last year, at this time, I took on a hypoallergenic diet to identify which foods I have a sensitivity to. I set the date in early November, knowing that just after my birthday would be the best time to make any major changes, because there were not a lot of social events that would challenge me through January and February. I find that setting a specific date in my mind is the best way to ensure that I will be successful in major changes. Over the next 2 months I was able to identify 4 foods that are an issue for me.
A positive aspect of food sensitivities is that a small amount of the food sometimes will not cause a reaction. This aspect also makes it challenging to avoid them long term, because it's easy to slowly turn a small amount of the food once in a while to a major part of my diet. This is what has happened in the last 10 months, especially in the last month with the holidays. So, like last year, I've set the date of January 21st in my head to completely reset my eating habits by eliminating those 4 identified foods for at least 6 weeks, and after that I plan to keep them to the "sometimes" food category. I have good motivation: when I'm eating a lot of foods that cause me problems, I will eventually start suffering from more frequent migraines, I experience brain fog and my mood becomes harder to control. I believe that huge part of maintaining long term health is not about being perfect all the time, but about recognizing the signs that you need to focus on re-balancing your diet and lifestyle. Don't get me wrong, I often wish I could just be perfect with what I'm eating all the time, but other things tend to get in the way (eg. social events where I don't want to cause a fuss over what I am not eating, or the fact that sometimes I just love nachos), so a good compromise is making sure I'm aware of the subtle signs that I need to be a little bit closer to perfect in what I'm eating.
I use the word "reset" because this isn't about cleansing or detoxing, which are easier words to grab for when describing large dietary changes, it's about remembering how good I feel when I'm avoiding some of my food triggers. This will help encourage me to make better choices in the coming year to keep me feeling that good.
If you think that you may have unidentified food sensitivities, it's always worth seeing a naturopath to discuss how to go about assessing them. I don't expect that patients will forego their favorite foods forever because of a sensitivity, but knowing that a specific food will affect how you feel makes it much easier to to decide whether it's worth it to eat that food.
I'll report in periodically about the challenges and successes as I go through this year's reset, especially if I think that information could help others who are trying to make positive changes for their own health.
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