Changing your diet plan for health or weight-loss may be near the top of your New Year intentions, but that doesn’t have to mean you have to go it alone at dinnertime. With two weeks into the New Year, you may have realized that making separate meals to follow a plan doesn’t work. So it may be time to re-evaluate rather than quit.
There are several factors that can slow down our weight-loss efforts, affect our ability to think clearly, and keep our immune system from being at its peak. Here are some facts that may surprise you…
- Undetected food sensitivities and/or allergies, especially to dairy and gluten, can cause inflammation
- Artificial food additives, artificial sweeteners, and added processed sugars can create inflammation
- Lack of physical activity and unmanaged stress, can also contribute to inflammation
Results… Ongoing inflammation can be a key factor with stubborn weight-loss issues in addition to affecting our focus, mood, and even behavior! So how do we determine if our food choices are keeping us from feeling our best?
- Eliminating possible food culprits and listening to our body is one way to determine what foods we may need to change.
- Slowly adding in healthy, delicious, whole foods that can provide nourishment without the artificial ingredients that often leave our well-being a little challenged.
- Adding in some physical activity and other stress reducing activities that can help reduce the inflammation and help with clearer thinking. Hint: think gratitude at mealtime and connecting with the family.
Fun facts… Research shows family mealtime transformations have great benefits for everyone.
- Transitioning to more whole foods rather than adhering to a new, restrictive diet plan will have you naturally melting the unwanted weight with foods that appeal to everyone in the home. The best part, the smaller changes may be lasting ones!
Here are just a few benefits of eating together at mealtime, from recent studies of children…
- Improved grades for school age children
- Helps prevent eating disorders
- Can aid in resisting peer pressure that can lead to unhealthy behaviors in the future
Benefits of conscious eating for adults…
- Lowering stress hormones that can have negative effects on metabolism
- Aids in digestion to absorb vital, energizing nutrients
- Veggies & greens naturally help the body remove toxins that can keep our body & weight sluggish
The bottom line… Increased benefits come when adding more whole foods vs. processed foods. In addition to naturally re-balancing your weight, they can show up with improve mood, ability to concentrate, and even effects on some behavior issues as the artificial ingredients that can present cognitive issues are replaced with fresh, whole foods.
So don’t take on your dietary new year’s resolutions alone, include everyone in your household so you can enjoy benefits to your total well-being as a family.
