I love food. I'm from a traditional family that always had a lot of people around the table and also a lot of food. I have treasured family recipes from my mom and my grandmother to pass on to my daughters AND my daughters now have some of their favorite recipes I cooked for them in their apartments at college.
When I'm working with my clients it's never about a "diet" it's about the importance of good nutrition. If I use the word diet it is in the context of "what does your diet consist of?" Simply meaning - "what do you eat?" Most of my clients are not in the dark about the benefits of exercising and eating right. They know what to do. They just don't always do it.
And that is where I come in. I see the unintended consequences of poor nutrition daily. Hypertension, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. My clients don't need a sermon on excess weight or poor decisions...they need a non-judgemental space to receive nuanced guidance and practical tools to get where they need (and want) to be.
They need support in a gap between their intentions and the execution of lasting change.
When it comes to food I coach my clients the way I "coach" myself. I remind them about the science of food and exercise as it relates to our physical health. The quantity, quality and habits of consumption affect us at so many levels. Energy, sleep, mood and stress levels. There is a cadence to eating and this "cadence" is actually as important as what we are consuming.
The key is to figure out what works for YOU. And that is also where I come in. Perhaps more important than anything else is developing an awareness of our "relationship" with food and changing any negative parts of that relationship. Yep, food is inadvertently used for emotional reasons. Sometimes it's as simple as starting a "food and feelings" journal. I'm sure you are aware of "food journaling"- simply documenting what you ate in a given day/week so your health professional can look at it. This takes it a step further. You may discover you went for the sweets cause you were craving "sweetness" in your life that wasn't coming.
I encourage letting go of the diet culture. I encourage honoring food and time at table. I encourage developing more manageable approaches to everyday eating and living to maintain a healthy weight for life - for your organs and the operation of your body on a day to day basis- not just to get into a pair of jeans.
At the end of the day- the "diet" for you, as I like to use it, is the one that sustainably nourishes your body, mind and soul. To find it, I'd be wary of false promises, packaged and processed foods, and gadgets and gizmos.
Start with a dose of self compassion. Never forget, we are in this for the long haul. Vibrancy and vitality are yours to discover.
Be well.
Lisa
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