Swap It, Don't Stop It: A Practical Guide to Healthy Eating 🍽️
Are you caught in the relentless cycle of "Diet Culture"?
The journey often begins with removing all the delicious treats from your fridge:
Sodas, chips, and cookies.
Anything resembling a delightful slice of joy.
What remains are bags of lettuce, chicken breast, and a few stale protein bars you never managed to toss from your last diet attempt.
I, like many others, have embarked on this rollercoaster countless times.
In a wholehearted attempt to get my body on the right track, I would undergo a complete dietary overhaul to adopt a healthier lifestyle.
Embracing only the "diet foods" deemed virtuous by diet culture.
These include massive salads, sparkling water, and peculiar Keto bread that tastes like sand no matter how hard they try to imitate real bread.
The Problem❗
The issue with diet culture lies in its methods.
Diet culture tends to make people make drastic changes to their diets.
Abandoning the foods you enjoy.
It means trading in your beloved chicken fingers and fries for plain chicken breast and rice.
It's about encasing any piece of meat in a lettuce leaf and trying to wrap your life around these diets.
And those beloved cookies and desserts?
They vanish from the menu altogether.
Diet culture makes individuals consume bland foods that leave them yearning for the treats they've banished.
In reality, it seems to amplify cravings for the foods they've cast aside.
The diet culture cycle is a relentless loop because you start longing for the foods you've discarded.
You decide to treat yourself to a meal you've been avoiding.
But here's the thing – that treat meal is so good, so satisfying, that it's followed by another until you return to your old eating habits.
And who can blame you?
The truth is, the "health foods" you're forcing yourself to eat can suck.
Nobody wants to live on a diet of smelly caned tuna and tasteless fare.
The problem we encounter when we dive headfirst into the "diet culture cycle" is that we attempt to make big changes to how we've always eaten.
This radical shift can be a shock to our bodies.
It's like a traumatic event, and when we break our diets, we do so with a vengeance, indulging in burgers, brownies, and cinnamon buns.
But what if it doesn't have to be this way?
What if there's a solution that allows us to enjoy our favourite foods without undergoing a drastic dietary overhaul?
The Solution🔬:
Eat what you want, Add what you need.
This is the principle I followed that helped me lose weight and embark on a healthier lifestyle.
The principle is both simple and effective, and it goes like this:
You eat what you want, but you also add what you need
What does this mean?
It means you can still savour your beloved chicken fingers and fries, indulge in burgers, and even relish cinnamon buns
(Yes, you read that right)
But now, you're going to step into the shoes of a creative chef and find clever ways to trim those calories in fun and intriguing ways.
There's a little chef in you, a little ratatouille if you will.
For instance, you still get to enjoy burgers, but here's the twist:
Try a turkey burger instead.
Pair it with a generous Caesar salad.
But instead of the traditional full-fat dressing, mix some Greek yogurt with Parmesan and garlic (basically Caesar dressing), and toss that salad.
And of course, you can't forget those fries.
But rather than deep-frying your potatoes, slice them the same way and give them a good spray of olive oil.
Then, pop them in the oven until they turn deliciously crispy.
The goal here is to continue relishing the foods you adore.
But, instead of making massive changes to your diet, you're embarking on a journey of culinary exploration.
You're adding ingredients that make your meals enjoyable and healthier.
These foods aren't intended to replace your entire way of eating.
Instead, they serve as culinary enhancements and "swaps."
This doesn't imply that you need to lettuce-wrap everything.
It means that when you're comfortable changing something.
Adjust your diet while savouring your favourite foods.
For instance, you can swap full-fat options for half-fat if that's manageable for you.
You don't need to replace everything.
But substituting certain meals with healthy and hearty ingredients.
You will discover new, exciting recipes that align with your health goals.
Pasta Revelations: A Healthy Twist 🍝
I first ventured into the "eat what you want and add what you need" concept with Pasta.
I'm Italian, and in my family, we have a cherished tradition – we call it Pasta Sundays.
This means that, no matter what we eat during the week, on Sundays, it's all about Pasta.
It's a sacred day in my family, and over the years, I've savoured countless delightful pasta dishes, from lasagnas to baked pasta.
Yet, when I decided to make a dietary change for a healthier lifestyle, I couldn't ignore the nutritional labels on the pasta.
It was clear that it didn't align with my goals.
Pasta is carb-heavy, calorie-laden, and, unfortunately, lacking in protein, making it unfeasible for my diet.
So, I needed a solution to allow me to enjoy Pasta Sundays with my family while staying true to my health goals.
That's when I heard about chickpea pasta – a trendy option for those seeking a gluten-free alternative.
One of the upsides of this chickpea pasta was that it had fewer calories and way more protein, a double win in my book.
To my dismay, I bought a pack of chickpea pasta and found it to be horrible – mushy, nasty, and plain gross.
I refused to waste Pasta Sunday on mushy pasta!
Pasta should always be cooked al dente (to the tooth.) The texture of cooked pasta should be tender but firm when you bite into it
So, I kept searching, and that's when I stumbled upon bean pasta made with lentils and a few other types of beans.
This pasta boasted even more protein for the same calories as the chickpea alternative.
The following Sunday, I tried it, and it was fantastic.
It tasted delicious, and I could enjoy my garden sauce with my bean pasta.
However, this was a shock for my family, accustomed to enjoying the same meal for supper.
For months, I received calls from my entire family, all worried about my new choice of bean pasta.
They couldn't believe it – bean pasta?
Are you crazy?
Are you sick?
Why did you have to ruin Pasta Sunday with bean pasta?
But, after some convincing and having them try it, along with sharing the tasty benefits of bean pasta, they came around.
They even joined me in enjoying bean pasta every once in a while.
Concluding Thoughts 🥣
Making a significant change in your life, like altering what you eat, will always be difficult.
But if you're willing to experiment and make the best of it, you can begin to feel very comfortable with the new way of eating and even start to enjoy it.
At the end of the day, any small changes you can make for yourself that leads to living a healthier life will always be better than taking no action.
The key will always be finding a solution that works best for you and one you can stick with for years.
This is why I love the principle of "eat what you want and add what you need."
You still enjoy all the foods you've always loved, even on sacred days and special occasions like my Pasta Sundays.
It all comes down to changing the recipe to align with your goals.
Allowing you to lead a healthier life while relishing these tasty meals for years.
You shouldn't feel guilty for indulging in a meals that taste good.
Food should ALWAYS taste good!
And if it tastes like chickpea pasta, the diet is NEVER WORTH IT!
For Glory