Nutrition Advice for People Who Don't Want to Go on a Diet | Rachael Hartley

1. Adopt Intuitive Eating

Consider adopting the ‘anti-diet’ approach of intuitive eating, which involves eating what you want when you want, listening to your body’s hunger/fullness cues, and having a basic understanding of healthy nutrition, because diets often don’t work and can warp your relationship with food and your body.

2. Focus on Well-being, Not Weight

Shift your focus from weight loss to overall well-being (physical and mental health) when considering how to feed yourself, as traditional dietetics often creates stress and shame around food.

3. Pay Attention to How Food Makes You Feel

Pay close attention to how different foods make your body feel, using this internal wisdom to guide your eating choices in a nonjudgmental way, understanding that not every meal will feel perfect and occasional discomfort is part of life.

4. Connect with Body’s Wisdom

Practice intuitive eating by connecting with your body, cultivating a sense of embodiment and awareness of how food makes you feel, to build a healthier relationship with food that feels good to you.

5. Practice Wise Remorse, Not Shame

When you make a mistake with food or eat in a way that doesn’t align with your values, practice wise remorse by getting curious about the factors leading to it and learning from the experience, rather than getting stuck in shame which tells a story about your inherent badness.

6. Nutrition for Self-Care, Not Control

Approach nutrition as a form of self-care to support your body’s functions and well-being, rather than using it as a tool for self-control or to manipulate your body size.

7. Cultivate Body Respect

Instead of striving for 100% body positivity, aim for body respect by being grateful for your body’s functions, acknowledging that it works largely outside conscious control, and not letting discomfort with your appearance prevent you from practicing intuitive eating.

8. Ensure Adequate Food Intake

Practice body respect by ensuring your body receives adequate food to function well, regardless of how you feel about your appearance, as this is a fundamental need.

9. Prioritize Holistic Health Over Nutrition

Understand that the ‘healthiest choice’ is not always the most nutritionally dense one, as holistic health encompasses psychological well-being, social connection, and other factors beyond just vitamins and fiber.

10. Evaluate Food Choices for Well-being

When considering food choices, evaluate whether eliminating a food, even if it’s ‘unhealthy,’ causes stress or deprivation, and if so, recognize that restriction might not be the healthiest choice for your overall well-being.

11. Embrace Flexibility in Eating

Adopt a flexible approach to gentle nutrition that accounts for life’s changing circumstances, rather than adhering to rigid dietary rules, because life happens and your eating patterns will need to adapt.

12. Tailor Nutrition to Individual Needs

Recognize that gentle nutrition is individual; tailor your eating approach to your unique nutritional needs, age, activity level, and health conditions, as there is no one-size-fits-all diet.

13. Focus on Overall Eating Patterns

Adopt a big-picture perspective on your eating habits, focusing on patterns over time rather than hyper-focusing on individual meals or snacks, because one meal won’t make or break your health.

14. Practice Positive Nutrition

Focus on adding nourishing foods to your eating pattern rather than subtracting or restricting foods, which is a core tenet of positive nutrition.

15. Be Present While Eating

Avoid letting food rules or guilt take you out of the moment while eating; instead, be present to taste your food and connect with those around you, as this contributes to overall well-being.

16. Recognize Diet Ineffectiveness

Understand that diets are largely ineffective for long-term weight loss for the vast majority of people, as research consistently shows a very low percentage of individuals successfully keep weight off permanently.

17. Reconsider Daily Weigh-ins

Evaluate if weighing yourself regularly provides helpful information for feeding yourself in a way that feels good, as it can often disconnect you from your body’s wisdom and influence eating behaviors negatively.

18. Avoid Weight Cycling

Be aware that weight cycling (yo-yo dieting) puts significant metabolic stress on the body and can have a greater negative impact on health than a static weight, suggesting a need to avoid repeated cycles of losing and regaining weight.

19. Expect ‘Honeymoon Phase’ with Food

If new to intuitive eating, expect a temporary ‘honeymoon phase’ where you might feel out of control around previously restricted foods, understanding that this is a normal reaction to deprivation and will subside as you gain practice and emotional restriction lessens.

20. Seek Support During Honeymoon Phase

During the initial ‘honeymoon phase’ of intuitive eating, seek support from a counselor, Facebook group, or community to normalize the experience of feeling out of control around food.

21. Intuitive Eating for All Sizes

Recognize that intuitive eating is a valid approach for people of all body sizes, including those with higher weights, as focusing solely on weight loss through restrictive diets often fails to improve overall health and well-being or change one’s relationship with food.

22. Pursue Health Beyond Body Size

Understand that ‘Health at Every Size’ advocates for creating opportunities for individuals to pursue well-being and health goals that extend beyond changing their body size, rather than assigning health status based on appearance.

23. Address Deprivation in ‘Hijacked’ Eating

If you feel your eating habits are ‘hijacked’ by past diet culture or poor nutrition, explore the role of deprivation in those behaviors, as intuitive eating can still help you find a way of eating that feels good and supports your health.

24. Integrate Enjoyable Whole Grains

Integrate whole grains and other fiber-rich carbohydrates into your diet in ways you enjoy, as they are associated with good health, and aim for a mix of refined and whole grains to avoid digestive issues from too much fiber.

25. Don’t Fear Refined Grains

Understand that refined grains like white bread or pasta are not inherently harmful and can be part of a healthy eating pattern, especially when consumed as part of a balanced meal with fat and protein.

26. Embrace Healthy Fats

Include fats in your meals as they are satisfying, satiating, and essential for brain function, hormone creation, and digestion, helping to prevent feelings of hunger and chaotic eating.

27. Cook with Fat for Flavor

Cook with fat and add it to meals not just to prevent sticking, but as a flavoring ingredient that contributes to satiety and satisfaction, supporting intuitive eating principles.

28. Enjoy Butter Consciously

Enjoy butter for its unique flavor and integrate it into your diet, being conscious of your overall fat intake and ensuring variety with other fats like olive or avocado oil, rather than demonizing it due to exaggerated nutritional fears.

29. Adopt a Plant-Centered Diet

Integrate more plants and fewer animal products into your overall eating habits, as a plant-centered approach is generally beneficial for most people’s health and the environment, without necessarily requiring strict veganism or vegetarianism.

30. Individualize Protein Sources

Individualize your protein sources based on what feels best for you and your ethical considerations, acknowledging that animal-based protein can be an easy way to meet higher protein needs as you age, but plant-centered diets are also valid.

31. Consume Dairy for Nutrients

Include dairy in your diet if you enjoy it, as it’s a good source of protein, calcium, and other minerals, and opt for 2% or full-fat versions for better taste and longer satiety.

32. Cultivate Healthier Sweet Relationship

Allow yourself to eat sweets to foster a healthier relationship with them, understanding that deprivation often fuels ‘addictive’ behaviors, and practice consciousness about how sweets make you feel without necessarily eliminating them from your daily diet.

33. Prioritize Fresh, Embrace Convenience

Emphasize incorporating more fresh foods into your overall eating pattern for their nutritional benefits, but also embrace convenience foods as valuable tools for busy times or when fresh options are limited, without demonizing processed items.

34. Reduce Fear of Food Chemicals

Be cautious of fear-mongering around ‘chemicals’ in food, recognizing that many unpronounceable ingredients are common substances, vitamins, or minerals, and avoid automatically deeming foods with such ingredients as bad.

35. Incorporate Fruits and Vegetables

Include fruits and vegetables in your diet for their vitamins, minerals, nutrients, and fiber, ensuring you do so without crowding out other necessary energy sources.

36. Be Cautious About Weight Loss Drugs

Approach trendy weight loss drugs like Ozempic with caution, recognizing that while individual choice is paramount, research suggests weight regain can occur even while on the medication, and certainly after stopping it.