You’ve heard it time and time again ‘diets don’t work’, and whilst we’re all aware of this obvious truth, we know it’s all too easy to fall prey to the false claims and alluring promises that they preach. What you’ll be happy to know is that from hereon – your dieting days are over! This week, we’ll show you how to create your own way of eating so that you can ditch the dieting mentality forever. Here’s how to follow the 4 pillars of a healthy diet!

The 4 Pillars Of A Healthy Diet

You’ve heard it all before and with good reason. The key to maintaining and sustaining a healthy diet is to incorporate (alongside an abundance of greens, always) the three macronutrients – protein, fats and carbohydrates into each main meal, whenever possible. However, this doesn’t mean you can chow down on beef burgers in white bread topped off with a lettuce leaf and accompanied by a side of fries every day and call that a healthy eating plan. Instead – opt for unprocessed whole foods, free of additives and preservatives and as close to their natural state as possible. We always make sure to include at least one of each macronutrient in each main meal alongside plenty of green leafy veggies. Our favourites are as follows:

Carbohydrates

• Sweet potatoes
• Quinoa
• Brown rice/brown rice pasta
• Spelt
• Rye bread
• Buckwheat
• Oats

Fats

• Avocado
• Coconut oil
• Nuts and seeds
• Virgin olive oil
• Nut butter (we love almond and cashew)

Protein

• Beans & legumes
• Nuts & Seeds
• Tempeh
• Organic & Free range eggs
• Wild-Caught fish such as salmon
• Organic & Free range meat occasionally

Create Your Own Routine
With the 4 pillars of healthy eating under your belt – let’s talk about creating your own healthy routine.

Gone are the days of eating a certain number of calories at each meal that a stranger has recommended without taking into account your individual needs, energy expenditure or body type! Instead, march to the beat of your own drum and tune back into that nutrition guru within you – that is, your natural hunger and satiety signals! Your body is designed to tell you when you’ve had too much to eat, as well as when you’ve had too little – all it takes is for you to listen in and hear what it is saying.

Everyone is different, so everyone’s routines should be too! Whether you feel better on 3 larger meals, 3 smaller meals and 2 snacks, or 4 smaller meals is what makes you a unique individual and is definitely not something you should feel obliged to alter by mimicking the eating routine of your sister, colleague or best friend. It’s all about finding out what works best for you. If you’re feeling completely out of tune with your own natural hunger and satiety signals – commit to the routine you think will work best for you for a few days, keeping a food diary to record how you feel physically after each meal as well as in between. After a few days, adjust your routine accordingly.

Eat What You Love (within reason)
This one is especially important, as you definitely do not want to create a sense of deprival. It’s this feeling alone that is the reason diets don’t work! Instead, spend some time playing around in the kitchen and concocting up healthy versions of your favourite foods. If you love chocolate – swap it for cacao try these Walnut Mint Brownies! If pizza is your vice – this delicious cauliflower pizza recipe! Whatever it is that you love – find a way to incorporate it into your diet and never feel deprived again. You’ll be amazed how those feelings of deprivation that dieting promotes fades away and how much more inclined you are to stick to your healthy eating routine knowing that yummy treats are all apart of the equation!

Stop With The Comparisons
We’re all guilty of it, and like any bad habit, comparing what we eat and our bodies to others can be a hard thing to shake. However, we’re here to tell you that it needn’t be that way! Wherever you are in your journey to health and wellness, the very fact that you’re here right now, reading this article means you have taken the biggest plunge of all – to seek advice so you can get a little closer to being the best version of yourself, whatever that means to you! Just like there is no one diet or eating routine that works for everyone, there is no one perfect body type or shape. So stop measuring your wellbeing success on the size of your body and the number on the scale and instead focus on how you feel inside.

words by Molly Jennings