Nutritional Approaches: Diet vs. Lifestyle
This is a conversation that I have had more times than I can count in my years as a coach. When it comes to creating positive, and LASTING change with your nutritional approach, is a “Diet” beneficial? Or is it more beneficial to take a “Lifestyle” approach to nutrition and creating change? To answer this question, I think it is important to first understand what each approach entails. From there we can discuss the pros and cons of each approach.
A "diet" typically refers to a temporary and restrictive approach to eating that is often focused on weight loss or other specific health goals. Diets often involve drastically cutting certain food groups, counting calories or points, or following a strict meal plan. The focus is usually on what you can't have, and they are often difficult to stick to long-term. This does not mean that a “Diet” can not be used to create a specific short term change, however due to the intensity and restrictiveness of the approach, it can be detrimental to apply this approach over the long term.
In contrast, a "lifestyle" approach to nutrition is focused on developing healthy habits that are sustainable in the long-term. Rather than being restrictive, it's more about making mindful and balanced choices that align with an individual's personal values and goals. This way of eating is often more flexible, and it doesn't rely on strict rules, but rather on making healthier choices and being mindful of quality and quantity of food.
A lifestyle approach to nutrition often includes a variety of foods from all the food groups, with an emphasis on whole foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. It also promotes an understanding of the connection between food and overall health, and encourages individuals to be more mindful of their eating habits and choices.
Using the word "lifestyle" is also a good reminder of the connection between nutrition, regular physical activity, and adequate sleep, because all those factors are important for overall Wellness. With the lifestyle approach, you will have more flexibility and enjoy different varieties of foods. You will also learn how to balance your diet and make healthier choices.
As a Wellness Coach, I have always been an advocate for the "lifestyle" approach to nutrition. This is due to the fact that it has a number of psychological benefits that can improve overall well-being and quality of life, along with the direct positive health impacts of more healthy eating!
One of the main benefits is the development of a more positive relationship with food. When following a restrictive diet, people often feel guilty when they eat certain foods. This can lead to feelings of shame or failure when they "cheat" or don't stick to the diet. On the other hand, a lifestyle approach encourages mindful eating, where people learn to listen to their body's hunger and fullness cues and make conscious choices about what to eat. This helps to create a more positive relationship with food, where people learn to enjoy and appreciate the food they eat, instead of feeling guilty or restricted.
Another benefit is the reduction of stress and anxiety related to food. Restrictive diets often lead to preoccupation with food, and can create feelings of anxiety and stress when people can't stick to the diet or eat certain foods. A lifestyle approach helps to reduce this stress and anxiety by promoting a more balanced and flexible approach to eating.
A third benefit is improved body image. Restrictive diets often focus on specific body weight or composition goals, which can lead to negative thoughts and feelings about one's body. On the other hand, a lifestyle approach focuses on overall health and well-being, rather than just numbers. This can help individuals to have a more positive body image, and to appreciate the importance of good health over a certain body shape or size.
Lastly, a lifestyle approach to nutrition can promote overall well-being by providing a sense of control and empowerment over one's health. Instead of feeling restricted and limited by a diet, individuals can make conscious choices about what to eat and how to nourish their bodies. This can lead to a sense of control and empowerment over one's health and well-being, which can have a positive impact on overall well-being and quality of life.
All of these benefits together can help people to feel better about themselves, their food choices and overall health. A lifestyle approach to nutrition can be a more sustainable, realistic and enjoyable way to achieve a healthy approach to nutrition, rather than following restrictive diets that can be difficult to stick to long-term.
The article cited below does discuss the fact that there are some “diet” approaches that are supported by science as effective at creating specific change in the system and in health. However, there are also diets that have little to no scientific support in achieving weight loss, changing body composition, or improving health. This article discusses the idea that to this day, science has not found a one size fits all approach for nutrition and weight management.
This is again something in my eyes that supports you in taking a “lifestyle” approach that leads to you developing knowledge and an understanding how to apply this knowledge to the specifics of YOUR system, and the feedback you get from doing so!
As you continue to work hard in 2023 to positively impact your health and Wellness with your nutritional approaches, maintain a focus on the points discussed in this blog, and stay in PROCESS! Keep learning, keep growing, KEEP ACTUALIZING YOUR POTENTIAL!
P.S: If you are interested in taking a deeper dive into the effectiveness of specific dieting approaches, I have attached a second citation below. This is a Meta-Analysis study of 14 of the most used current “diets” and how effective they are in creating specific change in your health. Noting that even the most effective noted “diets” begin to see a lack of progression after 12 months.
Sources
Freire R. Scientific evidence of diets for weight loss: Different macronutrient composition, intermittent fasting, and popular diets. Nutrition. 2020 Jan;69:110549. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2019.07.001. Epub 2019 Jul 4. PMID: 31525701.
Ge L, Sadeghirad B, Ball GDC, da Costa BR, Hitchcock CL, Svendrovski A, Kiflen R, Quadri K, Kwon HY, Karamouzian M, Adams-Webber T, Ahmed W, Damanhoury S, Zeraatkar D, Nikolakopoulou A, Tsuyuki RT, Tian J, Yang K, Guyatt GH, Johnston BC. Comparison of dietary macronutrient patterns of 14 popular named dietary programmes for weight and cardiovascular risk factor reduction in adults: systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomised trials. BMJ. 2020 Apr 1;369:m696. doi: 10.1136/bmj.m696. Erratum in: BMJ. 2020 Aug 5;370:m3095. PMID: 32238384; PMCID: PMC7190064.
