SALT LAKE CITY – We’ve all heard it before: the food rules you must follow if you have a diet or want to eat healthy.
Does deviating from these rules cause you to cheat your diet, or withhold your healthiest life?
Not necessarily. There are some nutrition and dietary rules that dietitians say are okay – and you can even encourage – to break.
Here are seven food rules you do not have to live by to be healthy, and you may only find relief if you know that these rules can be better violated.
Eat only ‘good’ food
All diets contain a list of good and bad foods. The food outside the limit is usually described as ‘bad for you’. So, what happens if you eat foods that are poorly labeled? Are all your efforts in vain? Are you a bad person to eat that food?
“If we label food as good / bad or healthy / unhealthy, we feel guilty when we eat the so-called ‘bad’ food,” said registered dietitian Maria Adams, an assistant professor at Endicott College.
Adams further explained that food is not good or bad. Food has no moral value to it. It’s just food, and ‘all food has a place in the diet’, she said. When you realize that not all foods are inherently good or bad, doors begin to open to a more flexible and realistic eating pattern.
Do not eat after 19:00
It is a common dietary rule to stop eating at a certain time; However, Anne Mauney, a registered dietitian, suggests that you follow this.
“If you ignore the lines of your body, you will wake up in the middle of the night from your hunger,” Mauney said. “What time you should stop eating depends a lot on what works for your body and your lifestyle.”
If you are really hungry in the evening, continue eating. Do not let a watch tell you when you are hungry – let your body tell you so.
That said, if you often go hungry late at night, Mauney recommends investigating why.
“For example, are your meals earlier in the day too small, unsatisfactory or unbalanced in terms of macronutrients?” she asked.
Do not eat carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are the most recent macronutrient demonized by popular fast diets, claiming that if you stay away from carbohydrates, you will lead a healthier, happier life. Whole grains and starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa and brown rice can be ingested, according to registered nutritionist Lisa Young, author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim”, however, according to the registered dietitian.
“As with any food, (carbohydrates) will not cause weight gain unless you eat too much,” Young said.
Our bodies function best when fueled with different foods, including foods that contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are our brain’s preferred source. In addition, whole grains, fruits and many starchy vegetables contain the most important nutrients in our body – such as fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonomes, and this benefits our gut health.
Eat 6 small meals a day
There are no fixed meals that you should eat every day for optimal health. As with any eating pattern, what works best for one person may not work for another. If you do not have the time to take six small breaks during the day to eat, it may be better for you to eat three meals a day. If you feel better about eating smaller amounts of food regularly, then do so.
You can eat just as healthy by eating three meals a day as with six meals a day. Eating three 600-calorie meals a day will have the same thermal effect as eating six 300-calorie meals a day. There is no difference in your metabolism, whether you eat more often or not, as long as you eat just as many calories.
What really matters is that each person uses his individual circumstances to determine how often he should eat. Whatever you choose, be consistent, because your body will respond best and feel better with meals that are regularly placed on top of each other – whatever may be for you.
Do not eat anything white
White bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes and even bananas are often one of the first things that are set aside when people go on a diet.
Registered nutritionist KeyVion Miller, a dietitian, said she regularly hears from patients being told not to eat these foods. She suggests that it is a better idea to encourage people to combine these foods with lots of vegetables or to add a high-fiber food such as beans, peas or lentils to increase the nutritional value of the whole meal.
For example, if you are serving a chicken stir fry over white rice, add extra vegetables to the stir fry to increase color and nutrients. Or if you like potatoes, chop them up and roast them in the oven with a variety of vegetables for a delicious side dish.
“Even a so-called ‘perfect’ diet – which does not exist – can make way for these foods,” Miller said.
Buy only the perimeter of the grocery store
This premise of this rule is that you only buy the freshest, healthiest foods by only buying the perimeter of the store while staying away from processed, pre-packaged foods.
“The truth is that by just buying the grocery store, you are missing out on tons of nutrient-dense foods like grains, beans, canned vegetables and oils,” said registered nutritionist Kristen Smith.
Smith explained that foods such as grains and cereals provide enough B vitamins and high-fiber ingredients to make you feel full. She also recommends that you venture the paths so that you do not miss foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids such as walnuts, canned fish, flaxseed and canola and olive oils, which can help with the health of the brain and heart.
Never eat processed foods
There are many processed foods that can still be healthy for you. Most of the food we buy in the store has been processed to some extent. Canned tuna, yogurt, frozen vegetables, cheese, canned beans, hummus and ground flaxseed were all processed from their original state to be what you see on store shelves.
Registered dietitian, nutritionist Sarah Schlichter, assures customers that it is okay to eat processed foods.
“Although we know that a diet with lots of food can have many benefits, processed foods can still bring nutrients to the table. But more than that, it can be a source of convenience and pleasure for the busy snack or meal times (e.g. minute rice, frozen pizza, chicken sausage, vegetable mixes, etc.), ”she said.
Schlichter recommends looking at processed foods simply as foods that consist of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. She says they include it if necessary or if necessary to reduce stress, support a consistent eating pattern, feed the family and save money.
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