Do you remember the food channel show, Iron Chef? A few world-class chefs were given a short amount of time to make several dishes with a single ‘secret’ ingredient. It was only a secret to them in planning what to prepare in advance but the audience all knew. When I used to watch it years ago, the two shows with ingredients that surprised me the most were unisex salmon (what?) and chocolate (when used as an entrée, not so appealing).
That concept of a secret ingredient can be found in plain sight when we are making changes to our lifestyle, especially when it comes to our food.
Lifestyle change can be hard.
It requires commitment, time, skills, and support.
- Commitment comes from knowing your ‘why’ and valuing it more than immediate gratification and habit. Our quality of life may be all the motivation we need. Or we make get a sudden reminder: a cancer diagnosis, a heart scare, a medication side effect to be avoided, sadly a friend passing or a milestone to look ahead. All can help remind us of why make a change.
- Time is found by investing and prioritizing a plan for success, consistently. The difference between a diet and lifestyle change is found in the details of how long we choose to invest our time.
- Skills can be built over time by learning from trusted resources, putting into practice what you learned, making mistakes, and trying again. A mentor can help you save time building skills. The results can then help reinforce your commitment.
- A support system includes making your local environment a safe space by removing the things that are holding you back. It’s about finding people and resources that can bolster and encourage your journey.
Maybe you have tried all of these things and you’re still not seeing results. The most challenging part may not be obvious. What might still be getting in your way?
Less about our gut and more about our brain.
Maybe you have heard these voices in your head…
- Food is love and if I change what and how I eat, my relationships will change too.
- Someone else does all the cooking in my home; I don’t want to upset them by asking too much.
- When eating out with friends, I don’t want to make a big deal about where to eat or embarrass them when I order my food.
- It’s too difficult to make this lifestyle change; I don’t know how or even want to cook.
- I have to buy junk food for my family because that is all they eat. I have no choice.
- When I see food going to waste, I have to eat it. I never let any food go to waste.
There are many pathways to healthier lifestyle diet involving our gut: Eat more veggies. Eat less processed foods. Drink less of your calories. All are good options, especially if you can stick with them.
What is the secret ingredient?
But to make a truly healthy lifestyle change that lasts, we have to consider what is also in our heads. Our mindset about the change we want to see may be getting in our way. So what might happen if we shifted our mindset instead?
- Start to treat gatherings with friends and family as celebrating the relationships without focusing as much on the food.
- Ask for what we need and be prepared to get it for ourselves, including getting back into the kitchen or calling ahead when eating out.
- Keep the bad choices out of view, out of our home, out of our routines. Same with some of the people who may be sabotaging our success.
- Become a student of how the processed food industry targets our ‘bliss point’, adding ‘natural’ flavors and chemicals that hide addictive substances that make it difficult for the body to resist and learn how to do so.
- Fight back by understanding what and how to eat with strategies, not just recipes.
A kitchen full of unused gadgets, a books shelf full of cookbooks (careful for the ‘vegan’ recipes that are high in fat, salt or sugars), and a yelp search of veg-friendly restaurants does not make a healthy lifestyle change a lock.
Mindset is a must.
It is when you shift your mindset, become your own health advocate, and find the support you need to match the lifestyle you want that you can make lifestyle changes that last and take back control of your health.
I believe in the power of mindset shifts. One example I love is something I heard recently. It is not about the glass being half full or half empty. It is about how you are going to refill the glass. That is why in my small group coaching program, Eat to Heal Over 50 Mastery, I focus on more than just the food, though food is really important. We discuss the importance of becoming more self-aware, restoring self-care, and building self-confidence to help with the mindset needed to make healthy lifestyle changes for good.
I believe in the power of sharing strategies to help fit lifestyle change into your life, not just recipes. Before becoming plant-based, I used to offer the familiar example of ‘give me a fish and I will eat for today; teach me to fish and I will fish for a lifetime.’ Now, of course, I would say please avoid the fish altogether for so many reasons, especially the unisex salmon!
ps. Want to change your mindset? Learn about my group program here.
