SALT LAKE CITY – We have all heard them before: Food rules you should follow if you are on a diet or want to eat something healthy.
Does disregarding these rules lead to cheating in the diet or preventing you from leading a healthier life?
Not necessarily. In fact, there are some dietary and dietary rules that nutritionists say is okay – and may even encourage you – to stop.
Here are seven dietary “rules” that you do not need to follow to lead a healthy life, and you may just find some relief in knowing that these rules can be best broken.
Eat only ‘good’ foods
All diets have a list of good and bad foods. Prohibited foods are often labeled “bad for you”. So, what happens when you eat foods labeled bad? Are all your efforts in vain? Are you a bad person for eating this food?
“Labeling foods as good / bad or healthy / unhealthy makes us feel guilty when we eat so-called ‘bad’ foods,” said nutritionist Maria Adams, associate professor at Endicott College.
Adams explained that the food is neither good nor bad. Food has no moral value attached to it. It’s just food, and “all foods have a place in the diet,” she said. When you realize that all foods are neither inherently good nor bad, the door to a more flexible and realistic eating pattern begins to open.
Don’t eat after 7pm
Stopping eating at a certain time is a common diet rule; however, there is a registered nutritionist Anne Mauney suggests that you follow.
“Ignoring your body’s cues will simply make you wake up starving to death in the middle of the night,” said Mauney. “The time when you should stop eating depends a lot on what works for your body and your lifestyle.”
If you’re really hungry at night, go ahead and eat. Don’t let a watch tell you when you’re hungry – let your body tell you that.
That said, if you are often hungry late at night, Mauney recommends exploring why.
“For example, are your meals earlier in the day too small, unsatisfactory or unbalanced in terms of macronutrients?” she asks.
Do not eat carbohydrates
Carbohydrates have been the most recent macronutrient demonized by popular fad diets that profess that staying away from carbohydrates will lead you to a healthier and happier life. However, whole grains and starchy vegetables such as sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa and brown rice can be included in a healthy diet, according to nutritionist nutritionist Lisa Young, author of “Finally Full, Finally Slim.”
“As with any food, (carbohydrates) do not cause weight gain unless you eat too much,” said Young.
Our bodies work best when fed a variety of foods, including those that contain carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are our brain’s preferred energy source. In addition, whole grains, fruits and many starchy vegetables provide essential nutrients for our body – such as fiber, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients – and benefit our intestinal health.
Eat 6 small meals a day
There is no set amount of 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 don’t have time to take six small breaks throughout the day to eat, perhaps eating three meals a day is best for you. If you feel better about eating small amounts of food more often, do so.
You can eat equally healthy by eating three meals a day, just as you can eat 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 are eating more often or not, as long as you eat the same amount of calories.
What really matters is that each person uses their individual circumstances to determine how often they should eat. Whatever your choice, be consistent, as your body will respond better and feel better with regularly spaced meals – whatever it is for you.
Don’t eat anything white
White bread, white rice, white pasta, white potatoes and even bananas are often some of the first things left out when people go on a diet.
Nutritionist nutritionist KeyVion Miller said she often hears about patients who are told not to eat these foods. She suggests that a better idea is to encourage people to combine these foods with many vegetables or to add a fiber-rich food like beans, peas or lentils to increase the nutritional value of the entire meal.
For example, if you are serving fried chicken with white rice, add the extra vegetables to the stew to increase color and nutrients. Or if you love white potatoes, chop some and bake in the oven with a variety of vegetables for a delicious side.
“Even a so-called ‘perfect’ diet – which does not exist – can make room for these foods,” said Miller.
Buy only at the perimeter of the grocery store
The premise of this rule is that by buying only the perimeter of the store, you will be buying only the freshest and healthiest foods, while staying away from processed and prepackaged foods.
“The truth is that when you shop just around the supermarket, you lose tons of nutrient-rich foods like grains, beans, canned vegetables and oils,” said dietitian nutritionist Kristen Smith.
Smith explained that foods like grains and cereals offer lots of B vitamins and fiber-rich ingredients to help keep you full. She also recommends venturing down the aisles so as not to miss foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, such as nuts, canned fish, flax and canola seeds and olive oil, which can help with brain and heart health.
Never eat processed foods
There are many processed foods that may still be healthy for you. In fact, most of the food we buy at the store has been processed at least to some extent. For example, canned tuna, yogurt, frozen vegetables, cured cheese, canned beans, hummus and ground flaxseed have been processed from their original state to be what you see on store shelves.
Nutritionist nutritionist Sarah Schlichter assures customers that it’s okay to eat some processed foods.
“While we know that a diet rich in whole foods can have many benefits, processed foods can still bring nutrients to the table. More than that, they can be a source of convenience and pleasure for those busy snacks or meals (for example, example minute rice, frozen pizza, chicken sausage, vegetable mixes, etc.) “, she said.
Schlichter recommends looking at processed foods simply as foods composed of carbohydrates, fat and proteins. She says including them when needed or as needed to help reduce stress, support a consistent eating pattern, feed the family and save money.
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