New resolutions are as much a part of the New Year as a glass of champagne, sparklers or a sizzling raclette with friends. But good intentions are always such a thing, because after one or two months they are usually long forgotten and we return to our old habits. In 2022, however, we want to do everything differently and are therefore making a long-term change to our diet: We explain what it takes for this, why you can lose weight sustainably with it – in contrast to diets – and also optimize your health.
A diet change means changing personal eating habits for the long term and replacing unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives. Unlike diets, it’s not about giving up or reducing calories – the goal, instead, is to build a healthy diet that is maintained over the long term and provides the body with all the essential nutrients.
Also the switch to a vegetarian or vegan nutrition or a change caused by allergy or intolerance is considered as nourishing change.
The right diet is based on fresh vegetables and supplemented by fruits, high-quality proteins, whole grains and healthy fats.
A change in diet does not necessarily have to focus on losing weight. Nevertheless, the change usually brings about a weight reduction – and this can really be maintained permanently thanks to the long-term change in personal nutrition. Quite the opposite of many diets: These often provide for fast weight loss successes – after the end of the cure one returns then however just as fast to old habits and the frustrating Jojo effect sets.
A change of diet leads to slower, but sustainable results and can change the body permanently. In addition, a healthy diet brings the following benefits:
How do you start the diet change? Eat healthier step by step
A quick sausage roll from the bakery at lunchtime, takeaway from the Asian restaurant in the evening and a burger joint with friends at the weekend: If you want to change your unhealthy eating habits, you need a good plan and stamina. But where exactly do you start to change your diet? We have compiled the most important tips for beginners that make healthy eating easier in everyday life:
Before you start changing your diet, you should analyze your personal eating habits. A food diary will help you to do this. For a few days, write down all the foods you eat. In this way, you can quickly find out where there is a need for optimization.
Practical: A food diary helps you keep track of what you eat.
Banish everything from the kitchen that gets in the way of your good nutritional resolutions. A shopping list or weekly nutrition plan also helps you stay on track and avoid reaching for your favorite sweets out of habit.
Define your goals, write them down as needed and recall them to motivate yourself and persevere.
Changing your diet won’t work overnight – so take it slowly and step by step. In the first step, replace sugary drinks with water, for example. Once you have become accustomed to this, you can eat only whole grain products instead of white flour – and so on. This makes it much easier to establish the new habits instead of changing everything at once. And: relapses are quite normal! Give yourself time and re-motivate yourself to keep going.
Even if you want to eat healthy, you don’t have to permanently give up sweets, snacks or your favorite foods. These may be integrated into the diet plan in moderation and should be enjoyed consciously as well as without a guilty conscience.
One tip for maintaining control is the 80/20 rule: Eat 80 percent of the week in a healthy and conscious way, leaving 20 percent for indulgent foods or meals at your favorite restaurant.
Our tip: The book “The Nutrition Compass” with the basic rules for a healthy diet.
For a balanced diet, not only the right ratio of macronutrients (carbohydrates, fats and proteins) and sufficient micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) is crucial. It is also important to avoid or replace the following food groups to benefit your health and keep your body fit in the long run:
Animal products such as sausage and meat, but also cheese, milk or butter contain saturated fatty acid, which can promote the development of cardiovascular diseases, dementia or diabetes if consumed in excess. Therefore, rely more on plant-based foods and vegetable oils that score points with healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids. These support the metabolism, have an anti-inflammatory effect and lower blood pressure.
What’s more, eating less animal-based foods also protects the environment. Meat production has a significant impact on CO2 emissions and consumes vast amounts of natural resources such as water and soil.
Pasta, baguettes and the like should only play a small role in your new diet. This does not mean that you have to eat a low-carb diet right away. On the contrary: simply replace white flour with whole grain products. These contain valuable dietary fiber that stimulates digestion and provides quick and long-lasting satiety. Cravings? Stay away and eat less throughout the day.
Excess sugar not only promotes obesity, it also attacks teeth, causes inflammation in the body and makes you feel faint due to blood sugar fluctuations. All the more important to reduce sweets and replace them with healthy snacks such as sugar-free raw bars, dried fruit or a serving of fruit. The latter scores with an extra serving of vitamins!
Also important for a healthy diet? Processed foods should be eliminated from the diet. They contain huge amounts of sugar, salt, unhealthy fats and artificial flavors. Together, they can drastically increase our calorie consumption without us even noticing, messing up our metabolism and harming our health. So for an all-around healthy life, it’s better to eat mostly fresh foods like fruits, vegetables, herbs, sprouts, salads, nuts and co.
Plus: Discover cooking for yourself! This way you can bypass fast food and ready-made products and choose the ingredients in your healthy recipes yourself.
For a healthy diet, also drink enough water, because it gets the metabolism going and refreshes a tired head. Soft drinks and sugary beverages, on the other hand, should be the exception. Please consume alcohol only in moderation. This also helps you lose weight!
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