Like the old adage, ‘You can’t judge a book by it’s cover’: you also can’t judge health by looking at a person’s physique. Many of us are raised to believe that thin equals healthy, or at least thin means we don’t have an issue with food. I am here to tell you that that is not the case.
Weight Loss Myths
There are many other (partial) myths regarding weight. For example:
- If you are overweight or want to lose weight you should exercise more
- Losing weight is as simple as counting calories
Unfortunately, there are a lot of marketing dollars spent to convince us that the above is factual. It is important to be a little skeptical when being presented with an ‘easy’ solution.
Weight Loss Tryths
After years of buying into the “diet culture,” I have learned the following:
- Weight and health are related, BUT just because you are thin, does not mean you are healthy
- Weight and health are all about lifestyle. If you live a healthy lifestyle, you will likely be a healthy weight
What is a Healthy Lifestyle?
So what does it mean to live a healthy lifestyle? Consider the following:
What to eat:
- Eat a plant-centric diet that is nutrient dense
- Eat smaller amounts, more often throughout the day
- Avoid highly processed food, including refined sugars and sweeteners
- Limit alcohol intake - especially closer to bedtime
Sleep:
- Follow the guidelines for enough hours of sleep (7-9 hours/night average)
- Create an environment for quality sleep - limit screens/make your bedroom a relaxing place
Exercise:
- Proper frequency and intensity to accomplish your goals - try to exercise a minimum of 3 times a week for at least 30 minutes
Social activity:
- Spend time with people with whom you have positive relationships - surrounding yourself with good people puts you at ease, and allows you to make good personal decisions
Community:
- Experience what it is to be of service to others
Most people find some of these easy to incorporate into their lives; however, eating healthy is the challenge. Food is a highly charged topic in our culture. Big food companies spend a lot of money to be sure that we choose their products to eat and very often they are not good for us. I believe that everything we eat is either adding to or taking away from the quality of our life.
This is why we created Read The Ingredients Superloafs. They are the only packaged food that we know of that have no additives, are unsweetened and offer a complete nutrient-dense meal (breakfast/lunch) that will keep you satisfied.
We believe that eating a plant-centric diet that avoids highly processed foods is the best way to manage both health and weight, and therefore offering the best chance at improving our overall quality of life.