Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and end of 2018! To start off the new year, we’re discussing diets. I’m sure many of us have made the resolution (whether this year or in previous) to get into shape and/or clean up the way we eat. With all the gimmicks and information online, it can be really challenging to know where to start and be tempting to try to “jump start” our movement towards better health with a cleanse or restrictive diet. Here are some important things to consider when making changes to your eating habits!
1. Are all of the macronutrients balanced? We’ve evolved to require protein, fat, and carbohydrate for various roles in our bodies — elimination or severe restriction of any one will have negative effects in the long-term if not the short-term as well! Review newsletters from summer 2018 for more information about the macros!
2. Are you getting sufficient calories? There are several ways to calculate your body’s individual caloric needs; however you can safely assume that if you’re around ~1300 or lower, you’re not eating enough! Especially if you’re active! There are benefits to fasting, however that should be guided by a professional and not done on a whim.
3. Are you making a lifestyle change or crash dieting? Unsustainable methods yield unsustainable results. Be realistic about the changes you’re making so that you can be successful in the long run!
If you’re not alone (and trust me that you’re never alone!) in your intention to get healthier, there are many group options for learning about nutrition and developing healthier food habits. A quick search online will take you to all sorts of challenges like Whole 30 or 21-Day Sugar Detox. If you’d prefer something more in-depth, you can reach out to me to organize a Restart® class. Restart® combines a sugar detox with the benefits of a nutrition class in a support-group setting. We meet for an hour once a week for five consecutive weeks to discuss a different nutrition topic as well as share recipes, struggles, and victories as we go through a sugar detox together. The groups are super fun and participants agree that the information is life-changing! Woohoo!
If you’d like to learn more about nutrition and how to get yours in order, please visit my website
at bit.ly/rebelyum or email me at shelby.ntp@gmail.com. I’m also on instagram @rebelyumnutrition!
Shelby O’Hagan
Nutrition Consultant
