Self-Care Part IV - Nutrition

Healthy Nutrition for long-term happiness

Maybe this will come on time for you before the big feast over the holidays:

I want to write about nutrition and not about diet. What we want is not a short-term weight-loss or quick shaping, but a long-term, healthy way of eating which we can stick to.

As I previously wrote already, Self-Care includes also the uncomfortable activities and hard work. Last time I brought you exercising as an example. Now let’s dive into nutrition.

Our human brain’s main task is to keep us alive, the brain has 3 main motivations: seeking pleasure, reducing pain and work efficiently. If there is nothing new, scary, hard or painful that sounds already pretty cool to our brain. Your brain is not interested in long-term goals, it is interested in instant gratification.

What does it mean?

If there is a chocolate cake, you’ll eat it. If you don’t decide upfront what to eat, your brain will go always for the most shiny pleasure at that time. It’s normal for our human brain.

Does it mean that we move in the kitchen like zombies looking for chocolate? Of course not. But in every case there is an opportunity, you’ll have to fight your own brain, with willpower. And willpower gets tired so it will be easier just to swallow that cake instead of fighting further.

What can you do then?

You have to create your own habits which you can stick to, so your brain can follow the usual routines and you don’t have to use your willpower for fighting.

That’s why it’s simpler for people with special diets: a vegetarian wouldn’t jump on hot-wings or a vegan wouldn’t bite into a vanilla-croissant. It’s just not in their „formula”.

You also have to create this „formula” to yourself: plan ahead what you would like to eat, how you would like your nutrition to look like.

If you are like me- eating everything, we need to plan ahead and practice self-control in order to eat in a healthy way.

I’m not a dietetian and I have no expertise in how the different metabolisms work. But I do know that if I eat more calories than I can burn, then I’ll gain weight. It’s also super important that I nurture myself with healthy calories: like fruits, vegetables and some protein and not by burger or doughnuts.

So pay attention to what works for you, for your body and limit the intake of the empty-calories. If you aren’t sure how to tackle this, consult a dietetian they can help you with that.

You don’t have to follow me, but I’ll share how it works for me. I do love eating, everything. It would be a great suffering for me never to eat chocolate or pizza. Therefore I plan ahead always what I’ll eat while including also a pasta or pizza or some of my favorite juicy foods on the weekly menu. I eat five days salads and I have two ligher/cheating days.

It works for me. I love eating but I also love that I can care about myself for the long-term so I can stay healthy for my Future-self.

To wrap up:

·        Plan ahead what’ll eat (not within 24h),

·        Do the shopping ahead accordingly, with a shopping-list

·        Create a week-menu on the weekend

·        Notice how you react when the urge comes- Just notice what you do and how you use your willpower

·        Put the sweets and snacks away. For me it works: I have all these stuff in the lowest drawer, like this I have some extra seconds to fight my brain

Do you have some nutrition-tips that you follow and can stick to?

XO