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Tips To Safely Start a New Diet

Here are some tips to safely start a new diet.

By Lewis RobinsonPublished 3 years ago 3 min read
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There are so many diet options out there it's difficult to know which one is right for you. The best thing you can do is find what works for your body and lifestyle. Here are some tips to safely start a new diet.

1. Start Slow

It's important to take things slow when you start a new diet. Don't just jump right in. Take the time to slowly learn what works for your body, tastes and comfort. If you already eat healthier foods, then start with choosing them over unhealthy options more often. If you tend to have dessert every night, cut that out a few nights a week. Build up to your final goal.

2. Create Healthy Habits

One of the reasons diets can be so difficult to maintain has to do with your brain and your habits. If you're just not used to eating vegetables, then you'll have trouble remembering to eat them. Maybe you don't think they taste good or you just forget to stock up on them. The key here is to create healthy habits over time. Remember that it's ok to make mistakes and mess up your diet sometimes, as long as you try not to get discouraged. You have to build your diet practice. Starting small and slow can help. So can trying new foods and combinations to see what you like. If you find healthy foods you like, you're more likely to keep wanting to eat them. Additionally, calendars and notes can help some people stay on track. You could try meal-planning or practice meatless Mondays.

3. Try to Include Additional Tools

Whether you're working on losing weight or just want to get a jumpstart on improving your overall health, it can be helpful to supplement your dieting journey with other strategies. Exercise works for many people because there are so many different kinds of exercise to try. You should ideally practice a mix of toning and cardio. You don't need to just force yourself to go for a run. There are plenty of exercise classes, online tutorials and gyms where you can learn about low-impact cardio, equipment-free toning and stretching. Exercise helps you maintain weight loss from dieting and keeps your metabolism healthy. Additionally, there are some supplements and nutritional tools you can try, like probiotic foods to help your digestion or a Thrive Patch to boost your metabolism and control your appetite. These extra tools can help you start working toward your diet goals, whatever they may be, especially if you feel like you need a little extra push to get started.

4. Try New Recipes

If you're intimidated by stepping away from the comfort zone of your current diet, a great way to start transitioning to new foods is to try new recipes. This strategy helps you familiarize yourself with foods you might not know much about and try something new and exciting. You don't have to just throw out all the processed foods or sugary drinks at once. Trying a few new recipes at a time can help you slowly replace unhealthy options with fresh, whole foods over time. There are all kinds of healthy recipes out there from salads to desserts.

5. Focus on Nutrients, Not Calories

Many people try to diet by counting calories, but improving your diet's quality and your health is less about the number of calories you eat and more about where those calories come from. Cutting down on junk food will lower your calorie intake in general, but those are empty calories. What you really want to do is consume more nutritional sources of calories. This is actually one of the reasons it's easier to overeat junk food. It may taste good, but it's less nutritionally dense and high on the glycemic index, so it takes longer for you to feel satisfied and you'll be hungry again sooner. If you base your diet around nutritional proteins, healthy fats and fiber, you'll be satisfied faster and feel fuller for longer.

Starting a new diet can be daunting, but if you keep at it and find the tools and strategies that work for you, it can be really rewarding.

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