Written by: Morgan Farida; SLU Dietetic Intern
As we enter the new year, it is natural for us to reflect on the previous year and create goals to better ourselves in whatever way feels necessary for our own personal growth and well-being. It is common for people to create “new year’s resolutions” or daily habits to reach the goals that they set for themselves. With that being said, it is easy to assume that many of us may be reflecting on the various ways we can improve our health and wellness. However, often these resolutions can be centered around diet and weight loss, which can lead to restrictive dieting or excessive exercise. These can lead to a disordered relationship with our bodies and food, because when these fail, as restriction with food and excessive exercise tend to do, we often feel an overwhelming sense of guilt and shame.
Below are just a few new year’s resolutions you can practice in 2023 that will help you reach your health and wellness goals and build a better relationship with food and your body while leaving diet culture in 2022.
1. Practice Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is an evidence-based approach to eating that promotes developing a positive relationship with food, your body, and yourself. A study in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that there was a positive relationship between intuitive eating and positive psychological status, higher self-esteem and body appreciation, and satisfaction with life, as well as an inverse relationship between intuitive eating and eating disorder symptomatology, body surveillance/shame, and body mass index (Carraça, Eliana V., et al., 2018).
To put it simply, intuitive eating is honoring your hunger and respecting your fullness and involves listening to your body’s hunger and fullness cues and eating in response to them, without restriction or guilt. It is an intuition that every individual is born with and a practice that most individuals need to re-learn due to the disordered habits they develop as they grow. However, diet culture and the cycle of dieting make this practice very difficult for most, and like any practice, it is most effective to start slowly and work your way toward being an intuitive eater. One book I highly recommend that talks about the aspects of intuitive eating and provides an in-depth guide for navigating through reaching your intuitive eating goals is Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach by registered dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch.
2. Practice intentional movement for at least 30 minutes a day
Repeat after me: I do not need to participate in intense exercise and go to the gym every single day to reach my health and wellness goals. For some, this type of exercise is very enjoyable and realistic and is a common practice in their life. While for others this type of exercise is draining, hard to maintain, and unenjoyable. It is no secret that movement is essential for optimal overall well-being as research has proven daily movement, regardless of intensity, reduces the risk of chronic diseases and improves mental health. However, movement looks different for each and every individual, and that is completely okay. That is why it is imperative that one creates a personalized regimen that is enjoyable to them and meets their own personal needs, as opposed to following what works for someone else.
Intentional movement is another important aspect of maintaining a healthy lifestyle: instead of focusing on weight loss or making your body look a certain way, the goal is to move in a way that is enjoyable and feels good for your body and mind. This can include activities such as walking your dog, yoga, or hiking, rather than traditional exercise programs that can be overly restrictive and lead to burnout if you do not enjoy them. Intentional movement also relates to intuitive eating as seen in the study mentioned above. Research has shown that being more active with the goal of losing weight or controlling your weight is correlated with a disordered relationship with food and your body. This in turn leads to more restrictive eating patterns which disturb one’s ability to rely on their own hunger and satiety cues (Carraça, Eliana V., et al., 2018). On the contrary, it has been proven that when one is more active with the purpose of improving their overall mental and physical health, it naturally leads to a healthier relationship with food (Carraça, Eliana V., et al., 2018). That is because when your goal is to be healthier as opposed to “looking better”, you are naturally inclined to have healthier, more nutrient-dense, eating habits.
Prioritize sleep and mental health
It is no secret that there is a direct correlation between sleep and mental health. But where does diet fit in? Research taken from the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has shown that making modifications to one’s diet is a natural way to improve sleep quality and vice versa (Wilson, Katherine, et al., 2022). This study depicts how the amount and type of carbohydrates and fats in one’s diet can affect sleep quality positively or negatively. For example, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats cause improved sleep quality. In addition, diets high in fiber and protein improve sleep quality (Wilson, Katherine, et al., 2022). Just as diet has effect on sleep, sleep has an effect on diet and lifestyle. The amount and quality of sleep one gets can relate to the quality of one’s diet and food cravings. With further research, it is predicted that there will be further findings that will allow us to understand more in-depth the correlation between diet and sleep quality.
In conclusion, when it comes to New Year’s resolutions, it is important to focus on building a better relationship with food and our bodies, rather than solely focusing on weight loss or dieting. By practicing intuitive eating, intentional movement, and prioritizing sleep and mental health, we can set ourselves up for success and achieve our health goals in a sustainable and enjoyable way. Remember, progress is not linear, and it is okay to take steps back, but keep going and be kind to yourself. Let’s start the new year off on the right foot by breaking free from diet culture’s harmful practices and focus on overall health and well-being.
Sources
Carraça, Eliana V., et al. “Weight-Focused Physical Activity Is Associated with Poorer Eating Motivation Quality and Lower Intuitive Eating in Women.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Elsevier, 13 Dec. 2018, https://www.jandonline.org/article/S2212-2672(18)30487-8/fulltext.
Tribole, Evelyn, and Elyse Resch. Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Anti-Diet Approach. St. Martin's Essentials, 2020.
Wilson, Katherine, et al. “Diet Composition and Objectively Assessed Sleep Quality: A Narrative Review.” Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, vol. 122, no. 6, 2022, pp. 1182–1195., https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.01.007.
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