The Continuum Of Foods

Okay so we’ve decided to change our diet. But where the heck do we start? “What should I eat?” It’s a common question most of you may find yourselves asking. Maybe you find yourself asking these questions too:

Are potatoes good or bad?

Can I have pasta?

Do I have to live without bacon?

What’s the perfect meal plan?

There is so much out on the Internet, in magazines, on TV, and what people are saying around you it’s no wonder these questions come up.

I’m not here to give you a list of “off limit” foods, “super foods” or the perfect meal plan. Instead I’d like you to think of foods on a continuum where on one end of the continuum you have foods that you eat less often, in the middle you have foods that you sometimes eat and on the other end you have foods that you eat most often. Like a spectrum of food quality.

The eat most often foods are whole foods such as:

- Fruits and veggies

- Meat and eggs

- Fish and shellfish

- Nuts and seeds

- Quinoa, rice, and barley

- Potatoes

- Beans and lentils...etc.

Basically the less processed the food is the better it is for you. Eat foods that are in their most natural form most often

The eat less often foods would be more processed foods such as:

- Chips

- Candy

- Kraft Dinner and other boxed meals

- Muffins and other pastries

- Cereal bars, granola bars and protein bars

- Soda and fruit juices

- Butter

- Bacon and sausage...etc.

This approach promotes progress not perfection. All you need to do is think about what you’re already eating and ask yourself how you can make that meal a little bit better.

It doesn’t matter where you are on the spectrum with your foods choices, its just a matter of making small changes to what you are already doing.

When you try to be a little bit better you are not practicing perfectionism you are practicing gradual change. This will make change to your current diet easier and less stressful.

For example: For breakfast, instead of having white bread I’m going to use whole grain bread. Rather than changing my whole breakfast all together, I’m just making a small tweak to it to make it a little bit better.

Today, try to think about what you plan on having for your next meal and how you can make that meal a little bit better by choosing foods from the eat more side of the spectrum.

References/Learn more: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/what-should-i-eat-infographic