People are Not Failing Diets, Diets are Failing People. Food Freedom.

Source: rocket50

By:  Nicole Radmacher rocket50 Contributer

Date:   March 29, 2023

People are not failing diets, diets fail people.

A good health & nutrition program with one big goal: FOOD FREEDOM:

Are you eating healthy but never seem to have enough energy?

Does this sound familiar? If you’re over 50, you might think that this is just the way it is.

It’s not supposed to be this way and here are a few things to look out for:

• Are you sufficiently hydrated? We need at least 6 - 8 big glasses of water a day. Without proper hydration, your body (and brain) cannot function properly and you will lack energy.
• Are you eating hidden sugar in your breakfast or snacks? Learn how to read the labels of the food you are buying - sugar is hidden in 70% of processed food under a lot of different names. Cereals, yoghurts, crackers are normally full of sugar, causing a spike in blood sugar which afterwards leaves you feeling tired and depleted.
• Are you getting enough nutrients, in particular leafy greens? A green smoothie is a great hack (and timesaver) to get your greens in already in the morning.

How to avoid the yo-yo effect

When we are older, many of us have tried all kinds of different diets without lasting effects and always end up putting at least part of the weight back on.

People are not failing diets, diets fail people. It simply can't work... Using willpower to restrict your intake of calories for a certain time only gives temporary results.

A good health & nutrition program with one big goal: FOOD FREEDOM:

• Observing and learning why you are craving certain foods (there are six types of human hunger, and many times it's emotional hunger)
• Becoming aware of your internal dialogue around food ("you've had such a hard day, let's have a bucket of ice cream")
• Getting enough healthy nutrients so that your body has everything it needs to function properly, so it does not constantly give hunger signals
• Taking a break from the non-functional foods that send us on a blood sugar roller coaster and fuel our cravings
• Choosing consciously what you eat and observing how it makes you feel

Once you have made a first few steps and experience how amazing your body feels (and starts to look) when you eat healthy, you are becoming someone who is eating healthy without using willpower for lasting results as part of a new lifestyle. 

How to include more vegetables into your daily life 

It’s no secret that vegetables are good for us and we should eat more of them if we want to lead a long, healthy life. 

Here’ are a few ideas on where to start: 

• Green Smoothie – this is the best tip of all, which allows you to get a huge amount of nutrients in a very condensed form and it takes only a few minutes to prepare. Get yourself a blender, search online for some recipes and make it part of your morning routine!
• Extra Salad – whenever you order food in a restaurant or prepare lunch/dinner at home, add a bowl of salad. If you are in a hurry, just take green leaves, toss with some olive oil and add some pumpkin/sunflower seeds on top for extra nutrients.
• Veggie Sticks – always have some cut veggies in a container in your fridge and take them with you to work, on travel, etc. You can take any vegetable you like. Good options are carrot, cucumber, celery, kohlrabi (German turnip).
• Buddha Bowl – learn how to make a quick bowl with different veggies you have in the fridge and always have a homemade (sugarfree) dressing prepared. Be careful with readymade dressings, they often have lots of added sugar. 
• Stir Fry – one of the fastest and easiest way to have a healthy meal, with or without meat and with any vegetables you like. There are thousands of recipes you can find online, just pick one and try it tonight!

3 ways to keep a healthy lifestyle when traveling

If you are traveling a lot for work, you might find it challenging to stick to healthy routines. Here’s the best 3 tips for anyone who wants to stick to a healthy lifestyle when you’re not at home. 

• Whenever you can, skip the taxi or subway and simply walk. Look at the step count on your phone. You will be surprised. If you have a busy schedule, at least skip the escalators in the airport.
• When looking for healthy food options, go to Google maps and type in "healthy food". In most places, it will show you a list of good options and you can look at the reviews. If you like a place, save it on Google maps so you can find it easily next time you visit.  
• Wherever you go on the plane, take water with you and travel with a refillable water bottle. Keeping yourself hydrated is always super important, and when you travel, even more! In many cities, there are stations where you can refill your water bottles for free.

Why “everything in moderation is good for us” is a myth

... and it can make a huge difference to your longevity and health span. 

Through hundreds of thousands of years of evolution, our bodies have developed a need for certain nutrients  - these are absolutely essential and we need to have them on a very regular basis. 

We get these nutrients from

• Vegetables
• Fruits
• High quality animal or plant proteins 
• Healthy fats
• Water
   

We should eat them in large quantities, not in moderation... and the magic is that you can eat as much as you want and stay at your ideal weight. 

Then, of course, they are foods that our body doesn't really know how to digest or that will lead to some detox processes, so we should have them in small quantities and just occasionally (examples are sugar, grains and alcohol). The thing is, you should not consume these food (sugar and grains) in moderation every day, since your body needs to work extra hard every day to deal with them. It's a lot better to have half a bottle of wine on a Saturday night out than a glass every evening. 

Give your body what it needs every day and give it regularly a rest from things it needs to work hard to process. 

And here's the best part: when your body gets all the nutrients it needs on a regular basis, it is a lot more forgiving and can process non-ideal foods a lot more efficiently. 

Over time, you will feel an enormous difference in your energy levels, weight, sleep quality and overall health, so it will become something you will want to do and no longer feel deprived of the not-so-healthy but yummy foods.

Get started today and feel the difference!

Nicole Rademacher is our rocket50 nutrition & wellbeing expert,  specializing in how people 50+ can stay healthy and fit for the rest of their lives.  She is a certified WILDFIT coach and lives in Mallorca, Spain

rocket50's mission is to empower people 50 and older to harness their potential and become the best versions of themselves in their 50s, 60s, 70s and beyond. We are committed to create shared experiences and share proven tools that empower you to design a better, more enjoyable life in all its facets. We want to make you feel confident with who you are, encourage you every step of the way, and have fun as we learn and grow together.