Specially specifics like oxalate free diet or seed cycling, etc. Not the typical “I stopped eating dairy or sugar”
Followed my dieticians orders…
40%fruits and vegetables/30%lean protein/30 healthy fats. Grains/legumes sparingly.
800 calories of produce is SO much food but it’s been worth it. I sleep better. Wake up feeling refreshed. Plenty of energy. Mental clarity.
Sober October changed a lot about my routines. Denormalizing my alcohol intake allowed me to get better sleep, lose the extra bloat and pounds, helped me make better dietary decisions, and calmed the anxieties of “what I said when I was drunk ” syndrome. I’m able to eat more intuitively without seeing my indulgences on the scale, and better sleep quality = better everything
Simply, more fiber. My old company had a nutritionist that would come in and tell me about research surrounding the “blue zones” and that one of the findings is that their diets consistently contained way more fiber than the processed foods shoved onto the shelves today.
I don’t pretend to be a scientist and know exactly what it does to my body, but I definitely felt fuller longer, ate less empty calories and snacks as a result, and it keeps your gut healthy.
Most noticeable are significant reduction in alcohol consumption, and way more water (2L-1 gallon/day).
Also big fan of magnesium rich foods, it helps me sleep better, which makes everything better.
Committing to a Whole Foods diet, and very minimal processed foods. We live in a world where it’s nearly impossible to entirely avoid processed foods but significantly reducing them makes a big difference.
Idk if it’s nutritional changes but chewing a lot, like A LOT, to the point its just liquid, it really helps me eat a little and with digestion, and a strange side effect is your burps smell like nothing!! It’s a really hard habit to start but I know there’s so many benefits! Please try it and be healthy :)
I stopped buying soda for the home.
Just by saying “you can only have it when you eat out” I fell into a rabbit hole of nutrition and health self improvement that eventually led me to today.
I know you’re looking for some super secret, “just take this one chemical” type panacea, but the truth is overall health isn’t like that. Its a holistic science built upon the idea that a little bit of everything good adds up to more than the sum of its parts. What’s more, it isn’t even really complicated…
Eat.
Not too much.
Mostly vegetables.
Switching to a mostly plant based diet has had huge benefits to my health. A few years ago, I would constantly get denied from donating blood due to low iron, was so shaky my food would fall off my fork, and had to nap for a few hours everyday. I was just exhausted and weak. I ate protein everyday for dinner, mostly beef, chicken, and pork. Did not eat many vegetables at all. Once I switched to leafy greens and beans for the majority of my meals, all of those problems subsided. I frequently donate plasma and am never told my iron is too low. I go months without a nap. I have much steadier hands. I’m not sure how common this is because I know meat-based iron is typically easier to absorb, but not for me.
Eliminating highly oxidative seed oils and processed foods from my diet. I had some markers of inflammation in my blood work (lp-PLA2 and Lipoprotein a) that my doctor could not explain. He insisted it was genetic and wanted to put me on a medication that I’d have to be on the rest of my life.
I politely told him no, and after doing some research of my own, I cut out those oxidative foods, and lowered those numbers by 40% in only 3 months. Also, lost 10 lbs. without even trying to lose weight.
Less dairy and carbs. More veggies.
I love salt and junk food.
Spirulina makes me feel better. BCAA’s make me feel better.
I started drinking HUEL a while ago and I feel great when I use that as a meal replacement.
I will say the most significant impact is consistency. Cheat meals here and there but just be consistent with whatever you devote to. Opinion - vegan / vegetarian / pescatarian makes this consistency super easy. I like salty fatty meats and unless you’re an expert mushroom chef then everything veg is pretty bland. That being said you can train your mind to be content with that and there’s no deficiency because veg diets are incredible. Herbamare makes all the veggies absolutely delicious but it’s more salt than spice so maybe a double edged sword.
Biggest thing that impacts my overall health is exercise. The better cardiovascular shape I’m in the more I can eat whatever I want. You start to become in tune with your body to where you will crave the nutrients you need. Kind of like the feeling you get on a hot day when you start gulping water. Replenishment.
Tl;Dr if you’re not going to stick to a regiment like veganism/Paleo/Adkins/slimfast then just do cardio every day.
Start your day with fresh celery juice, drink 500ml and don’t consume anything for 30min. Light breakfast (avocado, smoked salmon, teaspoon of turmeric with freshly grounded black pepper, white light cheese etc.) Low sodium diet, less sugars, plenty of water. Vegetables. Sober for nearly a year. Feeling brand new. Good luck!
staying away from gums! gellan gum, acacia gum, soy lecithin, xanthan gum…I didn’t realize how much these were affecting my digestion until I cut them out! for background, I struggle with severe IBS-C, and was trying to reduce my laxative use. I found that by staying away from gums that are typically in nut milks/yogurts, breads and processed grains, and even some sauces/dips, I could reduce some of my symptoms.
I eat tons of oxalates! But I have perfectly functioning kidneys. In fact addition of dark leafy greens (spinach, kale, chard), cruciferous vegetables and omega 3s, plus tons of water (some with lemon, good vitamin C), has made the biggest impact.
Gluten free has been a gift. Would never go back to eating that. Weight didn’t rally shift, but body composition definitely did. All the little issues like brain fog, digestive issues disappeared. It’s a total pain. But also completely worth it. Going on 5 years “clean”.
Honestly? Learning self control and that there is a time and place for everything, but nothing in itself is “bad.” Moderation and mindfulness. Drink lots of water and chew your food well. Seriously. Chew your food well. Your tummy will thank you. I switched to eating a lot of veggies instead of calorie dense carbs, I loved it but found my stomach needed time to adjust. I had read that chewing your food well helps digestion, and was surprised that it ended up being key in the transition and helped resolve a lot of gas and bloating I was suffering from.
I have IBS so I struggled with food a lot. I started doing a FODMAP “diet” (which is technically not a diet) it helped me to find out what my body can digest and what it can not digest. After all of that I found out that I can’t eat garlic, onion and sweet potatoes (sadly) but my body feels better than ever. Also reducing alcohol helps me a lot with stomach and digestion issues as well as my mood, sleep und skin.
Eating more plants. Increased my veggies and beans and cut out dairy and eggs (I haven’t eaten meat my adult life). I feel awesome. My carbs come from brown rice and other whole grains. I’ve always ate tofu, and tempeh but now just increased my beans.
Proper Calorie intake through Portion Control. It is less about what we eat and more about how much. I also learned to keep my macros at 45 - Carb ; 35 - Protein ; 20 - Fat. Again not hard to do when eating regular food in appropriate amounts
Sugar. It’s a poison and it’s in everything. It causes so many long and short term health consequences and is not pushed enough. And it’s not about junk… it’s the conversion speed in the blood. People think it’s just about artificial crap but it’s much further. Dried fruits, flour, certain rice, pasta and much more. The other one is caffeine. Also toxic and stimulates the adrenals and then stress hormones. Creates a very toxic body.
Going vegan. In the early days there wasn’t a lot of snack options so I ate a lot of wholefoods and my waist shrunk. My friends noticed my face thinned too, which was good as I was overweight.
In the same vein vegan junk food has had a big effect on me, Making me gain more weight. I became obsessed if I found an ice cream/ cake/ milkshake that was vegan, because I had been deprived of variety for so long. There wasn’t even plant milks in the chilled sections when I first went vegan, and it took a few more years fr vegan cheese to be a thing. I can’t imagine how people before the 2000s did it.
I’m still glad I did though. I eat a thousand times better than when I was non vegan, learnt about nutrition, eat more fibre and drink more water, got into cooking and now eat the rainbow as opposed to my family’s western diet that I was raised on.
For years I was eating a healthy American diet. So no fried food or soda or junk food. I ate lean cuts of grass fed meat, organic chicken, pasture raised eggs, salads, very little salt or sugar, no fast food.
Then one day I decided I was going to be a whole food plant based vegan. Stopped eating meat, fish, dairy, eggs, cheese. Switched to greens, beans, berries, seeds lentils and nuts.
CHANGED MY WHOLE LIFE!!!!
I lost weight, I am able to think more clearly, my food bills dropped, my energy levels increased and best of all my depression and anxiety subsided to the point that WITH MY DOCTORS HELP, we were able to lower my antidepressant dose down to a minimal level. Because of this I am less numb and more present and engaged in my relationships. All of these positive results cascaded in to a closer relationship with my kids/family. Although I am still on medication and occasionally have down days, I am now enjoying where I am at in my life. WFPB has saved my life. Just my story.
Honestly, when I went from being a semi-vegetarian to eating more meat & less grains & legumes, my weight dropped, I gained energy, & libido improved. On top of diet, I also worked out more, got better sleep, & worked on stress, so it’s never just one thing.
No gluten, minimal processed foods/sugars. No red meat, no dairy. Most dinners consist of chicken/salmon and veggies. Upped my water intake, fast when I feel like my digestive system needs a break. I have 10x more energy and sleep so much better. Most notably, I have very little anxiety. I cut out drinking because it spiked my anxiety, I’m a few days off a year sober. Now, when I eat anything that is processed or high in sugar, my anxiety is insane. So it’s in my best interest for my MH to eat the way I do. Your brain lives in your gut etc etc. I’ve also started running & lifting which has boosted a lot of benefits I’ve gained from my diet. I’d say biggest help is no gluten and nothing processed.
I tried really hard to count calories, on and off, for a couple years. Eventually I realized it’s unreasonable for my lifestyle to track calories so militantly. Fortunately, I had spent enough time trying that I decently improved my ability to subconsciously track what I’m eating throughout the day, so ever since I’ve had a much easier time maintaining
Going carnivore my severe IBS-D completely went away I used to have diarreah everyday for years going to the bathroom up to 15 times a day it was horrible my acne also went away and my mental health is so much better
Understanding my macros (Protein, Fat & Carbs) intake. You can google ideal macros by sex/height/weight or make it really easy and use the free version of myfitness pal app. takes all the guessing out of many things like calorie instake, tracking, etc.
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Good luck!
Not eating out. With the exception of the occasional amazing Mexican place called Sonora Grill in Moreno Valley, CA. (Known for their ‘El Chapo’ bacon-wrapped burrito)
& having extremely few fried foods.
Working with a coach and following a nutritional and exercise plan. I had been dieting for most of my life to keep at a certain weight and I developed a lot of unhealthy habits. This program taught me about healthy eating habits as a lifestyle.
Seems too simple, but eating real food and putting together actual meals is key. Remove/limit processed foods—anything unnecessarily boxed, canned or packaged. Start by implementing this rule for one meal a day, or one whole day per week, then increase it once you figure out what works for you.
Eating more probiotic foods helped my health in every aspect. I always had stomach problems and especially once I started making my own kefir, I never had any problems. But other than my stomach, my energy levels and sleep quality increased and my mental health in general got better. I’ve gone a few weeks now not making any kefir and the decline in all those aspects has been obvious
I don’t advocate nutritional macros counting for everyone as it can become all consuming but for me it worked. several years ago I used my fitness pal to really get a handle on my overall intake. Couple that with a slow migration to a high protein diet, drinking coffee, tea or water and strength training. I started in 2012 and haven’t fallen back to the bad habits. Changed my life.
Honestly I choose a balanced diet. I eat meat a few times a week. Savory when I need it. I tried to cook every meal with veggies, and even chop mushrooms up like meat and cook it with the meat (can’t tell a difference but the calories and fat changes a lot). I eat sugar when I want but since I’m hydrated and choose veggies first, I don’t usually want that much sugar.
A liquid iron supplement. I already ate a lot of red meat and a decent amount of greens, but when I started taking that supplement, my energy shot up and my chocolate cravings (I used to binge regularly) fell through the floor. Someone wrote that obesity is just a symptom of chronic mal-nutrition. Since I started taking iron, magnesium, and zinc, my life has changed significantly, as has my weight and over-all well-being.
The roasted chicken with gravy, I buy every sunday night.
Slowly and methodically pulling it to pieces and portioning it out for work lunches for twenty minutes while I watch youtube videos about health have had a major impact on even my desires and consequently my nutrition and health. It helps me connect to food instead of inhaling it, and gives me something satisfying and delicious to structure my daily intake around.
I also switched my gummy candies for frozen grapes about 7 years ago, which led me down the path of just adoring fruit in general.
Switching to lactose-free and low-lactose products. I ate a lot of dairy and had stomach issues, acne, and eczema. My doctor recommended doing an elimination diet to see if I had food sensitivities. I love dairy too much though so I switched to lactose-feee milk, yogurt, and started only eating low-lactose cheeses (Parmesan, Swiss, cheddar, etc). Within about a month of eating like this, I felt and looked better than ever.
Fasting and Calories-in, Calories-out. 18 hours and 800ish kcal/meal was the most impactful and manageable.Also a much better, balanced diet and more walking.
But the fasting was significant for me. Not the only thing, of course.