Four months into the new year, are you still on track to hit the goals you set at the start of 2022? If your New Year's Resolution was to focus on nutrition a dietitian said to focus not just on what you're eating, but when.
"Let's think about limiting our hours in which we're eating. Let's think about eating more fiber, more plants, less hyper-palatable foods, less processed foods," Kristin Kirkpatrick, a Registered Dietitian with Cleveland Clinic, said.
She said to stay away from fad diets because there's no way to stick to them for the long haul. Instead, she recommends intermittent fasting. You only eat during a certain time frame, like between 10 AM and 6 PM, for example.
She also recommends two diet plans:
- The Mediterranean Diet, which includes healthy foods like whole grains, fruits, veggies and seafood.
- The DASH Diet, which is rich in veggies, fruits, whole grains, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, fish, poultry, beans and nuts.
Kirkpatrick also said you can cut back on calories by simply listening to your body.
"Am I hungry right now, or am I looking to feed emotion? Am I just dehydrated? So really taking the time from a mindfulness perspective of 'Am I feeling true hunger?' I'm going to eat until I no longer feel that hunger, which means eating slow, chewing more, taking out distractions, and being able to stop before I feel that feeling of fullness," she said.
Kirkpatrick said don't focus on a timeline for weight loss. Focus on celebrating the milestones along the way. She also said you don't have to cut out all junk food. Instead, make sure to eat healthy 90 percent of the time.
