Typical diets fail because they emphasize the 'don'ts,' so try to focus on the positives - opinion

Rachel is 47 years old. She came into The Wellness Clinic for a consultation to consider working with us. She had become very concerned as her weight had been climbing by about two kilos per year for the last five years, and, in parallel, both her sugar and blood pressure had been creeping up. 

As someone who had never had health issues, this had Rachel worried. Her doctor was quite adamant that if she wasn’t able to control her risk factors through lifestyle changes, including weight loss, he was going to have to start her on medications both for her high blood sugar and high blood pressure – and as a precaution, give her a statin drug against high cholesterol. 

Rachel was clearly frustrated. “What am I doing wrong?” she asked. “I don’t smoke, I cut down on red meat, and I limited my consumption of junk food, and I cut my desserts down.” She insisted that she really considers herself to be a healthy eater. She even takes extra vitamins and supplements. 

While it’s true that Rachel has refrained from certain foods considered poor choices for healthy living, she wasn’t focused on the positive habits and behaviors necessary in order to achieve good health. It isn’t just a matter of abstaining from junk food, cigarettes, and excessive consumption of meat and dairy. It is also essential to take positive actions to improve health and prevent or cure adult diseases.

One of the reasons that typical diets fail is their emphasis on the “don’ts.” It’s about eating less, not eating certain foods, and even eliminating entire food groups. These programs can be quite restrictive, and deprivation and frustration eventually set in. 

These diets are all unsustainable. Sustainability is the number one factor as to whether any food regimen will work for you or not. But what happens when we turn things around and emphasize what we need to do instead of what not to do? The results can be quite amazing!

There is no question that refraining from poor health behaviors is essential to bettering your health, but at best, it is half the equation. 

Proper fuel for our bodies 

In order for our bodies to maintain health over a lifetime, they need to be fed the proper fuel and nutrients. Let’s presume that we take some minimal steps on the “don’t” list, like cutting back on ultra-processed junk foods, cutting back on animal protein, and making soft drinks or any sugar-sweetened beverages rare treats, if at all. So, now that I’ve stopped doing the don’ts, what positive things can I do? Here are the positive steps that you can take to enhance and improve our health and well-being. Add the following foods and drink:• Beans: 2-3 servings a day.

• Berries: at least one serving a day (frozen ones are fine).

• Fruits: 3 servings a day.

• Vegetables: 5-6 servings daily and include at least two servings of cruciferous ones (cauliflower, broccoli, cabbage, green leafy).

• Ground flaxseeds: one tablespoon daily.

• Nuts and seeds (unsalted and unroasted) in limited amounts.

• Use lots of spices, especially turmeric, curry, cumin and black pepper.

• Whole and intact grains: brown rice, oats, quinoa and barley are among the better choices.

• Make water your beverage of choice, and aim for about eight glasses per day.

THE MORE you stick with whole foods and stay plant-based, the better. Diet products are not whole foods. They can leave you unsatisfied, and many of the artificial sweeteners they use have been shown to cause a host of health issues. And know that, although this is counterintuitive, they can even cause weight gain! 

There are other very positive behaviors we can incorporate to bring about better health and quality of life.

• Can you start exercising? Even a daily 30-minute walk brings great benefits. If you have a fitness tracker, you can try to monitor your daily steps. The minimum is 7,500; closer to 10,000 is best (that’s an average of about six to eight kilometers). 

• Add some resistance training a couple of times a week, and the advantage is even more. 

• Can you incorporate better sleep habits? Seven hours of sleep is a minimum; eight is usually better. 

• One last positive behavior to incorporate: Good social integration has been shown to prolong life. So, get together with family and friends as much as possible. 

THERE IS something else that happens automatically when you are concentrating on eating all of the right foods and eating them in abundance: There isn’t much room left for poor choices. This is called “crowding out,” and I am a big fan of it. All of the good foods are full of fiber and contain a lot of water, so you always feel full and satiated. Ask any whole-food plant-based eater – they are rarely hungry. This is opposed to traditional diets where weighing, measuring, and calorie counting are the norm and may result in obsessive behaviors. 

Remember Rachel? She began to focus on positive actions and ended up with a positive result. Her pre-diabetes went away, her blood pressure became normal, she dropped weight, and she avoided all the medications she didn’t want to take. 

At the end of the day, your health, well-being, and longevity will all end up in a better place – and all without being so preoccupied about what not to do. Focusing on the positive aspects of eating, exercise, sleep, and social behaviors will “add hours to your days, days to your years, and years to your lives.”

The writer is a wellness coach and personal trainer with more than 25 years of professional experience. He is a member of the International Council of the True Health Initiative, and of the board of Kosher Plant Based. He is the director of The Wellness Clinic. alan@alanfitness.com