Breaking the habit

Definition: Habit
a settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up

Does that sound all too familiar? It’s a fact us humans don’t do well when it comes to change. A November 2010 study shows that people have a very reliable and tangible preference for things that have been around longer. Unconsciously we all believe that longevity = goodness.

Do you resist change?

But it’s not impossible to overcome change. For starters, for a change to take place you need to realise first and fore most that a change is needed. According to a Harvest Business Review, Ten reasons people resist change are:

1. Loss of control
2. Excess uncertainty
3. Surprise, Surprise
4. Everything seems different
5. Loss of face
6. Concerns about competence
7. More work
8. Ripple effects
9. Past resentments
10. Sometimes the threat is real

When it comes to changing your diet, which reason concerns you the most? Loss of control? More work? Ripple effects? If you adopt a more plant-based lifestyle diet will you never be able to eat bacon and eggs again? We can’t answer that, it’s certainly not a crime if you choose too but will you want too? Only time will tell.

Are you up for the challenge?

Changing up your diet can be a real challenge; we are not going to agave coat this one. Sometimes you feel worse before you feel better but don’t let that deter you from making changes that will benefit you for a lifetime.

The sun doesn’t shine each and every day but when it does, boy do you feel good. We want you to start feeling this way when it comes to how you eat. When adopting a more plant-based diet, a wholefood real diet you are likely to cut from your daily menu:

• Caffeine
• Refined sugar
• Processed foods
• Deep fried foods
• Fast food
• Soft drinks and fruit juices

With the removal of these foods from your diet, you might experiences some changes to your body; you may feel fatigue, nausea, experience diarrhea or a tendency to visit the loo more often as toxins are expelled from your body. You might have the odd headache or two, which is a way of our body coping with caffeine and refined sugar withdrawals. These are short-term discomforts that are experienced in the quest to help recalibrate your body for it to be ready to release untapped energy from nutrient dense foods as opposed to over stimulated foods.

30 days to make a habit

They say it takes 30 days to make a habit and one day to break it. When breaking the habit, stick to your lifestyle diet change for 30 days and notice how you feel and what your body does. This is all part of being more mindful when it comes to making dietary changes.

A good way to keep track of how you feel when you make changes to your diet is to keep a journal. It can be as detailed as you wish it to be but its important to note what you are eating, how much you are eating and how each meal makes you feel.

A few tips to help break the habit:

• Read the ingredient label of everything you buy
• Buy foods without an ingredient label, fruit, vegetables, grains, and oats
• Prepare simple foods at home; salads, pasta, wraps, sandwiches
• Spend more time prepping; cook rice, quinoa, stir-fry vegetables
• Always go for the whole-grain option
• Shop at your local farmer’s market
• And remember in the words of Michael Pollan, “Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself”

Vegan diet plan

Should you need guidance in changing less than ideal habits to ones that are health and energy giving then Tarian Pantry would love to help you out. We love talking food. Visit us at Tarian Pantry.

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