Why you DON’T need to diet after lockdown
Hear what our in-house resident dietitian, Katrina Shepherd has to say about easing ourselves through the lockdown transition.
For some, lockdown has completely thrown a spanner into routine and usual eating patterns. If you’ve found yourself indulging in home baking, or pottering around the pantry a bit more than usual then guess what, you’re not alone and it’s ok.
As we slowly come down the levels of lockdown, I have noticed more brands pushing goods or services to “help” people “get back on track” with their eating. There’s no denying that for some of us we have definitely eaten more than we usually would over the past few weeks. But ask yourself this: six weeks ago, did you have a blue-print ready to go of the exact foods you would and wouldn’t eat during a national lockdown? Did you know exactly how you would feel physically, mentally and emotionally through a global pandemic? Chances are probably not. But for some, this doesn’t stop the food guilt creeping in.
Some people may be toying with the idea of going on a diet coming out of lockdown, which can be fuelled by diet culture (our social conditioning that tells us to restrict food when we are feeling bad about our bodies). Cleanses, detoxes, cutting food groups out, or skipping meals are a few of the obvious dieting techniques, but dieting isn’t always this black and white. In fact, many people mask disordered eating as “personal goals”. So here are some reasons why you don’t need to diet after lockdown.
What you’ve eaten for six weeks will not determine your overall health in years to come. Food-related health is determined by what you eat most of the time, over long periods of time, not during a short window. When you consider New Zealanders live for approximately 4,243 weeks (an average life expectancy of 81.6 years), six weeks is a tiny blip in time. So be kind to yourself.
Normality, structure and routine will return, just give it time. For most of us doing the school drop off, going into the office, and seeing friends all feels like a distant memory. When normality and routine return there’s a good chance normal eating patterns will too. You may go back to having more structured eating times, planned meals, and the daytime temptation of your kitchen will be gone. We’re not saying “you just click your fingers and you’ll eat healthier”, but these little factors can fall into place without you even realising and be helpful.
Diets can be dangerous. Health professionals have shown that dieting can be a vicious cycle. For some, when they restrict food they feel deprived and crave it. This can lead to binge eating, which can lead to enormous amounts of guilt, which then makes people restrict food all over again. Dieting can not only mess up your metabolism, but it can damage your relationship with food and with your body and can leave you in a worse place than where you began.
Instead of looking into post-lockdown diets and beating yourself up, here are some helpful things to consider:
Think about what you can add to your diet rather than cut out. This could be having more veges at lunch or breakfast, adding a piece of fruit at breakfast or drinking more water throughout the day.
Think about delicious ways to eat a variety and balance of foods from the four food groups.
Listen to your tummy. Too often we eat when we aren’t even hungry, like when food is in eye’s view or put in front of us. Tune in to your hunger and ask yourself “am I hungry? Or am I thirsty or bored?”
Eat slowly. It takes around 20 minutes for your stomach to communicate to your brain about whether you are full or not, so chew every mouthful slowly and give yourself time to register how you feel. This may mean resting your knife and fork on the plate between mouthfuls. It sounds simple but it takes practice.
Sometimes food brings comfort in times of high stress or low mood, and that’s ok. However, if this is an on-going habit you would like help with, seek professional advice from a registered dietitian or registered nutritionist.
Finally, just a friendly reminder: You are living through (and surviving) a global pandemic despite enormous amounts of national, and likely personal stress and uncertainty. You should be giving yourself a high-5 for getting through this time, not a slap on the wrist for what you ate. All food can be enjoyed in moderation, so when we come out of lockdown try and enjoy brunch at your local café’, or having a drink with friends and above all, be kind and gentle to yourself.