"It is easier to change a man's religion than to change his diet."
― Margaret Mead
Mead was considered one of the most prominent intellectuals of her time. She spoke on many culture issues and yet decades later it is still easier to change a persons religion over their diet. Why do you think that is?
Perhaps it is the negative connotation surrounding the word #diet, or just that eating less and exercising more just isn't the key.
Is diet just about reducing calories so you can lose weight? When I was a kid I used to think people would diet because they were "FAT", thats such an ugly word to use by the way. My grandmother would chew a piece of pizza up and spit it in the trash so she could get the flavor without all the calories. She hasn't been able to get that super model body she was working toward in the 50 years she's been on a diet, but she is as cute as can be and probably healthier than the majority of my friends. So maybe being conscious about what we put in our bodies is important, but that doesn't mean that we have to feel all the negative associated with the term #diet.
What I think is most effective is #lifestyle changes, and those changes need to be geared toward your health goals. We all have a different goal in mind. For the diabetic it may be about lifestyle changes that help to reduce blood sugar so they don't suffer from the complications of diabetes. For the person suffering from GI issues, changing what they eat can be a game changer in how they feel.
I had a patient once who came to me for chronic fatigue, joint pain, weight gain, diarrhea, and she had a rash on her skin. She had seen dermatology, rheumatology, primary care. No matter who she saw or what she tried, nothing helped her get better. So of course she focused this appointment on the one thing most women do, "help me lose the weight".
Traditionally trained providers would see each as a separate problem, but when I listened to her my functional medicine brain kicked in. I instantly thought we have to start with lifestyle changes related to her GUT health.
What did that entail?? We did an elimination of foods to find out what was causing her problem and after 3 weeks, EVERY problem that she had come to me for was better. She was even losing weight. Her primary care even wanted to know my approach to making the patient feel so much better.
These are the patients Desire Wellness Group was created for.