Experts on how to tackle diet anxiety and make sustainable changes

Instead of dieting, create a healthier relationship with food

While resolutions to eat healthier and exercise more typically earmark the start of a new year, actor Kareena Kapoor decided to flip the script and, instead, posted a photograph of her relishing a buttery croissant - in the caption, she mentioned that, like many others, she had intended to eat healthy on the first Monday of the year, but then succumbed to a craving. In fact, statistics reveal that 25 per cent of individuals who adopt a resolution fail within the first week, and eating healthier continues to be the most popular resolution made globally. And while Kapoor may be one of the few to publicly embrace her falling off the healthy eating wagon, the same isn't always the case for so many others who struggle with feelings of despair, failure, and hopelessness when they can't stay true to their desired healthier palate. These feelings are often collectively termed as diet anxiety, as Luke Coutinho, a holistic lifestyle coach and co-founder of You Care Lifestyle, explains.

Kareena Kapoor posted about breaking her diet to eat a croissant. Pic/Instagram

Lifestyle, not diet

"A more effective approach is to move out of this rigid cycle of diets and, instead, adopt sustainable lifestyle changes. It's also important to be kind with yourself. Ate a pastry? It's okay. Eat and enjoy it with zero guilt and move on. Make your next meal a healthier one. If, during one particular week you indulge in sweets, get on a sugar-free challenge, and detox your body. At the very least, you can make sure to eat one healthy meal a day, with an extra serving of salad and vegetable juice, or by following the circadian rhythm of fasting. Keep a flexible approach, avoid binge eating, and enjoy treats with portion control, mindfulness and gratitude," he advises. He also points out that your choice of words and the relationship you maintain with food make a difference - replacing the word ‘cheat' with ‘reward' can replace the associated negativity with a more positive emotion, since it indicates that you are treating yourself to a well-earned meal.

Luke Coutinho

Similarly, Dr Siddhant Bhargava, a fitness and nutritional scientist and co-founder of Food Darzee, emphasises that it takes more than one month for the body to completely lose all the nutritional progress and gains you've achieved. Therefore, breaking your diet for a few days or weeks will not make any significant impacts on your overall fitness. However, if you are losing your commitment to food as well as your lifestyle in terms of quality sleep, physical activities, and practising mindfulness, the path to recovery will seem like an uphill task, he cautions.

Getting back on track

>>Plan, don't procrastinate: "Don't wait for tomorrow; put your plan into action from the next meal. Plan your meals for the week ahead - doing so will set your intention and make it easier for you to make healthier eating choices, even when you are busy," Dr Bhargava explains.

Dr Siddhant Bhargava

>>Enjoy what you eat: Dieting doesn't work, and it never will. It's a very restrictive approach towards eating, which is bound to make you feel psychologically deprived. Making lifestyle changes instead of following a strict diet can help you to allow yourself to indulge without guilt. Focus instead on improving your relationship with food - never eat food with fear. Remember that your body is capable of breaking down any type of food, provided you do it with happiness and gratitude, Coutinho informs.

>>Get moving: Make an effort to be more active regularly, as it will help you to stay on track as well as have positive effects on your mental health, which could motivate you to keep following your wellness routines, says Dr Bhargava.

>>Make simple changes: Adding a portion of salad to your meals. Switch from refined sugar to natural alternatives such as jaggery, raw honey, dates, and fruit. Ensure your bowels are clean and drink that extra glass of water to assist detoxification. Honour your body's natural appetite and hunger levels. These can make a significant impact on your overall dietary intake, Coutinho says.

>>Be mindful: Make a list of the reasons that triggered you to eat unhealthy foods, says Dr Bhargava. Understanding the motivation for your actions will prevent you from reacting the same way to a stressor, in future.