Nutrition
What you include in your diet is as important as what you exclude.
Spectrum of Choices
Foods are neither good nor bad, but some are more healthful for you than others. You have a spectrum of choices.
Based on the latest science, while recognizing the limitations of research, I have categorized foods into a spectrum ranging from the most healthful (Group 1) to the least healthful (Group 5).
I started to say "most indulgent" to describe Group 5, but that's part of the problem. Whether or not a food is healthful is not the primary determinant of how good it tastes. How fresh are the ingredients? Where was it grown? Local? Organic? How processed is it? How skillfully was it prepared?
You can make Group 1 and Group 2 foods that are good for you and also taste great and feel indulgent. Conversely, you can make Group 5 foods unappealing if they're not well-prepared.
What matters most is your overall way of eating. I am not saying that you should never consume foods from Group 5 (unless you have a serious health condition). If you indulge yourself one day by eating foods from Group 4 or 5, spend a little more time in Groups 1 and 2 the next day.
If you get on a diet, chances are you'll get off a diet. Sooner or later. For most people, being on a diet—any diet—is not sustainable.
Even the word "diet" conjures up feeling restricted, deprived, controlled—all the manipulative, fascist feelings that are not sustainable.
In contrast, the Spectrum approach is all about freedom and choice. There is no diet to get on and no diet to get off. Nothing is forbidden. No "Thou Shalt Not's," no "You Better!" No guilt, no shame; no right, no wrong.
The Spectrum is based on love, not willpower. It's about feeling good, not just avoiding feeling bad. Joy of living, not fear of dying. Losing weight and gaining health. What's sustainable is pleasure, feeling good, and freedom of choice.
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