Food reeducation can be an excellent tool for those looking to lose weight. Within nutrition, there are several approaches that can be effective and that will be more efficient according to the reality of each one. That’s why nutrition is unique and individualized! Food reeducation can go beyond what will be present on the plate of each meal.
The act of eating is more than simply nourishing, it is part of the culture. The moments we are sitting at the table or on a birthday are also capable of nourishing us. For this reason, it is very important to be aware of the behavior we are having towards food. Knowing what to eat, when to eat and how to eat is essential and can bring about many changes in health, quality of life and satisfaction.
Here we will talk about what food reeducation is like, the difference between diet and food reeducation. See the content to find out how to implement food reeducation with a shopping list to prepare simple and cheap meals.
WHAT IS FOOD REEDUCATION?
Nutrition education is the act of transmitting knowledge about what and how to eat, in a way that will provide more health and well-being to the individual or group. The action of dietary reeducation generally acts more preventively than therapeutically.
Dietary reeducation also addresses possible barriers that may exist to maintaining a healthy diet, such as financial restrictions, unstable living environments, inadequate family or social support, physical and emotional factors. It is important to always remember that other factors can also affect, such as local culture, behavior, age and current health.
We are living in a period where access to ultra-processed foods, rich in sugar, fat, salt and preservatives, is increasingly accessible. They are tasty and practical for everyday use. We often want to change, but we still like the old eating patterns.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN DIET AND FOOD REEDUCATION?
The word diet comes from the Greek diaita, which means way of life. When placing the term diet within the context of nutrition science, we see that it reports the eating pattern. When we see the impact of the word diet in the social context, we observe the relationship with food deprivation and as an act of sacrifice.
Dietary re-education is already seen favorably, a milder way to improve habits, understand how to have a better diet and lifestyle.
Diets should always be prepared by a nutritionist and individually, since each person is unique, as well as their needs. Food re-education can be done individually or collectively.
Often, during a consultation with the nutritionist, a food re-education is made with the diet or not. It will depend on each case. It is also possible to have only the diet, without food re-education.
DOES FOOD REEDUCATION LOSE WEIGHT?
It depends. In some cases, food re-education can – yes – lose weight. After all, currently, the habit of consuming ultra-processed foods is increasingly common in the population. Industrialized, ultra-processed and processed foods usually have high concentrations of salt, sugar, fat and preservatives, causing inflammation, fluid retention and swelling. When industrialized foods start to disappear from everyday life and fresh foods are more present in meals, it is possible that the body begins to regulate its functions and even lose weight a little.
It is important to know that in order to lose weight, it is essential to spend more energy than is consumed. The energy of food is calculated by calories. The energy spent is individual and must be calculated by the nutritionist.
Maybe you’re wondering how it’s possible to lose weight just with food reeducation. The answer is simple: when we eat natural and whole foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, eggs, milk) instead of ultra-processed foods (sausages, fried foods, sugary drinks, soft drinks, cookies, etc.), we are naturally consuming fewer calories.
In natural foods have a much lower caloric density than ultra-processed foods. In addition, ultra-processed foods are less nutritious, as they do not contain the essential nutrients that our body needs to carry out its vital functions.
HOW TO DO A FOOD RE-EDUCATION?
Food reeducation can be done with the inclusion of foods that are not consumed in your daily life. Building small goals that are possible is a good way to implement new habits. The most important thing is to have discipline and always remember what motivated you to start food reeducation. Even if one day you don’t do as expected, just pick up and move on. It’s like taking a shower or brushing your teeth, we need to do it daily, but if we don’t do it for a day, it doesn’t mean we’re going to “kick the bucket” and give up. Right?
Here are some tips on how to do food reeducation
Increase your fruit consumption per day and aim to consume 3 different types of fruit. But you can start with 1 fruit a day if you don’t consume any.
Do you drink enough water? A good way to increase water consumption is to always have a bottle close by, we are often thirsty, but we neglect the will.
When ordering delivery or fast food, we don’t always get healthy options, with ingredients without chemical additives or high concentrations of sugar or fat. Try to plan the week and meals for the week when you have a free day. Have frozen foods ready in the freezer that you prepared yourself.
Not in the habit of eating salad? Make it a goal to eat at least 1 meal a day of leafy greens. Try different salad dressings you can make at home, like mixing mustard with honey. Sometimes, making a green juice can be more pleasurable! See these recipes from green juice for you to be inspired!
Eating fish weekly is very good for your health, they are very nutritious and rich in omega 3. What do you think about adding fish to your menu for your dietary re-education? It may be one day of the week that you go shopping at the neighborhood fair or the public market in your city, and then you can buy fresh fish. Fish fillet in the oven is a healthy and practical way, as well as being delicious!
Oh, no need to try to implement all these tips at once. Often, we set goals, we fail to meet them and we get frustrated. Doing one at a time, calmly, is more sustainable in the long run. Also writing down how the experience of food reeducation is being can be another legal strategy along the way.
Another way is to improve culinary skills. In general, the population is losing the habit of cooking and outsourcing this function to restaurants or supermarkets. When we begin to learn how food should be prepared, we have autonomy. Thus, we see that we can make foods as delicious as ready-to-eat foods. In addition, it is a healthier and cheaper way to eat.
Nowadays, it is possible to learn several recipes on the internet and on television. Having a day of the week to test a new recipe or going to the home of someone who knows how to cook to learn a little more can be good ways to improve your culinary skills.
08 STEPS TO A HEALTHY AND PROPER DIET
- employing modest amounts of oils, fats, salt, and sugar while seasoning, cooking, and making culinary preparations;
- limit consumption of processed foods;
avoid the consumption of ultra-processed foods; - shopping in places that offer varieties of natural or minimally processed foods;
- develop, exercise and share culinary skills;
plan the use of time to give food the space it deserves;
give preference, when away from home, to places that serve meals made to order or buffet; - be critical of the information, guidelines and messages about food conveyed in commercial advertisements.
