Beginning a real food diet does not have to be that difficult. Success lies in finding an approach that works for you. It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to work.

See The Big Picture

I’d advise you not to think about your diet as a temporary effort, or as a strategy to stick to inflexibly for a few weeks. Instead, see it as a progression in which you continually endeavor to improve your food choices.

If you make a “mistake” - and eat something that makes you feel guilty — move on! Know that you’ve just been given an opportunity to identify something that doesn’t work for you - and to find a way to handle it better next time. That’s all. That said, here are some ideas to help you succeed.

Real Fats and Protein Help

No matter what we do, we are designed to have a passion for foods that are high in sugar and fat - and to avoid starving ourselves. It’s an automatic survival mechanism, and it makes it really really hard to stick with many typical diets. The wonderful thing about eating a real food diet is that starving yourself just isn’t necessary. You simply need to concentrate on eating good real food.

Swapping the usual low fat diet foods for more real foods that have healthy fats and protein can really help. Foods like grass-fed beef, raw dairy, and pastured eggs will help you stay satisfied and well-nourished.

Once I changed my everyday breakfast from cereal and soy milk to scrambled eggs, I noticed a big change. I felt good and energetic throughout the day, plus the mid-morning blahs and sugar cravings went away — and I lost some body fat. And my cholesterol is excellent, but that’s a story for another time.

Focus on Paying Attention

A classic piece of dieting wisdom is to pay attention as you eat — especially being mindful of when you start to feel full. As you follow a real food diet, you may be eating foods with more fat and protein than you’re accustomed to. These foods will satisfy you much more easily than low-fat or high carbohydrate foods. Concentrate on trying to notice when you have had enough, and your serving sizes will adjust on their own.

Even though the typical diet advice is to not go back for seconds, I can’t recommend that. For me, it just encourages loading up my plate with a lot more than I really want or need, and feeling like I need to finish all of it. I think it’s a better idea to start with a tiny serving and return as often as you need to. Just make a point of going slow, and notice how satisfied you feel between servings.

You Will Overcome Cravings

Don’t get too concerned about cravings when you are getting started with a real food diet. Struggling against them will just make you miserable. Keep the idea of continuous improvement in mind, but give in here and there. As your diet gets better, cravings will ease up and will become less troublesome for you. Should you not find this happening within a few weeks, it’s time to revisit your diet and try some different things. Be certain that you’re getting enough good fats and protein, and keep working on reducing the sugar you take in.

Also — and this is important (at least for me) — make sure that you always have something that you can indulge in. Find one thing that you truly love (in moderation!), and invest in a good real food version of it. My indulgence is good ice cream, and I can say that it works like a charm in keeping me content and satisfied while I go about my diet.

Keep In Mind That It’s Worth The Effort

Finally - don’t forget that you deserve to eat well. I won’t lie - it does take some additional work to seek out and prepare healthy real foods. With practice, it will get faster and easier - but for now, remember that you are absolutely worth it!

Get the facts on real food diet plans. Go to www.real-food-diet.com to get smart advice on real food diets and which one is right for you.

Tags: Nutrition

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