“The goal shouldn’t be perfection but rather a healthy and sensible dietary pattern that allows room for enjoyment,” Kuhnle said.
Right. Because attempts at perfection typically fail. Especially when it comes to diet. Quick and drastic dietary changes often lead to relapses and rebounds - yo yo dieting is a thing, after all - while gradually changing food habits is more likely to result in long-lasting dietary and health improvements.
It’s not about a “magical middle ground”. It’s about understanding how humans act.
When you start with compromises like that, the failure is guaranteed, there is no “attempt”.
Considering the role of food as pleasure, this fear of big changes can backfire because people are addicted to food. It’s easier to succeed if you do a revolution in your kitchen instead of half-assed tiny changes that maintain “temptations”. It’s also much more satisfying to engage in something new, an adventure, and start to make progress in it (to accomplish things); the big change is its own reward, which helps to keep it going because you feel more agency, more capability.
I recently gave up beef, as that is by far the worst meat for climate and pollution. Might work down the list but I think that’s the biggest single step I’ve taken diet wise.
Right. Because attempts at perfection typically fail. Especially when it comes to diet. Quick and drastic dietary changes often lead to relapses and rebounds - yo yo dieting is a thing, after all - while gradually changing food habits is more likely to result in long-lasting dietary and health improvements.
It’s not about a “magical middle ground”. It’s about understanding how humans act.
When you start with compromises like that, the failure is guaranteed, there is no “attempt”.
Considering the role of food as pleasure, this fear of big changes can backfire because people are addicted to food. It’s easier to succeed if you do a revolution in your kitchen instead of half-assed tiny changes that maintain “temptations”. It’s also much more satisfying to engage in something new, an adventure, and start to make progress in it (to accomplish things); the big change is its own reward, which helps to keep it going because you feel more agency, more capability.
I recently gave up beef, as that is by far the worst meat for climate and pollution. Might work down the list but I think that’s the biggest single step I’ve taken diet wise.
Congratulations!