Do you make New Year's resolutions?

I like to make a few. I think the new year is a great way to get a fresh start and really hold yourself accountable for implementing better practices in your life.

One thing you won't see on my list is weight loss and I wanted to tell you why it shouldn't be on your list either! 

Some might be shocked by that statement, but I think this whole culture of “how small can we get out waists” is very unhealthy in itself.

There are so many diets out there that claim to help you lose weight in X amount of time, but what is that really doing to your health long term?

I’m not saying you shouldn’t want to lose weight, but at what cost?

New “fad diets” pop up all the time, like Keto, Paleo, Whole 30, but if you actually look at them they are all basically the same diet.

It’s the low carb, Atkins diet repackaged again and again.

Yes, one can lose weight on those diets, but what people don’t think about are the effects on the rest of their health like your cholesterol, hormones or blood pressure.

A diet high in saturated fat (which increases the risk of the #1 killer, heart disease) and that cuts out healthy foods like fruits, grains and legumes, is not something I want to be doing.

You also have to ask yourself, is this diet sustainable for life? If you’ve ever done a low carb diet you probably know how hard it is to stick to it because our bodies need more nutrients and carbohydrates for energy.

There’s only been one “diet” that’s been shown to not only aid in weight-loss but have positive effects on your overall health including reversing heart disease, diabetes and lowering risks of cancer and strokes.

That is a whole foods, plant-based diet. Mother Nature put those foods on this earth for a reason.

When you focus on eating nourishing, plant-based foods, the weight-loss will come.  This has also been the only diet that can be sustainable and actually made a lifestyle.

I did those low carb, Atkins type diets and I could never sustain them.

I’ve been eating plant-based for almost 5 years now and I know I will be eating this way for the rest of my life.

Weight loss always used to be at the front of my mind until I finally learned the true meaning of health.

It’s so sad that our culture, and sometimes even the people close to us, can push us to be “thinner”, but what people should be pushing is eating more nourishing foods that aren’t made in a lab.

We shouldn’t be watching the scale every single day and counting calories.

We should be counting how many fruits and vegetables we eat each day.

It wasn’t until I got pregnant with my son that calories (good or bad) finally went out of my head. I wanted to be healthy inside and out for my baby.

I wasn’t going to be afraid of eating nourishing foods because I might have gone over the caloric intake for the day.

Even after I gave birth to my son, I wasn’t thinking about weight loss.

I was thinking about how to keep my milk supply up and make it the most nourishing milk he could have, which meant eating lots of plant-based foods.

And you know what, the weight just came off on it’s own. I lost all my baby weight (60 pounds!) within the first year without ever limiting plant-based foods, and my only exercise included walks with my son and some light yoga.

So, I am asking anyone who might be wanting to lose weight, or anyone stressing over calories, to instead make your goal to nourish your body as best as you can.

There’s an app called the Daily Dozen, which helps you track the 12 most nourishing, plant-based foods that we should be eating every single day.

Just FYI – I was not paid to talk about this app. I think it’s a great resource for anyone new to this way of eating, or anyone just needing more guidance.

Restricting the amount of healthy food we eat, by definition, is not healthy. You might not have high cholesterol, hormone imbalance or high blood pressure right now, but eating a whole foods, plant-based diet will make sure you don’t have it in the future either.

Our bodies need plant-based foods to help nourish, heal and keep our bodies healthy. I treat it as my healthcare and my preventative medicine.

One of my favorite doctors said, “we should eat fruits and vegetables like our life depends on it, because our life actually does depend on it.’

Please share this with someone who could use it. I'd love to hear your thoughts and goals below.