Because our beliefs impact our choices more than almost anything, we want to explore mindset shifts for weight loss and better health. If you are struggling to reach your health goals or even to get started, it may not be your choices but rather your beliefs that need some attention. In this article, we explain why and more importantly how you can start to shift your mindset for more wins.
Your mind is powerful and your mindset – a set of beliefs, not truths – an incredible force. Whether they are your partners in your better health efforts or work against you depends on what your mindset is made of today.
What is a better not perfect mindset for weight health?
A better not perfect (BNP) mindset is one where your beliefs are open to you discovering the actual choices that work better for your body today. It is a mindset that recognizes you may have thought certain things to be true or that they even were true historically but that doesn’t mean they will be true today or tomorrow. Cultivate it and it can become the key to navigating the highs and lows of your health journey. Research acknowledges the positive influence of an open mindset or resilient perspective on physical and psychological health1.
How does a better mindset support better nutrition?
Cultivating a better mindset will positively affect your nutrition. Once you shift your mindset to one where you have choices and evaluate (what we call experimenting) your choices to see how they impact your body, you can use that data to build a successful plan. This will help you be successful and not experience viewing yourself as a failure which may have happened in the past.
In the past, your mindset may have held beliefs that others have shared about you or that you’ve observed or emotionally experienced. Acknowledging these as in your past but not helpful for your future will help you to make better choices and experience better results.
How does better nutrition support a better mindset?
Think of it like this: it can be hard to have a better mindset when your blood sugar is crashing or if you are constipated or bloated. Fluctuations in blood sugar levels throughout the day can lead to mood swings, irritability, and fatigue making it pretty hard to see things in a more balanced or even possible light, right? Here are some better nutrition suggestions to prep your physical body to support a better mindset:
- Blood Sugar
Prioritize foods that don’t spike your blood sugar, especially in the morning, by consuming balanced meals that include proteins, healthy fats, and complex carbs with a low glycemic index. Again, every system is different. Therefore, we highly recommend experimenting with wearing a continuous glucose monitor (CGM) to understand better which food choices may be dysregulating your blood sugar levels. It is also important to maintain a regular eating schedule; restricted eating throughout the day will make your blood sugar levels drop too low, and once you do eat, they will spike sharply and then crash back down later, creating a cycle of highs and lows.
- Brain Health
Let’s not forget about brain health! By prioritizing nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids (fatty fish, flaxseed, walnuts), B vitamins (whole grains, leafy greens, eggs), and antioxidants (colorful fruits and vegetables), you would be doing your brain a great service2. These nutrients are crucial for your brain’s function and health because they support the production of neurotransmitters, reduce inflammation, and protect cells, among many other benefits3.
- Gut Health
Happy gut, happy mind? Better nutrition is a pathway to a better gut. With everything we now know about the gut-brain connection, keeping a happy gut is key to keeping a happy brain. Maintaining a balanced microbiome can positively impact your mood and cognition. How do you ask? Let’s bring serotonin into the conversation. Serotonin, known to support better mood, acts as a messenger in the body. A better gut microbiome can promote serotonin production, while an unbalanced gut health has been linked to anxiety and depression4. Better strategies to adopt would be to enrich your diet with prebiotic and probiotic foods. Try adding a variety of fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and fiber-rich foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. And, of course, keep drinking plenty of water to help with digestion.
- Magnesium
Not only can nutrition help better your mood, but certain foods can even have anti-stress and anxiety effects. Take magnesium, for example. It has amazing calming effects5! Focus on magnesium-rich foods like nuts, seeds, spinach, and dark chocolate. On the other hand, coffee and sugar can exacerbate feelings of anxiety5. You can always swap caffeine and sugary foods before bedtime with herbal teas.
If you are interested in ways to work on shifting your mindset to create a BNP mindset we would love to help you. Our resource library includes a tool that walks you through experiments to evaluate your current mindset and choices to practice to cultivate a BNP one. All of our memberships include this resource. Chat with us to learn more.
References
- Parsamanesh P, Vysochyn M. A Psychological Exploration of the Power of Our Mindset and Its Influence on Physiological Health. Cureus. 2024;16(1):e52505. Published 2024 Jan 18. doi:10.7759/cureus.52505
- https://www.health.harvard.edu/healthbeat/foods-linked-to-better-brainpower
- https://www.nm.org/healthbeat/healthy-tips/nutrition/best-food-for-a-healthy-brain
- https://news.llu.edu/health-wellness/turns-out-your-gut-feelings-are-real-how-gut-and-mental-health-are-connected#:~:text=The%20gut%20microbiota%20produces%20and,mood%2C%20sleep%2C%20and%20appetite.
- https://www.healthdirect.gov.au/blog/can-magnesium-help-to-reduce-anxiety#:~:text=Magnesium%20may%20help%20to%20control,response%20system%20and%20cortisol%20levels.
