Consistency Not Perfection
How does true change occur? Real progress isn’t achieved by behaving perfectly.
Lasting change comes from small actions performed consistently
over long periods of time.
So, when eating a whole food, plant-centered diet, does it matter if we occasionally have a pastry or a cocktail or a dessert when dining out? I don’t believe it does. What is truly important is adopting a healthy plant-heavy eating style that is sustainable, flexible, and can be easily returned to after a moment of indulgence without guilt or restriction. What matters is not the things we occasionally do “wrong” but the things that we do “right” day in and day out.
If we put whole foods at the center of our plates for the vast majority of all our meals, for weeks, and months, and eventually years, we will flood our bodies with nutrients, optimize our gut microbiomes, lower our cholesterol and blood pressure, and reduce our risk for heart disease, diabetes, neurodegenerative disorders, cancer, depression, and dementia. The occasional little indulgences will become meaningless against the daily onslaught of nutrients and plant-based fiber that will be the cornerstone of our eating.
We don’t need to be perfect to be healthy.
Plus, perfectionism does us no favors. Needing things to be done perfectly or not at all discourages us from starting new things, it derails our progress, and it dampens our joy when we do accomplish our goals. That’s why I don’t worry about the small “imperfections” in my diet. I consistently eat primarily whole plant foods, and I’m not concerned if there is a little sugar in a sauce, or oil in my food when I eat out, or if I eat an occasional celebration meal on holidays. Even with these “imperfections,” I have still made tremendous health gains because I have repeated a small action (eating plants) consistently over an extended period of time.
So, I encourage you to drop the perfectionistic all-or-nothing thinking. You don’t need to be “on a diet” or “strictly carb free” or even “being good.” Maybe you could simply fill your plate with real whole plant foods most of the time?
Shoot for consistency not perfection.
Be gentle with your sweet fabulous selves!
🌱💕