Beyond Diets: How Modern Life Changed the Way We Eat

From Ideal to Real: The Gap We Don’t Talk About

When I first began practicing as a nutritionist, I believed the formula to good health was simple:

Eat right. Move regularly. Sleep well

That’s what I was taught through college, trainings, and internships. These three pillars seemed like the golden rule to a healthy life.

But then I started working with real people.

People who knew this formula—yet weren’t following it.

That’s when the questions began:

If they know what’s good for them, why aren’t they doing it?

Don’t they want to be healthy?

And the answer hit me hard: What sounds simple on paper doesn’t always translate into real life.

Because real life is messy. It’s full of responsibilities, distractions, emotions, and past conditioning & in real life, most of us aren’t just struggling with food or fitness—we're struggling with how we live each day.

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Real Life Is Messy—And That’s Okay

We all want a “good life.”But what we often forget is that life is made of days, and those days are made of moments.

Moments are shaped by our actions, thoughts, mindset, and behaviours—consciously or unconsciously chosen.

Every habit we have today is a reflection of:

• Past experiences

• Coping mechanisms we’ve adapted

• Mindsets we’ve inherited or created

Every choice you make in life—what you eat, how you think, how you spend time—is influenced by more than willpower or information.

And every choice has a consequence which comes with a ripple effect.

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The Modern Reality

Let’s pause and reflect on the world we live in today:

• High-stress jobs & hustle culture

• Fast fashion & quick gratification

• Discount dopamine & food delivery apps

• The pressure of curated “perfect” lives on social media

• Constant comparison, never feeling “enough”

• Scrolling, rushing, escaping—but not feeling or listening

  
  

All this contributes to a shift in how we relate to food, health, and ourselves.

We seek convenience over connection.We chase shortcuts instead of sustainability.

We become rigid with our food rules, or swing to the other extreme—overindulgence.

We stop trusting our bodies and start outsourcing our well-being to trends, trackers, and “what she’s eating.”

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A Simple Example, A Bigger Pattern

Take something as small as scrolling through online shopping apps. Adding things to your cart… but never actually buying them.Sounds harmless, right?

But often, this micro-behaviour is your brain’s way of seeking relief. Dopamine. Distraction. Escape.

It mirrors in other areas—like:

• Obsessing over body image

• Compulsively thinking about food

• Binge eating or constant cravings

  
  

These aren’t isolated issues. They’re connected by the same thread

An inability to sit with discomfort. A lack of presence. An overreliance on escape.

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So, What Do We Really Need?

The truth is—food, movement, and sleep alone are not enough anymore.They are essential, but not complete.

You need more. You need depth. Awareness. Healing. Mindfulness.

You need to:

• Understand the why behind your habits

• Honour your mind-body connection

• Unlearn patterns that no longer serve you

• Create space for real change—not overnight, but over time

  
  

Because everything in your life is circling back to your health—

Not just what’s on your plate, but what’s on your mind

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