Most of us have heard the expression “You’re not seeing the forest for the trees.” If you haven’t, it means you’re getting too focused on the details that you fail to see the bigger picture. You may be missing the overall message. This concept can be applied to many things, including your diet.
When I work with people to improve their health and quality of life through diet, I often notice people will get caught up in smaller things that can derail their progress. Some examples of this are:
Many people tell me they messed up their diet because they ate too much when they ate out for dinner over the weekend or had a work event that had unhealthy food offerings. They feel like they failed because 1-2 of their meals during a week were not ideal. I tell them you have an average of 21 meals per week (3 meals per day times 7 days per week). If you eat a less healthful meal 1-2 times in a given week, but your other meals are healthy and part of your plan, you are still meeting your goals 90-95% of the time. They were focusing on the 5-10% they did “wrong” and not the 90-95% of the time they were on point. Because people often focus on the 5-10% they did “wrong” they often engage in negative self-talk and feelings of failure – this can lead to giving up. In this example, not seeing the forest for the trees can mean we are focusing on the negative and not the greater positive aspects of our diet.
Another example is feeling bad because they add a little sugar (1 packet or 1 tsp) and a small amount of cream to their coffee each morning. I ask them how many cups of coffee they have each day. If they only have 1 maybe 2 cups per day, is the sugar and splash of cream they’re adding to their coffee really a big deal? Probably not. You want to look at their diet as a whole – how much sugar, fat, and other less healthful foods do they take in consistently? If their diet is generally healthy and otherwise not high in fat or added sugars, the little bit of sugar and cream in their morning coffee probably isn’t making that much of a difference. Again, looking at the bigger picture.
I encourage people to look at what they are doing (or not doing) consistently. Your diet does not need to be perfect, but it does need to be consistent. Being consistent in your healthy food choices makes for a healthy diet overall. I encourage people to look at the “bigger picture” to determine what aspects of their diet they are ready to change and could be modified to give them the most impact. For example, if you eat fried, greasy foods at most of your meals, you may be eating too much fat, which can lead to health issues. You could decrease the frequency at which you eat fried foods and decrease the portion size. Maybe limit fried foods to twice a week and get a small or medium-sized portion. Or swap out the fried foods for baked or grilled options for a more healthful approach.
No one eats a perfect diet all the time, and that’s okay. Eating isn’t about being “right” or “wrong,” or labeling foods as “good” or “bad.” Instead, focus on the bigger picture—consider how much and how often you consume certain foods. If you occasionally eat less healthy foods in small portions, it’s unlikely to have a significant impact. However, if you eat those foods in large amounts or frequently, they will likely have a greater effect on your health. As long as most of your diet is nutritious, that’s usually enough to support good health.