The Addition Mindset
Diets don't work because they don't fit into normal life. They create anxiety around going out to eat, being with friends, feeling like you have to be perfect to see results. The balanced plate method is the ideal way of eating but it's not practical all the time. We have lives to live. That's where the addition mindset comes in.
We tend to view food as good or bad. Once something is labeled bad, we feel like we can't have it so we restrict it, limit it, and avoid it. That's exactly what society taught us to do and the labels keep changing. One day oat milk is bad. Another day it's smoothies. What's next?
I want you to throw all of that out the window.
Instead I want you thinking: what can I add to this meal to make it more balanced, nourishing, and filling? We're looking for two things: being full and being satisfied. You could eat salads for breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day for the rest of your life and be physically full. But would you be satisfied? Absolutely not! I want you to have the foods you actually crave and want, and just add to them to make the meal more balanced.
Let's walk through an example. Say tonight we're making turkey burgers. Turkey is your protein, the bun is your carb, and let's say we're craving sweet potato fries too that’s another carb. What can we do to balance this out?
If the first thought is to take away the bun or don’t eat the fries, that’s restriction coming out telling you can’t have both!
The balanced plate method is built around color, carbs, protein, healthy fats, and water. We already have the carbs and protein covered. We're missing color, healthy fats, and water. So for color we could add lettuce, tomato, and onion to the burger, mix peppers and onions into the meat before cooking, pair it with a side salad, or make some carrot fries to mix in with the sweet potato fries, or do it all. For healthy fats, avocado on the burger works great. Add a glass of water and you've got a more balanced meal. There are also simple swaps depending on what you have like a whole grain bun instead of a white bun for more fiber and protein. It's about looking at what's already there and asking what you can add.
Will it be perfect? No. But we're not aiming for perfection. We're aiming for mindfulness and hitting the balanced plate method the majority of the time.
The addition mindset is easiest to practice at restaurants where most are already good about offering carbs and protein, and you can usually add a side salad or some broccoli.
But I'll be honest with you… You won't have full control all the time.
Say you go to a kid's birthday party. Pizza, ice cream, birthday cake. No vegetable in sight. No fruit. Maybe not even water. If you're hungry, I want you to have the pizza, the ice cream, the cake, in moderation, but give yourself grace. You had zero control over what was offered. It would be completely unrealistic to bring a veggie tray to a five year old's birthday party that nobody would even touch anyway.
The biggest takeaway is whenever you're somewhere you don't have full control over what's offered, add to it if you can to make it more balanced, or just eat what's there if you're hungry and give yourself grace. If you don't eat when you're hungry, you're going to get hungrier and hungrier until you're starving. Once you're starving, all mindfulness goes out the window. You'll scarf down whatever is in front of you without thinking about balance at all. So if you're hungry, have the pizza, the ice cream, the cake and give yourself grace.
Grace is the hardest part of this whole journey. We tend to fall into an all or nothing mentality. "I already messed up today so why even try" or "I'll just start over next week." You'll see far more progress the more consistent you are. If you can give yourself grace for the moments you had no control over, life got stressful, you forgot, whatever it was and bounce back as quickly as possible, that consistency is what actually creates results over time. The next meal is always your opportunity to get back on track.
So the balanced plate method is the ideal. The addition mindset is what makes it realistic day to day. This shift has changed my relationship with food immensely and I hope it does the same for you. I want to achieve my goals and live my life at the same time. Nobody has the time or the extra stress to spend obsessing over food. Let's make it easy.
If you're looking for more support with this, my Nutrition Toolkit has the balanced plate method and the addition mindset, plus more, all in one place.
Now go out to eat and add that broccoli to your burger. You've got this!
— Ivy ♡
Disclaimer: This blog is for general informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, treatment, or personalized nutrition counseling. It is not a substitute for care from a qualified healthcare professional. If you are struggling with disordered eating, support is available through the Alliance for Eating Disorders at 1-866-662-1235.