Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Lent diet success

Some students give up their most favorite foods for Lent, both for dietary and religious reasons. Photo by Joseph Apodaca
While Lent is foremost a religious practice leading up to Easter, many students take advantage of the 40-day period to give up their unhealthy eating habits.

For 40 days, people who participate in Lent typically give up something from their daily routine not only as a religious practice but also a personal challenge and for many, a diet change is an extremely popular challenge. Going without certain kinds of food and adding on more healthy options are common among students, and often their most favorite of foods are cut out.

“I chose to give up red meat and tortillas,” said Communicative Disorders student Susan Gonzalez. “I wanted to give something up that would be difficult and something I would be tempted with often. Being part of a Hispanic background, the meals in my family consist of a meat portion for at least one meal and tortillas are mostly always included. This period of Lent was my way of forcing myself into eating better to the point where I would become accustomed to eating that way and keep it going even after Lent was over.”

Like all diets, religious or otherwise, success all depends on the determination and will power of the person on the diet. Temptation is only an arms reach away from the refrigerator and can completely alter the progress of a diet. Luckily for those practicing Lent for religious reasons, temptation is not even something they consider and success comes easily.

“I actually managed to keep my diet reformed,” said Gonzalez. “The meat I eat now is minimal and I actually don’t crave it. It also no longer tastes mighty delicious as it once did. Also, I got used to eating without tortillas because it just became a habit. I felt accomplished when Lent was over because I feel like I’m making a good change to my overall health that will benefit me now and as I become older.”

No matter what the reason is for choosing a diet, it is always important to remember to manage it carefully and to do it for nobody else but yourself. Diets can work wonderfully and can change the entire course of your health for good. No matter what body type, age, or gender, a diet is possible for anyone.

“I think it’s a great idea for anyone to change their eating habits,” said Gonzalez. “Both old and young should love themselves enough to want to better their health and that of their family. It doesn’t need to be a radical change like becoming a vegan or vegetarian, but simply moderate consumption and eat more natural foods. There are many easy changes one can make, it’s just a matter of following through with it.”

No comments:

Post a Comment