It's wrong to believe that what your colleague, friend or spouse has implemented to change their lifestyle habits will also suit you. Are you told to increase your vegetables? Every time, it's the cramps and bloating that make your life difficult. Are you told to move more to lose that little "bulk" that's settled around your waist? Do you rather have the impression that the number on the scale is only increasing.

I like to talk about the importance of personalized nutrition and this is what the big theme of Nutrition Month this year is proposing, "Good for you, to your taste!" The world's largest food companies (Nestlé, Campbell, Barilla, Pepsi co) have already launched into this trend and soon, meals with perfectly controlled nutritional intakes and adapted to specific categories of individuals could be offered.

There is increasing talk of nutrigenomics, a diet based on our DNA. In the meantime, closer to home, our supermarkets are rolling out initiatives to help consumers better choose their food based on their needs and values.

No matter what goal you want to achieve in your health strategy, there are several paths available to you. The starting point, the cruising speed and the elements you bring to make the journey must correspond to your needs, your expectations, your lifestyle, your work, your family situation, your DNA, your intestinal microbiota, your metabolism...in short, I think the concept is clear!

Through this customization, experience has allowed me to see that certain elements must be present and serve as indicators of success and, above all, of maintaining the process.

Four questions for better personalization

I therefore invite you to ask yourself a few questions which, in themselves, will help you move towards the choice of whether or not to continue or integrate a new health strategy, that is to say, a new way of modifying an eating behavior that you would like to see improve.

1. Am I ready to do this for the rest of my life? Any new health strategy should be integrated with the idea that it will be part of our lives, in the long term. Theme months, one-off diets, subscriptions, cures, all these experiences remind us of the statistics of failure that accompany them. On the other hand, a lifestyle habit acquired gradually, maintained and that has faced several obstacles over time has a much better chance of success.

2. Do I feel like I have better energy? Are my unpleasant symptoms reduced? Any change should focus on general well-being. You feel physical pain, experience negative consequences on your mood, your stress, you suddenly suffer from symptoms that were not present before, change your strategy!

3. Am I going against the signals my body is sending me? You fight with your hunger signal, you hate legumes, even after multiple attempts, you feel bloated, you feel like you are "drowning" when you drink two liters of water a day, your ankle hurts when you run more than three kilometers? Listen to yourself! Yes, getting out of our comfort zone, giving ourselves time to try and persevering are three assets for achieving results, but always keep in mind the first question proposed: Am I ready to do this all my life?

4. Does this strategy significantly reduce the variety of my food choices? Health rhymes with diversity, whether in terms of our food choices (types of food, colors, etc.) or our physical activities or our intestinal bacteria. The concept of variety should always be present in any new strategy to be integrated.

The answers to these questions will help you move forward in identifying your own winning health strategies.

Happy Nutrition Month!