“To eat is a necessity, but to eat intelligently is an art.” –LA ROCHEFOUCAULD
We’re living in a world of dietary anxiety. No doubt about it.
It includes countless dietary theories, diets with labels, conflicting nutrition advice, food politics and even food fraud (a topic for another day!). The field of nutrition is constantly evolving and we’re bombarded daily with a seemingly endless stream of contradictory information and trendy diets. It can be overwhelming and there’s so much confusion out there.
Designing a personal diet that truly suits your life takes time, persistence and maybe some guidance. But the good news is that you’ll look and feel more vibrant, more YOU, with each discovery. It’s worth the effort!
You have your own unique nutritional needs. What may be your spouse’s or best friends perfect food could be toxic to you, leading to imbalance, inflammation and eventually disease. We’re all unique. We have different metabolisms, stress levels, health issues, and genetic make-ups. We live in different environments. We have different health goals. There are endless factors.
For the last ten years or so, I’ve been on my own journey of learning, trial and error, discovery and intuition which has led me to the label-free way I eat today. My diet has changed and evolved over time. I’ve learned to be in tune with my body’s signals and respond to what it needs, often through food choices. It’s really very empowering!
What you eat matters!! It’s your medicine, and the key to living the rest of your life in a vibrant, energized, healthful way.
I see so many people believing they eat in a healthy way and yet their diet is full of (sometimes “healthy”) foods that are making them feel terrible. And it’s just that they haven’t figured our exactly what eating healthy means–for them.They haven’t done the work to figure it out yet. Often, no connection is made between what they eat and how they actually feel in their body (fatigue, inflammation, migraines, joint pain, depression, anxiety, allergies, etc). They easily equate their diet with their weight, but it affects so much more than that! It affects everything!
Keto, Vegan, Paleo, Gluten-free, Vegetarian.
Who’s right? Who’s wrong? Is there a right or wrong? In the midst of the overwhelm and dietary labels, I think it’s helpful to take a step back and look at some of the pitfalls, but also the common ground between most dietary theories.
One of the pitfalls of dietary labels is that it can be easy to get caught up with misconceptions about what being healthy entails. For example, the impression that you must rigidly restrict yourself from all things yummy, that all healthy diets are 100% completely “free” of certain food groups and that maintaining a dairy free, gluten free, fat free, carb free, sugar free, soy free, meat free, grain free, bean free, packaged food free diet 100% of the time is somehow easy (or even possible!).
I think that fact alone causes so much anxiety and discourages many people from even taking any steps to change their diets!
And maybe you should be gluten free, or dairy free, grain free or whatever free. It’s quite possible that’s what would help you feel your best or help you heal. But maybe not.
What can all the diets agree on?
There are dietary habits that almost everyone can agree on, so when you’re confused it’s a great place to come back to. If you focus on where the different diets agree, rather than where they differ, you have a starting point to figure out your own healthy diet, label-free.
First and foremost, remember, nourishment is a gift you give yourself a few times a day. And it should, ultimately, bring you joy, not anxiety. And when you’re empowered and listen to your body over the dogma, there is freedom in that!
When starting to design your unique plan, start with the basics. I think we can all agree (no matter the dietary label) on these and you already know them!
- Eat more whole foods which retain all of their natural fiber, phytochemicals, and other health-promoting nutrients, and as best you can, know the source of that food.
- Read your labels and avoid dangerous additives that can cause toxicity, food allergies, weight gain, and decreased absorption of minerals and vitamins.
- Eat less sugar. Be especially aware of hidden sugars in foods like yogurt, sauces, juices and processed foods.
- Eat plenty of fiber. This helps keep blood sugar stable and carries toxins form the body!
- Drink plenty of filtered water (aim for 1/2 your body weight in ounces)
- Cook and prepare most of your own food (it’s the only way you truly know what’s in there!)
- Eat more plant foods. (Even Paleo meat eaters (if they’re healthy) build their diet around plants not meat. This is a common misconception about Paleo!)
Beyond those essentials, experiment.
Where you go with your whole foods diet will be unique from others. Some people tolerate the proteins in dairy. Many don’t and will feel bloated, clogged and drained. Some people tolerate grains, while they cause inflammation and digestive issues in others. Some shouldn’t touch gluten with a 10 foot pole, while others seem to live “on bread alone” with no apparent repercussions.
To find the right fit, take the latest nutrition research into account, test it, and adapt it to your health status, lifestyle, culture, taste preferences, etc, trusting your own intuition and truly listening to your body.
Yes, there are many dietary theories out there but most people would do well to focus less on figuring out what is the perfect diet and focus more on making small, simple improvements that are sustainable.
The goal is to eat in a way that makes you feel like the very best version of you, gives you energy, and allows you to live a sustainable lifestyle without causing stress and anxiety to your body or your mind.
It’s not about hard and fast rules and a rigid lifestyle or trying to fit into someone else’s ideal. A healthy diet isn’t about guilt or shame or being riddled with anxiety over our food choices. No one should feel a sense of failure when they sit down to a table and make a choice that fails to meet the standards of a particular dietary dogma. Flexibility in your diet is healthy for the body and the mind. So, your unique diet will give you the space to enjoy the foods that are right for you.
But if your diet doesn’t make you feel amazing, then it’s not working for you, no matter what anyone else tells you about how you should be eating. Or, there are serious underlying issues going on.
Food is at the heart of what nourishes our bodies and literally feeds our cells with information on how to behave.
What about therapeutic diets?
Here’s the thing. And this is important. What I’m describing above is separate from a healing diet, which may require strict adherence.
There are a growing number of people on therapeutic, or healing, diets. Why? Because their body is in crisis and needs to be reset in a serious way. Often the damage is severe enough that lifelong changes will be necessary. Others may choose to stay on a therapeutic diet for prevention.
There is a time and a place for strict dietary protocols. Healing diets are necessary, and healing diets WORK. Healing diets with strict protocols allow many people to live free of painful symptoms and needless suffering, which is SO worth it. But if you’re not sick and struggling with a chronic illness, you can find a balance and what works for you to feel your best and for your body to function optimally.
Don’t wait until you break down, or get a scary diagnosis, to do something about how you feel! Too many of us put up with feeling “less than”, accepting it as a normal sign of the times, ignoring the headaches, the reflux, the bloating, the breakouts, the anxiety, the brain fog.
Feeling terrible, or even vaguely not well, is not okay. We all deserve to feel vital, bright and alive, and we can, more times than not, do something about it.
I encourage my clients and want to encourage you to create a healthy lifestyle that is flexible, not fanatical. It is not about deprivation, but about learning to crave and enjoy, delicious, vitality booting foods. Your unique and “perfect” diet is when you feel at your very best, with the most energy and clear focus every day. And it comes from a process of discovery, to find which foods, exercise and daily habits make you feel amazing, energized and ready to take on the world. It comes from enjoying a wide variety of foods in their natural state. It’s about making simple improvements and gradual changes. As these habits build on each other over time the changes collectively make a much larger impact than expected.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments! And if you’re struggling and need some guidance in this area, please do reach out. I’d love to help you!
