Our society is fascinated with “what’s the best diet?” There are endless amounts of documentaries, books, blogs, and even studies. What is a normal person supposed to do with all this contradicting information? Recognize that what works for me, doesn’t work for you. You have to learn to listen to your own body, genetics, etc. Let’s analyze what’s best.
Comparing Fad Diets
Years ago, “What the Health” documentary advocated for a vegan diet. Although I, too, think there are many health and environmental benefits to a vegan diet, the film was too extreme and really not based on science. It cherry picked the information. It suggests that even eating bacon once in a blue moon could kill you and that eating eggs is like smoking, etc. The film continues to say that a vegan diet can cure AIDS, cancer, type 2 diabetes, etc. Watching this made me cringe.
One the other hand, another film was made about the Ketogenic diet, “The Magic Pill.” Although this documentary wasn’t as extreme in its claims, the diet is not for everyone. This is a high fat and low carbohydrate diet that works for some, not sustainable for others because it’s too restrictive, and even unhealthy for many because it can heighten their LDL bad cholesterol levels.
What’s the Best Sustainable Diets
In contrast, what’s the best diet then? Year after year, it looks like the winner remains the Mediterranean Diet or the DASH diet. It’s flexible, includes variety, and simply sustainable. What “diet” can you sustain forever? That is key because we never want to yo-yo diet. This disrupts progress.
What’s Your Best Diet
I believe that no one diet is best for everyone because there is no one size fits all. We all need to learn to listen to our own body. But most importantly, we have to enjoy food. What is life if we just measure everything we eat, miss out on the connection with loved ones, and suffer alone just to be at a societally inflicted ideal weight? We focus on less refined sugar, less processed food, less restaurant foods, but plenty of delicious food. Do not compensate taste for health, because sustainability is our main goal.
My last comment on science and nutrition is that this is a very “young” field and cannot be fully trusted because we cannot imprison and fully control research participants. Nutrition is more correlation than it is causation. Therefore, listening to your body and being the expert in your own life is crucial. Learn how to do that!
Support is Key to Success
Making lifestyle changes all at once can feel overwhelming. Humans are hardwired to need support; seek it both personally and professionally. Get a free 30-minute phone consultation. See if this is the right match for you by addressing natural weight loss, cravings, emotional eating, balanced diet, disease prevention, nutrition, and getting to the root cause of what’s keeping you stuck. Demystify all the internet noise and get clarity. See what others are saying on Google and Yelp.
For more articles, read https://happyfoodhealth.com/blog
~ Samantha Hua, Nutrition Coach & Holistic Health Coach, San Diego, CA
