What diet is best for you?

Judging the large range of dietary options available with conflicting philosophies to boot makes deciphering what seems right a difficult task.

The key is in that exact above sentence. The reason we have so many options is quite simply for the fact that no one diet is right for everyone and the key is finding what’s right for you.

We all juggle with different lifestyle factors;                      

Body type: you may be tall and thin, another is short and stocky.

Dietary preferences & exclusions:  you may enjoy eating lots of meat every day. Others may eat no meat at all.

Budget: Some may have low budget and another has an unlimited budget.

Organic / conventional: Some eat only boxed and packaged foods, while some eat only natural, organic, whole foods.

Nutrition knowledge: Some will only follow a certain dietary practice, another may have little nutrition knowledge.

Time: Some people have lots of free time to attend their health and fitness while others have strict time restraints.

The interesting thing too is how we change as we develop, our bodies are constantly evolving throughout our lifetime and so our dietary needs correspond in kind. We may find we have an allergy to a certain food product and as we heal any internal issues that may be causing it we can find we no longer have the intolerance.

Our physical demands may change so when once we may have eaten a lot of protein we may now find it too overtaxing to process if our lives become more sedentary.

Physiologically, the human body can do well under many different nutritional conditions. We are very adaptable.

For example, the Arctic Inuit have diets very high in fat and animal products with very few vegetables.

The Kitavans in Papua New Guinea eat traditional diets that are low in fat but very high in vegetables and starchy carbs.

And the Tokelau, near New Zealand eat foods that are very high in saturated fats.

On the spectrum of obesity, cardiovascular disease, stroke and diabetes these traditional diets for these cultures are minimal thus it is possible to be healthy on a variety of diets.

What does this mean?

When done properly your diet choice whatever it may be can work whether it’s;

 Paleo diets, plant-based diets, high carb diets, low carb diets, eating small meals frequently, eating larger meals infrequently, etc. Because here’s what they have in common:

* They raise nutrition awareness and attention.

Research shows that simply paying better attention to what you eat is a key factor in whether you’ll lose fat, get lean, and improve your health. Because simply caring about what you’re eating in the first place matters.

*They focus on food quality.

Very few nutrition philosophies recommend you eat more processed, chemical-laden “junk” food. Instead, pretty much every diet recommends eating whole, minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods.

* They help eliminate nutrient deficiencies.

Highly processed foods are often low in nutrients because they’ve been stripped out during processing. A properly designed diet of any kind eliminates some of the most common nutrient deficiencies (water, certain vitamins and minerals, proteins, and essential fatty acids).This is huge for our well- being, within a few weeks of correcting these deficiencies, we can feel far more energised.

*They help control appetite and food intake.

When we’re more aware of what we’re eating, choosing more satisfying, higher quality foods, and eliminate nutrient deficiencies, we will often end up eating less total food, feeling more satisfied. We lose fat, gain lean muscle, and perform better.

*They promote regular exercise.

We tend to think about our physical activity when we’re paying attention to our food intake and most diet options recommend regular exercise. This aids the food to be transformed into functional use for a healthy body.

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Ultimately many of the global diets we are aware of do promote a common thread of health and longevity. 

The best diet addresses your physical, lifestyle and biochemical needs. To help you learn what foods are right for you be willing to become a sort of private investigator, take note of what helps you feel balanced physically, mentally, emotionally and energized and which foods zap these.

The best diet will also and most importantly be the kind you are willing to stick to even on bad days because consistency wins over everything all the time. So it’s best to keep it simple. Even my sporting clients though their diets may look very different from the average person are in itself very simple in composition, but that is for another blog…

As a professional in the health industry I firmly believe it is my job to help you learn, grow and become the person you wish to be. I am aware of our individualities and use my skills to work within your capabilities.

Good health to you and let me know if I can help you in any way.

Go to my webpage for a 12 month nutrition program to help you build better lifestyle habits