KETO, PALEO, VEGAN, MEDITERRANEAN, LOW-CARB, GLUTEN-FREE, LOW-FAT.
These are just a few of the possible “diets” that are popular right now. Which one is best? Each one of these diets has experts and proponents that will gladly explain why their version is the “best.”
The problem is that each one of these plans can claim people have had amazing success, though they fail to mention that people have also experienced utter defeat. We are all different, our gut bacteria are different, there is no one perfect diet for everyone. But we do have to eat, and there are some guidelines that all these varied diet plans can agree upon.
A recent article in Science magazine brought together several lead researchers from opposing diet philosophies to debate and discuss their differing views. The guidelines that they all agreed upon?
“…no specific fat to carbohydrate ratio is best for everyone, and that an overall high-quality diet that is low in sugar and refined grains will help most people maintain a healthy weight and low chronic disease risk.”
So, what should you eat?
Real food, that you enjoy.
You should be looking at plant-based foods for the majority of your diet, but if you hate kale, find something else that you do like (or learn to prepare it a different way, which can make a huge difference). Real foods are simple, and if it includes an ingredient list, it should be very short, with ingredients that you can recognize and pronounce.
It’s unrealistic to think you will throw out all of your packaged foods and start cooking every meal from scratch.
But consider picking one meal a week that you could devote the time to trying out a new simple recipe. Pick a few vegetables, add a protein source (fish, chicken, eggs, tofu, beans, etc.), and maybe include a whole-grain if you’d like. Once you’ve mastered this first meal, move on to learning how to prepare the next healthy recipe.
Changing eating habits happens one meal at a time!