Let’s face it – we live in a world where we like to have things nice and tidy, where things can be cut and dry. We like our lives to be simple, clear cut, black and white, yes or no, and we want answers, dammit. This way of living has its uses, but we have to remember that while our outlooks may be black and white, the real world isn’t.
“The map is not the territory.” – Alfred Korzybski
No where is this more evident than in the world of nutrition. I chose a really contradictory and confusing field to immerse myself in (or maybe it chose me). Point is, while we all want there to be a perfect, one-size-fits-all approach to health, and particularly diets, this is just not the case.
So I’ll come clean and stand in direct opposition to many health gurus out there. Is there a perfect diet for people to follow?
No.
There is not, never was and never will be a perfect, one-size-fits-all diet that every person can abide by. Humans are just too complex and varied, and that’s a good thing! That’s what has allowed us to survive this long, our adaptability. We can live on an Atkins, meat-based diet or we can live on a raw vegan diet.
However, there are definitely some rules to abide by when designing your ideal diet, and I don’t think these are negotiable. So without further adieu, I’d like to present to you my
8 Rules for an Ideal Diet
Make sure that your diet is…
- Whole-foods based – This one’s a no-brainer folks! If you’re eating highly-processed denatured foodstuffs, aka the Standard American Diet, aka SAD, aka garbage, you’re not only denying your body the nutrients it needs, but draining it of further nutrients as your body attempts to digest and assimilate it. Whole foods come with all the necessary nutrients within, in the proper ratios, and with all the necessary cofactors needed for absorption and assimilation. Nature’s no dummy, so stick to whole foods.
- Organic – Again, so simple and obvious yet still overlooked. The pesticides, herbicides and fungicides used on crops are absolutely terrible for our health! They make us fat, tired, depressed, give us cancer, ruin our moods and energy levels, lead to birth defects and fetal death, and throw our hormones out of balance. But hey, if you’re into that kinda stuff…
- Plant-based – I’m not saying you have to be a vegan, (I’m certainly not one), but you do want plants to be the backbone, the foundation, of your diet. Why? Plants are loaded with powerful phytochemicals (phyto=plant) that have amazing effects on our bodies. That nice buzz you get from your morning cup o’ joe? From the phytochemical known as caffeine. How is it that turmeric is such a powerfully healing plant, able to reduce inflammation, boost brain power, fight off dementia, Alzheimer’s and depression, improve skin conditions, beat cancer to a pulp, diminish pain and boost digestion? Cuz it’s loaded with phytochemicals! If you’re looking for disease prevention, enhanced cognition, energy and mood, and faster weight loss, get some phytochemicals in your life right now.
- Nutrient Dense – Your food’s doing nothing for you if it’s devoid of nutrients. You want to make sure the foods you eat are as nutrient dense as possible, so that your body is supplied with all the goodies it needs to keep you performing at tip top shape. Foods such as liver, kale, collard greens, seaweeds, spirulina, chlorella, bee pollen and cod-liver oil are at the top of the nutrient density list. As just one example of a nutrient you’re probably missing out on… Do you like being stressed? Want brittle bones? Do you love having low energy levels? Make sure you’re getting enough magnesium (highest concentrations found in dark leafy greens, bone broth, pumpkin seeds and dark chocolate), a nutrient the majority of Americans are deficient in and one that probably wasn’t on your radar.
- Irritant / Toxin-free – Goes without saying, you don’t want to be ingesting any more toxins than you’re already getting from modern day pollution. This means going organic as well as looking for food that comes from clean sources, aka wild-caught fish, pasture-raised animal products, vegetables that aren’t grown in some highly polluted city or coming from China or South America, etc. As for irritants, well.. Some of us know for sure that a food has irritating compounds, as many with celiac disease will tell you. For others, we may not know how awful gluten makes us feel until we go a good month or two without it. I personally handle gluten well, but I get very little in my diet anyway. Experiment around with elimination diets and see if you have any problem foods.
- As local as possible – For those of you living in beautiful sunny California, where it’s easy to find local food and the only season is Beautiful, this may be less of an issue. Here in Maryland it’s different. I have to search out local foods at the few local farms in my area or at the one local Co-op. Local is better because it cuts down on pollution and energy waste – it’s “greener”, has a smaller carbon footprint and because there aren’t any long transit times, it retains more nutrients. And of course it helps support your local community.
- Seasonally Appropriate – Eating local also keeps your diet seasonally appropriate. Our bodies need certain nutrients or foods in higher quantities depending on the season. Winter usually has us eating heavier and more energy dense foods to offset the diminished sunlight and cold temperatures. Come Spring, nature gives us a fresh bounty of cleansing sprouts and other foods to help detox our bodies after the harsh Winter. In Summer we have more access to fresh leafy greens and berries, lighter foods that don’t weigh us down in the heat. Fall is full of foods to help us transition from lighter foods back to heavier ones.
- It Makes You Feel Fantastic – If your current diet doesn’t leave you feeling like a million bucks with energy to spare at the end of the day, you’re not eating your ideal diet. This is where trial and error comes in. It’s also what I do for a living, so if you’re looking to speed up the process and feel better than you ever knew possible, come talk to me.
I know some of you are left with your mouths agape in horror as I never mentioned how many carbs or how much fat you should eat, whether you should count calories or if being vegan is better than being paleo. That’s up to you and your body.
Speaking of vegans and paleo heads, one last word of wisdom – don’t get caught up in the hype of some diet/lifestyle/nutrition dogma. If you’re paleo, cool, be paleo. If you’re a vegan, be a vegan. But remember everyone’s different and throughout the world, many people are thriving on diets that are vastly different from yours. Don’t think you’re special because of the foods you do or don’t eat, and don’t look down on others for the foods they eat, even if they’re eating Big Macs and slurping down gallons of soda. But please, don’t be that McDonalds person…