The Right Diet for You
The right eating plan for you isn’t a prefabbed quick and easy template but rather a journey of discovery. I know…it doesn’t feel as sexy! But my friend…it is true. How do I know? Well in addition to the information I’ve gleaned from working with clients I myself have, in the past, fallen down the Alice in Wonderland rabbit hole of premade dogmatic dietary rules. Now don’t hear what I’m not saying. For instance, I think it’s safe to assume the most, if not everyone benefits from removing, or at least reducing, refined sugars as well as other processed foods from their diet. But is everyone going to thrive on an extremely low-carb diet? Probably not. Many do great on a ketogenic diet but others find they have better energy, digestion as well as hormonal balance on a diet that includes more natural carbohydrate foods. Some people do quite well eating a high volume of plant foods but does that mean that vegetarianism is healthier than eating ample amounts of meat? Again, it depends on so many factors. Some individuals do great on a plant-based diet assuming they are consuming small amounts of animal products in the form of raw dairy and eggs but other do well with larger amount of red meats and organ meats due to the fact that they pack serious nutritional punch for many vitamins and minerals. Here are just a few factors that must be considered when designing your ideal program.
1. Genetics: This is a big one! Many health factors like blood sugar regulation, cholesterol levels, as well as your body’s ability to store or even over accumulate certain nutrients has a major genetic component. For example, many women tend towards anemia and would benefit from focusing on “blood-building” foods like rem meat, organ meat, dark leafy greens and legumes. But…what if you have a tendency, as some do, to over accumulate iron? If so, you may need to eat lighter meats and focus more on plants to maintain healthy iron levels. Cholesterol response on low carb diets is another great example! Many people will find that a low carb diet will regulate their cholesterol and make their overall lipid profile healthier. And yet some will find that they have a very SIGNIFICANT raise in LDL cholesterol if they consume a lot of saturated fat. These are some of the reasons I believe it’s a great idea to track your bloodwork when you are making large dietary adjustments.
2. Hormonal Balance: Due to genetics, exercise levels, stress levels and other factors we all have a current hormonal profile we are working with. Some of the major ones that come to mind are insulin levels, glucagon levels, thyroid hormone levels, and cortisol levels. Food both has a profound influence on regulating these hormones as well as the potential to wreak havoc on them if not properly matched with your needs. Carbohydrate intake is a great example. A higher carbohydrate (which still may be deemed ‘low-carb’ compared to the standard American fare) diet could be very appropriate for a young athlete, a nursing mother or someone who has pushed their hormones out of whack with an excessively low-carb approach. On the other hand, a middle aged pre-diabetic individual with significant weight to lose could be doing great harm to their body by consuming even excess healthy carbs like lots of fruit. This is where the nuance and details really matter!
3. Goals: One thing that drives me a little crazy in the health sphere is the idea that there are “health focused practitioners” where ‘weight loss’ is akin to a dirty word and then there are the trainer types that only care about how you look! These are not mutually exclusive issues! You will be at your healthiest physiologically as well as mentally when you feel good in your skin. You also need great digestion, sleep and energy levels to feel your best! You can both work on body composition (if that’s a goal) as well as reducing inflammation and other symptoms at the same time. And in my opinion, that’s the only way it should be done!
There are SO many tools we can use to get your health on track including anti-inflammatory eating, food sensitivity testing as well as strategic meal planning to get your nutrient content up while simultaneously balancing your hormones and improving your life! All of this can be daunting to do on your own so let me know if I can help guide you on your path to better health.