Everywhere I look on the internet and social media I see people going Gluten-Free, Paleo, Vegan, Pegan, Pescatarian, Organic, Non-GMO and the list goes on and on. Diets have become a religion of sorts in our society. . . we are judged on what we eat or don’t eat by others, and certain foods have gotten a bad wrap! The problem is that many people avoid certain foods and don’t even know why, OR even worse, they read posts by social media “stars” and take every word as truth without looking at the actual science!
For many people, following diet fads/trends is just the norm. They hear a friend or social media “star” has lost weight by cutting wheat and gluten products, so instantly they choose to avoid all gluten and wheat-containing foods thinking they will achieve the same results! Or they watch a one-sided documentary on how animal meat and non-organic foods are bad for the body and instantly cut it all out!
But WHY? Does gluten make us fat? Is eating animal meat or non-organic produce bad for us? There’s so many questions I get asked by clients because there’s so much information on the internet promoting every kind of diet you can think of and giving so much false and mis-information it’s hard to sort it all out!
First of all, gluten, wheat, dairy, meat and other food groups don’t make us fat! If you decide to go gluten-free or vegan it’s not going to be the magic “fix” to your weight loss journey. The thing that makes us fat is eating too many calories, no matter where they come from! So why then do so many people still feel the need to cut out entire food groups or follow a specific diet?
I believe part of it is that we’re still looking for the “next best thing,” the diet that’s going to “fix” all of our weight and health issues. We want to blame a certain food or food group for our weight issues or ailments, and if we could just cut that one thing out, we would be exactly where we want to be! Unfortunately, that’s not how it works!
Let me say this before anyone gets upset. . . there are circumstances when cutting out food groups is absolutely a MUST! For example, a person with Celiac’s Disease or a person with a dairy, nut or other allergy/sensitivity should avoid specific foods that may exacerbate symptoms. What I’m referring to here is all of the people cutting out healthy food groups to follow a diet fad. There’s a lot of news out there and several documentaries that are one-sided and use scare tactics to get people to avoid foods such as meat, dairy, non-organic produce and more, and as a society, many times if we read about it or hear about it, we instantly take it as fact!
So what’s the best diet? The diet that works for you! If you have an issue with eating animal meat, then don’t do it! If you feel better eating a Paleo diet, then by all means, go for it!
I’m a Paleo, Gluten-Free, Meat Eating Vegetarian! Basically, I eat what works for me on a day-to-day basis and that can change all the time! Some days I eat animal protein, other days I eat mainly a plant-based diet. Some days I eat grains, other days I’m more Paleo. Some days I have gluten and dairy in my diet and other days I don’t! What I’m saying is there’s no “right” or “wrong,” there’s just what works for you! If one day I thought going vegetarian would make me feel better, then I’d do it! It’s all about finding what makes YOU feel the best and what gets YOU the results you’re after!
Don’t worry about falling under a diet label. Eat for your body and your beliefs, regardless of what others are doing! If you want to be Vegan and that makes your body feel better and gets you the results you’re after, then go for it! If you want to be a meat-eating carnivore, have at it! If you want to be like me and blend it all together, let’s do it! There’s no one way to eat that’s going to be the magic bullet! It’s about listening to YOUR own body! Don’t worry about how others label foods or how food works for them. . . worry about YOU! We are all as different on the inside as we are on the outside! There’s no “one size fits all” diet approach!
I’d love to hear from you! How’s your diet? Do you fall under a specific diet or are you more of a blend? Comment below!
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