It seems that everywhere you turn, whether it be in a magazine, online news blurb, or on a blog, someone is promoting a certain “diet,” or way of eating. “Take the 30 day detox challenge” or “Join my 30 day Paleo Challenge”, followed by claims that the diet is the key to improving your health, increasing your energy, providing deeper sleep and feeling better, overall. Why not challenge yourself to just eat better or exercise daily? Is really one person’s way of eating the healthiest or the best way to achieve ultimate health? No. I’m not a Registered Dietitian or a Doctor by any means, but what I do know is from my own personal experience and working with several clients over the years.
I get so tired of reading about the latest nutrition challenge on various blogs, especially when you can clearly see a pattern of the author jumping from one nutrition trend/fad to the next, not taking the time to digest the info and see what is the best choice for their health. Just because someone else has jumped on the latest nutrition bandwagon of eating strictly Paleo, going gluten-free or cutting out all sugars (even natural ones), doesn’t mean that you have to do it, too. What happened to just eating real food (not processed stuff out of a box or carton), sweets or special treats in moderation, and exercising daily to stay fit and healthy? When did the rules change that everyone and their brother should cut out all carbs, eat Paleo, or cut out all wheat and go gluten-free (even if you don’t have a legitimate gluten allergy)?
Has it occurred to anyone who decides to go gluten-free (just for the sake of it) that maybe their feeling of improved health is just a result of making better choices, because they are thinking more about what they put in their mouth? Before going gluten-free they probably didn’t even think twice about what they ate, how much they ate or how they felt. But, after taking the gluten-free plunge, they are more aware of what they put into their bodies, so the absence of gluten is not necessarily causing them to feel better. The same with Paleo or any other diet where whole food groups are removed. Because you are eating a certain way, you are more likely to make better choices, thus feeling/looking better. It’s not necessarily the removed food group causing you to be better.
Don’t get me wrong, there are lots of people with legitimate gluten allergies, in fact a good friend of my husband is. When he consumes any product with wheat in it, his skin breaks out into little red dots and becomes itchy. He also got tested by a doctor who confirmed the allergy. For those who decide to go gluten-free because everyone else is doing it or that they read one article about it, did you take the time to think if it was really right for you? Do you truly see a difference not eating gluten? Do you even know what gluten is?
As for Paleo, my husband I decided to do a 30-day challenge about a year and a half ago to see what all the hype was about, especially since our CrossFit box was promoting that way of eating. We cut out all carbs, alcohol, legumes and dairy. Since we eat “clean” and don’t consume too many carbs as it is, it wasn’t too far off our normal way of eating, but not consuming dairy was hard. I love having a cappuccino in the morning with real milk and my husband loves cheese! Did we see any LIFE CHANGING results? Not at all. I might have felt like I had a little more energy, but I was also getting 7 1/2-8 hours of sleep per night, so I don’t know if it was a result of the consistent sleep or the nutrition (or a combo of both). As for my husband, he didn’t notice any differences. What he did notice was that he felt hungry most of the time. We both didn’t see any body composition changes during those 30 days. Eating Paleo 100% of the time was definitely not for me or my family. There are some meals where I don’t include a grain, such as a hearty salad or simple saute and that’s okay, but not including grains or dairy on a daily basis is not something I can consistently do (or want to do!).
In the end, it is what works for you and your family. If going gluten-free is easy for your family, you enjoy your meals, and you feel great, I’ll be the last person to tell you to stop. But, eating healthy is pretty simple when you think about…eating whole foods, minimally-processed ones, lots of fresh produce, healthy fats, lean protein, nuts, seeds and whole grains. It’s okay to fall off the wagon and splurge on occasion, but get back on it the next day. I look at it this way: Nobody is perfect, but aim to eat as clean as possible without having to follow the latest trend or what someone else is doing. Just because a blogger looks healthy and fit, it doesn’t mean their way of eating is the best one for you. Who knows, they may seem like they are the healthiest person, but maybe they are struggling with issues that are not portrayed on their blog. One person’s perception of healthy eating can be completely different from someone else’s due to their lifestyle, family or a slew of other factors.
My family and I eat “clean” and strive to eat as many whole foods as possible, cooked simply. We consume lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy fats (avocado, nuts, olive and coconut oils and real butter), lean protein, BACON, whole grains, seeds and dairy (Greek yogurt, cheese and whole milk). We enjoy the occasional dessert and don’t deprive ourselves of certain foods because they aren’t so healthy. We just don’t consume them on a regular basis. We eat to live, not live to eat and most importantly, we stay active! But, as I said above, this is our way of eating; it is what works for us. Everyone needs to find what works for them. Eating is a very personal thing.
Life is too short to not enjoy the simple things, including little pleasures here and there, like a cappuccino with whole milk, gelato while on vacation or a nice cold beer on a hot Summer day. Why deprive yourself when your body is only going to want it more? Eat well, stay active and enjoy life to the fullest; every, every minute of it regardless of what someone else is doing!
Oh, before I forget, Amy from Life to the Full won my blogiversary giveaway!! Congrats!
Questions:
Do you tend to follow the latest nutrition trend or fad?
Do you compare yourself to others in terms of how they look or how healthy they are (or seem to be)?
Interesting post. While I too get tired of fitness/diet fads I’d have to disagree that Paleo is a diet, let alone a diet fad. It’s truly become a way of life that works for me. Finding that it worked for me took doing a challenge and it if weren’t for that challenge, I’d never have realized that gluten makes me puff up like a blow fish or that dairy causes me major stomach distress and that Legumes are my worst enemy! While I believe everyone should do whats best for their bodies and find what works for them people are lazy and sometimes it takes a little friendly competition or challenge to hold them accountable. Which is why I decided to hold my 3 week Paleo Challenge which was requested by numerous readers. Everyone is curious about Paleo and for some reason needs a little hand holding to get started. If I can help someone find out if it works for them or if it doesn’t, that makes it worth it for me 🙂
I definitely agree that most people need a little hand-holding to get started, but the bigger question or issue that needs to be addressed before starting any challenge or plan is: What is the ultimate goal? That determines what hand-holding is required. Is the goal to lose weight, gain muscle mass, have more energy, lower cholesterol or blood sugar levels? After years of working with many patients and personal clients, it always came down to setting goals. Specifically, realistic, sustainable goals that reflected the needs of the individual or family, not some external factor. An example of what worked is: Defining one large goal to work towards by taking small baby steps first, i.e. drinking at least 8 glasses a water a day, not consuming refined sugar, eating 5 or more fruits and veggies per day, walking for 30 minutes 3 days a week, etc. By starting with small, simple changes, rather than drastically making a change or going cold turkey in cutting out whole food groups, a person is more likely to stick with their healthier lifestyle that is sustainable over time. I’d argue that Paleo is a diet–not a way of life–because you can’t eat certain foods while following that way of eating. Is is sustainable in the long run for most people? Can you go on a vacation with your friends and family and always find something that is Paleo? Are you more likely to cheat, because your body has not had certain foods in such a long time, which typically happens when people follow a specific diet? I definitely don’t argue against feelings of improved health for those following the Paleo diet, or going gluten-free, but is it truly the absence of the food making one feel better or is it just a correlation since those people are more aware of their health and the choices they are making? They are overall eating better and taking better care of themselves. I’m glad that you’re feeling better and enjoying your meals; that is awesome! You’ve definitely found what works for you, and in the end, everyone should do their homework to find what works for them, their family and their lifestyle.
Oh awesome! I’m so excited to try the almond butter and Juice Plus+ shake! I have always wanted to try both of them.
And, yes, I am very tired of all the nutrition and diet trends that run rampid. Seems like an endless cycle.
My philosophy is spot-on with what you said here: “We eat to live, not live to eat and most importantly, we stay active!”
Amy, can you email me your address so I can send you your package? My email is: melissa@fitnwellmommy.com. Thanks! Great to know a fellow blogger with the same philosophy!
I completely agree. What worked for Johann and I was to just slowly change how we ate to make it more healthy. We changed to a more “natural” diet of lean protein, veggies, and fruit. Trying to stay away from processed foods with things that we can’t read in the ingredients. We still constantly change things and experiment to see how it works for our bodies. He can’t do dairy from cow’s so we don’t keep it in the house anymore and he has noticed a huge difference in his performance while working out. Nothing that we did was drastic and everything is something we can see us sticking with long term. That is the key in my opinion. Find something that works for you that you can make a lifestyle. We often want the quick fix but in reality there is no quick fix. The only way to ensure that you are eating the way you need to is to slowly change and see how it affects you. It’s ok to “cheat” every once in a while too. But if you are doing it right you will notice the difference in how you feel and you will have less and less cravings for the bad stuff. Everything is fine in moderation though.
Absolutely…find something that works for you so you can stick with it for a lifetime. Like you said, small, gradual changes is key to lasting success!