KAWARTHA LAKES-We live in a time where diet advice is often sought after, people are always talking about the latest fad diet they’ve tried and results they’ve seen on other diets.
To me, ‘Diet’ is just a 4 letter word. It’s short term, it doesn’t necessarily work, and usually involves some kind of deprivation. I’m not a fan of diets or perfection and it’s because I don’t believe that the “perfect diet” actually exists.
After studying holistic health coaching through the Institute of Integrative Nutrition, I learned just how different we all are. We often discussed “Bioindividuality” -meaning there’s no one-size-fits-all diet – each person is a unique individual with highly individualized nutritional requirements. Personal differences in anatomy, metabolism, body composition and cell structure all influence your overall health and the foods that make you feel your best.
We are all vastly different and one person’s “perfect diet” could cause another person health complications, weight gain and gut disturbances. It’s important to do your research, practice, cook a lot, and find out what works best for your own unique nutritional needs!
Here are a few reasons why someone else’s diet won’t necessarily work for you:
1)Body Composition
Your body composition is essentially what you are made up of: fat, muscle, bones, organs, blood volume, water retention, etc. What everyone is made up of is a little different from person to person. Look at breeds of dogs as an example; a bulldog is stocky and muscular, while a poodle has long legs and is slim and graceful. Although the bulldog and the poodle might eat the EXACT SAME FOODS, they both have a body composition that is completely different.
The same goes for us humans. Some humans are built a little more muscular, and while some of us are long and lean and have difficulty putting on any weight, others can just look at a type of food and gain weight. We’re all made up in our own unique way and this can be difficult to change, even with the “perfect diet”.
2.) The Microbiome
We have about 5 pounds of bacteria living in our gut that is comprised of trillions of bugs! Our gut is a living ecosystem that varies greatly person to person. While your whole household might eat the exact same diet, you will still have completely different microbiomes. A food that might be a super food for your sister, might be dangerous for you. Science is just starting to come out about how our microbiome plays a bigger role than we ever thought in epigenetics and disease. In order for our microbiome to flourish, we need to eat a wide variety of living foods, lots of prebiotics (the stuff our gut bugs love to eat), and probiotics, which help to build up our good gut bugs. We also need to stay away from foods that can let our bad bugs get out of control, like processed foods, alcohol, and excess sugars. Regardless, the “perfect diet” can’t exist across the board considering how different all of our microbiomes are.
3.) Cultural & Geographical Differences
Consider how many different cultures have traditions that revolve around food and how different those traditions are from your own traditions. While some cultures eat a diet largely made up of rice and seaweed, others might sustain themselves on a diet rich in legumes and breads. Today’s diets warn us that beans are toxic, avoid nightshades, grains will give you brain fog, carbs are bad, etc. But if you look across the globe at different cultures, you will see many places eating their own unique diets with very low instances of disease and mortality. Geographically, a raw food diet might work really well in a hot climate, but in a cold climate, cooked foods are very comforting. We crave different foods seasonally. It’s a good idea to examine your cravings throughout the seasons and notice how the summer calls for fresher and lighter while the winter calls for denser and heartier. Imagine how different things might be if you lived in a place with an entirely different climate or culture?
The quest for the “perfect diet” can be a long and never-ending one. Here’s what I suggest instead: eat real, whole foods, check your farmer’s market for local food, limit your intake of “fake” foods, and only when you are hungry and eat to satisfaction.
For more information on holistic health coaching, please visit http://www.sweathappywellness.com
Becky Sheehey is a Holistic Health Coach, and a Pilates and Movement Expert with a background in Kinesiology. She lives in Lindsay.
“https://bestpicko.com/” (not Flickr) Copy Link Address: bestpicko.com
 photo credit: Bestpicko Breakfast with Fruits and Berries – Credit to https://bestpicko.com/ via photopin (license)
