What do I eat? What should you eat?

Food.  Real food.  Minimally processed.  Mostly plant based.  Not too much, but enough.  Some fat, some sweet, some bitter.  Perhaps a little wine.  Not much meat, but yes to fish.  This is how I eat.  It's how I feed my family.  It's what the experts recommend...

Dr. David Katz sums it up beautifully in an Atlantic article based on his most recent study. 

"A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention."

He suggests that 50-80% of diseases could be prevented through nutrition and lifestyle change alone.  That's powerful information.  This weekend is a great time to start.  Go to the farmer's market.  Turn over your pantry, freezer, fridge and replace what's there with what should be there.  Or restock if you're already making the right choices.   A registered dietitian nutritionist is a great person to help you implement the latest recommendations.  It's one thing to know what you should do, it's another to actually do it.  Working with a pro is an investment.  Imagine how much money you will save on medication and medical intervention.  Be healthy!

This and That Diet

I get a lot of questions from friends and acquaintances asking me to give my opinion on this diet and that diet.  I don't mind.  It makes for interesting conversation and they often tell me about fads that I haven't yet heard of...making me look smart later when someone else asks and I can say, "oh, yeah...that."

Here are a few thoughts to consider about diets:

• If your goal is simply weight loss, almost any diet can work...at least for a while.  Since virtually all diets involve calorie restriction in some form or fashion, you will lose weight on almost every diet.
• Few diets are dangerous, per se.  As long as the calories aren't TOO restricted (not <1200/day) and it doesn't involve something like colonics (which can lead to intestinal perforation) or long-term fasting (which can cause electrolyte imbalances, among other things), most diets aren't unsafe.
• There's someone who will sell you whatever diet you are willing to pay for and someone who will swear that it works for them.

With this in mind, when I meet someone and they want to try this diet or that, I usually don't try to talk them out of it. That's not my job.  My job is to support my clients in whatever way they determine is best to reach their goals.  I will always share my suggestions and my input without reservation (after all they are paying for my expertise), but I will also help them find a way to work within whatever framework they've adopted - even if I don't agree with it - again, as long as it's not unsafe.

So, what is an optimal diet in my opinion?  Here goes:

• It's not a diet.  It's a lifestyle.  Health isn't dependent on nutrition alone.  A healthy lifestyle comes from specific habits that support physical, emotional and spiritual health.  Separating eating from other healthy habits is not optimal and does not lead to success long-term.
• It focuses on what it includes (not what is forbidden):

• Mostly whole, minimally processed foods that are full of fiber, water, vitamins and minerals, and sometimes good for you bacteria
• Lots of fruits and vegetables and variety (read: color) among them
• Whole, unrefined grains - preferentially intact as often as possible (rather than ground into flour)
• Healthy beverages including plenty of fresh water, modest amounts of tea and/or coffee and a small amount of wine or alcohol of your choices, if desired
• Beans, legumes, and peas
• Cultured foods like yogurt and kefir
• Good fats from foods like avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, and dark chocolate
• Unprocessed (or minimally processed) high quality protein that is used to support the other foods, not as the "main attraction"
• A mindful approach to food must be part of an optimal diet.  That means, thinking in advance about what you will eat, when, where and with whom.  Paying attention.  Planning meals, shopping and choosing foods thoughtfully, eating regularly throughout the day, and sharing food with others.  Mindfulness is not waiting until you're famished and diving into the drive through.  It is not skipping meals.  It is not eating in front of the TV, computer screen, iPad, etc.  It IS eating with thanksgiving - gratitude makes every bite taste better.

It may not sound sexy, but trust me - it's sensational.  With so many fad diets out there, you can take your pick.  I'm going to stick with this here optimal diet.  A similar approach is found in the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate - check it out.  Be healthy!