As a Dietitian, I get many questions regarding the latest dietary trends. I find most Dietitians are nutritionally agnostic. Meaning, that they don’t follow or subscribe to any one diet such as low fat or low carb. To clarify when I say diet all I mean is an eating pattern versus the more mainstream use of ‘diet’ to indicate a weight loss plan. The human body is amazing in adapting to a range of eating patterns. This is especially evident when you look at Indigenous diets throughout the world. On one side you have the Inuit traditionally eating a very low carbohydrate diet. On the other some tribes in Papua New Guinea get the majority of their calories through carbohydrate (primarily sweet potatoes). Both eating patterns (although polar opposites in macronutrient distribution) are associated with a lack of chronic diseases like heart attacks, cancer and diabetes. Genetics play a role in our metabolism (example here related to the Inuit diet and ketosis) and is one reason why a one-diet-fits-all approach doesn’t work.
So what diet is best for you?
No one eating pattern will work well for everyone. There are many factors that influence our diet. These include emotional, behavioural, cultural and economic factors. Reading success stories online, it can be tempting to jump on a dietary pattern because it is working for other people. But just because a diet works for someone else doesn’t mean it is going to work for you! Some of us eat well for health on the ‘meat and two veg’ diet that I grew up eating. Others do well on a vegetarian diet. You can also nourish your body while on a tight budget, while intermittent fasting, or while playing around with macronutrient distributions. Every body is unique and therefore there are as many ‘correct’ ways to eat as there are people on this earth.
So what is the key to nourishing your body?
Choose a way of nourishing your body that you can stick with in the long term! From my experience, many individuals are motivated to experiment with their diet by the number they see on the scale. I’ll have a separate post soon on why I am not an advocate for using weight as an indicator of health. But, putting that aside for now…pretty much every diet you read about will work. However, there is an important caveat to the end of that statement. They will work…but only in the short term.
So how do I find a diet that will work for me long term?
The greatest indicator of successful sustained weight loss that emerges from the research is not that the diet was low carb or even low fat. It is in fact as simple as adherence. Or put simply, the ability to stick to a dietary eating pattern in the long term. Over-time people find it hard to stick with the restrictive eating patterns that many mainstream diets promote. Therefore, if you are interested in making some dietary changes for health, ensure they are changes you can sustain into the future. If you are looking for a place to start check out my post on 3 factors common to most mainstream diets. Changes this Dietitian can get behind include eating more vegetables, limiting processed foods and being mindful of what you drink.
So what is the best diet?
The best diet is one that provides what your body needs (this could be different depending on various life stages and health conditions) while offering foods you enjoy enough to actually follow the diet consistently. This is one reason why Dietitians don’t typically provide meal plans. I could spend hours crafting a nutritionally balanced meal plan that I thinks looks delicious. However, a client may hate half the foods on it and therefore not be motivated to stick to it.
So why would I see a Dietitian if they don’t make meal plans?
The job of a Dietitian is to help each client find the dietary pattern that works best for them. We take into consideration any special dietary needs but also food preferences and your economic and physical access to food. Seeking nutrition advice from a Dietitian and not just following the latest dietary craze is especially important for individuals living with chronic diseases like heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease who may have specific nutrition needs. So when it comes to this Dietitian’s dietary philosophy, find a way of nourishing your body that fits with your life considering the cultural, economic and social influences on your food choice to ensure it is sustainable in the long term. This will ensure your diet is a good fit for your body!
0 Comments