The health and wellness industry is brand new… like newborn baby new. We’re constantly learning things about how the body interacts with the food we eat, and the environment we’re eating it in.
One thing that we’ve learned through observing our own mistakes is that there is no ‘one-size-fits-all’ when it comes to diet. And it’s not difficult to see why when we start to consider just how differently we are all built…
Let’s use The Smiths family as an example.
Mom and dad are in their late 50’s. They have their own business and don’t have time to go food shopping, let alone cook. Dad has high cholesterol and mom has chronic stress that she gets physical reactions to.
Their daughter, Nathalie, just got a swimming scholarship and is at the height of training season. Her sister Samantha was recently diagnosed with celiac disease, meaning she’s currently undergoing a lot of changes in her diet and lifestyle.
In this average-sized family of 4, we can see a lot of different nutritional needs. Mom may need to lower her intake of inflammatory foods while she’s experiencing symptoms of chronic stress, while dad should be eating foods that will improve his cholesterol levels, avoiding foods that will worsen it.
Nathalie should be consuming more calories during training season, and she’ll likely be needing protein shakes and fast-digesting carbs for her training sessions.
Samantha, meanwhile, will likely be feeling pretty down about her recently discovered nutritional requirements. She’s just at the beginning of figuring out her new diet and lifestyle, with things that she now needs to consider when going out to restaurants and eating at a friend’s place.
It’s safe to say that every single member of The Smiths family could do with a personalized diet, something that is becoming more and more possible with the advancements of technology and the accessibility of lab testing.
Personalized Diets: The End Of Fad Dieting
There’s a reason you could only put up with being on that low-fat diet for 3 days before rummaging the cupboard for cookies. We need fat in our diet, as fat is what makes us feel full and satisfied. Without fat, our body struggles to get that satiated feeling from the food we’re eating, and as a result, we feel hungrier and succumb to chowing down on our partners’ lunch in the fridge without asking… whoops.
There are certainly fats that are better for us compared to others, like olive oil and avocado vs margarine and processed fats. However, the low-fat diet was destined to fail you from the get-go. It’s inherently flawed in its design, just as many of these kinds of diets are!
Do they work for some people? Sure! BUT…
The difficult truth to swallow is this: The way our bodies interact with food, the way that we socialize around food, the value that we give to certain foods over others, all of our preferences and dietary requirements dictate what and how we eat, which is why ‘the best diet’ doesn’t exist.
It’s only the ‘best diet’ for you because the diet suits your body and your lifestyle! That seemingly simple diet you see that influencer promoting is their best diet, because it suits their body and their lifestyle.
Should the whole world go vegan? No, because then the Inuits in Alaska are going to get nutritional deficiencies, as they hunt, fish, and gather food for their survival and would likely struggle to eat a strictly vegan diet in the harsh cold conditions.
Should the world turn Keto? No, because our bodies use carbohydrates to recover from exercise, meaning that those who frequently work out may start to notice muscle aches lasting longer post-workout, with overall recovery taking longer.
Personalized lab testing is only becoming more accessible to people. Lab testing paired with a nutritional therapist who can guide you and teach you how to use the information from your lab results is currently the best method to learn how to eat for your personal health. Once we understand how our unique bodies are built, we can start to understand what they need not only to survive, but to thrive.
Tempted to work with one of our doctors? Book in for a free Discovery Call to learn how Index Clinic can help you achieve your health goals, whether that be improving cholesterol, diagnosing an underlying intolerance or allergy, or having an experienced professional guide you towards the right foods for you.
