Often times you hear of different diets and wonder if there is an ideal diet that you can follow to achieve optimum health? You might have heard that a vegetarian or vegan diet is the solution for many health conditions and for fighting disease and aging.
What about the hunter gatherer or “paleo diet” that we hear of nowadays? It is considered to be the ideal diet by many holistic nutritionists especially for those who have food allergies or intolerance. Unlike a vegan diet, it allows for animal based proteins and restricts all grains and legumes. There is also the low fat and low salt diet known as the “Pritikin diet” which has shown good results in management of certain health conditions as hypertension and heart disease.
As an Oakville-based holistic nutritionist, I will tell you that there is no ideal diet that suits us all. Simply because each one of us is different. We have different genes, metabolism and response to foods. However there are some tools that can help you recognize your ideal diet. One of these is the “metabolic typing”. The metabolic typing diet categorizes people according to their metabolic type into three categories a protein type, a carbohydrate type and a mixed type. Typing is based on a questionnaire that includes different criteria such as your food preferences and body response to different foods. Based on your answers you will fit into one of these three categories.
A protein type is at his best on a high protein and fat diet while a carbohydrate type would feel better on a high complex carbohydrate diet with less protein. The mixed type is a combination who requires equal amounts of both carbohydrates and protein.
The carbohydrates mentioned is the healthy complex carbohydrates from vegetables and fruits and not the simple refined sugars that are harmful in large amounts for all types. It is also worth mentioning that the protein type is the type that suffers the most of disease. This is explained by the high consumption of carbohydrates which is characteristic of our modern diet in the form of breads, rice and pasta and which their bodies are not well suited for.
This might explain why not everyone will do well on a pre-assumed ideal diet. This is especially true for weight loss diets. I have seen clients who have experienced increased energy, lost weight and felt their best on a vegan diet and on the other hand others who gained weight and felt unsatisfied on the same diet. That is why I always take into consideration the metabolic typing among other factors in my personalized nutrition and weight loss plans.
What I like most about the metabolic typing diet is that it allows you to listen to your body. Your body is the most reliable indicator when it comes to your ideal diet. Try to record your reaction to different foods and how you feel throughout the day. Notice how you react to different foods and if some foods make you hungry, full, sleepy, bloated or even depressed. The right foods should leave you feeling satisfied, energized and happy with no after reaction.
So to answer your question about the ideal diet, as a holistic nutritionist, I will ask you to listen to your body as it will guide you to YOUR ideal diet. Just follow the general rules for a healthy diet and then do some experimentation from your side. It is needless to say that the general rules for a healthy diet that apply to everyone include a good proportion of raw plant based foods in your diet and avoiding refined carbohydrates and processed foods.
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