What Should I Eat? This is a question that I hear a lot of with patients, and that I have asked myself many times. It’s no wonder people are concerned when the health, fitness, and dieting industry is a billion dollar industry and seemingly every week there is a new fad diet or guru promoting the next best thing. Personally, I have tried many different kids of ‘diets’ or ‘ways of living’, and over time, I have definitely become a healthier eater. But I’ve also become a very confused eater. Do I go low carb or high carb? Eat grains or avoid them? Eat meat or eat beans? Avoid fruit or eat lots of fruit? What about honey, agave, coconut oil, butter? You get the point. It’s easy to get caught up in the little details and forgot that the overall picture is to eat real food. And stress less about the food (and everything).
A few weeks ago, I was in NYC for an Integrative Medicine conference. It was wonderful; each speaker (over several days) was telling different stories about how they ‘discovered’ natural or functional medicine, and how they are changing patients’ lives every day by using nutrition, supplementation, and herbal medicine rather than the drug and surgery model that they had been taught. Some lectures where on liver health, several on brain/mental health, autoimmune diseases, joint health, etc. Then Dr. David Katz, MD gave a fabulous presentation on the food we eat. He works with many Integrative Practitioners and said something that to me, a confused eater, was beautiful. To summarize, he said, ‘We have gurus promoting all kinds of diets, arguing over small details (fats, meat, grains, etc.) in the grand scheme of things. But what most people don’t realize is that all these people eat more similarly that anyone of us. They all eat mostly plants.’
So, what should we eat? Plants. Simple put, mostly fruits and vegetables, and lots of them. A few ounces of meat or grains or beans to supplement a meal depending on your preferences.
If you would like to work with me one on one to change your diet, lifestyle, and health, please contact me at 203-421-6543.