It seems that everyone has an opinion on what you should eat, how you should eat it, when you should eat, and why their opinion is somehow even better than all the other million views about eating that seem to be available whenever you ask that deceptively simple question, “What is a healthy diet?”
I’m not one of those people. I’m not going to tell you that there’s one hard-and-fast set of rules, and if you follow them, your diet and subsequent health will be perfect. Yes, what you eat is one of the most important things to secure your longevity and to ensure that your life is lived to its very best. But you’re also one person – a complete individual who is unique in comparison to every other human. The diet that works for you won’t necessarily be the same as for everyone else.
We’ve all seen those people who seem to remain effortlessly skinny while wolfing down the junk food. Meanwhile, others starve themselves and, if anything, seem to get heavier (when the body is in starvation mode, it does try to put on weight as part of its panicked attempts to survive). We’re all put together a bit differently, and that means our reactions to assorted foods can vary wildly.
Obvious examples are things like allergies, which can take staples like dairy or wheat and make them potentially lethal. But it’s not all about the physical reactions. Things like culture have a big impact as well. Some places in the world are pretty fond of eating insects, which can get a bit of a side-eye in mainstream America. Meanwhile, the many Hindus and vegetarians of India might look aghast at how much beef we eat.
Then there are the ethical considerations, with more and more people going plant-based to try to reduce the suffering of animals and human impact on the wider environment. We’re also limited by economics and geography – what we can afford and what’s actually in our grocery stores.
So, while we can make some general statements about a balance of nutrients, the most important thing you can do when planning your diet is to figure out what you need, what’s possible, and what you enjoy. Make it work for you, and most of all, savor it.
