Why do Different Diets Work for Different People?
Vegan? Keto? Carnivore? Whatever the h*ll you want?
-
Why do different diets work for different people?
-
Things to think about...
-
1. Your current health. If you are fairly healthy (great digestion, sleeps well, has a libido, warm body) your body can adapt to a variety of dietary approaches and feel pretty good. If your health is compromised your choices may be more limited.
2. Your previous diet. If you are coming off a highly processed crappy diet, shifting to a less processed, more real food approach will make you feel better--regardless, if its vegan, carnivore or keto.
-
3. The rest of your life. If you are happy, sleep well, have a strong community of friends and family, feels connected to nature, etc. you will have an easier time adjusting to a variety of dietary approaches. What you eat is very important, but it is NOT the only thing that contributes to your overall health. Your environment, your community, your thoughts and sleep will all have a HUGE impact on your health.
-
4. Your stress. A low stress life can result in the ability to tolerate more foods. How well your GI works is directly correlated to the amount of stress in your life. In a sympathetic state, GI function shuts down. Thus, the more stress in your life will correlate to more GI issues and less tolerance to a variety of foods. Some may feel better removing meat, while others may feel better removing fibrous foods.
-
5. The Placebo affect. Yes, just believing you are on a GREAT diet (whether it is or is not) can make you FEEL better.
-
6. How long have you been on "X" diet. For many people, you can feel great in the beginning of a diet (you are losing weight and eating cleaner). Yet, in time, this same diet may make you feel like crap as it could be lacking in energy, nutrition or both.
-
7. Genetics, gut microbiome, or other personalized markers. Many researchers speculate that its your genetics or gut mircorbiome that plays a role in how well you tolerate certain diets. Maybe OR not--we still do not know.
-
As I stated the other day, the BEST diet for YOU is the diet that makes you FEEL great (great energy, poop daily, sleep, happy) and is SUSTAINABLE.