The Perfect Diet
The quest for the latest and best diet to offer fast and effective weight-loss results is never ending and while there are many nutrition frameworks that can help you achieve your health and wellness goals, this variety can sometimes be a problem. Each one promises results and inevitably when we don’t see immediate results using one approach, we jump ship and try another.
Let’s have a look at the basic principles of some of the more valid and well-researched options.
The Paleo Diet
The paleo approach to eating is based on scientific research (not just reverting to how our ancestors ate) and encourages a diet full of nutrient dense and anti-inflammatory whole foods including good quality meats, a variety of fruits and vegetables and healthy fats. It generally excludes common dietary irritants such as gluten, dairy, grains and legumes and of course, sugar.
The Zone
The Zone diet was developed by Dr Barry Sears as a solution to diet-induced inflammation and is also well-researched. While no foods are specifically excluded, Zone principles require a focus on the proportion and quantity of the macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) you are consuming to maintain an optimal protein to carbohydrate ratio for improved hormone control and balance.
Macros or Flexible Dieting
Flexible dieting or Macros calculates your macronutrient quantities based on your total daily energy expenditure and how much weight you want to lose. Like the name implies, this approach is flexible and doesn’t restrict any foods provided they fit your macronutrient requirements.
Ketogenic Diet
A ketogenic diet consists of very low-carbohydrate, moderate protein and high fat foods and is well researched as a possible treatment option for type 2 diabetes and for improving health markers associated with metabolic syndrome (high blood pressure, insulin resistance cholesterol profile and blood sugar levels). In the absence of blood glucose, which is usually supplied by carbohydrates and excess protein, the body burns ketones for energy, which are produced in the liver from fat stores.
Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting is an approach that cycles between periods of fasting and eating and can be more accurately described as an eating pattern since the focus here is on when you eat and not necessarily what you eat.
So which approach works the best? In terms of physiology, you are indeed a unique and special snowflake and what works for your gym buddy won’t necessarily produce the same results for you. So experiment and find the approach that works best for you and understand that it isn’t going to be a quick fix.
Once you have this figured out, the secret is CONSISTENCY.
Consistency is the secret to the perfect diet. The consistent and long-term application of a sustainable nutrition framework that works for YOU. Consistent training that you enjoy and consistently making an effort to manage the other variables that impact on your health like stress, sleep, family and friends and environment.
Consistent doesn’t mean perfect. Just consistently good enough for most of the time
