I don’t know about you, but I am wholeheartedly fed up with thinking about what and what not to eat.
Do we intermittent fast? Eat only fruit until 1pm? Follow a keto diet and fill our plates with bacon, eggs and cheese every morning? Slather our keto toast (what a treat! Not.) in lashings of butter? Consume high-fat animal products willy-nilly? Keto works better if you ditch the bacon and butter and concentrate on lean sources of animal proteins and low-carb veggies.
If keto is not done the correct way, it can be the opposite of healthy. Weight lost is regained almost immediately carbs are put back into your diet. These back and forth weight fluctuations can contribute to disorderd thinking around food, loss of muscle mass and decreased metabolism. Keto may have anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and cancer fighting benefits. However, if you are diabetic, being in ‘ketosis’ can trigger a dangerous condition named ketoacidosis. It can damage your liver, kidneys, brain and, left untreated, can be fatal.
Then there is the paleo diet, or caveman manner of eating. Remember, they hunted and gathered. Didn’t take the SUV down to the supermarket. Paleo consists of eating whole, unprocessed foods. Olive oil, eggs, green veggies, meats, fish, plants, nuts, seeds, fruit. No pasta, bread, rice, oats, pulses, dairy or refined vegetable oils. People lose weight initially following a paleo diet, but no more so than any other restricted calorie diet. There are some really good paleo breads available now that don’t have to be toasted to be palatable. I personally find the keto breads almost inedible. I tried valiantly to fool myself I was enjoying it, but in the end, the birds got it.
The Mediterranean diet makes sense to me. Shame I cannot stomach sardines or most fish. This way of eating has been around for ages but in latter years, is largely inspired by the habits of Greeks and Italians from the 1960s.
Principal aspects: high consumption of extra virgin olive oil, legumes, unrefined cereals, wholegrain breads, fresh fruits and leafy greens, lots of sun-ripened tomatoes. Moderate consumption of fish, dairy – mainly cheese and yoghurt, and wine. Low consumption of non-fish meats. Extra virgin olive oil is the hero here. It may reduce risk of heart disease, cancer and other chronic diseases including Alzheimers and diabetes. I would have said the Italians eat a high consumption of meats in the form of salamis, prosciuttos, etc. Maybe not.
It appears that people who eat according to the rules of traditional food culture – Japanese, Italians, Greeks, French (high fat but small portions in the case of the French) – are usually healthier than we are. The Okinawans, once one of the longest-lived people on Earth, practised a principle called ‘Hara Hachi Bu’ – eat until 80% full. And I’m sure their meals would not have been anywhere near the size our average meal has become. The fact that these cultures mainly eat unprocessed, locally made foods definitely has a lot to do with their good health.
‘Blue Zone’ (regions in the world where people live longer than average) researchers found that locals in Ikaria, a Grecian island off the Turkish coast in the Eastern Aegean Sea, were super healthy. The island boasts numerous nonagenarians. Dementia, cancer and cardio disease are very rare. Ikarians drink a local herbal tea packed with nutrients and antioxidants. The island is home to mineral hot springs which increase circulation and help digestion.
And, as is the norm throughout Greece, people are using their bodies. They farm and fish. They also nap in the sunshine and socialise with friends and family. As the Italians also do. Travelling through these countries, no-one appeared stressed. The pace was relaxed.
I’m not even going to get into veganism. Ethically, I’m all for it but I’m unsure of the long-term healthiness of a vegan diet.
So, what’s best? That is subjective, but for me – unprocessed, not from a factory, eat foods as close to their source as possible, lean proteins, good oils such as extra virgin olive oil (local) and good coconut oil. Plants – eat like an omnivore – the more species the better which is optimal for our gut biome. Wholegrains only. Organic where possible, nothing refined, no additives. In short, real food.
Dr Xand van Tulleken said: “Eat like your great-grandmother did.”
I think Michael Pollan has it spot on: “Eat food. Not too much.
Mostly plants.”
Or, just eat what you damn well want, when you want, where you want. (DEIRDRE THURSTON)
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