What Should I Actually Be Eating??
I know you have all asked yourself this question many times. What should I eat? What’s the best diet? Should I be vegan, paleo, gluten free, keto, or (insert newest diet fad here)? It seems like the answer is always changing and that maybe, just maybe, if you follow one of these diets all of your hopes and dreams and wishes will come true.
Sorry to break it to you, but that’s not going to happen. Going on a diet means eventually going off of a diet. It’s not necessarily sustainable (unless you like being unhappy and depriving yourself of the joys of eating delicious food all of the time), and cutting out huge food groups can prove challenging and sometimes unnecessary.
So that leaves us with the question again, what should I actually be eating?
Although it seems like it, the answer to that question is not actually changing as quickly as these fad diets come and go. The answer has always been the same. It all comes back to real food. Eat real food. Eat mostly plants, good quality protein, and healthy fat.
When you eat, think about eating foods from these 3 categories: protein, healthy fat, and high fiber carbohydrates. Avoid things that are not in those categories like added sugar, processed grains, anything with preservatives, artificial ingredients, refined fats, and highly processed dairy.
Protein
Eat protein at every meal and with snacks. Protein should be good quality, so things like grass fed, organic and wild caught really do matter. Protein can come from animal sources like meat, fish, chicken, eggs, or plant sources like beans and lentils. Mix things up and get a variety of sources in your diet.
Healthy Fat
Fat is your friend. Eat fat with every meal and snack. It is great for your brain, your hormones, your heart, and it will help keep you full. Healthy fats come from sources like avocado, grass fed butter, coconut oil, extra virgin olive oil, full fat dairy, and nuts and nut butters.
High Fiber Carbohydrates
Carbs have gotten a bad reputation. They are not inherently bad. What we have done to them is bad. Yes, carbohydrates come from highly processed foods like sugar, sweets, pastas and breads, but carbohydrates also come from fruits and vegetables. That’s why I make the distinction to say high fiber carbohydrates. High fiber sources like fruits, vegetables (the starchy and non-starchy), and minimal whole grains like bran, Ezekiel Bread, quinoa, wheatberries, or any other actual grain, are your best options. Avoid carbs in the form of cereals, white bread, pasta, white flour, sweets, sugar and juice.
That’s a very simple answer to what has become a very complicated question. Here’s a great book to help give you more information on the topic. It’s called “What the Heck Should I Eat?” by Dr. Mark Hyman. It’s worth the read!