I read a lot of websites and blogs about food.
I mean a lot.
Like, sometimes I know more about what’s coming out of the latest nutrition studies than I do about whether or not my 11-year old has been singing in the school choir all year without me knowing until I had to sign a permission form for her end of year choir trip (hypothetically speaking of course).
And in all my reading, do you know what I find that a lot of food writers, bloggers and social media gurus like to do more than anything else? Define and argue.
They like to define the “perfect” diet, and then argue with everyone else about why that diet is right and all other diets are wrong.
Saturated fat is good for. Saturated fat is going to kill you. Whole grains are a nutrition staple. Whole grains are making you sick.
It’s exhausting.
Labels like “vegan,” “paleo,” “vegetarian,” and “primal” are helpful for quickly and easily describing a diet and lifestyle you subscribe to, but they also serve to divide and alienate people who often actually share a lot in common.
Here are two recipes:
Thick and Chunky Tomato Sauce on Zucchini Noodles
Can you tell which one is “vegan” and which one is “paleo?”
Nope, because they’re both – both!
As someone who studies nutrition, one thing I have absolutely learned over the last few years is that there is no one diet that is perfect for everyone. Everyone’s body is different, everyone’s beliefs are different, and everyone’s environment is different. What’s perfect for your body, your beliefs and your environment, may not work at all for someone else.
And that’s ok.
In all my studying and research, I have only found four principles that I would say are as close to universal as possible when it comes to nutrition:
1. Eat real, whole food as close to its natural form as possible.
2. Eat less sugar.
3. Choose organic as much as possible.
4. Eat mostly plants.
This is my version of the perfect plate:
Fill 80% of your plate with the veggies and fruits that you and your body like. Some will work better for your body than others. And some will work beautifully for your body, but be horrible for the body of the guy next to you. It’s totally fine.
On the other 20% of the plate, (sticking with the four principles above) put whatever else makes you feel good and makes your body and soul feel good (grass-fed beef, beans, cheese, nuts, butter, whole grains, wild salmon, seeds, tofu, cupcakes) – go crazy!
It’s that simple.
I want to propose that we all agree to spend less time fighting about the 20% of our plates that we disagree on, and more time sharing ideas, recipes and tips about the 80% that we have in common.
Because, as far as I’m concerned, you can never have too many sweet potato recipes!
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