It’s actually the question I get asked the most when I am out and about (and in clinic obviously). What do you think is the best diet/the best way of eating? I would get asked this question everyday and do you know my answer? “The food that works for you and your body” – what does that mean?
That means…
· The food that optimises digestive health and your health in general.
· The food that makes you feel well.
· The food that you enjoy.
· The food that is achievable / practical for you.
Usually by the time my patients come to me they have tried many different approaches to their diet, exercise and supplement regime to try and improve their health.
The morning media advise “the Mediterranean diet” as the most healthful diet on the planet and then your best friend just lost 20 kg and is espousing “keto” as the magic bullet for all that ails you. Maybe you tried keto, lost weight but all of your joints started hurting. Paleo is great, paleo is bad. The meat only diet heals autoimmune disease, legumes are good/legumes are bad, you need a low leptins diet (that will fix everything). You may have even tried some of these diets with varying degrees of success. Maybe you did lose some weight but you felt terrible (afternoon nap anyone?), or maybe you didn’t lose any weight but your psoriasis improved.
I have heard it all in my clinic. All of the above and more. It’s why I know there is not a “one size fits all” approach to optimising your health and managing any chronic conditions you may have. One thing I have noticed is that most of my patients do need to make dietary (food) changes in order to achieve the results they are looking for.
Patients with chronic digestive conditions often need to start with an elimination type diet to give their digestive system a rest before determining what food works/doesn’t work for them. Otherwise we need to do more specific testing of things like their microbiome and food intolerance testing as a platform to start a healing journey.
Almost every (actually EVERY) patient that I have seen so far has had digestive dysbiosis. What does this mean? They may present to me with poor mood/anxiety and menstrual irregularities and make no specific mention of suffering from a digestive complaint but, on questioning, they have digestive issues. What kind you ask? Constipation is common, gas, bloating and chronic abdominal pain that they are used to are common upon questioning. Many patients don’t even mention this on their intake forms because it it their “normal” – but it doesn’t make it healthy.
Some patients don’t have obvious digestive problems – the symptoms are expressed in other parts of their bodies: brain fog, fatigue, anxiety/depression, immune weakness to name a few. But it all comes back to Gut and Digestive health and your lifestyle. It is impossible to be healthy if you have issues with your gut and digestive system.
A nutritionist can help you determine what does and doesn’t work for your unique self.
Make your nutrition a priority and live your best life!
Bek Di Mauro