by Barbara Berkeley, MD
Human beings are curious characters who seem to enjoy nothing more than dividing into factions, the better to denigrate those on the other side. Sometimes this unavoidable tendency turns life into a series of tiresome tug-of-wars. Are Cleveland Cavs fans really so different than Celtics fans? Clearly not, and yet even sports rivalries can engender strong beliefs that one side is physically, geographically, perhaps even morally, superior.
When we divide into groups, we seem often to inflate the "truthiness" of our cause. Part of the action is to believe that we have found the one true path. So it is with religion, politics, and nationalism. Yet we can't all be right and there are an awful lot of factions claiming to have the one right answer to an awful lot of problems. If this line of thinking sounds familiar, it's because I've blogged in the past about our need to form dietary factions that look alot like the other tug-of-wars described above.(Dietary Tribalism: Factionalism Goeth Before the Fall).
In my post on dietary tribes, I wrote this:
....At least as I see it, the truth about optimal diet remains the furthest thing from being settled. It is as complex and elusive as a shadow that recedes into our endless human past. Does any group, whether it be the vegans, the vegetarians, the Primalists, the Mediterranean Diet followers...ad infinitum.... truly have the hubris to believe that they have completely solved the equation? There is no diet on earth that does not eventually lead to death. And if there is ever to be one it will have to come with the assist of modern science, since no living species has yet negotiated immortality.
I believe it unlikely that there is one, true diet. ( See: Previous post on The Perfect Diet). However, I do believe that there are diets that work exceedingly well for individuals. It's interesting and important work for each of us to find the one that best fits ourself. Based on clinical observation, I feel strongly that a mostly Primal diet with elimination of the bulk of sugars and starches is an excellent diet to choose. But there are people who may do very nicely as vegetarians, Ornish followers, Mediterranean devotees, etc..
I remain a dietary pragmatist. I don't like to criticize the dietary choices of others (unless they are making no choice other than to default to the SAD). I also realize that purism within dietary philosophies is not necessarily practical. For example, I often receive questions from readers about perceived contradictions in my book and blog. How can I suggest that maintainers use artificial sweeteners, use Lean Cuisine occasionally, or buy meal replacement shakes? I make these suggestions because they work, are practical, and don't seem to cause harm. I do not expect people to be perfect in the adoption of any new way of eating. Imperfection is the reality for the vast majority of us. So my goal is to try to give readers practical ways to maintain lower weights, that allow them to remain "primarily Primarian". Luckily, the body--particularly when at good weight and in good physical shape--is a wonderfully flexible instrument. A continued commitment to eating well is required, but utter perfection is not.
So I'd like to start the New Year with a confession and an observation. My confession? I don't have the answer about perfect diet. My observation: No one else does either. When you look for guidance from the gurus who are out there on the internet and whose words seem so much weightier because they appear in books, remember that YOU are the most important part of any dietary experiment. Here is the list of guidelines I've posted in the past for deciding if your diet is a good one:
1. Your diet is good if it is helping you achieve normal blood sugar, decent cholesterol readings, low triglycerides and a good blood pressure. If you already have some of these problems, your diet is a good one if it is lessening these markers or allowing you to decrease your medications.
2. Your diet is good if it is allowing you to stay a a good weight. That weight doesn't have to correspond to a perfect BMI, but it should be as low as you can comfortably maintain and should stay relatively stable.
3. Your diet is good if your energy is good. If you are sluggish or have no energy to get out and move around, look at making a dietary change.
4. Your diet is good if it exposes you to the fewest carcinogens. We get enough exposure to cancer causing chemicals in our air, plastics, x-rays, and modern products. Avoidance of processing and additives is the basis for every healthy diet whether it be Primarian, Pritikin, Vegetarian or an Atkins variant.
5. Your diet is good if you can believe in it and stick to it. If you are simply eating reflexively, without any specific thought, it's unlikely that your diet is healthy. The reason is simple: we are presented with few good choices. In order to eat well, we have to eat mindfully.
6. Your diet is good if you wake up without guilt.
7. Your diet is good if eating it makes you not only healthy...but happy.
Feel free to let me know about the dietary discoveries you have made as you've proceeded on your own journey.
