I don’t think there’s a day that goes by that I don’t see someone ask online “ What is the best diet”
This is usually followed by a flurry of responses from people who have no idea what they are talking about, declaring that whatever fad diet they happen to be following at the moment is THE best diet there is and all the others are well Crap.
They'll then spew a bunch of nonsense and "science" to support the diet they happen to be following.
Funny thing is on more than one occasion I’ve seen people who declared last year that XX diet was THE ONE say a completely different one is THE ONE this year.
Here’s the real truth there is no “best” diet.
What works for someone else may not (and usually WON’T) work for you.
Think about it how many diets over the years have been declared THE one… How many have you done and are still doing?
Atkins, Paleo, Zone, Low Carb, No Carb, High Fat, Low Fat, the hotdog diet, the cabbage soup diet just to name a few have all come and gone. Then there's the various detox's and juicing that are all out there.
The 2 current darlings.. Keto and Intermittent Fasting are on their way out also millions having tried them only to find they didn’t get the results they thought they would.
Soon there will be another fad diet that will come along and have everyone jumping on the bandwagon and that too will fade into the dustbin of history.
Whether you intend to lose weight, gain muscle, or simply live a healthier, more sustainable
life, one's diet is typically the largest consideration and stressor.
The options are endless, and it can oftentimes be overwhelming to figure out which path to choose.
-Do you go the low-carb route or the fasting route?
-Do you count calories and macronutrients, or not?
-Can I have a cheat meal or not?
-Should I try the Mediterranean diet or the keto diet?
The stress is understandable and the misinformation endless…However, there is a right answer to this!
That answer? Choose the diet that you’ll stick to and enjoy the most. Simple.
Of course, some standard rules need to be considered dependent upon your goals.
There are clear-cut decisions that classify whether or not you’re eating healthy - we all know this.
Fruits and vegetables are generally good, while processed foods like crackers and cookies are generally bad.
The distinction here is moderation, commitment, discipline, but most of all - enjoyment.
As long as you can stick to a relatively healthy diet (i.e. the 80/20 rule), your only decision left is to find out what works for you and stick to it.
There are many effective diets out there and even some of the ones I mentioned above will work for some people but in the end the real player, the one that will ultimately determine whether you lose weight and more importantly keep it off is compliance and sustainability.
So, what type of diet is best for you?
That’s up to you but choose one supported by science (real science) , healthy, and is most easily stuck to by you!
A diet typically focused on whole food, plant-based options (yes, this can include animal proteins!) with the flexibility to be tailored to the individual is usually a great place to start.
Find out what you enjoy, make sure that it’s generally in the parameters of a healthy lifestyle, and stick to that! A diet is simply a broad framework of what you can and cannot eat. It is not a jail sentence.
In conclusion and to reiterate the take-home point: the diet that is best for you is the diet that you will stick to…
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