Does One Size Fit All?

I saw an article on a health site online this past week and the headline touted a Mediterranean style diet as the "world's healthiest diet." That's quite an endorsement! Personally, and from all my experience coaching different people, I truly do not believe there is just one perfect diet that would benefit every person all the time.

We are all unique in every way - God created us that way. We know our fingerprints are all unique and belong solely to us. But we are also each biochemically unique. For example, I'm sure you know some people who are vegetarians and are healthy and energetic. They love eating plant foods, grains and seeds and thrive on that type of diet. In fact, they tend to feel lethargic and bloated when they eat animal protein. Then there are those other people who feel weak and shaky unless they have some type of animal protein at each meal - and they are just as healthy.

For most of my life I ate mostly vegetables and grains, eating protein occasionally and did extremely well on that. Being of Greek descent, I basically grew up eating a Mediterranean diet (the basic components of which, are very healthy). The reasons were preference - I enjoyed those other foods more, and habit - it's what I was used to. I was healthy, maintained a normal weight effortlessly and was full of energy. As I got into my early 40's this wasn't working for me anymore. I began gaining weight and no matter how carefully I ate or how much I exercised, my body was not cooperating.

After doing a lot of research into nutritional typing, and particularly after reading Ann Louise Gittleman's Fat Flush Diet, I decided to try incorporating more protein. I made sure to have either eggs or a whey protein shake as breakfast and some type of clean protein (chicken, turkey, buffalo, lamb or lean beef) with my lunch and dinner. I intentionally increased my water intake and totally switched over to either Celtic sea salt, pink salt or Himalayan sea salt instead of table salt.

Within several weeks I was able to return to my optimum weight and I've been able to maintain it for over ten years. I've added other elements but as far as diet is concerned, increasing protein was the most important change. However, even with age, our bodies change and I think we have to be aware of this and willing to make adjustments.

There are certain people, like Eskimos, who eat huge amounts of fat and are extremely healthy. We've all read about people coming from other countries and cultures who typically do not have much heart disease or diabetes. Once they come to the United States and begin eating an "American" diet, (essentially different than what they were eating), they begin experiencing health problems they never had before.

So, I think there is one perfect diet for each one of us, but it is not a static thing. Even that particular way of eating that keeps us functioning optimally for years may need to be revisited down the road. We can't be rigid in this but willing to listen to our bodies and make any changes necessary. One size doesn't fit all.

One Size NEVER Fits All

The Atkins Diet. Low Carb. No Carb. High Protein. Vegan. Vegetarian. The Zone. South Beach. Low Fat. Mediterranean Diet. Eating for your blood type. Raw foods diet. There are more diets than you can shake a stick at and, unfortunately, in this country more overweight and obese people as well. Why? What's the problem?

I won't pretend to have all the answers. Actually I don't think anyone does. There are valuable principles and strategies in each diet that could help someone. For me personally - I think the reason we have so many diets and still so many overweight people is that we neglect to address the whole person. You may be 50 pounds overweight - but there's more to it than just that. You are a spirit being - are you discouraged, resentful, bitter, bored? Those things will affect your overall health and your ability to maintain a healthy weight.

You have a soul - a mind, will and emotions. Are you depressed, stressed? Do you feel you have no control over certain situations in your life? Are you sad, lonely, angry? Those things definitely will affect every area of your health, including your ability to lose weight.

You live in a physical body. Do you burn the candle at both ends, stay up working until all hours, expect to sleep 3 hours and be able to be at your best all day long? Do you eat mostly processed, junk food loaded with sugar, chemicals, unhealthy fats and artificial colors/flavors/sweeteners? Without a doubt, those things affect your health and your weight.

So for my clients, I consider all three dimensions - spirit, soul and body - in order to determine how to best address the issue of weight loss. You are more than just pounds on a scale and every one of us is created uniquely in every way, including biochemically. That's why one diet doesn't work for everyone. I believe you have to put together a specific plan for each person. That's what I've done for myself. What works for me may fail miserably for you. That's ok - we were created to be different.

So don't fall for the one "size" fits all mentality and feel like a failure when a diet that worked for someone else fails for you. Just remember, one size never fits all!