I just wrote at length to share why my family eats a diet high in fat. The question is, is a high fat diet right for everyone? Is there one perfect diet for everyone?
During the past thirteen years, I’ve made healthy food my profession. I’m passionate about the subject and spend hours of time reading and learning from a variety of credible sources. Then I come up with recipes that are simple, tasty, and nourishing. Fun!
After all this time, I still find research that declares all fat to be unhealthy, especially saturated fat. I still find research that declares artificial sweeteners (like splenda and aspertame) to be a healthy option. I still find research that shows a diet high in white flour and white sugar to be heart-healthy. The trouble with these articles is that they don’t have credible data (in my opinion) to back their claims and ironically, most of these articles are written in an effort to promote synthetic drugs or manufactured “food” products.
Why have I concluded that a fats like butter and coconut oil, beef and eggs – all foods that are high in saturated fat – are healthy and beneficial? Read my thoughts about that here. But now the question of the hour…
What is the perfect diet for everyone?
Should we all eat high fat? Should we all go low carb? Is it best that we all cut out gluten? Perhaps we should all adopt the “everything in moderation” idea?
After all my years of research, and more importantly, after years of discussions with a variety of people with different needs and body types, I believe the perfect diet for everyone is:
The diet that nourishes.
The perfect diet for everyone is the one that nourishes.
I have friends who have serious health issues when consuming gluten. I know people who have to stay away from eggs and nuts entirely. I have met people who tell me that if they ate as much fat as I eat they would bloat and be miserable. I have a friend who has a fructose intolerance so all the healthy fruits in the world aren’t at all healthy for her.
Each person must determine what their body needs, what their body can handle, and what will keep them healthy and strong.
But if we aren’t eating food that nourishes, whether it is low carb, high fat, grain free, or otherwise, no matter our dietary needs or restrictions, we still aren’t offering our bodies food for good health.
As for my family, we can eat whole grains, dairy, fruits and vegetables, meat, eggs, and plenty of good, healthy fats. These foods keep us strong, energetic, and nourished. As for you and yours? Only you can determine what is healthy.
But remember: Healthy Food = Nourishing Food.
All the conflicting research we find might have us confused about what it really means to eat a healthy diet. And all the “my family eats this way and so should you” information we read can have us in a puddle of confusion.
So do your homework, and consider what nourishes. Learn what provides your family with energy, brain power, good health. Focus on eating food full of nutrients.
And one last thought:
Don’t feel bad about the occasional splurge. With all my talk about feeding my family real food that nourishes, you should know that sometimes we buy ice cream or chips from the store as a special treat and we don’t even feel bad about it. I don’t agree with the “everything in moderation” idea, because I think that lends itself to the mindset of eating whatever you want as long as you don’t overeat. This doesn’t necessarily promote a nourishing diet as an overall lifestyle. But eating a nourishing diet most of the time while occasionally splurging on a treat? You bet!
Now I’d like to hear from you! What kind of diet is nourishing for you and your family?
