Healthiest Diet EVER??...

Courtwag25 · April 2016

If one wants to lose weight (30+ lbs) keep it off, and be as healthy as possible from the inside out, what is the BEST diet?? What are key things to avoid? Curious what the mass majority thinks on this! Some days I want to do paleo, some days I want to go vegan, some days I want to do a modified version of something I make up but I don't want to just lose weight I want to be HEALTHY and live long and look good doing it

queenliz99 · April 2016

The diet you can do for the rest of your life.

snikkins · April 2016

True statement.

Variety is always good, maybe incorporate recipes from the dieting styles that interest you?

abatonfan · April 2016

It's all opinion. Current FDA/USDA guidelines recommend eating a well-varied diet appropriate for one's calorie needs (based on age, weight, and activity level) and placing an emphasis on eating fruits and vegetables (at least half your plate should be vegetables), whole grains, beans and legumes, lean protein and soy products, dairy, and fats/oils and added sugars in moderation. No food or food group is necessarily evil (the only thing they really want people to avoid are trans fats because of their link to coronary artery disease), but you may find that you feel healthier by eating more of certain foods and less of others (especially if you have a medical condition).

sunnybeaches105 · April 2016

Agree with this. If you don't actually follow it, then no diet will work. A combination of a varied diet rich in protein, good fats, fiber, vitamins and minerals that adds up to the right number of calories, with regular cardio and strength training will serve you well. The funny thing is though, there are many paths that will take you there. Find what works for you.

Francl27 · April 2016

This is what I was going to say... whatever you can stick to while keeping a healthy weight. Then whatever diet lets you meet your daily nutrients and gives you enough protein, fat, and fiber.

Courtwag25 · April 2016

Yes I knew the answer would be "whatever works for you that you stick to" but hypothetically I was curious to see what the majority of people's opinions were on what is "healthy" and good for long term weight loss! I have my own opinions about dairy and sugar being bad so I don't typically agree with the FDA guidelines , but it is dreadfully hard for me to give up either even though I know they're bad! Also is hard to limit fruit for me! Do you all favor high carb low fat, low carb high fat? Etc, just wanting opinions!

rankinsect · April 2016

Came here to say that as well.

If you want some more guidance, there's no one-size-fits-all best. A lot depends on your individual health and fitness, and on your goals. For example, for about 11% of the population, cutting sodium gives meaningful health benefits in the form of improved blood pressure. For the rest, there's no health benefit to reducing sodium at all. Those with vitamin or mineral deficiencies may have very different dietary needs than those without those deficiencies. And a ton of it is personal preference - there's no single "best", there are millions of possible diets that would meet your nutritional needs, the best is the one you prefer.

coreyreichle · April 2016

A varied diet, that consists of things you eat. I'm a big fan of "Make sure you eat foods of a whole lot of different colors".

Nothing wrong with dairy, or sugar. In fact, might shock you, but most athletes consume a metric ton of sugar (I know I do, just did today, in fact). And, why limit fruit? That's kinda silly, bananas are perfect pre-workout fuels.

Why are you concerned about giving them up?

BrianSharpe · April 2016

In respect to weight loss it's all about energy balance, I wouldn't want to try it myself but you can lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies as long as you're consuming fewer calories than you expend.

In terms of healthiest you'll get a wide range of opinions (and that's what most of them are....opinions with little or no scientific basis to suggest that x is better than y)

No foods are inherently bad unless you suffer from allergies or specific health issues. Some people do find it easier to comply with a lower carb high fat / high protein diet but I suspect that's because of greater satiety.

bamfgoals · April 2016

Came here to say this.

RWClary · April 2016

^^^THIS!

Yes, I know tofu wrapped in seaweed, thrice dipped in kale juice is the healthiest food on earth, but how much good will it do my body rotting in the fridge?
We all need to strive toward our personal ideal for "clean eating", and we must also allow ourselves to be human.

vivmom2014 · April 2016

Dairy and sugar aren't bad. That's gonna make me sad if you say they are.

rileysowner · April 2016

The human body is amazingly flexible in terms of diet, and the more I see, the more I find the biggest issue is whatever diet can keep you from eating more calories than you need that at the same time allows for a variety of foods that provide many different nutrients.

fishshark · April 2016

pretty much end thread.

MelissaPhippsFeagins · April 2016

I have lots of food allergies so I can't answer this question for you. I eat dairy - mostly yogurt, cottage cheese and whey isolate after a heavy lifting session and sugar because I like fruit and it gets added to yogurt and I don't always think to check the label and but the least sugary that meets all my other "can't have this" foods. (shellfish is easy to avoid, soybeans are not, wheat is even worse and that's not all that makes me ill.) I also grow my own veggies - gardening is better exercise than most people think and I like shopping in my yard. I have found what works for me. Experiment until you find what works for you.

ReaderGirl3 · April 2016

Yep this. I kept things simple and continued to eat the foods I liked but I learned how calories worked and I started tracking my calories, started following portion sizes and stayed within my calorie parameters. I didn't cut out any foods or do any fad diets. Not only did I lose around 50 lbs and improve my health, but I've also been able to maintain my loss for 3 years now.

I'm in excellent health now and I'm doing this whole thing in a way that's realistic and sustainable long term.

Francl27 · April 2016

You'll find 3000000 different opinions about this, lol.

Courtwag25 · April 2016

Thankssssssssss

Courtwag25 · April 2016

And sugar and dairy are bad FOR ME they make my skin terrible and I gain weight when I eat them and lose weight when I don't but I love them both lol

Courtwag25 · April 2016

And by sugar I mean added sugar/processed sugar/bad for u sugar in general. I know ultimately it's all calories in vs calories out but I do personally believe a more natural whole foods diet works best for my overall body type instead of eating whatever I want as long as it fits my calories

luzbel9989 · April 2016

I would imagine eating "clean" would be the healthiest...also the easiest since it's just limiting the processed junk. No counting or starving.

WinoGelato · April 2016

Except "eating clean" means something different to every person, there are lots of nutrient dense processed foods that can be a healthy addition to a person's diet, and you can easily gain weight eating whole foods just as you can eating foods which are processed...

WinoGelato · April 2016

OP I lost about 30 lbs which is the number you mentioned, and I've kept it off for 2 years so far. I never followed any particular "diet". I set a reasonable calorie goal for myself, tried to eat a variety of nutrient dense foods but didn't restrict anything in particular, and started exercising more.

I think unless you have a medical reason to restrict a certain type of food (LCHF) or an ethical reason (vegetarian) then as others have said, the best diet is the one you can do for the rest of your life. Why do you have to follow any particular way of eating at all?

ninerbuff · April 2016

The healthiest diet? Variables to consider: can you mentally handle it? Do you WANT to eat this way the REST OF YOU LIFE? Does what you eat optimally meet your specific macro/micro nutrient profile? Does your body function normally on this diet? Can you afford it?
I believe answering those questions will lead anyone to the diet that's HEALTHIEST for them.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

[/quote]

nvmomketo · April 2016

For me, the healthiest diet ever has been a very low carb high fat ketogenic diet. (Primal basically.) I was prediabetic and had reactive hypoglycemia, plus some autoimmune issues that have been helped by eating this way. I also found it quite easy to lose weight compared to when I just cut calories. It will be pretty easy to follow this for life because it has helped me so much, and because I like the food.

Traveler120 · April 2016

I think for health, a diet that's nutrient dense and plant based with minimal animal products, is the healthiest to avoid chronic diseases common in the west. It should also feature mostly whole, unprocessed foods. That's what I eat but, I do however allow a bit of junk food, like ice cream and chocolate once a week, for sanity, which is part of my mental health care

.

As for added sugar, if it jacks up your skin as you said, it's not healthy for you. For me, cane sugar in the form of raw/turbinado/unbleached sugar is part of my healthy diet. I add it to smoothies, oatmeal, fresh juices, fruit salad, pancakes etc, which are all healthy foods but I wouldn't eat as much without added sugar. So adding sugar makes me eat healthier. I've lost weight, now maintaining 118 lbs, while eating as much as 2-4 lbs of sugar per month. The rest of my diet is high in whole, unprocessed carbs like grains, legumes, fruits, potatoes etc and my last fasting blood glucose test was 70 mg/dl (normal is 65-99) so, no diabetes for me!

As for fat, I keep fat as low as 10% because when I was a eating a higher fat, paleo diet, my cholesterol went through the roof. I cut down on fat and it went back to normal. So the healthiest diet should result in healthy labs and should be tailored to the individual because we all react to different diets in different ways.

dac097 · April 2016

I would also have to say the healthiest diet would vary depending on the person but since you seem to be wanting details of what works for various individuals I will tell you what seems to work for me. I have found its not healthy for me to eat very low carb or very low fat. I also find its important for me to eat protein with each meal if possible. I don't follow any specific diet but have several guidelines that I believe are important for my health such as: eating real food as opposed to processed food, eating lots of vegetables and at least one fruit a day, eating at least 25 to 30 grams of fiber daily and limiting my carbs to 40% or less of total calories. I aim for 30% calories from protein and 30% fat but I really don't worry about the total fat grams going over as long as I'm within my calorie limit because I eat healthy fats. I also try to make sure most of my carbs come from "non-starchy" carbs like fruit, vegetables and legumes. I try to have a "starchy" carb at only one or two meals or snacks a day so if I have oatmeal for breakfast I will have a big salad with grilled chicken for lunch for example.

amazonqueen29 · April 2016

I just eat low carb smaller meals 6 times a day. A lot of research has backed up the fact that eating 6 times a day helps boost metabolism. I've also found that eating less sugar has taken away a lot of my cravings for desserts which is so easy to over indulge in!

lemurcat12 · April 2016

This.

Sources that I find useful, given this, are books about blue zones (there are a variety of healthy diets), the Harvard nutrition site: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/, and David Katz's diet project: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/science-compared-every-diet-and-the-winner-is-real-food/284595/ (see also http://bigthink.com/videos/david-katz-on-what-we-know-about-diet)

I know there's lots of nonsense about cutting carbs vs. cutting fat vs. cutting protein, but all that seems beside the point to me. What a basic healthy diet is involves none of the above, and I see no reason they would be necessary for a normal, healthy person. If anything the stress of worrying about it seems counterproductive and creating a diet hard to sustain seems a bad idea.

I don't think there's one healthiest diets. There are lots of healthy diets.

stevencloser · April 2016

You gain weight from excess calories, not certain foods.

Healthiest Diet EVER??...

Replies

Categories