Which is the best diet for overall health and weight loss?

Leaky Gut is definitely a "thing". You also need to find out what foods you are allergic to or sensitive to. Read the Whole 30 and the Plant Paradox. The Whole 30 eliminates foods that generally cause allergic reactions, wheat, dairy, sugar, processed foods for 30 days. You eat real food, real fats, fruit as well. Then you start adding back the items that were eliminated to see if any of these bother you. The Plant Paradox discusses leaky gut quite a bit and talks about additional foods to eliminate to keep the gut biome healthy. It is quite strict and I am not totally sold on it at this point in time. One thing I did take away and started immediately was using psyllium fiber husks every day - this helps to clean out the digestive tract and I feel it has really helped me. As most everyone else has stated - real food - not processed is absolutely the best - and you will find you get way more bang for your buck. You can eat a lot more real food for the calories than you can processed food.

somrok wrote: »

Leaky Gut is definitely a "thing". You also need to find out what foods you are allergic to or sensitive to. Read the Whole 30 and the Plant Paradox. The Whole 30 eliminates foods that generally cause allergic reactions, wheat, dairy, sugar, processed foods for 30 days. You eat real food, real fats, fruit as well. Then you start adding back the items that were eliminated to see if any of these bother you. The Plant Paradox discusses leaky gut quite a bit and talks about additional foods to eliminate to keep the gut biome healthy. It is quite strict and I am not totally sold on it at this point in time. One thing I did take away and started immediately was using psyllium fiber husks every day - this helps to clean out the digestive tract and I feel it has really helped me. As most everyone else has stated - real food - not processed is absolutely the best - and you will find you get way more bang for your buck. You can eat a lot more real food for the calories than you can processed food.

So you know more about the GI tract than all the gastroenterologists? Hmmmm...

Hey, can you guys help me figure this out? Hmmm, I don't like your answers. You're all going to die of diseases, and thanks for taking the time to read my post! :huh:

OP, if all of the experts you are consulting are telling you different things, what do you think that means? Isn't it possible that maybe they aren't really experts?

I recently read about the Blue Zones, areas where there are an extraordinary number of healthy centenarians. They eat a lot of veggies, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds, and legumes plus a little dairy, oil, fish, alcohol and meat, with lots of variations between communities. But what they all had in common was they live constantly active lifestyles and remain socially active in the community. I am firm a believer that it's not really difficult to eat a healthy diet, just aim for variety and make sure you are eating a decent amount of nutritious food. I think how you live is way more important. But I'm guessing that's not what you are looking for.

I'm going to enjoy a Coke Zero and a Fiber One brownie and then take a brisk walk while phoning a friend, and I bet it does me more good than avoiding low fat dairy or taking a Dr Axe recommended supplement.

And just to throw some gasoline on this train wreck... Lactulose (as far as I can find any info on the term) is either a laxative used to relieve constipation or an indicator of ammonia in urea (your pee). I don't think the first is the case (given the discussion going on) so it devolves to the second and guess what? We all have ammonia in our pee because it is a normal by-product of the digestion of protein which the liver/kidneys remove from the blood and pass out of the body thru your pee.

Think about that - your 'functional' doctor got a positive result for something that is present in EVERY human being on the planet and then 'treated' you for having an 'abnormal' condition.

What’s that saying about a fool and their money?

Eat a variety of nutrient dense foods in a balanced fashion (ie, in a way that covers your nutrient needs) and that you enjoy within your calories. That is the best diet for you. For me, I achieve this by focusing on eating some protein and a significant amount of veg at each meal (usually), some fruit, some sources of healthy fats, and just generally cooking a wide variety of foods I enjoy.

strive356 wrote: »

The goverment healthy plate diet is good if you use sourdough bread or sprouted bread, and sprouted grains.

It can be fine if you don't too. I don't think bread choice is really that important a difference in most diets. (I would say my diet is consistent with gov't recommendations and yet I almost never eat bread because for me it's a waste of calories).

The paleo diet is so high in good fats that it may not let you lose body fat.

Actually, there is no need to consume "good fats" at all (as I understand the term) when eating paleo, but yeah, if you overeat on paleo you won't lose. Paleo is an okay way of eating but I wouldn't recommend it since I think there's no reason for most to cut out legumes, grains, and dairy, and legumes are actually quite healthful and a good source of non meat protein. Plus the caveman rationale is silly and based on inaccurate claims.

Is fat fat whether good or bad?

No, trans fats are bad for you, although they shouldn't be hard to avoid. Omega 3's are probably worth focusing on, and you will hear debate about whether to limit (not avoid) sat fat. I do, but I don't think you need to worry about this much detail when first working on your diet -- focus on calories, what you like, protein and vegetables.

Low fat dairy and low fat diets may cause inflammation of the organs, causing acne and diseases. Because low fat products are all too processed. This is just my experience, what's yours?

Um, most low fat foods are naturally low in fat, like potatoes, grains, beans and lentils, vegetables and fruits, pasta and bread, so on. I'm not sure why you think low fat products are "too processed."

I don't consume much dairy, but I would choose some low fat dairy (because I like it!) over full fat, such as low fat greek yogurt. It's really not significantly more processed and I don't think it causes "inflammation" vs. full fat. You seem to be reading questionable sources. In fact, reading your last paragraph, VERY questionable sources.

Back to the we are going to all due of autoimmune diseases in 10 years if we don't fix our leaky guts thong. Most autoimmune diseases are "deadly" and as someone who has one and knows lots of people who do i can tell you it is usually the people who stop their medication and turn to quacky gurus who become the sickest. Seen it many a time. You might be ok for a while but inflammation left to run rampant causes huge issues and pushes people into flares and increases cancer risks.

Back to the OP (though the discussion sure has been interesting to read.) There is no one 'healthiest diet' that anyone can recommend for you, with the sole exception that your regular way of eating should nourish you, not harm you.

You may (and I fully advise consulting with a medical professional, because I am most certainly not one) need to start with one basic eating plan, such as Paleo, or whatever eating plan that you settle on, and see what your body best responds to in accordance with your health goals.

Personally, after a few years of trial and error, I eat mainly Paleo, because that's a method of eating that I feel the best on, and eating this way brought my blood sugar from pre-diabetic back into the normal ranges. Also, I enjoy the food, so it's not a hardship for me, and a sustainable, enjoyable way of life. And I really only use 'Paleo' for lack of a better term, because it's a close approximation and therefore easier than rattling off 'I eat protein, and produce and healthy fats, and avoid most grains but enjoy corn and quinoa occasionally, also, since I don't have problems with soy, I use tamari instead of coconut aminos, because they taste nasty.'

Most grains and sugar make me feel cruddy, cause my moods to swing drastically, and literally make me want to eat the world. As a result of this, I don't indulge in the multitude of 'paleo desserts' out there, because while I feel high fructose corn syrup is the devil, other than that, my body treats sugar as sugar, as far as cravings/mood swings go. My body has a higher tolerance for fruit, so I'll eat a couple-three modest servings a week...but again, too much, and it triggers the 'eat the world' urges.

This all being said, my mother tried Paleo, and didn't do well on it. Her system is different than mine, and it wasn't her optimal eating plan. One friend does Keto, and loves it, she feels good, looks great. I tried Keto, and my body hated it, apparently, I need a wider array of produce than Keto allows to feel healthy.

Basically, this long-winded post is saying to just listen to your body.and remember that you don't necessarily have to adopt an eating plan with a label, or buy into what anybody is selling, in order to be healthy.

In the interest of making an on-topic post in this thread: I've realized that I actually "published" my thoughts about "the best diet for overall health and weight loss" right here on MFP:

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10636388/free-customized-personal-weight-loss-eating-plan-not-spam-or-mlm

As far as I can tell via search, no one has linked it in this thread (despite some kind MFPers occasionally giving it endorsements in other threads), so I will therefore shamelessly self-promote . . . on topic.