FOOD WARS-What do I recommend?

Food is one of the most controversial topics we debate today. We have people going hardcore all vegan, no meat, and  we have the carnivore group way over on the other side. Isn’t that confusing!  People are so stuck in their camp, they’ve got rules, like- “no meat”. They’ll say “I’ve seen it cause cancer”  and other people eating meat cite studies that vegetables are there to kill us with all these different chemicals they’ve been treated with- well, what’s the truth? 

I always use a foundation of anthropology in my practice because we can really cut through all that noise- and I appreciate both sides. There’s very educated folks voting for all vegan, and others voting for all carnivore. I mean, very educated. They’ve looked at scientific evidence. And here’s what I found, though, when you really think about it. They find what works for them, and maybe a handful of patients or clients, and I appreciate that. But that doesn’t apply to all of us. We’re not all carnivores where we can only eat steak all day. You know, a lot of us would just feel terrible. Me included. You know, I’m a bigger guy. I’ve lifted weights all my life.  I have a lot of muscle. I’m actually not really drawn to protein. We really have to work with a practitioner to really dial in with what’s right for you. However, use your gut instinct. Eat what makes you feel  better, and gives you more energy. 

Obviously, we’re not talking about processed food. We can’t say “I had eight tacos and I feel amazing.” We’re talking about real food. We still need to eat whole food most of the time. But I am saying, go a little bit more intuitively on how you feel. Do I think any extreme is good? It’s not good for most people.  Do I think we need some prompting? Absolutely.

If you’re someone who philosophically has a problem with eating meat, no problem at all. You know, I work with all kinds of vegans, and vegetarians. But we need to remember there are a tremendous amount of nutrients you’re missing. So you’ve got to have targeted supplementation, and not just generic “Hey, all vegans need this.” You have to work with a practitioner to figure out what your body needs. You’re going to be different than everyone else. 

In general, those that don’t eat meat are going to have a lot of problems with minerals. And you might be thinking, well, I eat a lot of vegetables, aren’t I getting minerals?  Well remember, nowadays, our soils are likely largely depleted of minerals.

Let’s talk about the word diet. Let’s talk about an eating strategy or nutrition strategy. One of the best I’ve ever found, going back to my anthropology research is Paleo. And I don’t want to paint with a broad brush. But generally speaking, if you had to pick one eating pattern that works for the majority of people, it’s Paleo. I don’t put everybody on Paleo though in my practice. I find what’s right for each patient through very calculated testing, and there’s a lot of legwork, a lot of due diligence. However, again, if you’re not working with someone, maybe Paleo is one of the best things you can do.  I love Dr. Sarah Ballantyne’s work. She’s called Paleo Mom, check her work- she’s reviewed over 1200 scientific papers on that type of eating pattern.

We also don’t want to be grazing all day.  It does keep insulin elevated. It’s best to stick to three meals a day. Some people can do great with intermittent fasting- experiment a little bit. Let’s try to get out of the extremes and think about, what do I feel good consuming? Do I need a little bit of protein balanced with some clean carbs and some veggies? Find what works for you, and then create a plan and again, if it’s confusing, meet with a practitioner, and we can help you dial it in.