Paleo. Whole 30. Keto. Vegan. Vegetarian. Flexitarian. Pescatarian. Ovo-lacto vegetarian. Fasting…tarian? While labels help for specific recipe searches, do they help us all reach that healthy lifestyle we’re looking for? Or maybe they make you feel confused and overwhelmed. I know it does for me, and then I get to spend many fun hours researching what’s proven and what’s not (oh no, no sarcasm – I do enjoy it!)

So, how do you get to know what’s best for your genetic code and lifestyle?

Labels & Choice overload

It’s a real thing, being bombarded with so many diet types – so many choices – does not make us happy. It makes us stressed, confused, and depressed. So we have to find an easier way.

There isn’t exactly a one-size-fits-all ‘diet’. But what does fit pretty much every human is eating naturally with healthy fats and proteins, along with little sugar and starches. Most of all, any healthy lifestyle requires one important thing – preparation and habit changes. 

The nitty-gritty specifics

If you have skin issues you’ll also want to remove dairy and other inflammatory foods. In general, skin problems or not, reducing inflammatory foods also drops the pounds and clears a host of ailments from arthritis, to gas, to crankiness.

The list of symptoms due to inflammatory foods are long.

• Acne
• Headaches
• Eczema
• Arthritis
• Foggy Brain/Sleepiness/Fatigue
• Gas
• Bloating
• Irritability/Moodiness
• Weight Gain

Some of the most inflammatory foods are: sugar, corn, gluten, soy, peanuts, eggs, and dairy. 

Eliminating these foods also means substituting them with healthy foods that reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and much much more.

Where to start?

Begin with focusing on the food that makes you feel good that is natural, low in sugar, high in healthy fats, and quality proteins. Write a list of your favourite vegetables and fruit, proteins, and fats and go from there.

You’ll begin to find easy to put together meals from your list. For example, I love fresh cod grilled in olive oil, garlic, and parsley with some pink salt to top. On the side I make zucchini noodles with olive oil, lemon, garlic and parsley as well. It takes me about 15-20 minutes to make and satisfies me completely. Dessert, if I’m still kind of hungry, can be something simple like dark chocolate or one of my favourite desserts… and there are so many to choose from!

In summary

1. Write a list of your favourite vegetables, fruit, proteins, and fats
2. Get excited – recipe hunt and plan your meals! Pinterest is FULL of whole 30 and Paleo recipes that focus on natural and anti-inflammatory foods
3. Keep every meal and snack natural, low in sugar, with quality protein and fat

Food to avoid

• Anything processed
• White starches and grains – bread, pasta, rice, potatoes, flour
• Sugar
• Alcohol – some red wine has been shown to be just fine
• Dairy – try to reduce it if you’re unable to quit cold-turkey

Instead

• 

  Bread -> Paleo bread *Almond flour has to be one of the best additions to the baking world!

• Pasta -> zoodles
• Rice -> cauliflower or broccoli rice
• Sugar -> a million healthier dessert options out there + dark chocolate (it might take some time for your taste buds to adapt, but they will, promise)
• Dairy -> sugar-free almond, cashew or coconut milk – the creamy fatty option

Bad Habits

If you, like the majority of us, turn to food for comfort and have just developed bad habits over time, these articles are for you. Tackling your habits is what will keep you eating well.  Start with one at a time, and go from there.

I promise, once you start to see how much satisfying simple to make healthy food is out there, you really won’t ever want to go back to the old you. 

Here’s one of my favourite, uber simple desserts that makes me happy.