THREE DIETS, ONE EATING PLAN (Part 1)

Your physiology and personal nutritional needs are unique. It’s unlikely you will thrive on a randomly chosen, “one size fits all” diet. Your healthiest option is combining two, or three, or more diets into a sensible, custom designed eating plan. Selecting a full Paleo, Ketogenic, High Carb/Low Fat, Vegan, or any other diet plan based on testimonials or because it simply sounds good is a mistake. Successfully implementing the Ketogenic diet, for example, may be analogous to pounding a round peg (diet) into a square hole (you), with potentially disastrous effects on your health. I’ll provide an example of 3 diets to build an eating plan from. I’m often asked, “how will I know when I hit the right combination of food that’s best suited for me?” You will figure that out as your body starts to run more smoothly and efficiently than ever before. “Tune in” to your physiology and employ my foundational tenet “Watch, Listen, and Feel Your Body.”

Combining the following three diets would result in a hybrid eating plan created from components of the diet that we evolved with (Paleo), the diet associated with the most documented health benefits (Mediterranean), and the diet most linked with life extension and productive longevity in the modern world (Okinawan). Overall, the important shared features of these healthy dietary patterns include high intake of unrefined carbohydrates with an emphasis on vegetables/legumes; moderate protein intake, including fish and lean meat; a healthy fat profile and wine if it’s organic. These diets will be detailed in THREE DIETS, ONE EATING PLAN (Part 2)

Wayne Coolidge Jr., M.Ed. is a scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker. He owns Healthy Dynamic Living, an innovative health promotion consulting firm.