What Should I Eat?
- posted in Cleansing, Detox, Detox Cleansing Fasting, Fasting, The French Paradox
- / with 6 comments
Bonjour,
“What should I eat? Paleo, 5:2 fast diet, juice cleanse, raw diet, no-sugar…?” I know that feeling. With so many fad diets, how not to be confused?
The team of the Good Food magazine was asked to road-test the most popular diets and it’s proven to be a tough time for the journalists. Here’s their verdict: most of these diets don’t work, none of them are sustainable, some are super expensive and they can leave you cranky, tired, hungry … and bored!
Interestingly the Good Food team was not allowed to test the olive oil, fish and wine-friendly Mediterranean diet (which abides by the principles of the French Paradox) as it was considered as a walk in the park compared to the other hardcore options.
I bet they already knew there was nothing worth testing: it works, it’s sustainable. It makes you live longer, look younger and puts a smile on your face. These principles make France one of the healthiest and slimmest countries on the planet: 35% of the French are overweight or obese compared to 65% of Australians and New Zealanders. All without having to live off raw kale and green juices and while still enjoying ‘demonised’ foods like bread (yes, grains and gluten!), cheese and butter (yes, dairy!) and wine (yes, sugar!).
If you have missed the Good Food article published this week, here are my favourite quotes (for a comprehensive list of the pros and cons of each diet, you can also have a look at the article by clicking here). Hopefully this will help you answer the question: what should I eat?… Or what NOT to eat!
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PALEO
“My main qualm with the paleo diet is that I found it dull… No bread is one thing but no cheese either? That’s just rude… I don’t know how anyone could pull this off with a family of non-paleo dieters.”
However the journalist lost some weight and felt better.
- JUICE CLEANSE
“It’s expensive, time consuming and uncomfortable… How hard is it to eat out? Utterly impossible… I may not eat another vegetable for the next 6 months.”
However the journalist may choose more salads and veggies in the future.
- 5:2 FAST DIET
“Fasting days are so boring… How hard is it to eat out? On fasting days, don’t even try… Sadly now, I am on the 7:0 diet.”
However the journalist is considering trying to do one fasting day a week.
- NO-SUGAR
“Expect to spend a large chunk of your Sundays cooking up for the week ahead… I’m easing myself back into sugar.”
However the journalist felt healthier, and her skin cleared up.
- VEGAN
“I’m not quite ready to make the full transition to veganism… Lack of variety when eating out… No more cheese.”
However it helped the journalist feel healthier, lighter, and had a positive impact on her mood.
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RAW FOOD
“I’m sick of nuts even in a cashew ‘cheese’ cake… It’s time consuming… Not ideal when you prepare separate meals for the rest of the family who aren’t concerned about the ravages of ageing.”
However the journalist’s skin got a little clearer.
- GWYNETH PALTROW 7-DAY DETOX
“It’s a lot of work… Very costly, about $110 a day… My kitchen was a mess… How hard is it to eat out? Impossible “
However from day 3, the journalist felt much healthier, had buckets of energy and her skin looked great.
- 12WBT
“Clean the pantry, plan my meals, shop, measure myself, weigh myself, assess my fitness, gear up, write down what I ate, track my exercise, print out the meal plans, cook. It felt like a second job… No carbs = cranky shrew wife with no sense of humour.”
However the journalist found it was sensible, non-faddish philosophy geared to long-term health.
- LOW-FODMAP
“Time consuming, boring flavours, expensive.”
However it is designed and works very well for people suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It can be life-changing for them.
So now, WHAT WOULD YOU PREFER:
a- trusting the time-tested, no-nonsense, no-BS best-kept secret of 60 million people in France now backed by modern research (and all while eating for pleasure),
or b- being fooled by the latest boring and non-sustainable fad diets – true tickets to depression?
No-brainer, isn’t it?
Have you tried any of these hardcore diets? Did it work for you? I can’t wait to hear what you think?
Have a great week.
Yves
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