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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No bread is one thing but no cheese either? That’s just rude…
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, vegan, juice cleanse… What a life!
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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Hi Yves
You sound my kind of Nutritionalist. I have absolutely no will power when it comes to depriving myself of wine, cheese or lovely food. My portions are way too big and I also avoid doing organised exercise. Therefore I suffer from a moderate swale around my middle section. I just want to find a way to eat moderate amounts of delicious food and not feel guilty when I try to do up my jeans. Maybe I should move to France …
Thank you very much for your message, Chris. No need to move to France to apply the principles of the French Paradox: I am launching an affordable and easy to follow online program next week! This program offers exactly what you are looking for without having to move to France. If you are one of my subscribers, you will receive the full description of this program straight to your inbox. So exciting! Yves
this is very interesting i love this Diet i hev IBS horible
Thank you very much, Judy. Good to hear you’ve found a great diet for your condition. Take care. Yves
Hi Yves
I love your website, and I love French food. Every time I have been to France (5 times) I have eaten bread, pastries, cheese (OMG- divine) had degustation meals, drunk red wine at lunch and dinner, and come home having lost weight and felt energised.
However, eating the same way at home, I gain weight, feel sluggish and am constantly wary of what the next meal may do to me. I eat mainly organic. Juice, drink water, exercise, and try to be mindful of what I eat. How come I feel so much healthier in France, than I do in NZ?
Thank you so much, Anne, for your comment and your great question. Your situation must be highly frustrating. I’m totally convinced that you don’t need to move/travel to France to enjoy the benefits of the traditional French diet so there might be something different when you’re back at home whether it’s your diet, your level of stress, your sleep patterns, your exposure to chemicals . I would need to have an in-depth look at your diet and lifestyle to clearly identify your offenders. However one important thing you say is ‘I am constantly wary of what the next meal may do to me’. This is exactly what my next blog will be about (next week!): New research recently confirmed that up to 50% of the nutrients you get from food is impacted by what’s going on in your head. In other words, if your approach to food is positive, you’ll get the most out of your food. If it is negative (guilt, fear of putting on weight, …), you might get only half of the nutrients with huge impact on your health, including your weight. More in my next post next week. Stay tuned! I hope it helps. Let me know if you have any questions!