To complement our fitness session in the garden today, I started a discussion with the Evergreen Health Members about what is and what makes a diet “the best”.
My question was:
“What do you think is THE BEST DIET? And why?”
(Before you read further please take a moment to think what would your answer be?)
We kept it short and I was impressed and moved by the answers I got from everyone.
Here is what my friends in the group believe is healthy and “The Best Diet”:
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Sharmilla: INTERMITTENT FASTING.
Eat less, eat more nutritious.
Ramona: NUTRIENT-DENSE, WHOLE FOOD,
Say no to processed food. Eat whole-food, nutrient dense food, based on the food types your ancestors ate. Eat seasonal food.
Vaidehi: PERSONALIZED – ENERGY BOOSTING
Pay attention to your body – how it reacts to different foods: notice if you feel bloated, tired, etc. and avoid those foods. We are all unique, we react differently to different food ingredients.
Aparna: LOW IN STARCHES and SUGAR
Reduce carbohydrate-rich food (starches). Eat food ingredients that complement each-other, balanced in fat and proteins. Eating more starches with a meal makes you hungry faster for the next meal.
Varsha: EASY TO DIGEST
adopt digestive friendly ways to process and cook the food – to facilitate digestion and preserve nutrients – soups – liquids, steamed food.
Vandita: AND FRUITS?
Eat fruits in moderate amount – though they are the natural, easy to digest dessert, they are low in essential nutrients and high in sugar. Stay within 1-2 teaspoon of fruits-sugar/meal, have it as a dessert after a meal, few bites. Be aware that the sweeter the fruit is, the more sugar it contains (for example a banana is about 8 teaspoons of absorbable fruit-sugar). We don’t need fruits as snack. If we eat well – we don’t need to snack on fruits (or anything else). Water is the best snack.
Preeti: MINDFUL EATING
Pay attention to how much food you eat, how full you feel after you eat and adjust the amount every day, every meal, as you need. Different people have different energy needs. If you don’t exercise, you may have to eat less food in order to feel healthy.
Navdeep: BASED ON FERMENTATION
Include fermented food – fermented dairy and fermented and sprouted plant food in the diet. Keep in mind that every plant-part can be fermented: roots, leaves (sauerkraut, kimchi), the plant offsprings, (grains – as sourdough, legumes – as miso, nuts and seeds – best soaked, sprouted). These processes increase the nutrient content and also the availability of the nutrients to our body (we digest and absorb more of them, they fill and satisfy us better). With homemade fermented food we also eat friendly bacteria that help us stay healthy and thrive.How many types of (homemade) fermented food you eat in a day? How much?
Shilpa: BASED ON GREENS
Eat greens, leafy greens – eat more of them, increase gradually and have a wide variety of greens. It feeds and keeps the gut bacteria and us healthy, they are the best source of soluble fibers, what keeps our gut bacteria alive. Cook simple and top it while they are warm with grass-fed butter (or a good quality, certified, extra virgin olive oil) The healthy fat will coat them wholesomely, make them yummier, increase nutritional value and make the nutrient absorption easier. It can be such a happy dish to have!
Joyce: SUSTAINABLE
– adjust and change the less healthy recipes with your preferred food ingredients into more nutritious recipes, keep your interest alive for the good food, make it sustainable for your lifestyle. Be aware and keep the healthy direction. Every day. Plan, and be prepared for various challenges. Going to a late night party? Eat beforehand and just have a light snack there. Do the intermittent fast afterwards, let the body readjust, recover, repair.
Lili: SUSTAINABLE INTERMITTENT FASTING
follow the intermittent fasting pattern of eating. Allow your body time to reset, readjust and heal. That comes easy and it is natural, if you eat by following all the points mentioned above. Don’t eat if you are not hungry. Don’t eat 3 hours before you sleep. Best is to eat your last meal of the day before the sun sets.
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Though when I started this discussion I wanted to make one point, how beneficial the intermittent fasting is, I was humbled and so happy to hear all these wholesome answers from everyone in the group. I am touched by their knowledge, wisdom and thoughtfulness about what they eat, since we take this journey into evergreen health together.
All these aspects about food, mentioned above by all of us, make indeed “the best diet” !
I thought it will be helpful to share this with you too and if you give your own thought to it, you may come to own it and you will be more consistent to apply what you already know will take your diet to the next level – The Best!
You deserve to be healthy!
GuideDoctor 