(UPDATED: For an better laid out argument at ending the debate as to approaching dietary practice, check out Matt Frazier’s of No Meat Athlete article The Only Healthy Eating Guide You’ll Ever Need)
I have followed the caveman ways via paleo diet.
I have found solace in the clean dieting ways of a healthy (aka not junk food deriving) vegetarian practice.
I have eaten copious amounts of fruit while focusing on a fruitarian diet.
I have followed these and plenty more approaches towards a “healthy” diet and I have reached the light at the end of the tunnel.
Today, I am going to share with you what’s at the end of the tunnel and how you can, finally, start seeing the results through nutrition you so desire.
The Right Way, The Wrong Way & Any Way
“You know you really should cut back on your meat intake. Besides the moral injustice, the body doesn’t typically break down meat in the most efficient way.”
“The best diet is one that survives simply on meat and veggies with little to no consumption of high-sugar fruits and breads.”
“Bananas. Bananas. Bananas. Eat 30 per day and you will have more energy than you have ever felt your entire life.”
Words of wisdom? It all depends on who you ask really. I am not saying in any way that these are right, wrong or anything in between. What they are are opinions. Opinions that have validity based on their own experiences. Therein lies the wisdom.
Every single “way” of approaching a proper diet finds it’s proof in the results.
If one way works incredibly well for you, and you have tested other ways, then go with the way that works.
Chill Out & Appreciate Variety
Through my years of personal dietary testing, I have come under endless scrutiny. In many ways, it’s a lot like blogging. A blogger could say they want to help build a small shelter for a family whose home burned down due to lighting and there still would be a “troll” that shoots a comment back like, “Well, they should have had home owners insurance and you are only impeding their lack of planning by helping build a shelter.” Yes, there are these “trolls” out there and they are EVERYWHERE.
The reason I bring up the “troll” example is because whichever way you test and use for implementing a diet plan that works, you are bound to have people disagree with your way of eating. You may down-right hate the diets others choose. What I suggest instead of arguing for or against any way is to present the facts of how your way(s) have shaped your life. That doesn’t mean you are right or wrong. You are just presenting what you know and have experienced. That is all anyone can ask of you and you of others.
Often, we pump our chest and say, “My way is the only way!” Why can’t we just chill out a bit and appreciate everyone testing their ways and results from their own perspective. We are not in any battle to discover the one true dietary way. We are all just scientists trying to find the right chemical balance that provides the greatest individual result for ourself.
Stop Debating – Start Testing
For years, I argued everything from whether the sky was blue to who was the correct choice for president. Many times, I just liked debating. What I later realized was that debating was breaking me down. What built me up was doing everything to improve my own situation through testing. The tests that seemed to bring about the greatest clarity were those involving fitness and diet.
The issue with debating is that we are often not discussing why we are right, rather why others are wrong. Sometime, long ago, I heard a debate coach say that you should prepare for a debate by knowing 90% of your opponents argument and only 10% of yours. What I have come to realize is that life is a lot more enjoyable when I share 100% of my story and learn as much as I can from others followed by testing their ways.
We fight…a lot. We fight each other. We fight history. We fight weight. What we should be doing is just testing everything, presenting our results, applying to our life accordingly, and letting others decide whether they want to test our ways in their life.
Final Diet Debate Declarations
The debate will probably never end as to what the proper diet is. I have given up that fight. What I do today is say (A) worked for me and (B) didn’t. You are allowed to view and apply these results accordingly. There’s no reason we need to fight why you are right and I am wrong.
Going forward in your own dietary approach, try to view yourself as more of a student and scientist rolled into one. You have the opportunity to learn from others and test in your own mad laboratory while not succumbing to the frustrations of the never-ending diet debate.
photo credit: Kevin N. Murphy via photo pin cc
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