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While all of my research has pointed me toward an overall template of what may compose an "ideal" diet for most of us, based on traditional foods enjoyed in the Blue Zones, foods that feed our gut microbiomes well, and principles from a Mediterranean-type diet, I have also learned that individual differences are going to play a huge role in how our bodies respond to foods. I shared this with you in previous chapters.
Even though I believe we should not be afraid of any real foods, that does not mean that every person is going to thrive on the same specific foods. We all have unique genetic factors and also different gut microbiomes. Some of us may also have a very unhealthy metabolic profile caused by years of eating the Standard American Diet (also known as "SAD", which I think is accurate.) The SAD eating pattern isn’t good for anyone’s gut microbiome or genetic type.
Perhaps if we had never eaten processed and chemically-laden foods, we wouldn't find ourselves in this state. Wouldn't it be nice to travel back in time and tell our 15-year-old selves that we really SHOULD eat more vegetables and avoid junk foods? There are a few other things I would like to tell my 15-year-old self, now that I think about it. I wonder if I would listen to my future self?
Since we can't do that, we each have to start from where we are today, and work with our body's current state, whatever that may be. Someone with Type 2 diabetes is going to have different challenges when compared to someone who is healthy overall, but simply wants to lose a few pounds. Someone who has been overweight for decades is going to face a more difficult struggle than someone who has only recently begun to have a weight problem.
Yes, we have learned that we are all different, and our bodies don't all respond the same way to foods. For that reason, it's important to take all of the food recommendations in this book as a general guide. Someone with a compromised gut microbiome is going to have trouble with foods that others eat freely with no issues.
If you have autoimmune conditions or specific food intolerances, you are going to have to work around any dietary limitations that your body currently faces. That's just a fact. While it may be exciting to think that many people around the world are able to eat all types of foods with no ill effects, some of us are starting from a place of compromised health, and if that is true for you, you are probably going to have to take some basic steps in order to find the type of healing you desire.
The first step is to pay attention to how foods make you feel. I want to tell you a secret about your body: it desperately wants to be healthy. Every choice your body makes behind the scenes (out of your conscious control) is to protect you. The key is to learn how to work with your body rather than against it.
One thing about living an intermittent fasting lifestyle is that you may notice right away if a food doesn’t work for you. After a period of fasting, you will notice the effects of foods much more dramatically. If any foods you eat make you shaky, give you a stomach ache, or make you want to binge-eat, these are probably not foods that work well for you. As an example, I have learned over time that I personally feel best when I eat a diet that includes lots of carbs and fats from whole foods. I eat plenty of whole grains, potatoes, and vegetables, and fats such as olive oil, butter, and heavy cream. I have learned that I can’t open my window with overly refined carbs or anything that is sugary, or I feel shaky. Too much heavy meat makes my stomach hurt, as does a meal heavy in fried foods. I have learned to listen to my body and eat what makes me feel best. Of course, we know that the foods that make me feel best won’t necessarily be the ones that make you feel best.
So, the first step is to learn to listen to the way your body feels when you eat. Even though I want you to Feast Without Fear, part of that is accepting that you probably won’t feast on the same foods that I feast upon, since we are different.
People sometimes misunderstand the advice I give, which is to “eat whatever you want.” This doesn’t mean that you should eat foods that are problematic for your body. As an example, my son has a shellfish allergy: he can’t ever eat shellfish. Instead of literally taking “eat whatever you want” as a command for you to eat all foods, you need to recognize it as permission to eat what you prefer, while still working within your own unique dietary needs.
Going forward, we need to shift our thinking. Rather than classifying foods as “good” or “bad”, think about it this way: there are foods that make you feel good, and foods that don’t make you feel good. And, we understand that this will not be the same for each of us.
How do you figure out what foods work best for you? One strategy is to use a food journal to take notes related to what you eat and how you feel. If you are trying to lose weight, see if there are any connections between what you eat and your overall weight loss trends. By doing this, you will most likely be able to figure out what foods work for you over time. Once you do that, you can go on to Feast Without Fear forever, making sure to always include foods that feed your gut microbiomes well AND make you feel vibrantly healthy.
However, after paying attention to how foods make you feel, you may suspect that you have specific food intolerances. If so, you may need to take the process one step further. There are many elimination diets out there that you can use to test specific foods and determine how they affect your body. Learning how to use an elimination diet to pinpoint your body’s intolerances is beyond the scope of my book, but the good news is that there are already excellent books out there to help you figure it out for yourself. You may have heard of a book called The Virgin Diet, or a plan called Whole 30. Both of those are elimination diet programs that many people have used successfully to figure out what foods work well for them. I don’t endorse either of them specifically, but I have seen people use both of them to identify what dietary changes they need to make.
While I know that it’s no fun to think that you may need to eliminate certain foods, it is entirely possible that some foods are not working well in your body at this moment, and we know that this may be related to either your current gut microbiome composition or genetic factors that you aren’t aware of. In The Virgin Diet, you eliminate 7 common foods that cause problems in many people. Then, you add them back one at a time to see how your body responds. This is a great way to figure out if certain foods cause problems for you. The Whole 30 plan, which is really popular right now, works in a similar way.
Yes, it is a LOT of work to eliminate foods from your diet temporarily. NO, not one of us wants to imagine that our favorite foods may not work well for us. That being said, figuring out what foods work in your unique body may be the difference between success and failure when it comes to meeting your health and weight loss goals.
If you don’t want to rely on a book or a do-it-yourself elimination diet, consider finding a health professional who has experience in this area. Look for a practitioner who practices complementary, alternative, or integrative health to help you work through this process. This webpage from the National Institutes of Health website has information about complementary and integrative health care, and how to find practitioners in your local area:
The bottom line is this: while I don't want anyone to be afraid of any real foods, you may need to face the fact that some foods don't work for you right now, at this point in your life. That doesn't mean that they will never work for you. Through intermittent fasting, we can reverse many of the problems associated with our previous eating habits. By making careful and deliberate food choices, we can slowly rebuild a healthy gut microbiome and begin to heal metabolic issues. At some point, you may be able to reintroduce some or all of the foods that were previously problematic for you.
The best news of all is that we can all make choices today and each and every day that lead us toward a healthier future.
As I said, your plate may not look like mine. The foods that make me feel good may not work at all for you, and vice versa. As you learn to listen to your body, you will see what your body loves, just as I have. Intermittent fasting really teaches us to listen to our bodies, as I already mentioned.
As we work to heal our bodies by eating the foods that make our bodies feel good, it’s important for us to understand the difference between “food” and “food-like products.” One of these will lead us toward better health over time, and the other will not. I’m sure you know where I am going with this.