I’m a Nutritionist, this is my lifetime diet.
After spending the last decade since I left school, studying, working and engaging with the health and fitness industy I am just as confused as you about what to eat. Thus, the lifetime diet idea was spawned. I struggled to gauge what exactly was ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to eat. Clients struggled too. And it is no wonder.
When I started to dig a little deeper into the science behind the health recomendations, I was left more confused. There was so much evidence, and so little conclusions or strong bodies of evidence one way or another.
In an attempt to give myself and my clients simple and clear dietary guidelines to follow I came up with ‘My Lifetime Diet.’
My Lifetime Diet
My recommended lifetime is one that is energy balanced, high in nutrients and simple to adhere too. Whilst it seems that many trendy diets have strict rules and guidelines, that restrictive approach is not working for the general population. A lifetime diet is a vastly complex and broad topic, but from the research it seems clear that there are three recommendations that are the most important aspects of most diets. These aspects are, energy balance for weight management, fruit and vegetable intake to provide nutrients and the ability to adhere consistently, for the long term, to the recommendations. This essay will explore all three in detail and outline why I recommend a lifetime diet of fruits and vegetables without going to extremes.
It is likely that most people would be able to tell you that being overweight or obese is not good for our health. For weight management, energy balance is key to reaching a healthy weight range (1). Although maintenance of a healthy weight appears more complex (1) and research suggests interventions are difficult to adhere to long term (1, 2, 3). The importance of energy balance should not be underestimated when it comes to a lifetime diet, but it is not the only factor that needs to be considered for healthy living.
It is widely accepted that eating a nutrient dense diet is key for disease prevention (2, 4). Once energy is balanced, then ensuring that the energy being consumed is high in nutrient dense foods, mainly plants and vegetables, can drastically improve overall health (1, 2, 5). An increase in plant foods also leads to an decrease in fats (2). Decreased fat intake has been associated with a decrease in risk of morbidity (2). Furthermore, eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables has also shown decrease risk of morbidity (1, 4, 5). Clearly eating fruits and vegetables can help decrease saturated fat intake and improve overall health.
For all those BBQ lovers, this doesn’t mean trading in the steak for a salad and give up meat. There has been little evidence to show that meat eaters and non-meat eaters have significantly different risk of morbidity (6). What is evident is that diets higher in saturated and trans fats are associated with higher risks of disease (4). Does this mean veganism, or an extreme dietary shift is required? As Patrice outline, it was relatively difficult to sustain being a ‘perfect vegan,’ and didn’t mean that she was healthy (3). Suggesting that a decision to go to a more extreme diet that does not include meat, and therefore potentially offers a less flexible approach to food is not one that is supported by anecdotal (3) or scientific research (1,2). By keeping our diet simple and flexible, we can enjoy nutritional freedom, aiding adherence to our lifetime diet.
Eating fruits and vegetables isn’t exactly a new recommendation. Yet nutritional interventions have high dropout rates and poor adherence (2). The ability to follow recommendations is likely more important than the recommendations themselves. A combination of strategies including self monitoring, counselling and education all proved to be successful in improving adherence to a diet (2). Which is why utilising adherence strategies is included as part of ‘my lifetime diet.’ No dietary approach works if it cannot be adhered to long term, and seeking help to do so will drastically improve adherence.
My lifetime diet is going to make a radical suggestion. Don’t follow the latest ‘media hyped’ up diet. Do just two things consistently: eat an energy balanced diet eat and focus on a diet rich in fruit and vegetables. As Patrice discussed after spending a year as a vegan, keep it simple and eat things you like (3). This doesn’t mean everyone needs to become vegan. But it is well established by the evidence provided, that eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables will significantly reduce risk of disease and morbidity.
The recommended lifetime diet that is presented is one that is energy balanced and includes lots of fruits and vegetables. This coupled with using adherence strategies of self-monitoring, education and counselling will mean that it is possible to maintain my lifetime diet long term. Ultimately, that is what the point of a healthy diet is — a long term eating pattern for good health.
