Diet Culture

It was only a matter of time before I had to address this topic.  There has been a lot of hype over the past while on all kinds of diet trends and quick fixes. Some of them are outright dangerous, not sustainable and frankly, good health is not only about what we eat.  It is also about what we digest, what we adsorb, what we are exposed to, what we think about and how we move and rest etc etc.

We have become hyper all the things and we have become a little obsessive and it is leading to Orthorexia nervosa which is perhaps best summarized “as an obsession with healthy eating with associated restrictive behaviors. However, this attempt to attain optimum health through attention to diet may lead to malnourishment, loss of relationships, and poor quality of life.”

In a sense we do not have emotional balance with our relationship to food. We have lost the art of Nourishing and enjoying our food.

DIET CULTURE

In our current culture, cutting out entire food groups are commended. Foods have been given ambiguous labels that have unhelpful and even harmful labels like “good” and “bad” attached to them. Let’s look at some of them.

THE CARNIVORE DIET

The diet involves eliminating all plant foods from your diet and exclusively eating meat, fish, eggs, and small amounts of low-lactose dairy products.

Foods that are suggested you eat, include beef, chicken, pork, lamb, turkey, organ meats, salmon, sardines, white fish, and small amounts of heavy cream and hard cheese. Butter, lard, and bone marrow are also allowed.

Hard Core Carnivore’s are now making concessions and adding some fruits, honey and romaine lettuce.

My thoughts: First thing that comes to mind is, can your digestive handle all this protein?

If you have digestive issues and many of us do, or kidney challenges then this is not the right plan for you.  The quality of the food needs to be top notch. It needs to be organic, grass fed, wild etc etc otherwise you are ingesting toxins and added hormones. This diet also lacks fiber, many important phytonutrients and minerals that the body needs.

Having said that, this “diet” does remove sugars and starches and for some perhaps this is a good way to balance blood sugar and cut cravings short term. Be sure to be taking Digestive Enzymes and HCL support at each meal.  Enzymix pro and Zypan are favorites and I would also add some Gallbladder support to help breakdown those fats.

THE OZEMPIC DIET AKA MOUNJARO ETC

Ozempic is a hot topic right now. An injectable drug that was originally intended to treat Type 2 diabetes, it is—somewhat controversially—now being used as a weight loss aid. Ozempic is a semaglutide, which is used to treat diabetes and has been very effective for weight loss. It works by causing the pancreas to secrete more insulin and decreases the amount of glucagon produced by the liver. That action then suppresses appetite and slows down gastric motility, so you feel full for longer. It’s very popular in Hollywood and that has influenced others to give it a try.

My Thoughts: There are not longitudinal studies and there are a multitude of side effects. It is expensive and there is a shortage due to its popularity.  If you stop taking it then you gain back the weight so it becomes a slippery slope for many. Those that could benefit from the positive reward versus risk ratio like severely overweight or long time Type 2 Diabetics can’t get access to it. Those that have measured the results via Dexa scans, also report that you lose muscle and not as much fat as you would like.

It might put out the fire in some cases however it does not get to the root cause of the problem.  Getting healthy to lose the weight is sustainable long term.

PREBIOTIC  SODA

Prebiotic sodas are carbonated drinks that contain a prebiotic ingredient(s). You may already be familiar with a few of the most popular prebiotic sodas on the market. Poppi prebiotic soda is known for its apple cider vinegar-infused bubbly drinks that come in a wide range of flavors such as strawberry lemon, raspberry rose, and ginger lime. Olipop soda gets its prebiotics from a range of ingredients including marshmallow root, cassava root, chicory root, and cactus.

Including prebiotics in your diet is a good idea. Prebiotics (typically found in high-fiber foods, e.g. fruits and vegetables) act as food for probiotics, contributing to a healthy, balanced gut. Prosynbiotic is a great combo of both pre and probiotics.

My Thoughts: These sodas still contain 9-10 grams of sugar and the colorful and savvy marketing is on point right? It is better than a regular soda and tastes better than straight ACV, however it is still in a can and processed so I would say eat your veggies, fermented foods and low glycemic fruits.  Better for you and the environment.

LAST THOUGHTS ON DIET CULTURE

As a clinician who supports others on their health journey I can say that most diets are deficient in the key nutrients that the body needs to be healthy. I see the labs and hear the struggles each week.  Unforntunately Diet culture targets mostly women and some men who struggle with their relationship with FOOD for many different reasons.

It also targets a quick fix without a long term solution.  Some diets like an Auto-Immune Healing  Diet are necessary in the short term to support healing and require additional supplemental support to be effective.  These “Diets” are also very effect to help put out the fire while we rebuild the person’s health.

We need to learn how to improve your metabolic health by returning to a Nourishing Mindset and the pleasures of the table—and embrace the absolute enjoyment of real, whole, nourishing food at every opportunity.

For longterm quality of life,  I have found that eating clean unprocessed foods, not too much, that are found in nature and are in balance with what the human body is made of (Mostly water, then protein, fat, minerals and minimal carbs) is the best option.

Have a healthy week and as always I am here to serve.

Dr Pia