Is there a right way to eat? I think most people’s gut reaction would be yes, there is. This seemingly straightforward assumption has pretty big implications. It leaves the impression that if your body is not perfect, then whatever the “right” way is, you’re not doing it. What if that idea is wrong?
Is There A Right Way To Eat?
Let’s start from the start. A lot of diets and nutrition strategies legitimize their approach by referencing the way our bodies are designed. The Paleo Diet says we evolved to eat the things that were available in Paleolithic times. Vegan diets claim that we have evolved to eat vegetables, which have always been more abundant and easier to gather. Other diets like Atkins or Southbeach claim that our bodies work better in a ketogenic state.
Here’s what I think is true – we are designed to eat what’s available. We’re omnivores. I know this is a topic of controversy, but I would say the proof that we are omnivores lies in the fact that we actually behave that way. We can and do eat meat, we can and do eat vegetables, we can and do eat fruit, nuts, seeds, twinkies, and more.
How “The Right Way” Is Messing Us Up
I have only scratched the surface of the whole omnivore/herbivore debate. But for the sake of brevity let’s cut to the chase of why I think the whole conversation itself actually hinders, rather than helps.
Most of the discussion about how humans are supposed to eat leads people to assume that there is one correct diet. Ironically, this is a self fulfilling prophecy. Overwhelmingly – even accounting for the recent wave of body acceptance, which is a whole other topic – we as a society tend to value bare minimums on body fat for both genders. Whether or not that is natural or normal for us is not a particularly prominent part of the discussion. So if we believe that having extra body fat is abnormal, or even wrong, and we believe that there is a science supported ‘right’ way to eat, then we have cornered ourselves into thinking that if we are overweight we must be doing the wrong thing. The body is ‘designed’ to eat some way, says many of the diet arguments. Therefore, if I am overweight, I must have picked the wrong one.
This feedback loop is why so many people try so many different diets. We go from paleo, to gluten free, to vegan, to vegetarian, to atkins, to southbeach, to various 30 day challenges, to juice cleansing – I could go on. And every one of those promises to be the solution because they supposedly reflect how the body is ‘designed.’ And whenever one fails, we go on to the next one and listen to why their science, and their supporters, show that the previous diet we attempted was wrong.
The Solution
There are dietary principles that we can all agree upon. Things like eating whole foods, eating more fruits and vegetables, and drinking mostly water aren’t really controversial. I think where we are going astray is in what we expect the results to be. Part of the solution for figuring out the ‘right’ way to eat is going to have to involve our expectations around body image. If we never believe that our body is healthy and acceptable unless it is the lowest possible body fat, then we will forever be searching for the perfect diet. And with so many out there purporting to be the answer, based on science, we can go on endlessly trying different things.
It’s unoriginal, but you should eat whole foods, fruits and vegetables, and nuts mostly. Keep grains low, sweets and things that come in plastic to a minimum. Whatever your body does with that, is what it is ‘designed’ to do.