Ultimately, everyone’s body is different, and that’s part of the reason there’s so much information out there. Some bodies are capable of making essential enzymes and resources from strictly plant sources (whereas some cannot) and a vegan diet works fine for those folks. Others have high degrees of insulin resistance and really thrive on a ketogenic diet. Yet others find that certain types of grains will upset their stomach or there may be certain foods that disrupt hormone levels. We also all need different amounts of fuel. A woman who has a slim build, stands at 5’6” feet tall, and runs two miles 4 times a week is going to have vastly different nutritional needs from a 5’8” lady with a stocky build who powerlifts six days a week. The most important main things to look for in any type of sustainable eating plan are calories and macronutrients.
Calories are strictly units of energy. There are three macronutrients that comprise the caloric content of foods. These macronutrients are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, and all three are essential to the human body, just not necessarily in the same amounts for everyone. One of the most misunderstood macronutrients is carbohydrates. The past decade, carbohydrates have been blamed for the obesity crisis, but this blame is misplaced. Carbohydrates are quick burning forms of energy that break down into simple sugar for your cells to fuel your body. The problem isn’t necessarily carbs, but more the fact that the typical western diet involves large amounts of carbohydrates from sources with no nutritional value, providing far more energy than most people need but robbing our bodies of nutrition. Many of nature’s most nutritious fuel sources are carbohydrate based!
Fat is another macronutrient that gets a bad reputation it doesn’t deserve. Fat is a slow burning source of energy and is essential for cellular structure. There are so many structures in your body dependent on a reasonable supply of fat in your diet. The danger with fat is that it is a much denser fuel source, with one gram of fat supplying your body with nine calories rather than the four that carbohydrates or proteins provide. This means that eating foods that are primarily fat based can take a while to make you feel full and they’re easy to overindulge on.