Vegan, Paleo, Keto ... Plant Based ... UGH which is it?!?!

[Anonymous]

So after seeing the latest Netflix documentary about the benefits of Keto ( see details here https://www.netflix.com/title/80238655 ) I am thoroughly confused at what I should be eating and feeding my family. I tried vegan, it didn't work for us, then we followed Paleo pretty closely, then I read about the benefits of a plant based diet so we adopted that, now I am hearing grains and wheat shouldn't be eaten much....ugh I am exhausted. I realize that veggies are good no matter what under all so called plans and processed food is bad, but I am not clear on how much meat (especially red meat which is supposedly carcinogenic and cancer promoting) we should be actually consuming. We are currently a family of 3, daughter is 3.5 years old and we are about to have a baby in 2 weeks. Nutrition and health are important to me but I am honestly starting to doubt everything. Anyone else in the same boat? Ideas? Sources I can refer to? Thank you!

[Anonymous]

Stop with the fad diets already.

Get sufficient protein for your activity level (weight lifters should eat more depending on their goals).

Fill the rest of your diet with some healthy fats (be careful of eating too much, even good fat can make you fat if you eat too much) and the rest with complex carbs and vegetables.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So after seeing the latest Netflix documentary about the benefits of Keto ( see details here https://www.netflix.com/title/80238655 ) I am thoroughly confused at what I should be eating and feeding my family. I tried vegan, it didn't work for us, then we followed Paleo pretty closely, then I read about the benefits of a plant based diet so we adopted that, now I am hearing grains and wheat shouldn't be eaten much....ugh I am exhausted. I realize that veggies are good no matter what under all so called plans and processed food is bad, but I am not clear on how much meat (especially red meat which is supposedly carcinogenic and cancer promoting) we should be actually consuming. We are currently a family of 3, daughter is 3.5 years old and we are about to have a baby in 2 weeks. Nutrition and health are important to me but I am honestly starting to doubt everything. Anyone else in the same boat? Ideas? Sources I can refer to? Thank you!

OP, as a registered dietitian and chef, your post saddens me, because I think you so perfectly spell out the mindset of so many people today when it comes to food and healthy eating. Too much information available, too much misinformation, too many fad/ trendy diets, too much judgment and less-than-scientific opinion available on what you "should" eat and what you "should" feed your family.

Do you want the bottom line truth, at least in my professional (see above) opinion?

Your grandmother was right. Eat what you love, live an active lifestyle (read: exercise every day), keep portions under control. Crazy diets are just as you discovered with vegan: difficult to follow and almost impossible to put a family through. Moderation is the key. Learn to cook, eat seasonally and locally when you can (not "organic," necessarily) and you'll be fine. There is no magic bullet that will ensure great health; a lot of that is luck and genetics. Keep your weight under control, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check and you're doing fine. And stay off the internet for advice: Registered Dietitians are the health professionals who have the science of nutrition in their backgrounds.

[Anonymous]

OP here.

To the registered dietitian: thank you very much for your post. I completely agree with you on the enormous amount of "advice" and information out there. Your post was refreshing. Can you point me to a website/book something "real" that gives me some direction on what my 3.5 year old should eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner, snacks etc. and particularly how much sugar is actually an acceptable amount. I do have Marion Nestle's book "what to eat" from years ago, perhaps I need to revisit that although it didn't provide direct advice on how much of what one should eat.

The whole family is healthy, no illness, no medications, we are active and fine with weight. So I do appreciate your advice that if all that is in order then we are fine. But then I wonder, what about things on the molecular level, could things be going bad deep inside without any sings (yet)?

Can I ask you - do you eat ice cream, processed snacks, yogurt, cereal? Can you give me a sample week (in summary) of what you eat?

THANK YOU.

[Anonymous]

"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

That's what I was going to say.

[Anonymous]

Check out somebody books/ blog posts from mark Hyman. He’s a dr, he’s “pegan”, paleo + vegan and very sensible.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote: "Eat food, not too much, mostly plants."

That's what I was going to say.

+1000000. Michael Pollen is wise.

Plant based is what you want. Do you need to eliminate meat, dairy, and eggs? No. But you also don't, or should not be eating them daily.

Cook lots. Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, beans, legumes, nuts, seeds, and wholesome grains. Eat these in abundance. Eat the other stuff occasionally. That's what all the healthiest, longest living populations on earth do.

[Anonymous]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ua-WVg1SsA

This video hilariously captures your problems, op.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Check out somebody books/ blog posts from mark Hyman. He’s a dr, he’s “pegan”, paleo + vegan and very sensible.

Paleo vegan sounds the exact opposite of sensible. Those are the 2 most restrictive diets.

[Anonymous]

A vegetable forward paleo that has less meat and no dairy is the healthiest. Yes, it is the most restrictive. Read Joel Fuhrman. He makes a lot of sense about nutrient density. Grains are not nutrient dense. Animal proteins are not helpful. Plants, seeds, beans -- that's where it's at in terms of population based studies of longevity like the Blue Zones, etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A vegetable forward paleo that has less meat and no dairy is the healthiest. Yes, it is the most restrictive. Read Joel Fuhrman. He makes a lot of sense about nutrient density. Grains are not nutrient dense. Animal proteins are not helpful. Plants, seeds, beans -- that's where it's at in terms of population based studies of longevity like the Blue Zones, etc.

Longevity is all genetics, not diet.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:So after seeing the latest Netflix documentary about the benefits of Keto ( see details here https://www.netflix.com/title/80238655 ) I am thoroughly confused at what I should be eating and feeding my family. I tried vegan, it didn't work for us, then we followed Paleo pretty closely, then I read about the benefits of a plant based diet so we adopted that, now I am hearing grains and wheat shouldn't be eaten much....ugh I am exhausted. I realize that veggies are good no matter what under all so called plans and processed food is bad, but I am not clear on how much meat (especially red meat which is supposedly carcinogenic and cancer promoting) we should be actually consuming. We are currently a family of 3, daughter is 3.5 years old and we are about to have a baby in 2 weeks. Nutrition and health are important to me but I am honestly starting to doubt everything. Anyone else in the same boat? Ideas? Sources I can refer to? Thank you!

OP, as a registered dietitian and chef, your post saddens me, because I think you so perfectly spell out the mindset of so many people today when it comes to food and healthy eating. Too much information available, too much misinformation, too many fad/ trendy diets, too much judgment and less-than-scientific opinion available on what you "should" eat and what you "should" feed your family.

Do you want the bottom line truth, at least in my professional (see above) opinion?

Your grandmother was right.[u] Eat what you love, live an active lifestyle (read: exercise every day), keep portions under control. Crazy diets are just as you discovered with vegan: difficult to follow and almost impossible to put a family through. Moderation is the key. Learn to cook, eat seasonally and locally when you can (not "organic," necessarily) and you'll be fine. There is no magic bullet that will ensure great health; a lot of that is luck and genetics. Keep your weight under control, keep your blood pressure and cholesterol in check and you're doing fine. And stay off the internet for advice: Registered Dietitians are the health professionals who have the science of nutrition in their backgrounds.

The rest of your post is great, but this advice is becoming really trendy, and every time I see it, it cracks me up.

My grandmother kept a fridge full of cocktail onions, and Vienna sausages. Before her grandchildren came to visit, she'd stock up on bizarre processed foods that she thought we'd like, such as onion English muffins. She was horrified that I drank water, and repeatedly told me to check with my doctor to make sure it was OK for me to do so. When I asked her what I should be drinking suggested gin and tonics.

My kids' grandmother would serve us a lunch of bologna on wonder bread, with a side of peaches in heavy syrup, a big glass of iced tea made from a powder that included saccharin and "artificial lemon flavor", plus some jello for dessert. For dinner we'd have hot dogs split in half, filled with cheez food, and wrapped in bacon, along with some rice a roni, a few frozen peas, and several helpings of Kool aid, dessert (a must have at every meal) might be chocolate pudding or rainbow sherbet.

I'm not a perfect parent, and I certainly don't feed my kids a perfect diet, but looking to grandma would not improve it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

To the registered dietitian: thank you very much for your post. I completely agree with you on the enormous amount of "advice" and information out there. Your post was refreshing. Can you point me to a website/book something "real" that gives me some direction on what my 3.5 year old should eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner, snacks etc. and particularly how much sugar is actually an acceptable amount. I do have Marion Nestle's book "what to eat" from years ago, perhaps I need to revisit that although it didn't provide direct advice on how much of what one should eat.

The whole family is healthy, no illness, no medications, we are active and fine with weight. So I do appreciate your advice that if all that is in order then we are fine. But then I wonder, what about things on the molecular level, could things be going bad deep inside without any sings (yet)?

Can I ask you - do you eat ice cream, processed snacks, yogurt, cereal? Can you give me a sample week (in summary) of what you eat?

THANK YOU.

Not the dietician, but I really like work by this guy:

http://www.stephanguyenet.com/

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/

He stresses eating whole, unprocessed foods, but other than that it's up to you. As long as you focus on single ingredient foods, you're fine.

Here's what he eats, but he stresses that it's not what *everyone* should eat. It's just what he enjoys. https://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com/2016/02/what-i-eat.html

Personally, the more I eat whole foods, the less I want processed/snacks/junk. I just don't even like them anymore and they make me feel like crap, but it took me some time to get there. If I do eat them, I go for very high-quality; so eating at a nice restaurant vs takeout, homemade baked goods rather than ones from Starbucks, etc.

Other than that, don't stress. There is no prescription of "x ounces of meat, y grams of sugar, eat all these vegetables but none of these".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here.

To the registered dietitian: thank you very much for your post. I completely agree with you on the enormous amount of "advice" and information out there. Your post was refreshing. Can you point me to a website/book something "real" that gives me some direction on what my 3.5 year old should eat for breakfast/lunch/dinner, snacks etc. and particularly how much sugar is actually an acceptable amount. I do have Marion Nestle's book "what to eat" from years ago, perhaps I need to revisit that although it didn't provide direct advice on how much of what one should eat.

The whole family is healthy, no illness, no medications, we are active and fine with weight. So I do appreciate your advice that if all that is in order then we are fine. But then I wonder, what about things on the molecular level, could things be going bad deep inside without any sings (yet)?

Can I ask you - do you eat ice cream, processed snacks, yogurt, cereal? Can you give me a sample week (in summary) of what you eat?

THANK YOU.

NP - It's easy. Walk around the outside ring of your grocery store. Buy, prepare and eat anything from there that you want. Stay out of the middle aisles; there's nothing good for you there.