It seems that every week someone's promoting yet another healthy eating plan, claiming that this really is the way to solve all those health problems of obesity, food cravings, low energy levels...
the list of the amazing health gains is always a long one.
The fact is that most of these plans will help some people lose weight and feel good.
But for how long? And will it work for everyone? If somebody has already discovered the perfect way to eat healthfully, why aren't we all just eating that way and thriving on it? Often we'll follow a plan enthusiastically, get excited at our progress only to hit a plateau and see our success gradually (or sometimes suddenly) grind to a halt and even go into reverse.
How can that healthy eating plan just stop working? And why is it that however fantastic one person might feel while they're on a particular diet, there will be someone else who adopts the same healthy eating plan and it just doesn't work for them? We know that we're unique.
Our fellow human beings are a wildly varied bunch and the world's a richer, more interesting place for it.
So if we accept that we're all so different, why do we expect one particular way of eating to be "the best way" for everyone? Isn't it logical that the ultimate healthy eating plan should be your own healthy eating plan; one that's tailored to your physiology, your own metabolic nature and your current circumstances? And while a classic weight loss diet might appear to work at first, if it isn't satisfying your personal nutritional needs, it's hardly going to make you feel great long term! There are three metabolic categories which we're genetically pre-disposed to; the protein type, the carbohydrate type and the mixed type.
Protein types need a high level of protein and fats in their diet.
They struggle for energy levels and even emotional stability if they force themselves to eat what would conventionally be thought of as a "healthy eating plan" centered round complex carbohydrates, small amounts of protein and virtually no fat.
Typical protein types are always hungry and need to eat often through the day, rarely feeling really "full".
The Carbohydrate Type is the opposite, needing carbohydrates at every meal to feel energised.
They can happily go for long periods without food and rarely feel ravenous.
Too much fat and protein will leave this type feeling sluggish, drained and even irritable.
The Mixed Type falls in the middle of the other two, requiring a wide range of foods in the diet.
It's not just that these types can tolerate the foods that suit Carb types as well as those that suit protein types - they actually need to have a mixture at every meal in order to feel at their best.
Of course, this just scratches the surface of metabolic typing - you can be anywhere on the scale from an extreme protein type, through various levels of mixed types, to the ultimate carb type.
Discovering where you are on that scale and what your precise nutritional needs are can be a revelation.
When you start ignoring those one-size-fits-all "rules" of dieting and begin to notice how your body reacts to different types and amounts of food, you'll be starting to work out what a healthy eating plan looks like for you.
In the process you could transform your health, weight, energy and moods.
Sounds pretty good, don't you think?
the list of the amazing health gains is always a long one.
The fact is that most of these plans will help some people lose weight and feel good.
But for how long? And will it work for everyone? If somebody has already discovered the perfect way to eat healthfully, why aren't we all just eating that way and thriving on it? Often we'll follow a plan enthusiastically, get excited at our progress only to hit a plateau and see our success gradually (or sometimes suddenly) grind to a halt and even go into reverse.
How can that healthy eating plan just stop working? And why is it that however fantastic one person might feel while they're on a particular diet, there will be someone else who adopts the same healthy eating plan and it just doesn't work for them? We know that we're unique.
Our fellow human beings are a wildly varied bunch and the world's a richer, more interesting place for it.
So if we accept that we're all so different, why do we expect one particular way of eating to be "the best way" for everyone? Isn't it logical that the ultimate healthy eating plan should be your own healthy eating plan; one that's tailored to your physiology, your own metabolic nature and your current circumstances? And while a classic weight loss diet might appear to work at first, if it isn't satisfying your personal nutritional needs, it's hardly going to make you feel great long term! There are three metabolic categories which we're genetically pre-disposed to; the protein type, the carbohydrate type and the mixed type.
Protein types need a high level of protein and fats in their diet.
They struggle for energy levels and even emotional stability if they force themselves to eat what would conventionally be thought of as a "healthy eating plan" centered round complex carbohydrates, small amounts of protein and virtually no fat.
Typical protein types are always hungry and need to eat often through the day, rarely feeling really "full".
The Carbohydrate Type is the opposite, needing carbohydrates at every meal to feel energised.
They can happily go for long periods without food and rarely feel ravenous.
Too much fat and protein will leave this type feeling sluggish, drained and even irritable.
The Mixed Type falls in the middle of the other two, requiring a wide range of foods in the diet.
It's not just that these types can tolerate the foods that suit Carb types as well as those that suit protein types - they actually need to have a mixture at every meal in order to feel at their best.
Of course, this just scratches the surface of metabolic typing - you can be anywhere on the scale from an extreme protein type, through various levels of mixed types, to the ultimate carb type.
Discovering where you are on that scale and what your precise nutritional needs are can be a revelation.
When you start ignoring those one-size-fits-all "rules" of dieting and begin to notice how your body reacts to different types and amounts of food, you'll be starting to work out what a healthy eating plan looks like for you.
In the process you could transform your health, weight, energy and moods.
Sounds pretty good, don't you think?