Every now and then I’ll post a recipe or a dietary suggestion only to be criticized as ignorant or foolish by someone for promoting a specific type of food or dietary approach. I understand that some of these people may have good intentions, but their criticisms aren’t always very rational.

Diets can really be the equivalent of religious beliefs sometimes. People often advocate and defend their diets with as much screaming and shouting as a religious fanatic. And, of course, everyone thinks they are right. If you happen to dare suggest something that may not be allowed in their current diet or goes against their dietary perspective they sometimes get a bit crazy and break out their pitchforks. Honestly, I’m amazed at how harsh and personal people can get!

There are so many different diets out there, that it can be dizzying. Add to that the various claims and studies that supposedly back up any given diet and it can be enough to literally drive someone crazy. For example, when people argue that such and such diet is ‘most natural’ or what ‘cavemen and women ate’ I have to laugh a little. If we’re really going for genetic ancestry to support our dietary claims why stop at Neanderthal? How about the Chimpanzee Diet or, better yet, The Bigfoot Diet? 🙂

While I think it’s important to always link up studies and research as much as possible, I also try to be cautious about making outrageous claims.  I try to share things that have worked for me personally and what I’ve learned through the many years of nutrition education and practice. Ultimately, it comes down to what works for you and what makes you feel the best from the inside out. If a specific diet works for you and you’re seeing results, stick to it! Some people feel better after avoiding gluten, some people avoid coffee because they don’t like the jittery feeling, and of course there are a lot of different food allergies that affect people’s diet too.  If you feel like experimenting with your nutrition by trying something different with a recipe or plan then I recommend you go for it and see how it makes you feel. Of course all of your personal nutrition practices should match up with your physical activity level.  You can’t just eat like a caveman and expect to get results if you’re not hunting and gathering like the cavemen did.

What just about all of us can agree on is that moderation is essential for any diet to be successful and having a variety of different foods is most beneficial. We can also agree that the less processed the food the better and that refined sugars are usually more harm than good. We may not always agree on the particulars of what exactly to eat, when to eat, or how much calories to eat but we can agree on some basic principles that are applicable whether or not we are following a vegan diet, paleo diet, Atkins diet, raw diet, etc.

What are your thoughts on criticizing other people for their dietary choices?  Can’t we all just get along! 🙂