Create a Personalized Diet Plan that Works for YOU!

I recently shared my thoughts on How to Create the Best Diet for Your Body on the Livestrong Blog. I specifically chose the word “create” because I don’t believe that there is a one-size-fits-all diet that will work for absolutely everyone. Instead, I think it is important to develop your own personalized diet plan by figuring out which foods you should avoid and which foods make you feel your best.

Even if you don’t have a full-blown food allergy, you may be experiencing symptoms of a food sensitivity without knowing it. There are so many people who accidentally discover that a certain food or group of foods was the culprit behind skin conditions, stomach aches, headaches, fatigue, or other uncomfortable health conditions when they stopped eating those foods and their symptoms disappeared. For this reason, I would suggest that everyone try an elimination diet! Elimination diets are very straight-forward and are the easiest way to determine how different foods effect your body. You may find that all food groups are processed just fine by your body; however, if you find that dairy gives you indigestion or gluten makes you groggy, you will have some very valuable knowledge that you can use when creating a diet plan for yourself.

Once you have figured out which foods you might want to avoid, you can focus on the foods you LOVE! Make a list of all of your favorite foods and decide how frequently and in what quantities you would like to be enjoying them. Consulting body typology systems like the Blood Type Diet or Ayurveda’s dosha diets can offer some helpful guidance, as well.

Of course, you can’t go wrong eating lots of fresh, whole foods and a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables. Ultimately, you will know when you have found a diet that works for you because it will feel right, and that is one of the most important factors in create a healthy relationship with food and nutrition that is sustainable!