By: Christy Strouse, RD

If there’s one message I will continue to spread, it’s that following diets don’t work.  I often get asked some variation of this question: What do you think about such and such diet?  The question behind the question is usually this: I’ve heard about this diet from friends, or the internet and it sounded like it could be a game changer. Do you agree?  Let me first say that everyone is on a diet. A diet is simply the food that a person habitually eats and it is neither good, nor bad (since food doesn’t have morals). But lately diet has come to mean something entirely different and it can be used to proclaim, “Hey, I’m part of this tribe. If you’re not with us, you’re against us.” This is harmful for many reasons, but most importantly being on a diet often means you are following a strict way of eating that does not take into consideration your unique bio-individuality. There is no one else on the planet that has your genes, your health, your lifestyle and your unique preferences so why follow a diet that was created by and for someone else? This is a recipe for eventual failure.

Vegan, Paleo, Keto—there’s no single best diet that works for every person always and forever. Our bodies are dynamic and therefore our diet should also be dynamic. The only diet that works long-term is the one you will stick with, and you need a diet that can flex and adapt with your lifestyle and ever-changing goals. Personalized nutrition, or precision nutrition—the terms can essentially be used inter-changeably—is a commitment to honoring the individual’s unique genetic, environmental and lifestyle factors. Diet is and always has been very personal.

A basically healthful diet is one that includes plenty of plant foods, lean proteins and foods that are nutrient-dense. This usually means they are minimally processed with low or no added sugar. A decent rule of thumb is that you shouldn’t need a biochemistry degree to understand the ingredients in your food. Beyond these general recommendations, working with a registered dietitian can help you to dial in on the specific right nutritional strategies for YOU. At Carolina Active Health, we also take advantage of nutritional genetic testing. In this way, I can provide a more comprehensive and personalized approach to meal planning for each person I work with. Stay tuned for educational videos and more articles on genetic testing for personalized nutrition. You can start by visiting our website and clicking on nutritional genetic testing here.