What qualifies as "the best diet" for someone? As a nutritionist I would argue that the best diet for you is the way of eating that fills you with energy and a sense of well being; a balance of foods that supports the systems of your body and mind, encouraging long term good health and vitality. And if we get that balance right then we should find that our body weight sorts itself out quite naturally, without us even thinking about weight loss. So how can you work out what the best diet for you looks like?
I may appear to be digressing, but for a moment I'd like to talk about an eminent scientist, Dr Roger Williams. He died in 1988 at the age of 94 - an age most of us would aspire to reach, and not many of us actually attain! More than that, he had retired just two years previously, maintaining his sharp mind and academic vigor to the very end. Indeed, two days before his death, he was still asking his colleagues to bring some of his scientific papers to him because he had had some ideas on how to improve them.*
So why do I mention him here? Because he's a shining example of someone who "walked the talk". He was one of the first scientists to really push the idea of biochemical individuality in relation to nutrition. In other words, he believed that we are all biochemically unique and that as a result our nutritional requirements are also unique, as are our reactions to different foods. If we can find out what our individual needs are, we should be able to service those needs precisely and remain in excellent health well into our 80's and 90's. Other than some vision problems which had been with him from childhood, a brief look at the life of Williams indicates that he had done a pretty good job of working out what the best diet was for him!
So, what bearing does this have on you? Well for one thing it might inspire you to think that perhaps he did know what he was talking about, and to look into the idea of identifying what your own personal needs are! It might make you consider trying to work out what the best diet for you would be by considering your own unique body make-up and what it might need in the form of nutrition.
There are a variety of books available on Biochemical Individuality and Metabolic Typing (don't forget, it costs you nothing to borrow what you need from your local library). These books usually include tools and simple tests to help you identify your own individual "Type" and descriptions of what the best diet is for you depending on whether you're a Protein Type, a Carbohydrate Type or a Mixed Type. To take it even further you could visit a qualified health practitioner trained in Metabolic Typing, who would be able to take you through some tests to give you a very precise picture of your body's specific needs.
If we all followed Dr Williams' principles of Biochemical Individuality, I'd bet there would be a lot more bright, alert and active 94 year olds around to prove the point. In the meantime, why not try to find what's the best diet for you so you've got a great chance of ending up as one of them!
*See In Memoriam p248 of Biochemical individuality by Roger J Williams, PhD
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