Diet: A Complex Journey

 

Diet and what we eat is one of the most complex topics I’ve ever encountered. Over the years, I’ve tried nearly every diet out there, and the results have been—at the very least—interesting. What I’ve come to realize is that diet isn’t just about food; it’s deeply tied to culture, family, friends, and our overall way of life.

 

When I first decided to radically change my eating habits, I had no idea how much it would alter my life. So much of how we socialize and connect with others revolves around food. Meals are more than just sustenance—they’re rituals, traditions, and moments of shared experience.

 

Recently, I was looking at the visitor statistics for this website and noticed some new readers from France. That got me thinking: what does a typical French diet even look like? I imagine it’s largely shaped by what produce is locally available. In fact, that’s probably true everywhere. For much of human history, our diets were determined by what we could grow, hunt, or trade for in our immediate environment. The same holds true for animals in the wild—each species eats what their habitat provides.

 

But today, things are different. With supermarkets, global supply chains, and modern technology, we can now eat almost anything, anytime, from anywhere. Fast food and restaurants have taken on a major role in how we eat. Commercialization has flooded us with thousands of food products. So now we’re left to wonder: what is the ideal diet for any one human being?

 

Who should we trust when it comes to diet and lifestyle? The government? The surgeon general? A registered dietitian? And when these authorities offer conflicting advice, who do we believe? Should we stick with our family traditions? Our cultural heritage? How do we sort through all of this and make the best choices?

 

It seems that social cohesion—our need to belong—plays a major role in the decisions we make about food and health. Often, we eat the way we do simply because it helps us fit in. It’s only when something goes wrong—when we face a serious challenge—that we start to question things and seek out alternatives.

 

In my case, I was fortunate—or perhaps unfortunate—enough to face those challenges relatively early in life. I first faced major health challenges at the age of 9 years old. My digestive tract just didn't process food normally and this lasted all throughout my adolescence. I don't remember when this phase eventually sorted itself out but around the time I went to college things started to change. I handled the standard American diet relatively easily throughout these years but something was always not quite right.

 

I assume this problem processing food along with other issues set me up for the massive change I made in college and the years following. My personality has also been one of strong self confidence that has allowed me to make these big changes in my lifestyle believing I could overcome any obstacle in my way.