Eat for a Vibrant Body: One Simple Rule

I just googled "low-carb recipes with coconut milk." It's a query in service to the latest diet I'm trying called the Ketogenic diet. In a nutshell, it's a high fat, medium protein, low-carb diet. It's high in animal products like meat and cheese -- at least the way I eat it, and the opposite of the way many of my healthy friends, who tend to avoid meat and some dairy products, eat. However, it's also the diet of several endurance athletes I know of, including some who happen to be in my family. It's touted as an anti-inflamation diet that encourages hormone health and may even improve fertility. On this diet my normally uncomfortable menstrual cramps were almost entirely nonexistent during my last cycle.

In the case of your health and mine, I deeply believe simplicity can do wonders. Decluttering. Editing. "Keep it simple," is almost always good advice in many areas of life, and yet is probably the world's most ignored advice. Because somehow it's easier to make things more and more complex. Editing is a skill. It takes energy and a good deal of restraint to be a minimalist. Maybe you don't identify with that word; many people don't. Maybe you'd rather think of yourself someone who likes to stay organized and keep things as simple as possible. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about -- it takes a small, constant effort -- especially if you are a natural collector, like me, and not a natural purger.

I've seen simplicity help people stick to diets and exercise plans and even life plans. Narrowing down your priorities and focusing on what's truly important -- with intention, making a conscious choice -- is powerful for health, wealth, love, and happiness.

And yet I've procrastinated on writing about minimalism and health mainly for this reason: I change my diet about as often I rearrange the furniture, which is at least every couple of months. Also, I don't believe any one specific diet is good for all humans, and I recently discovered that a study of mice on various diets have backed up this idea. According to reporting in ScienceNews on the study, various strains of mice responded differently to various diets. For example, some mice responded well to a Ketogenic diet, while another strain on the Ketogenic diet became obese and had high cholesterol. The results, as presented by William Barrington of North Carolina State University, suggest that “there’s no universally healthy diet."

Yet this scientifically and intuitively backed information is all but ignored by a health/diet industry that rakes in serious cash from people like you and me. We want to do everything we can do keep our bodies healthy. We understand that diet makes a difference in how we feel and how we look, as well as our long-term health and longevity. So we look for information. We ask our particularly fit-looking friends what they eat, we read the latest fad-diet books, we ask a nutritionist, watch the documentaries about farming practices, we read the government’s recommendations and the ones by that health coach on a blog shared by a Facebook friend.

We encounter various health claims and commands, many of them contradictory:

Fat is bad.
Now fat is good.
Carbohydrates are bad.
Now Carbs are good.
We should eat meat like our Paleolithic ancestors.
We should avoid meat because of its saturated fat.
We should eat abundantly so as not to put our metabolism into "store fat" mode.
We should count and restrict calories since what doesn't get burned turns into stored body fat.
We should exercise to the point of exhaustion to become more fit
We should exercise moderately so we can do it long-term and avoid stressing the body
We should have a lot of variety in our diets and exercise
We should find foods and a routine we enjoy so we can stick with it

Yes, I've heard it all and I've tried most of it. So what works?

The bad news is no one can tell you. The good news is that you get to stay curious throughout your life and figure out what works for your unique body.

I can only share what seems to work for me, and what I’ve seen work for those around me, and I feel really good about recommending one simple piece of advice when it comes to diet. (We’ll get to exercise and more later.)

And I’ll share it in the charming words of famous blogger Leo Babauta:

“Eat a crapton of veggies.”

Frequently Asked Questions

Note: this section is re-printed and condensed from Leo Babauta’s blog here.

Can I eat meat?
A: Yes. Just eat a crapton of veggies first.

What about sweets? Or grains?
A: Yes. Just eat a crapton of veggies first.

What kind of vegetables can I eat? Should they be superfoods?
A: Vegetables are all superfoods. Eat any kind you want. Green ones are the gold standard, but all colors are welcome: white, yellow, orange, red. Eat a lot of the greens, and a bunch of the others.

What about starchy vegetables like potatoes?
A: Yep! Eat those too! Yum.

Can I eat fruits?
A: Yes. Just eat a crapton of veggies first.

Do I count calories?
A: If you want to. But no, you don’t have to, if you’re eating a crapton of veggies first.

How much is a crapton?
A: It’s a scientific measurement that means, “A helluva lot.” Basically, if you’re filling up a plate with food, it should be mostly vegetables. Two thirds is better than half, and three fourths is even better.

What if I have an allergy?
A: Don’t eat the things you’re allergic to. But do eat a crapton of vegetables.

Can I eat fast food?
A: Yes. Just eat a crapton of veggies first.

Why do you recommend eating a crapton of veggies?
A: They’re the food that has been proven by research to be the healthiest, and they have pretty much all the nutrients you need (yes, including protein). There is no optimal diet, but all the healthiest diets (including the Blue Zones) put vegetables at the forefront, and have smaller amounts of protein, fats, nuts, seeds, grains. If you fill your plate with veggies at every meal, you will get healthier. You’ll probably lose weight if you’re overweight. You’ll be filling yourself with the best things for your body first, and then adding the other things as a taste satisfier.

Can I put dressing on my veggies? Or how should I prepare them?
A: You can use dressing, as long as you eat a crapton of vegetables. Prepare them however you like, but this is my preferred order: raw, steamed, baked, cooked in stews or chilies, stir-fried, blended into a smoothie, sautéed. Deep-fried would be last.

Can I just juice the veggies?
A: No. Eat them.

What if I hate veggies?
A: Try different ones. Cook them in different ways — try to bake or sauté them. Season them. It’s delicious. Try dipping them in hummus. If you have to, hide them in soups and chilis so you can’t taste them much.

What if I don’t like salads?
A: No one said you have to eat a salad, dude. Think of baked cauliflower and broccoli (seasoned, maybe add some olive oil), or a bunch of kale, mushrooms, carrots and broccoli in a stir-fry (tempeh or tofu are my favorite proteins), or baked sweet potatoes.

What almost all dieticians and health experts agree on is that vegetables are good for us. Especially the green ones.

So my simple approach to eating is to make vegetables the BASE of my diet, no matter what diet I’m on at the moment. I don’t do it all the time. I fail a lot. But when I succeed, my body, mind, and spirit feel vibrant, and that helps me stay motivated.