No More Diets

I’ve been introduced to InnerLight and the Miracle PH Diet of Dr Robert Young. Are you familiar with his theory of alkalising for health by only eating alkaline food (mostly greens, beans no meat, wheat or dairy) together with reducing toxicity and stress in lifestyle.

I can’t say I’ve come across this diet but to be honest I’m not in a rush to advise anyone to go and try it out.

In my experience as a weight loss coach, for the most part, people have enough difficulty with diets which force them to give up junk food like cookies, cakes, pastries and pies, soda, candy and fries or in reducing their portion sizes to a moderate amount never mind trying to stick to something that sounds so far removed from their current eating habits.

This is the kind of diet that you try for a week and lose weight (with so many restrictions you almost can’t fail to do that and frankly, who wants to overeat beans and greens anyway?) but do you really want to keep it up for a lifetime? Through holidays and trips abroad? Through good times and bad? Weddings and parties?

It’s my belief that food is a sociable thing and that following a diet which divides you from the rest of the world by what you can and can’t eat is not good for the soul. Learning to make healthy food choices over unhealthy choices in a world where we are constantly bombarded with junk food offerings - now that is something worth pursuing - along with getting used to eating the right amount to keep your body slim.

But you can make healthy choices without restricting food so much - food is meant to be enjoyed not endured.

I’m not saying that this diet is unhealthy (for all I know it’s the healthiest in the world) but I think that a good life and good food is all about balance and moderation. If you can learn to eat and enjoy mainly healthy food and to be satisfied with modest portions you will be doing better than most.

For anyone who wants to try an ultra-health promising regime - make sure you check it out with your doctor - and think about what it really means to eat in that way for the rest of your life. (and if so, you’re probably on the wrong site because I don’t generally talk about restrictive diets here - we are aiming for progress not perfection)