The Best Diet for 2023

Which is the best diet for 2023

You have likely been exposed to various diets and wonder which would be the best to follow as you settle into the new year. Is it Keto, where you prioritise fats and demonise carbs? Or intermittent fasting, where you eat for a few days and fast for a few days? Is it possible it is the Mediterranean diet that protects the heart? Or the blue zone diet which is 90% plant-based and helps people live beyond 100? Or you should do calorie counting and solve the weight loss dilemma once and for all.?

I'm still listing all the popular diets, even as new trends keep popping up yearly. So naturally, it can be overwhelming, and you're bound to bump into an acquaintance or pushy influencer who swears by one diet being better than all the rest and insists it will work miracles for you, just as it supposedly did for them.?

So, which is the best diet?

Here's the simple answer – None!?

All the diets I have mentioned work in some ways. They all have their benefits and flaws and all can support weight loss.?

However, for everyday people without chronic diseases, one diet is not significantly better than the other. The diet you chose is simply a factor of what appeals to you, and what you're most likely to stick to. In any case, specialised diets are needed by athletes, sportspersons, or sick persons, as even minor differences in nutrition inputs matter. For the rest of us, you don't need to follow strict diets.

Fad and trendy diets disrupt your body's natural harmony and tend to push you towards extremes. Dieting off and on also reduces your metabolism. You'll see some results in the short run, but you'll gain more weight in the long run despite trying to eat less.?

Instead of *dieting*, you can explore making permanent changes in your eating habits that are sustainable for you and that you're most likely to stick to. End of the day, every dietary strategy is about two things only:

• Reducing the?quantity?to match your metabolism (calorie restriction)
• Improving the?quality?of what you eat (whole foods or manipulating macros).?

Eating better quality foods helps support metabolism & hormones while also reducing how much we eat as they are more nutrient dense and high in fibre which keeps us full longer. When it comes to directly reducing the quantity of food, it is a very slippery slope as it increases stress, takes up mind space, feels unnatural and worse, it can also turn into an eating disorder.?

So here are some alternative ways to manage our eating habits -?

1.????Stress Management

The reason we overeat is either due to hormonal fluctuations or due to stress (which can also cause hormonal changes). So, managing stress is very important not only for our eating habits but also to improve the overall quality of life. Remember that unmanaged stress always catches up with us, whether through weight gain, heart disease, fertility issues or something else.

Food is a very effective coping mechanism for stress, but it comes at a high cost to health. Instead, we can naturally reduce our food cravings to a great degree by finding other ways to cope with stress, such as yoga, meditation, nature walks, etc.?

Pranayama or Yogic breathing exercises also have a powerful impact on reducing stress as well as appetite.They are often practiced during long periods of fasting to reduce hunger pangs. The good thing is you don't need a lot of time or complicated practices to enjoy the benefits. Diaphragmatic breathing or simply belly breathing for even 10 mins a day can increase feelings of relaxation and satiety. If you don't know where to start, you can also look up my Power of Breath Series on Youtube where you can practice Pranayama with daily ~10 min guided classes for 21 days.

2.????Appreciating the experience

Eating high-fibre foods and vegetables is satisfying and will help you feel full longer. However, we now know that that the taste of food that you consume modifies your thoughts, feelings and emotions. Therefore food should always be fulfilling for a wholesome living experience. And healthy food doesn't need to be bland or tasteless. And you do not have to eat things you don't enjoy as that will only increase cravings. So, eat the fruits you crave or like. Add healthy fats and some protein to make salads more filling and enjoyable. You don't have to compromise on flavour when eating whole foods, but you must be willing to explore and be creative instead of restrictive in your approach.

Labelling things we enjoy as bad or unhealthy or being highly critical of some things over others makes the eating experience unpleasant for everyone. Having white bread, chocolate or a traditional tasty snack once in a while is not the end of the world.

Eating fast food frequently or every day is less nourishing and a reminder to introspect if all your physical, mental, emotional and social needs are being met. Instead of using brute force to stop yourself from eating, focus on identifying what is driving these eating habits as you might just be using food to self-medicate for stress. And as I already shared, there are alternative ways to find that feeling of respite one maybe craving. Start addressing the root cause instead of making food choices that are neither fulfilling nor satisfying.

3.????Being intuitive

This is the practice of eating when we are hungry and stopping when we are not. It is a compelling way to improve our eating habits as it drives us to be more self-aware, mindful and in touch with our feelings and emotions.

?Eating intuitively is a form of mindfulness; it helps us reconnect with our body by teaching us to listen to and correctly interpret our hunger cues.

We take a more introspective and self-aware approach while improving our relationship with food overall. However, there's a catch, for someone with excess stress and anxiety, intuitive eating may not work. In this case, all suggestions in point 1 would be a great starting point.?And a reminder that while meditation and mindfulness are not very 'active' practices that may give you the impression that you burnt many calories, yet they still support weight loss and overall health for reasons shared till now.

4.????Honouring your uniqueness

Lastly, you are unique, and what works for you may not work for anyone else. Equally, what works for someone else, may not work for you.

Nothing matches the power of creating a diet and lifestyle that suits your unique personality.

It was understood both in Ayurveda and TCM (Traditional Chinese medicine) and is now being incorporated into modern science. For instance, Ayurveda clearly states that a raw food diet would work wonders for a Kapha-type personality but would be counterproductive for a Vata personality. An approach of moderation would be perfect for a Pitta personality but would not work for Kapha.

I will cover more about this aspect of diet in my next article in the Well Balanced Newsletter. But even right now, you are fully equipped to decide or understand what works for you because you are the best judge of your experience. And that is a power you must develop and nurture rather than outsource. At the end you may decide that time restricted eating works better for you or maybe it is a plant-based diet, or maybe it is a mix and match of few different dietary strategies. It is fine, this choice will continually evolve with time, age and change in circumstances.

It is easy to passively follow the latest fad or eat what someone else is telling us while ignoring/suppressing/misunderstanding the cues from our mind and body. But that only serves a little purpose and does not address the root cause. The best diet is the one YOU choose to support your personal growth. It is fundamental to taking charge of your own life and starting your wellness journey. In 2023. And beyond.?

Namita Piparaiya?is a former corporate executive, she spent over a decade, from management trainee to business head, with leading MNCs including Citibank, Aviva, and Generali. She is now the founder of Yoganama Wellness.