Story by Madison. Be sure to follow her fitness page on Instagram at @belmondolifestyle
What do we hear constantly when it comes to being healthy?
“You shouldn’t eat meat”, “you should eat meat”, “you should only eat organic foods”, “don’t eat anything wrapped in plastic”, “try this diet, it works!”.
It gets confusing and often times overwhelming and leaves us wondering what exactly is the correct “healthy diet”?
I have met so many different types of people and spent time learning about their diets like: Vegans, vegetarians, pescatarians, meat-eaters, carnivore diets, Mediterranean, paleo, Autoimmune Protocol Paleo, Weight Watchers™, keto diets (the list can go on). I have also met people that cannot eat and digest lettuce and most vegetables they eat. They stick to a diet that consists mostly of protein and carbs (fruit and grains/legumes). Others cannot correctly digest most meats, or they believe in the safety of the Earth and animals, so they go for a vegan or vegetarian diet. And I myself, have attempted paleo, keto, vegetarian, restricted-keto, Mediterranean, and the Autoimmune Protocol Paleo diets. You may not like what you are about to read, or it may ring true to you, but my experience and learning from others has taught me how to treat my body.
After lots of failures and physical illnesses that I suffered through, I found the best diet for me was a lower-carb diet (mainly potatoes, sweet potatoes, and white rice as my carb and grain intake). I cannot digest legumes/beans correctly, and many grains hurt my stomach to digest.
After much trial and error, I decided to stop calling it a “diet” and refer to my eating habits as a “lifestyle” because it is not a diet, it is what I live on. I found what I can eat, what gives me energy, and what foods make me feel good.
If you’re struggling to understand what lifestyle might be right for you, I suggest everything in moderation. Anything you eat or drink, consume in moderation. Do not eat the same things every day, even if you feel good. This can deplete your vitamin and mineral intake from other foods.
Vary your diet. Yes, every now and then have some chips, snack foods, that dessert you’ve been thinking about for days (as long as your body can process it), but don’t have it all the time.
Eat as many vegetables, as you can, find a sufficient carb and protein source you can digest and try to eat clean at least 80% of the time (also called the 80/20 rule).
These are the simplest guidelines for keeping a healthy lifestyle that fits your digestive needs.
Everyone’s lifestyle choices can and will be different so don’t think that just one diet will work for everyone. I can safely say this from years of experience and watching others go through the same struggles.
Try things, see how your body reacts to certain foods and be wary of reactions in your body, significant weight loss (without trying) or weight gain that could mean that a particular lifestyle may not be right for you.
If you are curious about what could work best for you or have questions about different types of diets and what you want to try, feel free to follow me at @belmondolifestyle and send me a message! I would love to hear from you.
With love,
Madison Belmondo
babeswhoball.com 