How to figure out YOUR perfect diet

Your best friend is raving about her new raw diet, so you decide to give it a try. But it doesn't work for you. Maybe it made you tired, or gain weight, or more health issues showed up suddenly. Why is that? Because your friend and you are completely different individuals.
Or perhaps, what worked for you in the past ten years, suddenly isn't. Why? Because each of us evolve, our body changes, our lifestyle changes, our jobs, or our location even. All of this plays a major role on our health and our body needs for nutrients.

So here's what you need to consider when it comes to YOUR diet:

1. What is your ethnic background? 
2. Are you always cold? or always too hot?
3. Do you produce a lot of mucus and have greasy skin or hair? Or are you more on the dry side?
4. Where do you live? A damp place or a cold dry one?
5. What is your lifestyle? Do you exercise, or you sitting at work all day? 
6. How is your health in general? Is your immune system okay?

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Depending on your age, by now, you hopefully have figured out a few things that work, when it comes to your digestive system. Maybe you know certain foods give you heart burns, or diarrhea, or headaches. But you're still searching for a healthy diet that works for you. Try to aim for a diet that makes you feel energetic, clear minded and prevent you from getting sick. No matter what, the basic rule is to eat a wholesome real food diet, to buy local and in season.

Now, let's figure out YOUR best diet:

1. Your ethnic background will determine what foods suit you best. If you're from an asian descent, dairies will probably not agree with you, as the asian diet does not contain dairy. If you're from a danish or german descent, very spicy foods may not agree with your system. So look at your ancestors diet and stay close to it, for the most part.
2. Are you often cold, when others are just fine, do you live in a cold place? Avoid icy drinks and raw foods, add more warming foods instead. Are you hot all the time? Maybe menopause is playing havoc with your body, then avoid alcohol, and spicy dishes, add cooling foods instead.
3. If you're someone who has tendency to have excess mucus (nasal drip, stuffy nose, greasy scalp & skin, yeast infections, stuffy chest, cysts…), you may need to avoid all mucus forming foods for a while (i.e.: dairy, wheat, sugar). Add clear broth soups, lost of greens, asparagus, and kale. On the other hand, if you're dry (skin, stools, hair, dry mouth especially at night), then you may need watery foods such as cucumber, watermelon, apples, pears, and lubricating foods such as nuts and seeds, fatty fish (Salmon, halibut), and avocado.
4. Your lifestyle also can dictate what diet suits your body. For sedentary people (desk job, students, bus driver), eating small meals throughout the day is best. But if you're on your feet all the time (landscaper, hairdresser, delivery person), then have 3 sitting down meals/day. 
5. And finally, look at your overall health, are you tired, do you get sick often, are headaches plaguing you daily? If your body is out of balance, you may need the help of a professional to get  back into optimum health. Talk to your acupuncturist, naturopath, chiropractor, massage therapist or family doctor. You may need to tweak your diet, add supplements, and/or therapy in order to feel at your best again.

Life is a constant ebb and flow cycle. Adapting to change and listening to our bodies, will in the end benefit us tremendously. If you have any questions regarding this article, feel free to contact Healing Cedar Wellness or Clara via e-mail or phone.

Clara Cohen
Registered Acupuncturist, DTCM

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