Our Diets Over the Last 40 Years – Which One Works for You?

When I wrote my book “Go Natural” we were on the Genesis diet which is a high-carb diet. Today in America, breads have lots of chemicals in them that are outlawed in Europe. In addition, the gluten in U.S. bread is much higher than God designed. Excessive gluten and chemicals are damaging to the walls of our intestines, causing leaky gut syndrome, which is the precipitator of many health problems. Click here for a summary of gluten sensitivity and a simple experiment you can do to see if gluten is damaging your health.

Our diet has changed over the years, and we are now on a modified Keto diet, a low-carb diet which we have found to be much healthier. From what I can gather, the Mediterranean Diet is perhaps the healthiest, but since we don’t like many of the foods on the Mediterranean Diet, we have not tried that. Another healthy diet option would be the Paleo diet.

Great informative links which explain the Keto and Mediterranean Diets:

• Mediterranean Diet - More about health benefits
• Ketogenic Diet - More about health benefits
• Delicious Healthy Desserts

My MD’s comment: When I mentioned to him I had adopted a modified Keto diet and was feeling terrific, his comment was to the effect that “Anyone who goes on a Keto diet reports back they have experienced health benefits.”

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Trump's Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, has expressed views on food that emphasize natural, unprocessed, and organic options while criticizing industrial food systems. He defines healthy food as nutrient-dense, free from harmful chemicals, and produced sustainably. He argues that the food industry, through lobbying and misinformation, promotes unhealthy products, often mislabeling them as "safe" or "nutritious." He connects food production to environmental health, favoring regenerative agriculture that avoids monocultures and chemical overuse.

Patti discusses why and how she has modified the Keto diet for us

We first went on the Keto diet about 15 years ago after seeing the health benefits it produced in some of our friends (see blogs about this). We had already greatly minimized white sugar in our diet, replacing it with stevia, monk fruit or erythritol. However, finding replacements for white flour was quite difficult. At that time, Keto breads and pastas were not commercially available. Recipes for breads found online used nut or other exotic flours that were expensive and hard to find at that time.

Another problem for us was the strong emphasis on cheese and dairy products to increase fat and protein intake. Mark and I are both lactose intolerant, so these options just were not healthy for us.

And finally, we have always been more comfortable with eating a minimal amount of meat. Neither of us enjoys seafood and we don’t eat pork. Our taste in beef leans more toward hamburgers than filet mignon so our meat options were basically chicken, eggs, and ground beef dishes.

Because I am such a fussy eater and because of our digestive issues, our foray into living a Keto lifestyle was not successful back then. However, times have greatly changed, and we have been able to enjoy a modified version of Keto for the past 18 months that has given us both the health and weight loss benefits that we were seeking. I suppose, really, it is not a Keto diet but just a very low carb diet since I don’t emphasize high fat or much protein. I use some Keto recipes I have found online, and I also modify some of our favorite comfort food recipes with low carb alternatives.

We have found that spaghetti squash or shirataki noodles make good pasta substitutes. Cauliflower or shirataki rice can give you back some of your favorite recipes. Arnold’s makes delicious Keto breads and rolls that are now offered in our grocery store which expand our food options. Keep in mind, though, they these are still made with wheat flour, so gluten is still an issue. They simply increase the fiber content to reduce the net carbs. So, use them sparingly. Keto or gluten-free wraps with lots of turkey, Swiss cheese, lettuce and tomatoes or chicken salad make yummy and filling sandwiches. A simple meal of oven-baked chicken and roasted low-carb veggies has become one of our favorite dinners. Avocados are a good source of healthy fat that can be added to salads, sandwiches, smoothies and even puddings. Berries are generally low in carbs, so we enjoy strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, especially. We still love desserts so have a few low carb, gluten-free candy and cake recipes to finish off our meals.

For most of our married lives, there are a few principles that we have followed, no matter what specific diet we tried:

• Avoid processed foods. Made-from-scratch obviously takes longer but is so much tastier and healthier.
• No seed or vegetable oils. We only use olive oil, coconut oil and grass-fed real butter.
• Avoid sugar. Use healthier alternatives whenever possible.
• Avoid wheat flour whenever possible.
• Choose organic produce and meats whenever you can. Locally grown is a plus. Pasture-raised meat and free-range poultry and eggs are preferred.

At this time, I try to keep our daily carb intake below 25 – 30 grams, with a weekend splurge day.

In addition to watching the food we eat, we are also very mindful of what we drink. To learn about the special water that has produced outstanding benefits to our health, see my wellness webinar and research article here. 

All in all, we are feeling healthy and losing weight without feeling deprived. This is less of a diet and more of a lifestyle we can stick with consistently, which works much better. It helps that we don't even feel like we're on a diet!

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