First of all: Of course, this is only my personal opinion. As I studied health promotion and have quite a lot of personal experience regarding this topic as well, I don’t think I shouldn’t sell myself short though. 😉
So, what is the perfect diet? In my opinion there is no such thing as a perfect diet. BUT what I definitely believe in is that a vegan diet is the best choice for anyone as I don’t think eating products coming from animal cruelty fuel your body and soul well. I don’t agree with people who say „our bodies are different and for some people vegan doesn’t work“ because our bodies are not that different. Veggies and fruits are just healthy for anyone just as eating lots of animal products is unhealthy. We’re all humans so our bodies are almost the same, with small differences, course. But why do you think that all animals from the same species eat the same diet? Because their bodies are built in the same way. 😉 (A book I can suggest if you’re interested in reading more about the benefits of a plantbased diet is this one.)
So yes, I think vegan is perfect for anyone but within the vegan diet there are so many different ways to eat. Of course, eating a vegan junk food diet isn’t healthy but in my experience most vegans are quite health conscious anyway. And even if they are not, vegan junk food is still healthier than junk food with animal products and I guess people who only eat vegan junk food wouldn’t eat healthier as omnivores so it’s better to eat unhealthy without supporting animal cruelty. 😉
I myself eat quite a high carb wholefood vegan diet which means that most of my energy comes from carbohydrates and that I don’t eat lots of vegan replacement products or processed foods in general. With this diet you can eat lots of food and don’t have to be afraid of gaining weight. You can just eat until you’re satisfied and this is what I really enjoy. In the past I struggled with some eating issues (guess I’ll make a separate post about this sometime..) and even after getting rid of them my fear of food still wasn’t gone completely. But since being vegan and eating lots of carbohydrates I only see food as joy and fuel and not as an enemy. I know that I feed my body with vibrant and nutritious food and even if I gain a little bit of weight, who cares? Seriously. I don’t obsess about my diet. By the way, some people do believe that everything over 10% fat and 10% protein in your diet is unhealthy. To me, 60-70% of carbs are still a healthy high carb diet and I think you should just find out for yourself how much fat still makes you feel good. 😉 Especially as a women it is important not to eat too little fat as it can cause problems with your hormones.
I don’t believe in following any rules anyway. If I want chocolate, I eat chocolate. If I want a fatty meal, I eat it. I think following rules and getting obsessed about eating healthy is really dangerous and can damage your mental health. Though you may be vegan it is possible to develope mental issues around food anyway. Especially when you’ve already struggled with them in the past. So if you don’t feel like eating a banana but rather a chocolate bar, just go for the chocolate bar and don’t feel bad about it. If your diet consists of mostly healthy food, some chocolate won’t kill you. 🙂
There are some people that say you need to eat tons of raw foods like fruits and veggies and eating lots of starches like rice and noodles isn’t as healthy. And while I think that it’s true that raw food really is benefiting your health, it isn’t practical to eat this way for everyone. We all live in different places and have different lifestyles. For me it wouldn’t be possible to eat a raw food diet as I have to eat tons of fruits and veggies to feel full and satisfied and when I’m working fulltime again soon I’d have to bring so much food and wouldn’t even have the time to eat it all. It’d really stress me out to eat this way and I think stressing about your diet is the worst thing you can do because as I said, this can lead to mental issues. And eating starches is not unhealthy at all. Just make sure you also get your fruit and greens in beside them.
Drinking at least 1,5-2l of water daily is imporant as well, depending on where you live and what you do all day you may even need more as a minimum.
So, to sum up what I believe in:
- there’s not the one „perfect“ diet
- vegan is healthy for anyone
- adjust your diet to your lifestyle
- try things out and see what works best for you
- eat natural whole foods, not too much processed food
- eat your fruits and veggies
- eat until you’re satisfied
- don’t get obsessed about your diet
- don’t stress if you gain some weight
- drink enough water
Oh, and not to forget: The best diet won’t keep you healthy in the long run if you’re not moving your body, and if you’re not going out into the fresh air and sunlight and if you’re just unhappy with your life in general.
