Do you ever find yourself in a dilemma which diet to choose? If you should choose a diet at all? In these times, when everybody is following one, you might feel yourself a complete idiot not to have one. Or you might have a "missing out" feeling? But how do you guide yourself through all of these diets, when all of them claim to be the most perfect? Which one fits you the best? And do you really need to choose one?

I am healthy, and probably most of you who read this now (if anyone) are healthy too. Which means you are not sick, but HEALTHY. In this case you do not need any special diet, unless you decide not to eat certain things.

The question is; is there any foodstuff which can make you sick? What makes you think, if so? Is it gluten? Is lactose bad for you? Is it safe to eat meat?

Well, none of these are bad for you. But the way most of these "products" are made are not right anymore. The way they are treated and produced are not necessarily good for you. The products which we call "milk", "bread" or "chicken" are not milk, bread and chicken anymore or...not exactly.

What do I eat? Everything.

Do I eat avocado? Yes I do, three times a day when I am in Tanzania, and it grows in the garden. Do I eat oranges? Yes I do, when I am in Italy on my way to work I eat them from the trees in the garden. Do I eat meat? Yes I do, ocasionally. I mostly buy poultry from a local farm, which I visit sometimes. I basically never see the birds, because they have such a huge field and forest to be. I know they are killed for my sake, because I want to eat meat. But I am conscious about it, and sometimes I slaugther animals too, not to forget the fact, that meat means: death of an other living creature. Do I eat gluten? Certainly, I have a sourdough, and I bake bread. Or I buy it from a local shop, where they work with local, stoneground flour. Do I consume dairy products? Yes I do, all of them, especially fermented products. Is there any food, which I do not eat? Yes, the ones I don't like.

A recommended "diet"

I am not recommending any diet to you, unless you are allergic to something. But even then it is possible to eat "normally". I have met a girl, who had gluten intolerance. She was missing a good slice of bread so much, so we decided to bake a bread and give her dygestive system a chance. We started to make sourdough bread from locally grown stoneground wheat flour. We didn't use any machines, we fully worked the dough with our hands with the bacterias on them. She had no problem of digesting those slices. But she could never eat bread from a store, that's for sure. I don't want to conclude anything from one single case. But...

We got very far away from what we eat. We don't know where are the ingredients coming from, if they have chemicals in them, if they were sprayed or not. Organic production can be hyped, but you need to trust something. You need to believe in something. And you have to eat something.

What I can recommend you is a general rule, and it does not harm any ideas about any diet (if you follow one). The more local and seasonal you eat, the better. The more you know the producer, and can keep a track on the life of the animals and vegetables, the better. The less chemicals, the better. The more food you grow yourself, the better. Even if they are only sprouts, herbs, flowers, and small vegetables. The more you gather wild plants in nature, the better (you should know them, before collecting). The more "whole" (not processed) food you eat, the better. The more plant-based you eat, the better. (Oops! Plant-based does not mean vegan. It means most of the foods you eat are plants, but the diet can still contain gluten, lactose and also meat.)

Be careful about who says what about different ways of eating

Everytime when someone (friend, doctor, nutritionist, neighbor) talks about a diet and suggests you to go for the same, remember: we are all different. We have different needs, we have our own bacterias in our guts. Before starting ANY kinds of diet, find out as much as you can. Do not just start one, because even with the best intention, you can cause a disaster in your digestive system. Don't follow any diet, because someone told you to do so. It might work for someone else, but you. Every diet should be personalized. If you want to eat meat, do it. But then don't feel bad about it. If you decide not to, then don't. Be in harmony with yourself, eat what you wish for, and follow your instincts. Feel what you need, pay attention to your body. If you listen carefully, your body will tell you, what it wants you to eat.

And yes, if I put it that way, I recommend a diet! A plant-based, whole, local, seasonal, quality, fair and organic diet, that is good for you, for other people, and for the planet.

If you keep this "diet", as the basics, you are on a good track. Because you don't need any specialists to tell you, what to eat. The person who knows the best, what your body needs, is you. And every time you hear about a new "super" diet, smile and keep these thoughts in mind. Eat well!