Who's Fooling Who?

Paleo, High Protein, No Animal Protein, Keto, Low-Carb, No-Carb, Gluten-Free, No Sugar, Coconut Oil, No Oil, Sea Salt, No Salt, Vegetarian, Vegan, Raw, Mono Meals (bananas, potatoes, grapefuit), Packaged Meals, Smoothies, Juicing, Supplements, No Supplements, Detox, Cleanse, Intermittent Fasting, Water Only, L'Air!...

All these diet, non-diet, science-backed, "lifestyle" programs are so contradictory and confusing it makes me want to scream! The question that often comes to mind is what does the promoter or detractor of the program have to gain or lose by us buying into their rhetoric? There is often a big bottom line behind all the fads. Who's fooling who? We know diet is a billion dollar industry and many want to capitalize on a piece of the sugar-free pie!

It gives those of us who struggle with processed food addition the perfect excuse to say forget it all and just eat whatever I want. Therein lies the problem. Eating whatever I want used to work for me. Sure, I was a little overweight in my teens, 20's and 30's, but I didn't notice anything else going on. In my 40's I started to feel the energy drain and side effects set in, and now in my 50's I feel the aches and pains from the morbid obesity caused by my sedentary lifestyle and poor food choices.

I read the most refreshing blog post recently about trusting your body to know what you need rather than depending on the latest magic pill or diet fad. I really like the idea of just listening to my body instead of depending on others to tell me what to do. The thing is sometimes my brain gets confused and sweet, salty, or fatty foods when really what my body needs is water, rest or maybe even exercise.

I know the "secret" is to find what works for us individually, but the trick is to not be fooled by the industry that has more to gain by keeping us confused.