n the new diet era of “keto,” many of us are kicking ourselves for not jumping on the “paleo” wagon.

• Paleo was “the diet” where eliminating all grains, legumes, dairy, and sugar was considered extreme but do-able (for some)… maybe for 30 days.

• Sadly, many have abandoned ship with “paleo” and decided that “keto” is an even better diet for weight loss.

For those catching up with the trend:

• “Keto” restricts not only all grains but also higher glycemic vegetables and fruits.
• The perk? You can eat all the fat you want, including cheese, coconut oil, butter, and steak.
• And if you can stick to it, you do lose weight. (Keeping it off is another topic.)
  
  

While there are effective therapeutic uses for both styles of eating,

• For the average person wanting to lose weight, neither diet is a long-term, health-promoting solution.
• The goal, in my opinion, is to expand your diet and enjoy a variety of nutrient-dense foods that make your body sing.
  
  

Some people do better with less refined carbohydrates, and some do better with more fats, but:

• Jumping on the “keto” or “paleo” bandwagon is not the solution.
  
  

Sustainable, long-term solutions like:

• Drinking more water
• Eating more vegetables, fresh fruit, and complex carbohydrates
• Limiting snacking
  
  

are much more effective because they’re in tune with your unique metabolism.

Learning about your body and how well it converts food into energy is great, and I can see how experimenting with some of the principles in the diet can help you do that.

However, the trend of fully committing to the “religion” of these diets won’t work for most people’s long-term weight loss goals.

I work with a lot of people who struggle with cravings, especially cravings for bread or sweets. One of the first things I focus on is that these cravings tell us something.

Their body, for one reason or another, is really wanting quick and easy calories to digest.

• Rather than deny this need, we work on slowly supporting this by introducing more sweet-tasting foods or savory grains.
  

   

  • This might include adding more fruits to their diet and trying whole grains like quinoa, rice, buckwheat, etc., instead of bread for a bit.
    
    
• We make sure they’re eating enough protein, fat, and vegetables to be satiated.
  
  

We support them in:

• Enjoying their food
• Eating well
• Moving away from restriction, calorie counting, and micro-managing their diet

so they can fully savor each bite.

Once we’ve balanced the diet, we balance the blood sugar, and the cravings start to go away.