To think what's 'healthy' is very different for everyone?

[IfOttersRuledTheEarth]

I have been interested in health and fitness for a while and have done a lot of online reading and research. I definitely DO believe that there are some fairly fixed and obvious pathways to good health (barring genetics and misfortune) including reducing overly processed food & booze, being active and good sleep.

But whilst I find the subject really interesting, I have also noticed its uniformity. This idea that there is a prescribed pattern we all must take to ensure health and/or the current obsession with longevity.

I have a good baseline to work from, have never been overweight or unwell and am very active at 50. So, I tried out increasing fibre and paying more attention to fermented foods, gut health and so on for about a year.

Previously I had eaten slightly differently......I had enjoyed tons of veggies and herbs, lean poultry and wild fish, but also ate low processed bread and pizza bases with organic (white) flour. I would make my own sauces for pasta and only used small amounts of good cheese. I loved veggie roasts with olive oil, fish with sushi rice, and large salads stuffed into a homemade bun with lemon chicken and mustard.I loved fresh fruit and berries with greek yoghurt.

For the past yr I have altered that to having my veggies with piles of lentils, chickpeas or wholegrain bread instead. I have upped fermented foods. Gave up the WG bread as didn't enjoy it at all. I still eat healthy fats and moderate meat, but make more fibre focused recipes from the internet which look fabulous, but I never really enjoy them. I honestly feel more depressed.

My post is about the difference in my feelings and health.
I no longer really enjoy my current 'healthier' way of eating. I am a good cook and have always worked from scratch, but I don't seem to enjoy legumes, or much higher fibre recipes. I also don't feel any healthier in myself or any more energetic. My gut is fine but felt much better before. I think I have kept at it due to learning about long term health and the gut biome, so make of that what you will!

I long to go back to my original way of eating, which whilst it wasn't as high in fibre, it was satisfying, delicious and always fresh. So my AIBU is about whether anyone agrees that there isn't a standard diet pattern that works for everyone, and whilst I agree with higher fibre being sensible, it might not really suit everyone to that extent.

I am sure I was getting good fibre previously from my fruit, veg, etc.
You'd be surprised how many people online would say my previous diet was deadly!
And yes yes I am overthinking it, but I am bored this afternoon

Fibre is just the latest fad. Most people probably do need to eat more fibre, but as usual, it's been taken to an extreme. They'll have moved into something else by summer.

Why make yourself miserable for years and years just to try and gain an extra few months tacked on at the end when you'll be too knackered and broken to enjoy it anyway.

Your old diet was fine and you'll get far more quality of life out of eating that way than you could ever stand to gain with the new.

Mmm not sure fibre is a fad in itself but I do agree that it is the current money maker (ZOE, etc). I do think it is important and that we have decreased our use of it in the west in general, so upping it does seem sensible.

But I don't think we are all the same, and we might not all require such high levels for gut health. I never had bad gut health or issues with my previous way of eating.

True!
I wasn't doing it to add years though, just to see how and if I felt after sticking with it. I am considering switching back.
On some threads online you'd think it is a crime not to mainline lentils daily. I love the food and recipe subs at reddit and there is a huge thing there about legumes!
I can't even force myself to swallow wholemeal bread. I get that it's healthier but oh god no.

A 'scientist' at ZOE even said (I can quote) that a potato in it's skin was never healthy.
WTF?

People can get enough fibre if they always eat wholemeal bread and eat several portions of veg a day (inc. salad, but NOT smoothies or juices). No need to buy faddy products advertised as 'high fibre'.

However if you prefer white bread that is fine - just eat lots of veg. Most people don't eat enough veg.

Legumes are a great source of protein for vegetarians or vegans but it is fine if you don't like them and eat other sources such as nuts, eggs, meat and dairy.

Fermented foods - yuk. Not necessary. They are a big part of some cultures (no pun intended), like Korean I believe, but historically not a big thing in the UK, unless you include bio yoghurts (not sure if they count?)

I agree that different diets suit different people. I think genes play a part in this. It stands to reason that populations around the globe have evolved over millennia to eat different diets.

Why does healthy living have to make yourself miserable for years? Going for a country walk is an excellent way to spend half a Sunday, and exercise releases endorphines that make you feel good at least momentarily. If anything, a diet of highly process high fat high sugar junk makes you miserable through constant lethargy because your body is not getting the nutrition it needs, and keeping active can delay the "too knackered and broken to enjoy it" phase by years if not decades. That is why you will find 80-90 year olds still going out with their local cycling club or hiking in the Lake District. Being inactive ultimately results in muscle atrophy, weakness, fatigue and things start twinging, giving a further excuse to minimise movement, then it is a rapid downward spiral towards immobility and loss of independence.

TMI, but legumes make me pass enough wind to sail across the Atlantic. So even though I tried them, they are OFF the menu now!

Like others, I don't worry too much about eating this or that according to the latest trend - that usually changes within a year anyway. There are basics though and I'm sure most of us eat them without thinking too much about it. A little bit of what you like, and more of what's advised and down to common sense really is a good approach I think.

It doesn't by default, but OP seems very unhappy with her current eating style and waxes lyrical over her old one.

Since her old style is still plenty healthy it seems pointless for her to stufferr for very little gain. Quality of life is a better measure.

Like the ‘F-plan Diet”? That’s not the latest fad, again, surely?

I'm a 56 year old whole foods vegan who eats ALL the carbs. If I had a £ for everytime I read on here that I should be deficient in this or that, pale, gaunt, (yet also fat from the bread) anaemic and with bones like Swiss cheese, I'd be a wealthy woman indeed.
As it is, I've never felt better. BMI 21, no belly fat, more energy than I had in my 30s, never ill, and a recently completed health check that says I'm all good.
I think there are many ways of eating that (alongside good luck and good genes) allow us to be healthy. Our bodies are pretty resilient and can cope with all sorts of rubbish in moderation, and give us plenty of wriggle room before they become dangerously low on certain nutrients. So whatever works for you.

I agree. For me it’s the protein obsession, and counting grams of protein in every recipe, and adding protein powder or cottage cheese to absolutely anything to increase protein,

I do best on a traditional 3 meals a day, typical protein/carbs/fat ratios.

high protein/fasting/high fat/low carb doesn’t work for me at all. In fact i put on weight with each fad I try.

i accept though that other people may function better on a high protein diet. Just stop pushing it on to me.

Hah! This is true, I suppose I just don't like soups or stews or the type of meals that lentils and beans work well in. I don't really enjoy those at all.

I wasn't exactly miserable, but it wasn't great.

I was only interested in increasing fibre, and must admit with shame that i did fall for the whole ZOE recommendations (of which many are great) of upping the fermented foods and fibre, and omitting my white sourdough. I am not a ZOE member, but do find the science about the biome interesting. I do think the company are a bit bonkers tho

I will dial it back and return to most of my previous cooking,
I do love tons of veg, salad, fruit and nuts/seeds/oats, so shall be ok:)

Yes yes! I do agree. All different. What works well for my DH does not for me, etc. I never had any issues previously, just happier with my food.