Over the past couple of months I have been trying to lose weight and reshape my body. My target is, of course, to look good on my wedding day. But my overarching goal in this plan is optimal health. Success so far is 3 pounds and 5.5″ gone. Not astounding results by any means, but considering that I am making minor but sustainable long-term lifestyle adjustments, the results look very very good.

As the above is my focus, I have been reading and researching a lot lately about different food choices, diets and lifestyles focused on food choices. And believe me, this is not hard to do. It seems our Western society is obsessed with this topic. The number of food bloggers alone on the internet is astounding.

Vegan, vegetarian, flexitarian, primal, paleo, South Beach, Atkins, Weight Watchers, Flat Belly….these are just a few of the diets I have either tried or researched over many years. The often contradictory advice out there is most confusing. Carbs = good; Carbs = bad; Fat = good; Fat = bad; High protein, high fat, low carb; high carb, low fat, low protein…..etc. etc.

Two things I know for sure (my goddess, I sound like Oprah…sorry!) from all my research thus far:

1) Fresh fruits and vegetables are common to all scientifically sound diets out there.

2) We are so so fortunate to live in a time and part of the world where we actually have the luxury to have a choice about what to eat, rather than just being grateful to have enough to eat. Not everyone on the planet can say that. Something to remember every time I sit down to a meal.