Putting an “Optimal Diet” In Perspective
In that spirit, I’m going to be honest here as well. I’m so happy to have this website and very appreciative of my small but growing readership. I’m absolutely committed to following and promoting a low-carb, whole foods, ancestral lifestyle, but also feeling a bit conflicted these days. As some of you may know, I have a full-time position as an outpatient dietitian and certified diabetes educator at a large veterans hospital. This job is unquestionably the best one I’ve ever had. The vets I counsel have been through unimaginable horrors to serve our country, and many are now dealing with their own personal hell of chronic disease, mental health issues, and financial uncertainty. The vast majority are kind and appreciative for any advice on eating to improve their blood sugar, weight, cholesterol, and other conditions.
Carbohydrate restriction is clearly the way to manage diabetes, obesity, and hypertriglyceridemia, and that is always my first recommendation. Unprocessed foods are right up there as well. But what about Paleo/Primal eating? Consuming grass-fed beef, organic poultry and dairy, pastured eggs, and organic fruits and vegetables is undeniably healthy, but for people who are barely getting by financially, it’s almost impossible to do. This lifestyle is extremely expensive if practiced on a regular basis. In addition to veterans, there are thousands of people who are unemployed or underemployed, have lost their homes, or are otherwise struggling to make ends meet. I’ve spoken to veterans who have to decide between taking medications and purchasing food, and it’s well known that many senior citizens face this dilemma as well. Perhaps even a few people reading have some misgivings about spending so much on food at this time.
By all means, purchase the healthiest foods you can comfortably afford to. I buy organic, grass-fed, and/or pastured almost exclusively. But if doing so was stretching us financially, I’d definitely cut back on the pricier items while continuing to eat low carb. A fast food burger, no bun, and a side salad is a perfectly accceptable meal for someone with limited funds. All eggs supply protein of the highest biological value, along with the B vitamin choline and the antioxidants lutein and zeaxanthine. Poultry and beef raised conventionally are nutritional powerhouses and a pretty good value. Are these foods “optimal” for health? No, but they’re still beneficial and far superior to what many are currently eating, such as a large bowl of cereal with nonfat milk and orange juice for breakfast.
Some people may not agree with this, arguing that organic, sustainably raised food should be the number one priority and that other things should be sacrificed instead. I understand this position, since I’ve devoted my career to showing people just how important good nutrition is. But I haven’t walked in the shoes of these veterans, and I can’t pretend to know what their day-to-day struggles are like. If they can follow a low-carb diet and keep their blood sugar under decent control, they’ll reduce their risk for nephropathy, neuropathy, retinopathy, and heart disease without furthering their financial burden. I’m so grateful to these men for putting their lives on the line for the rest of us. Helping them improve their chances to avoid complications by following a way of eating that works for them is the least I can do in return.
Your article is an excellent statement of a very important principle: do the best you can with the resources you have, and don’t give up on the whole concept just because you can’t do it “perfectly” (whatever that means). It does nobody any service to insist that they *must* eat grass-fed, organic, pastured, etc. or else it’s not worth doing at all. No, the improvement one gets by simply restricting carbs and getting the right macronutrient balance, even those fats and proteins are from conventional “standard grocery-store” sources, will be enormous and absolutely worth it. That is first and foremost. From there, we can make further improvements to the best of our ability.
If it’s okay to share a link, my wife wrote on this subject last February: http://holdthetoast.com/content/why-im-not-purist This really is such an important point that it is well worth reinforcing, early and often. These two articles go hand in hand (I think), and I would love to have references to others like them, if anyone has any to share.
Thanks so much, Eric! I appreciate your comments and fully agree with your sentiments. The right balance of carbs, protein, and fats is the foundation for good health. Just read Dana’s article — I think it’s wonderful! Thanks for sharing it.
Excellent post that honestly examines an important issue. I wish I could afford & had availability of more organic & pasture raised food for health, environmental & humane reasons. I’d be eating only broccoli & carrots if I relied on solely organic produce. Financial resources are a huge consideration, also is living where healthy alternatives are quite limited.
Those who claim that costly food be the priority are the fortunate minority who’ve never had to worry about funds. Rather elitist attitude.
A sanctimonious view of food isn’t a path to living a balanced life.
I don’t worry too much about my patients foregoing organic food, grass-fed beef, free-range chickens, etc. We don’t know yet if those items truly reduce chronic disease risk and enhance longevity.
BTW, I just subscribed to your RSS feed – don’t know how I overlooked it until now.
-Steve
Thanks, Gerri! You make some excellent points. My hope it that sustainably raised food will someday be more affordable and available to everyone. I look forward to that day.
Thank you so much, Steve. You’re right about the lack of evidence, but I prefer that animals be raised humanely on a diet and in conditions more natural to them.
I really enjoy your website too. Your Mediterranean Low Carbohydrate Diet is my favorite in terms of healthfulness, satiety, palatability, and convenience.
Very sensible post…thank you!
Thanks, I need to hear this every once in a while. I think the stress of trying to get the most nourishment out of my food dollar is probably so detrimental that it negates the benefit of the organic/grassfed food I am able to afford to feed my family of six!
Wonderful insight, Natalie!
Fantastic post! I fully believe in just doing the best you can, where you are at. Perfection isn’t the goal – the goal is better health. Even small changes can do big things to improve our health/weight. As someone on a very tight budget, with two growing teens, grass fed beef isn’t in our price range. If I had something to give up to make up for that, I surely would. But there is nohting else to give up. We have to make it work with what we have and we are doing just fine. 🙂
Thanks so much, Amy! Great attitude and website 🙂
Thank you so much for posting this. A lot of us are on a budget, and I’m tired of the grass fed, organic snobbery the low carb culture is often surrounded with. And sometimes I wonder, if I could afford grass fed, organic stuff exclusively, would I actually buy it or give that extra money to charity? We all have our choices, but I would give it to St. Jude’s hospital for the children, for sure. So glad low carb is really doable for everyone. Even the 99 cent stores now carry ground meat, veggies and cheeses!
Great points, Sheryl! Thank you.