Nutrition 101: Diet

By Justinne Lou Go

“I’m on a diet.” We hear people say this a lot — when eating out with friends, when at a party, even at home; used so often that it can almost be synonymous to “Hello.” And mind you, this line is not only heard from supermodels, not even just from the female population but, even among men.

People think being on a diet is about calorie restriction, avoiding “carbs” (short for carbohydrates) or whatever deprivations they think can somehow rub off some belly fat. Contrary to this common misconception, everybody is actually on a diet. As Merriam Webster says, it is actually the food and drink we regularly consume. So, basically, what you eat is your diet. That said, now it’s not as appropriate anymore to say “I’m on a diet,” but rather “I’m on a healthy diet.” Turns out, it’s not so much on what diet you’re on but instead, what kind of diet you have.

Something you should know as well, is that there is no “one diet fits all” approach to your nutrition/health. We are all biologically unique and thus, have specific nutritional needs that differ from one another.

This biological uniqueness is determined by taking into consideration numerous factors that contribute to this individuality, some of which are your genes, physiology, medical family history, lifestyle and environment. So, no, it’s not just about what blood type you are. This is exactly the reason healthcare and nutrition management should be and is, personalized. And there are now actually advanced diagnostic tests that determine exactly which micronutrients you actually need. I can tell you more about that in my next articles.

Now, if you’re wondering what diet you should be on, that’s something I’ll be talking about more specifically in the next run of the series so, stay tuned!