For the past four years, I’ve been on a journey to discover the diet that truly suits my body.
It all started in college when I realized I had some food sensitivities, forcing me to completely rethink my approach to eating.
I began exploring new ingredients and recipes that would nourish my body without causing discomfort.
This journey was anything but quick.
It took time, experimentation, and patience, but recently, I finally reached a point where I understood what my body truly needs and found a balance that makes me feel both healthy and satisfied.
The process has been challenging, but the rewards have been worth every effort.
Throughout these four years, I’ve tried a variety of diets, including the carnivore diet, vegan diet, pescatarian diet, keto diet, gluten-free diet, alkaline diet, and, finally, the vegetarian diet.
As you can tell, that’s quite a list, and I’m excited to share my experiences with each one and my final conclusions.
To ensure I was fully aware of how each diet affected me, I made it a habit to keep a detailed food journal.
This helped me identify which diets worked best for my body and which ones didn’t.
Whether you’re curious about trying something new or just looking for tips, I’ll guide you through what worked for me and what didn’t so you can make informed decisions on your own journey.
The Carnivore Diet
If you’re not familiar with the carnivore diet, it’s a diet that consists entirely of animal products, eliminating all plant-based foods.
I chose this as my first diet early in college, primarily because I felt my body needed a lot of protein.
I included all types of meat in my meals: red meat, chicken, fish, and even the occasional game meat.
Initially, it seemed like a straightforward approach, but over time, I started to notice how each type of meat affected my body differently.
These observations led me to rethink my dietary choices and explore alternatives.
One of the major challenges I faced on this diet was hormonal imbalance.
I struggled with my hormones to the point where I was eventually put on birth control to help regulate them.
This experience made me realize that while the carnivore diet might work for some, it wasn’t the right fit for me in the long term.
The Vegan Diet
The vegan diet is receiving considerable attention these days, and it is no surprise that so many people are curious about trying it.
With its emphasis on plant-based eating and the complete avoidance of all animal products—including meat, dairy, eggs, and even honey—this diet has many potential health benefits, like improved digestion, weight management, and a reduced risk of chronic diseases.
It’s easy to see why this lifestyle is gaining so much popularity.
From my experience being on the vegan diet, I experienced many of those positive health benefits.
I was able to come off birth control and balance my hormones naturally, and I also lost a significant amount of weight that I tried to lose for years.
All in all, it was a great experience; however, I found this diet unsustainable in the long term.
One of the biggest reasons I came off the vegan diet was that I began to notice that I wasn’t getting enough essential nutrients despite my best efforts to maintain a balanced diet.
It also required me to rely heavily on supplements, which I found to be unsustainable and not aligned with my goal of getting most of my nutrients from whole foods.
Over time, I felt increasingly fatigued and struggled with energy levels, which made it difficult to keep up with my daily routine.
While the vegan diet had many benefits, I realized that my body needed a more varied approach to thrive.
The Pescatarian Diet
After coming off the vegan diet, I decided to try the pescatarian diet to get more balanced nutrition while still focusing on a plant-based foundation.
The pescatarian diet allowed me to reintroduce fish and seafood into my meals, which provided me with essential omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality protein that I felt I was missing. This approach helped me maintain the health benefits I gained from the vegan diet while also giving me the energy and nutrients I needed to feel my best.
However, it didn’t take long for me to realize that even the pescatarian diet had its challenges.
While I appreciated the added variety and nutritional benefits, I did notice a struggle with digestion and overall gut health.
Despite the inclusion of fish, I still experienced some of the hormonal and digestive issues that had initially led me to explore different diets.
Additionally, I noticed some weight gain, my energy levels fluctuated, and I wasn’t feeling as balanced as I had hoped.
This made me realize that while the pescatarian diet offered some advantages, it still didn’t fully address my body’s needs, particularly regarding optimal digestion and sustained energy.
The Keto Diet
I started the keto diet after gaining a couple of pounds and wanted to find a way to shed the extra weight and reduce my sugar intake.
The high-fat, low-carb approach seemed like a promising solution, so I decided to give it a try.
Initially, I experienced what is commonly referred to as the “keto flu,” where I felt fatigued and sluggish as my body adjusted to burning fat for fuel instead of carbohydrates.
However, after pushing through this phase, I began to notice some positive changes: my appetite was more controlled, I had more stable energy levels throughout the day, and the weight started to come off.
However, as time went on, I started noticing some unexpected changes in my hormones. I began to experience irregular menstrual cycles and mood swings, which I hadn’t dealt with before.
The drastic reduction in carbohydrates seemed to impact my progesterone levels, which are crucial for regulating the menstrual cycle and supporting overall hormone balance.
The keto diet, while effective for weight loss, also led to a decrease in certain nutrients that are essential for hormone production and regulation.
This imbalance left me feeling more stressed and anxious, and I realized that the keto diet was disrupting the delicate balance of my hormones.
Despite my initial success in losing weight, the negative effects on my hormonal health made it clear that this diet was not sustainable for me in the long term.
Ultimately, I had to reconsider whether the short-term benefits were worth the potential long-term consequences on my overall well-being.
The Gluten-Free Diet
I decided to try the gluten-free diet to determine if gluten was causing some of the digestive issues and discomfort I had been experiencing.
I had read about the potential benefits of removing gluten from my diet, especially for those who are sensitive or intolerant to it, so I was curious to see how my body would respond.
After a few weeks of eliminating gluten, I noticed significant improvements in my digestion.
The bloating and stomach pain that had plagued me for years started to subside, and I felt lighter and more energized.
Additionally, my skin began to clear up, and I experienced fewer headaches, which I hadn’t realized were connected to my gluten consumption.
However, while the diet brought some positive changes, I found it challenging to maintain.
Gluten-free alternatives were often less accessible, making meal planning and dining out more difficult.
Despite these challenges, I appreciated the insights I gained from trying the gluten-free diet and became more mindful of how certain foods affected my body.
Overall, the gluten-free diet helped me identify specific triggers for my digestive issues and highlighted the importance of balance and variety in my diet.
While I don’t strictly follow a gluten-free lifestyle now, I’m more conscious of how much gluten I consume and how it impacts my overall health.
The Alkaline Diet
During my journey to figuring out the right diet type for me, I stumbled across the alkaline diet and decided to give it a go and see how my body would respond.
At this time, I was slowly coming off the vegan diet and wanted something that didn’t require me to consume a lot of meat but still offered the potential health benefits I was seeking.
The alkaline diet seemed like a good fit because it focuses on eating more plant-based foods like fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds while minimizing acidic foods like meat, dairy, and processed items.
As I transitioned into the alkaline diet, I found that it helped maintain some of the positive effects I had experienced on the vegan diet, such as improved digestion and a sense of lightness.
The emphasis on fresh, whole foods kept me feeling nourished, and I appreciated that I could still avoid meat while trying something new.
However, as I continued with the alkaline diet, I began to notice that it was challenging to maintain a balanced intake of nutrients, especially since I was still limiting certain food groups.
The diet’s restrictions also made social situations and meal planning more complicated, and I started to feel a bit isolated from the flexibility I wanted in my eating habits.
In the end, while the alkaline diet provided valuable insights into how different foods affect my body, it wasn’t sustainable for me in the long run.
I realized that finding a diet that offered balance and flexibility, rather than strict adherence to a particular set of rules, was more important for my overall well-being.
The Vegetarian Diet
The last diet type I tried to save my life (no kidding) was the vegetarian diet.
This diet was my attempt to find a middle ground between the strictness of the vegan diet and the flexibility I needed for long-term sustainability.
I hoped that by allowing myself to include dairy and eggs, I could maintain a balanced and nutritious diet without relying on meat or feeling overly restricted.
As I settled into the vegetarian lifestyle, I noticed several positive changes.
My energy levels were more stable, and I found it easier to maintain a well-rounded diet that included a variety of foods.
I enjoyed the freedom of being able to include eggs and dairy in my meals and baked goods, which provided me with the protein and nutrients I had been missing from previous diets.
However, despite these benefits, I encountered some challenges as well.
I noticed that my digestion wasn’t as smooth as it had been on the vegan diet, likely due to the reintroduction of dairy. And being lactose intolerant, this only worsened the issue, leading to discomfort and bloating.
It became clear that dairy wasn’t something my body could easily handle, which made me reconsider how much of it I should include in my diet moving forward.
Ultimately, the vegetarian diet was a step in the right direction, but it wasn’t the perfect fit for me.
While it offered a more balanced approach than some of the other diets I tried, I realized that my body thrived best when I embraced a more personalized and flexible way of eating, one that didn’t adhere strictly to any single dietary label.
What this Experience Taught Me
Testing out various diets really opened my eyes to the fact that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. Just because something works for one person doesn’t mean it will work for everyone.
While I knew this intuitively, my engineering mind still wanted to test it out—to prove to myself that there truly isn’t a perfect diet. We simply have to eat what’s right for our own bodies.
All in all, It’s been a learning experience that revealed some of the nuances of how my body responds to different foods and diets.
I’ve discovered strengths and sensitivities I never knew I had, which has helped me to better understand what fuels me best and what doesn’t.
My Final Diet Choice
After trying different diets, I’ve settled on a flexitarian approach. I mostly eat plant-based (which helps a lot with digestion), but I also enjoy some form of animal product as well (which helps a lot with my iron levels).
I also adjust my diet based on my menstrual cycle—going keto when my estrogen is high and adding more carbs during progesterone time. This way, I can eat what feels right for my body.
Plus, with my husband, who is a meat lover, it makes it easier to dine out and enjoy our time together without having to eat at separate restaurants.
This approach gives me the flexibility to enjoy a variety of foods without feeling restricted, and it helps me maintain the energy and health that I need.
For me, this balance is sustainable and aligns perfectly with my body’s needs, making it the ideal choice for my long-term wellness journey.
