Just the other day I was chatting with some folks who’ve recently moved to the island and after introducing myself, my new friends inquired about naturopathic medicine and asked me, “What do you think is the healthiest diet?”

First, let me say that I get asked this question ALL THE TIME and I don’t blame people for asking! I mean, I don’t believe there’s ever been a time when it’s been more confusing about what’s ‘ the healthiest way to eat ‘ then right now.

With a multitude of diet books out there with corresponding success stories and so many expert opinions — and not-so-expert opinions — floating around on the internet and in the media, it’s hard to navigate the world of ‘healthy eating’ without complete bewilderment. 

With all my formal education, including 4 years of holistic nutritional medical training, physiology and biochemistry classes, I have found the waters to be murky at times myself. 

Along the road of my healing journey I’ve tried a multitude of different diets including: Paleo, Vegan, Keto, Whole 30, Akins, FODMAP and AIP … seriously, I’ve tried them all! 

And then I found it! I now eat the healthiest diet ever! 

Maybe you’ve heard of it?

It’s called the Maryska Irene Taylor diet. 

Yes, I’m being sarcastic – but I’m making an important point so stay with me!

You see after years of working with patients as well as many years of experimenting on myself with every dietary fad under the sun, I feel I’ve finally come up with an answer;It’s never one size fits all. 

There is no one diet that works for ALL people. There just isn’t. 

BUT there is a diet (ie: way of eating) that works perfectly for YOU. 

Of course there are certain guidelines for eating well, such as Michael Pollan’s famous mantra, “Eat (real) food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” 

But as far as figuring out the best way for you to eat in order to maintain a healthy weight as well as your health and wellbeing, I believe it’s crucial to use your own body wisdom, intuition and good old common sense as your guide versus external labels (such as paleo or vegan) or media hype. 

Why do I think this is the best way to go? Because everyone is different and you need to learn what works best for you. 

I’ve had patients come to see me with the same physical ailments but do well on two very different diets because they are two very different people. One does better when she eats a diet consisting of vegetables, fruit, nuts and some animal products including dairy and meat. While the other patient does just as well eating grains, vegetables, fruit, nuts, beans and legumes. 

Is one wrong and the other right? Nope, not at all. They’ve both dug deep, gotten to know their bodies and what makes them feel good and not so great. They’ve cultivated an intuitive relationship with their bodies and as a result now eat not according to any labels (such as vegan, paleo, keto etc) but a diet that is full of delicious, healthy whole foods that make them thrive. 

If you want to really own and honour your body, you need to spend time playing around and discovering what suits you best and makes you feel good. The good news is there are many tools that naturopathic doctors have to help you discover this such as elimination diets, food sensitivity testing and mindfulness. 

I’ve created an easy to use tool called the Body Wisdom Diet Diary to help you cultivate a more intuitive relationship with your body and help bring awareness to what you need to truly nourish yourself and your wellbeing.

So if you’re reading this and feel confused what to feed your body to feel healthy, lean and strong, then head on over here to get your free download and turn your insight into action! 

And as always I’d love to hear your thoughts and suggestions in the comments below. 

xo, M