Vegan. Vegetarian. Gluten-Free. Paleo. Raw. Primal. Macrobiotic. Low-Carb. Low-Fat. Grain-Free. Dairy-Free. No red meat. No eggs.

Do you ever get confused by nutrition news and fads? I've been studying nutrition for over seven years and practicing it clinically for several and I still sometimes get frustrated by dogmatic dieters and the crazy-making and contradictory nutrition stories that pervade our media.

It's enough to make almost anyone scream..."please, someone just tell me what to eat!"

Here's my philosophy: we are all unique. I do not believe in a one-size-fits-all approach for nutrition and diet. I don't believe that a vegetarian diet is good for everyone, but I believe it is appropriate and healthy for some people. This is just as I believe that some people absolutely need good quality animal protein in their diets. Usually it is not that any one or two foods are "bad," it's just that they are out of balance with others in the diet. Also, a particular food might not be the best for you but it is fine and even healthy for someone else. When helping patients with their diet, I find it is best to consider many factors. It is essential to not choose a diet based on what the media says is best, what the celebrities are currently eating or what your best friend swears by. It is best to find a diet that works for YOU. This is your own personal diet that promotes the best health possible for YOU and YOU alone. Keep reading below to learn more about the factors I consider when I help patients learn about their bodies and choose a diet that works for them.

There are some tried and true fundamentals to good nutrition. These principles should be present in every person's healthy diet. Some of these are:

• appropriate balance of macronutrients--fats, carbohydrates and protein
• sufficient micro-nutrients--vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids (from fats) and amino acids (from protein)
  
• hydration
• lots of antioxidants and bioflavanoids from vegetables and fruits (not to mention fiber)
• whole-food, real-food, unprocessed food
  
• blood-sugar regulation
• low-inflammatory load

There are also health reasons one might choose a certain diet, such as:

• diabetes or hypoglycemia
  
• digestive problems
• cancer recovery
• autoimmune disease
• weight-loss
• allergies--food or environmental
  
• autism
• body-building
• chronic pain
  

There are also other factors when choosing a diet that's right for you:

• religious, cultural and spiritual considerations
• climatic and seasonal considerations (for example, a raw foods diet may be appropriate for someone in Miami, but not Alaska)
• a person's genetic inheritance and their blood type (there is evidence that different ethnic groups and blood types evolved to tolerate foods differently, making one person more predisposed to a certain diet or foods than another person)
• a person's metabolic type
  
• personal taste preferences for foods
• cost and budget
• food preparation time and effort
  

I will also add that is it helpful to be flexible about diet. Perhaps a diet that has worked for you for awhile (or even years) is no longer the correct diet for YOU. Or maybe the diet that comes highly recommended by some source for whatever condition you have really isn't the best one for YOU. Always be adaptable and flexible when needed.

There are many good types of whole foods diets out there. Even some of the popular new diets are nutritionally sounds, like the paleo diet. However, most people will still need to make modifications for their particular needs, while still following the foundations above for a healthy diet.

So you can see, diet and nutrition is a very personal matter. It is something for you to experiment with, and it can be helpful to work with a health practitioner that is both knowledgeable about different dietary approaches for different health conditions, and who will help you find the best diet to fit YOU. When working with you on diet I will always respect your dietary preferences and needs, while still educating you on options that might lead to more optimal health.

I saw a great T-Shirt slogan the other day. It said: Dinner, It's What's For Breakfast.

I like this sentiment, because I believe what most Americans eat in the morning is a recipe for poor health. What do we eat? It seems like the most popular choices consist of foods like frozen waffles, cold cereal, granola bars or toast. The other breakfast of choice that I often hear is "nothing." Eating no breakfast isn't a good idea on so many levels and most people know it.

When we use nutrition and food as medicine, there are a few key foundations we are working with to bring about the best health possible. One of these is regulating the blood sugar. In order to feel healthy, energetic and clear headed we need to have stable blood sugar throughout the day. By eating a good breakfast with protein and also some healthy fats, we ensure that we are starting the day off on the right foot. When we start off with high carbohydrate breakfasts we run the risk of having our blood sugar spike too high early in the day, which results in it dipping too low later. This sets us up for energy dips and the results are usually sugar cravings. In the long term this can lead to weight gain and metabolic problems.

So what are some better choices? Well, some protein, healthy fats and a portion of some type of complex carbohydrate (either unlimited non-starchy veggies or a small portion of a whole grains, starchy veggies or beans) would be a good place to start.

Here are a few meal ideas:

• 2 eggs cooked any style with spinach, olives and tomatoes with 1/4-1/2 cup cooked oatmeal with 1/2 tbl butter

• 2 pieces of bacon with 1 hard-boiled egg and 1/2 cup sweet potato hash browns

• Smoothie with full-fat yogurt or full-fat coconut milk (other milks of choice are fine too, I just don't recommend skim milk), 1/2 cup berries, chia or flax seeds and protein powder or nut butter
• Full-fat yogurt with berries and nuts, you can add a scoop of protein powder for added blood sugar stabilization
  
• Pancakes, muffins or waffles made with high protein almond flour, topped with blueberries. If you've never cooked with almond flour before, try Googling a recipe like "almond flour pancakes" or "almond flour muffins"
  
• 1/2 an avocado and sauteed veggies of choice
  
• Leftover roasted veggies with breakfast sausage
  
• Smoked salmon on high protein, high fiber crackers, with some avocado and veggies on top
  
• Finally, don't be afraid to have dinner for breakfast! Breakfast is a great time to sneak in a few servings of veggies. Eat a salad for breakfast in the summer, have some nourishing veggie soup in the winter or have leftovers from the night before. Leftovers are often one of the quickest choices because it only requires reheating.
  

The bottom line is, make sure to eat breakfast. When you do, make sure you are eating some quality protein and fat with your breakfast instead of basing your whole breakfast on carbohydrates like cereal, waffles and fruit.

What are your favorite healthy breakfast foods?