Dieting for athletes can be as emotionally charged as politics or spirituality; believe me, I tried all the latest food fads
- Endurance sports coach is forced to try all of the diets for his health, and discovers eating is as intertwined in our beliefs and egos as the most sensitive subjects
Seven guests sit down at a restaurant. They all want the steak, but one says only with salad and olive oil, the next only wants the meat, the third wants the steak replaced with soybean patties. The fourth wants it covered in melted butter. The fifth asks for the steak to be bought out in three hours. The sixth wants the steak, sauce and chips blended and the seventh brings his scales to weigh the steak and sides.
A bizarre scene, but the least likely aspect of it is getting Paleo, carnivore, vegan, keto, intermittent fasting, juicing and longevity dieters sitting down at the same table, talking cordially.
Polite dinners such as this rarely occur because diets polarise people so much. Don’t try to get a vegan and a carnivore to the same table. Trust me, I tried all the main diets for months at a time and was met by a variety of reactions.
I tend to avoid discussing spirituality, kids’ educations and politics. These are personal choices. Recently, I had to blacklist discussions about food choices too. Food choices can be that deeply intertwined with our values and our ego.
At a time when obesity is on the rise lots of us are struggling with food. Then, on the other side, lies the food industry, the health coaches and social media influencers to add to the confusion.