Carnivore, Herbivore, Omnivore, Locavore, Vegan, Raw Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescetarian, Pollotarian… what do all of these have in common?… Contrary to popular belief, no one is particularly better than the other in terms of caloric intake, weight management, and overall nutritional value. Advocates of each will tell you otherwise. The truth is, there are advantages and disadvantages to each one. The proper equation to sustainable dietary health is variety plus balance minus over-indulgence.

I have always been troubled about people’s obsessions with and misperceptions about “diets”. Starving yourself of nutritional value for a temporary gain and following it up with unhealthy habits? No good can come of this. The word “diet” is part of the problem. It’s such a dirty four-letter-word. In reality a diet is simply what one consumes. More specifically a diet is defined as the composition of food and beverage and their overall effect on one’s health. Everyone on earth is on a diet. But not necessarily the kind associated with a perfectly hot summer bod.

Don’t get me wrong. Is there a time for changing one’s behavior and consumption to achieve a goal?… of course. The number of food related illnesses dictate the need for restriction and discretion. But those are what I consider to be dietary lifestyle changes. Not diets. Obesity, heart disease, certain cancers, gastrointestinal disorders, and the like… there is a link to diet. If your doctor says, eat this – not that, by all means take heed. But don’t engage in the “Lemonade Diet” or any other Hollywood Diet for fallacious and temporary gain.

In December 2013 I got to thinking about diets and all the various terms society has come up with just to differentiate one another when going out to eat. Some of them I respect, and others cause me to roll my eyes because I know that they are a fad as opposed to a necessary measure. In Southern California that is especially the case. Every restaurant menu has offerings to cater to the “in-crowd”. In considering all of this, I decided to challenge myself with a few dietary lifestyles. I had three goals in mind. First, I wanted to come up with new dishes to cater to the needs of future clients/customers. Second, I needed to walk in their shoes. I wanted to see the available offerings in stores and restaurants. I wanted to see how challenging (in terms of time, cost, and production) each lifestyle would be. Finally, I wanted to see the effect on my overall health. Would I have more energy? Would I lose weight? Would I be healthier? Was there a best practice when it comes to diet?

Here is what I did:

I extended the challenge to everyone who wanted to participate. When you make dramatic changes in routine it is easier to do it with a group for support and feedback. I set a specific amount of time to follow each diet – 30 days. It takes at least 30 days to develop a habit. I knew I could better identify the effects on my body in 30 days as opposed to a week’s time. I started with Vegetarian January, followed by Vegan February, and Pescetarian March. Initially I was going to go through all of the titles listed above. But some of them are redundant and others added no value to my goals. These three were most important in my assessment and assertions.

Here is what I experienced:

January was a piece of cake. I went vegetarian for a year in college. I already knew I could go without meat because I have never been much of a carnivore. Brontosaurus Burger? No thanks! Besides, after all of the Holiday eating I welcomed the cleanse and lighter fare. It was easy and cost effective to find vegetarian options. Every menu had at least one vegetarian offering. Not to mention there are a number of vegetarian cuisines and restaurants. What was there to complain about? I still had milk, cheese, and eggs. I lost three pounds. Score! Besides the occasional bacon craving January was a success. My momentum was going strong.

That brings me to February. Thank God it was only 28 days because it turned out to be the longest 28 days of my life. Had it been a leap year I might have called the whole thing off… Why, you ask? Simply put, Veganism is not for me! I don’t judge those of you who are Vegans, but you can keep it. Not only did it take more thought and effort to purchase and produce food (reading every minute detail/ingredient), but my body took an even bigger hit than my wallet. I thought getting rid of milk, cheese, and eggs would be an easy transition. After all, I didn’t eat them every day to begin with. But the problem was that my body started to be vitamin deficient, particularly of iron. I had an increase in headaches. My energy was diminished. And there were two specific days that I felt dizzy to the point of fainting. Because I have experienced these health problems before, I know they were related to my diet. I am not saying that my experience would be everyone else’s… but Vegan was a no-go for me. I couldn’t wait to have a cheeseburger by the time I was done. On the up-side, I created some fun recipes to share.

Finally we had Pescetarian March. A seafood lover’s dream… Salmon, Shrimp, and Calamari, oh my! After the time I had in February any change was a welcome change. If anyone knew me as a child they would be surprised to see me embrace Pescetarianism. I hated fish growing up. And almost everything else from the sea. It’s a good thing that time brings about change. I loved this dietary lifestyle. I had complete meals without that heavy, sluggish feeling. You know, the one that requires you to have a mid-day nap? Seafood doesn’t have that effect. Although this lifestyle is not cheap, it is easy to come by and quick to prepare. I had to start taking supplements in late February. By mid-March I was feeling like myself again. Pescetarian was alright with me!

Here are my take-aways:

I didn’t find one dietary lifestyle to be better than the others per se. Each had benefits and drawbacks. The bottom line is that robbing the body of the vital nutrients gained from food is not the way to go. Some lifestyles are impractical for your health, schedule, budget, and time. But a well-balanced and thought out intake will be beneficial in the end. I am taking what I learned from each month and adopting a lifestyle that fits all of my parameters. I decided to adopt a diet in which I eat meat only once a day. There is no need to have ten pounds of meat per day. I go meatless on Mondays and increase my fruit and vegetable intake as a whole.

I encourage you to think more about your diet. Abandon your notions of “get thin quick schemes”. Consult with your physician if you have any illness or restrictions related to or affected by food.

Good luck with your dietary lifestyles! Keep challenging yourself. Keep me informed of your results.