Summary: While you may not consider your diet or eating style a cult - is it? From “The Four Hour Body,” to "Paleo" to “Atkins,” there are diet cults to match seemingly any mood and personality type. Everywhere we turn, someone is preaching the “One True Way” to eat for maximum health. Paleo Diet advocates tell us that all foods less than 12,000 years old are the enemy. Low-carb gurus demonize carbs. But they agree on one thing; there is only one true way to eat for maximum health - their way. The first clue that that is a fallacy is the sheer variety of diets advocated. Indeed, while all of these competing views claim to be backed by “science,” a good look at actual nutritional science itself suggests that it is impossible to identify a single best way to eat. We welcome Matt Fitzgerald back to the show for a third time as he advocates an agnostic, rational approach to eating habits, based on one’s own habits, lifestyle, and genetics/body type. Many professional athletes already practice this “good enough” diet and it can work for many runners including yourself. A runner's diet is an important part of the training equation that can often be thought of as just part of eating or for goals such as losing weight. The fact is, what you eat can directly impact not only your health but your performance in training and racing. If you are one that has rejected one true way of eating to fuel your endurance activities you'll find vindication and validation and be emboldened to resist what seemingly everyone else is doing and to continue to do what works best for you. This episode may feel controversial or you might feel a bit uneasy if your beliefs are called into question. The goal of this episode is not to say your diet or eating style is wrong or bad for you - but to provide an opportunity to think critically about the various diet cults and if they are truly in alignment with your long term goals and to dispel the prevailing notion that there is only one true way. In this engaging episode of the podcast, you'll discover: The definition of a diet cult How there is no one true way of eating or one best diet Human evolution of being able to adapt and thrive on a variety of diets Why there is so much focus on finding "the holy grail" Why you should think critically about Paleo and other popular diets An in-depth look at the Paleo diet as it pertains to runners The impacts of reducing carbohydrate on your training and racing Other ways you can become "fat adapted" without changing your diet A look into the eating habits of the world's best runners and endurance athletes How to take an agnostic approach to eating Quick Tip How to become better 'fat adapted' to avoid the wall in the marathon without changing your diet. Links Mentioned in the Show Diet Cults: The Surprising Fallacy at the Core of Nutrition Fads - Get the Book Runner Academy Membership
