One of the most common questions I receive is, "Joy, are you keto? Are you vegetarian? Are you vegan?", to which I answer, "No, I'm Joy!" :). What I mean by that is that our diets have come to define us and who we are, but I'm a big believer that we shouldn't be bound by labels or be defined by them.
I thought it would be a worthwhile conversation to talk about these labels, what they mean, the many drawbacks – and well, a couple benefits! We dive deep into discussing how many people sacrifice their own health for the beliefs that they feel they have to live up to and how social media plays a role in keeping people bound by their label.
Listen to the Joyous Health Podcast on iTunes, Spotify, Stitcher and Google Play!
In this episode we discuss:
- Is there an ideal way to eat for everyone?
- The benefits of certain diets
- When diets do serve a purpose
- Sacrificing your health to live up to a label or a belief system
- Why people follow diets like a religion
- Having the freedom and the choice to eat what you want
- Being both a plant and animal eater (and thriving!)
- The Joy McCarthy and Walker Jordan diet
- Finding the [insert your name here] diet (the BEST diet for you!)
- Learning to listen to your body through its evolution
- How our bodily needs change from puberty to pregnancy to menopause
- The role of social media when it comes to people's diets
- Online bullying and how it's keeping people stuck in their diet for fear of “coming out”
- Having an open mind and being compassionate towards other people's dietary decisions
- How to avoid labelling yourself
- The first step to take when making a bold change in your diet
- How to know if your diet or way of eating isn't working for you
- Why some people feel terrible when they eat animal foods after not eating them for a while
- Eating the foods that help you thrive
- What to do when you crave bread on a paleo diet (or crave fish on a vegan diet)
- Breaking free from labels
I can't wait to hear what you think of this episode! If you can relate and have any personal experiences to share about your journey of finding the best diet for you, please share in the comments below!
