Nutrition

On this page, we will explore various ways of thinking about diets. This curated content should increase the ease in which you investigate eating patterns and strategies.

Jump to a Specific Topic: Fasting l Low-Carb l Keto l Atkins l DASH l Mediterranean l Vegetarian l Vegan l Paleo l Whole30 l Intuitive Eating l Nordic l Carnivore l Gluten-free l Dairy-free l Low FODMAP

Chris Kresser

[Exerpt from his full biography]

Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac., is co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, Chris founded The Kresser Institute in 2015 to provide the next generation of functional health practitioners and coaches with the skills and tools they need to turn the tide of chronic disease—and change the future of medicine.

During a decade-long struggle with chronic illness, Chris learned first hand where health care mattered most—and where it came up short. After seeking the help of more than 30 healthcare practitioners and, ultimately, having to learn and implement behavioral change on his own with limited support, Chris emerged with his health—and a vision and drive for changing and improving the practice and education of Functional Medicine.

Dr. Rhonda Patrick

Dr. Rhonda Patrick has a background in chemistry and biochemistry with her Ph.D. in Biomedical Science from the University of Tennessee. The content she prepares is always dense, but incredibly valuable should you try to digest it.

[Excerpt from her full bio]

She did her graduate research at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and trained as a postdoctoral fellow at Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute, completing additional research on aging at the Salk Institute for Biological Sciences. She has made it her goal to challenge the status quo and encourage the wider public to think about healthy and longevity using a proactive, preventative approach.

Many dietary strategies use macronutrients as the foundation for planning daily meals. In particular, these nutritional strategies require the dieter to begin to consider the foods they consume with respect to their relative percentage of carbohydrates, fats, and protein. Each macronutrient focused diet will typically recommend macronutrient ranges for the participant to maintain daily. It is essential to recognize that the cumulative evidence does not support any specific macronutrient strategy as superior to another with respect to weight loss. Nutritionists may recommend a specific macronutrient-focused diet in response to symptoms or history of disease. We will now take a more in-depth look at low-carbohydrate diets because they have demonstrated additional health benefits for some conditions (see Harvard’s Evidence Summary and Chris Kresser’s Guide to Low-Carb). Remember, a low-carb diet may not be ideal for everyone. 

Low-Carbohydrate Diets

• General Low-Carb

  In the broadest sense, low-carbohydrate diets aim to significantly reduce the proportion of carbs that compose your daily energy intake. The typical American diet includes about 50% carbohydrates, whereas a low-carb diet will generally restrict carbohydrate intake below 15%. Low-carb diets have been effectively used to treat many adverse health states, but individual responses to the diet vary. Quality of carbohydrates is another critical consideration alongside quantity, as whole foods typically have higher nutritional value than processed foods. Remember, low-carb diets are one of the many effective options for weight loss.

• Ketogenic Diets:

  A ketogenic diet aims to put your body into a state of ketosis in which the primary fuel source is transitioned to fat as opposed to carbohydrates. Maintenance of this state requires carbohydrate intake to be very low (5-10%). The classic ketogenic diet, developed as a treatment for epilepsy, entails fat intake in a range of 75-90% with limited intake of protein (5-20%). There are individual differences between people in their ability to maintain ketosis within different macronutrient ranges. Confirmation of ketosis can be tested at home to help fine-tune the diet for you. 

  Chris Kresser’s Complete Guide to Keto

Keto Cookbook

• The Atkins Diet:

  Dr. Robert Atkins (cardiologist) began developing this dietary strategy in 1963 in response to his concern about medicating patients in an attempt to control appetite. His method has evolved to support varying degrees of carbohydrate restriction. The Atkins website hosts an extensive library of free tools and resources related to the diet.

  The Akins Website

  Atkins Diet Comparisons

Although macronutrient ranges may be discussed within these eating patterns, the focus is more on the type and quality of foods consumed. This style of dieting may demand less planning time when compared to macronutrient-focused diets You may find that experimenting with several types of eating patterns over an extended time gives you a lot of insight into which diet you can successfully support. 

View the 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans for a broad look at healthy eating patterns

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension - DASH

This eating pattern was developed as a treatment for high blood pressure. The emphasis of this eating pattern is reducing sodium and increasing mineral-rich foods such as fruits and vegetables. DASH encourages a traditional food-pyramid approach to eating, with high consumption of grains and limited animal product consumption.

Mayo Clinic’s Overview of DASH

National Institute of Health’s Guide to DASH

Cookbook

The Mediterranean Diet

The ‘Mediterranean diet’ emerged in the U.S. based on the presence of fewer heart disease-related deaths in Mediterranean countries. In general, this eating pattern emphasizes plant-based foods, healthy fats, fish, and poultry with the moderation of red meat and dairy consumption.

Mayo Clinic’s Overview of the Mediterranean Diet

Healthline’s Mediterranean Guide for Beginners with Sample Menu

Cookbook

Vegetarian

Vegetarian diets represent a broad category of eating patterns that are often pursued for a variety of health, cultural, and value-based factors. Vegetarian diets can be very healthful, but require planning to prevent nutrient deficiencies. There are varying degrees of restrictedness within vegetarianism. Some variations include consumption of dairy (lacto-vegetarian), eggs (ovo-vegetarian), dairy & eggs (lacto-ovo vegetarian), or fish (pescatarian). By decreasing the diet's restrictiveness, participants can balance ease of nutritional completeness with personal and cultural values.

Mayo Clinic’s Overview of Vegetarian Diets

Healthline’s Vegetarian Guide for Beginners with Sample Menu

Cookbook

Chris Kresser’s Concerns with Vegetarian Diets

Vegan

Veganism is a highly restrictive form of a vegetarian diet in which no animal products are consumed (or used in daily life). Followers of the diet are often highly motivated by value-based decisions. A vegan diet can assist in weight loss and other health benefits, but it is vital to recognize the prevalence of nutrient deficiency in vegan practitioners. It is possible to prevent deficiency on a vegan diet with proper planning and supplementation.

Healthline’s Guide for Beginners with Sample Menu

Chris Kresser’s Concerns with Vegan Diets

G-rated Cookbook

Not so G-rated Cookbook

Paleo

A paleo diet focuses on eating whole foods that were present in the diets of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. It is founded on the idea that the modern diet contributes to many chronic diseases because it contains many foods that our bodies’ are not adapted to processing. The diet’s specifics can vary based on your reference, but generally, the eating pattern includes lean meats, fish, vegetables, nuts, and seeds while excluding most dairy, legumes, and grains.

Mayo Clinic’s Overview of Paleo Diets

Healthline’s Beginner’s Guide to Paleo with Sample Menu

Free Paleo Recipes

Chris Kresser’s free eBook: Effortless Paleo Weight Loss

Chris Kresser’s Book: The Paleo Cure

Cookbook

Whole-30

The Whole30 is a dietary strategy that uses a 30-day elimination of all processed foods and many foods purported to cause gut inflammation/irritation. This strategy is based on the idea that improving gut health improves overall health (related reading). After 30 days, selected whole foods are reintroduced to your diet in an attempt to identify specific foods that produce undesirable effects for you. There is variability in the way that each of us responds to different food, and this is an attempt at discovering and honoring those differences. 

U.S. News Overview

Whole30 Website

Cookbook

Intuitive Eating

Intuitive eating is a nutritional strategy that calls attention to the flaws of temporary (“on and off”) dieting. In summary, this strategy uses ten principles to gradually move the participant in the direction of healthful eating without promoting the shame associated with diets that have rules (that are often inevitably broken). These teachings may provide significant insights that can be combined with future learning (especially for those who have a history of mental struggle with diets).

Health’s Overview of the 10 Intuitive Eating Principles

Intuitive Eating Website

The Intuitive Eating Book

Intuitive Eating Workbook with Healthful Recipes

The Nordic Diet

The Nordic Diet is an eating pattern traditionally observed in Nordic countries (Finland, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Iceland). It was popularized in response to the observation of the above-average health of people from this region compared to those consuming the typical American/Western diet. The eating pattern sheds light on the value of eating a diversity of whole foods from one’s local environment.

Healthline’s Overview of the Nordic Diet

Chris Kresser’s: Health Lessons from Nordic Cuisine

Using Local and Organic Food to Promote Healthy Lifestyle

The Nordic Cookbook

Gluten-Free

The gluten-free diet is most well known as the remedy to Celiac disease, an auto-immune reaction to a wheat protein, gluten. However, negative responses to gluten exist on a broad spectrum, referred to as gluten intolerance, with non-celiac gluten sensitivity gaining increased recognition as a legitimate health condition. Gluten-free dieters may choose an eating pattern that avoids grains (see Paleo above) or opt to substitute for gluten-free grains (e.g. rice, corn, oats).

Mayo Clinic’s Overview of the Gluten-free Diet

Healthline’s Beginner’s Guide to Gluten-free with Sample Menu

Chris Kresser’s free Gluten-free eBook

Cookbook

Dairy-Free

Concerns regarding dairy consumption may be based on health, cultural, or value-based decisions. The decision to be dairy-free is often related to negative physical responses to dairy, which may be associated with lactose-intolerance or other food allergies (e.g., whey protein allergies). 

A Brief Health Review of Dairy

A Whole Foods Approach to Lactose Intolerance

Cookbook

Low FODMAP Diets

Fermentable, Oligo-, Di-, Mono-saccharides and Polyols (FODMAP). This diet was created to help reduce the symptoms associated with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS). It encourages a significant reduction in the quantity of fermentable carbohydrates within one’s diet, which requires the practitioner to spend some time familiarizing themselves with prohibited and accepted foods. This is another very restrictive diet but can provide significant symptom relief for those with IBS. 

The American College of Gastroenterology’s Guide to the Diet

Healthline’s Beginner’s Guide to the Diet

Cookbook

Carnivore Diet

The carnivore diet is another very restrictive diet that, as the name implies, encourages an eating pattern that relies only on animal products. This diet gained popularity given anecdotal reports of more effortless weight loss, improved physical & mental performance, and reduced auto-immune symptoms in affected dieters. As with many highly restrictive diets, a concern with this eating pattern is the long-term consequences of potential nutritional deficiencies. There is currently insufficient research assessing the potential benefits and harms of this diet. 

Chris Kresser’s Overview of the Carnivore Diet

Healthline’s Overview of the Carnivore Diet and Sample Menu

Shawn Baker, MD: The Carnivore Diet

Cookbook

The Truth About Red Meat

This eBook discusses the benefits of red meat, myths (and their origins) about red meat, the environmental impact of livestock, and a discussion on grass-fed vs grain-fed meat.

The Diet-Heart Myth

This eBook discuses natural strategies for the natural prevention and management of heart disease, discussion of “preventative” statin (medication) use, and misunderstandings regarding high cholesterol, causes of elevated LDL

Gut Health

This eBook discusses the role of gut health on your overall wellness, factors that contribute to an unhealthy gut, basics on the digestive system and common imbalances, impact of antibiotics & natural alternatives, maintaining and restoring a healthy gut, role of your diet, and more.

Should You Go Gluten-Free?

This eBook explores Celiac disease and legitimacy of non-celiac gluten sensitivity. It includes strategies for determining your sensitivity to gluten, potential causes of sensitivity, and much more. Another related topic which I hop to explore more in the future is the role of genetically modified wheat with some believing that lower-yielding heirloom wheat crops produce less adverse responses.

Thyroid Disorders

This eBook discusses the cause of thyroid disease, challenges with diagnosis, changes to support thyroid health, and consequences of poor thyroid health.

All About Sweeteners

Sweets are readily desired across the world, but are commonly associated with poor health. In this eBook, you’ll learn about various natural and artificial sweeteners and explore the science behind the health of sweet food.

The Low Down on Low Carb

Low Carb diets are some of the most well known, serving as the foundation of the Atkins diet and more recent Paleo diet. In this eBook, learn all about low carb diets, when they are beneficial, who they are appropriate for, and if it may be right for you.

B12 Deficiency

This eBook is all about the a common vitamin deficiency that often goes undiagnosed. It explores the basics of B12 including its importance, food sources, symptoms, and other important information for those with a known or suspected vitamin deficiency.

Nutrition for Healthy Skin

This eBook explores the relationship between our diet and common skin problems including acne, wrinkles, psoriasis, dandruff and more. Discover natural ways to aid in the management of skin conditions.

Food Additives

We live in a world where we prepare much less of our own food relative to our ancestors. This eBook explores the additives that find their way into our prepared foods and the evidence behind their health impacts. Learn about those that we should try to avoid.

Effortless Paleo Weight Loss

This eBook is all about weight loss through informed selection of flavorful foods with discussion of the evidence behind the diet and tips to help ensure your success.

Paleo Diet Challenges & Solutions

This eBook helps to prepare those considering the Paleo diet with solutions to roadblocks that may appear along the way based on Chris’ experience helping hundreds of patients overcome the same obstacles.

Heartburn/GERD

In this eBook, you’ll explore the causes of heartburn, the role and potential consequences of the drugs used to treat the condition, and about simple dietary & lifestyle change options to improve this condition.

Fasting, Time-Restricted Eating, Intermittent fasting

Definitions:

• Fasting: the voluntary abstinence from food and drink. [There are many exceptions to this definition within various practices]

• Time-restricted eating: is a form of daily fasting in which daily food intake is limited within a specific time window (typically 8-12 hours) without caloric restriction.

• Intermittent Fasting: is a form of daily fasting in which daily food intake is limited within a specific time window (typically 8-12 hours) with caloric restriction.

Fasting is an ancient practice believed to strengthen physical and spiritual health. Current evidence supports the potential for fasting to lead to improved health outcomes, but it is not appropriate for everyone. Variations of these practices are commonly used for weight loss and diabetes treatment. It is wise to consult with a nutritionist or other qualified healthcare professional before incorporating fasting into your eating pattern, especially if you have preexisting health complications. Explore the resources below for more evidence-based information.

Resources:

• Chris Kresser: Could You Benefit from Intermittent Fasting?, To fast or not, Combining paleo and intermittent fasting

• Dr. Rhonda Patrick: Fasting, Time-restricted eating, Caloric restriction & alternatives

Concerns with Dairy Products

Like many food products throughout our history, dairy has been demonized without sufficient evidence to support these claims. Based on a review of the research published in 2016 (accessed for free here), the authors concluded that recommendations for reducing dairy consumption, in those are dairy-tolerant, may be counterproductive for health. 

Through decades of misinformation, our culture has grown to fear natural fats opting to move in the direction of more processed foods, which often pose more significant health concerns. Our current evidence seems to highlight that this is once again the case in the comparison of low-fat to full-fat dairy choices (evidence explored with Kresser). 

We likely all know someone who has adverse reactions to dairy (e.g., lactose or whey intolerance). Still, even in these cases, the discussion requires more nuance, as the processing of milk and dairy products can be responsible for these reactions (read more). As is often the case, it seems that the whole food option (in the case of milk, raw milk) may better tolerated and lead to better health outcomes but carries other concerns (pros and cons of raw milk). Dairy is not a necessary component of a healthy diet. Still, the dismissal of its health benefits based on fears for health consequences (for the dairy-tolerant), is not grounded in reliable science.