Nutrition 

There are hundreds of dietary theories out there, and most of them conflict with each other. To make things worse, each diet is backed by scientific research and clinical results, as well as testimonials from those who swear by it.

For example, people have been healed on an Autoimmune Protocol that calls for high quality animal protein and strictly prohibits grains, legumes, and nightshades. Others have been healed by shunning all meat consumption, while emphasizing grains and including nightshades.

Many of the newer diets avoid dairy altogether, while eaters following the Weston A. Price diet (also called a “traditional diet”) eat high quality meats and veggies (like Paleos and AIPs) but also incorporate raw dairy and soaked and fermented grains. Low lectin eaters avoid cashews, peanuts, and squashes.
 
And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. There’s Ayurveda, The Whole 30, Eat Right for Your Blood Type, Macrobiotics, The Raw Food Movement, The Mediterranean Diet, The South Beach Diet, The Cabbage Soup Diet, The Grapefruit Diet…you get the picture.

One thing they all agree on, however, is that highly processed chemical-laden food will, at some point, seriously hurt your health, and your waistline. Vast amounts of sugar, processed white flours, GMO corn & soy, preservatives, food colorings, and artificial sweeteners are everywhere, and they are not your body’s friend.

My advice:
Stay away from that chemical stuff, then tune in to your own reactions and see how each “controversial” whole food makes you feel (eg. gluten, dairy, sugar, animal protein, grains, legumes, dairy, eggs, nightshades). At the end of the day, it turns out that there are so many diets because we are all so different! We carry different genetics, preferences, metabolisms, values, and lifestyles, and those things matter. So when considering a diet, leave the chemicals and packages behind, and try to figure which whole foods are right for you by paying attention to how you feel. 
Really listen.

The Plant Paradox, by Steven R. Gundry, MD

The Plant Paradox, written by a cardiothoracic surgeon, offers a unique perspective on the dangers of high-lectin foods. Gundry dives deep into the origin, purpose, and power of lectins in plants, and provides a low-lectin “yes” list of foods to eat if you want to try out his approach. What I like about this book is its wealth of well-documented, interesting information, as well as the doctor’s compelling clinical success stories. What I don’t enjoy about this book  its scare-tactic language. For my full review, click here.
  
  

The Whole 30, by Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig

If you’re looking for an anti-inflammatory whole-foods plan, and don’t suffer from any autoimmune symptoms, (such as achy joints, fatigue, skin issues, gut issues, etc.), The Whole 30 might be a good fit. The book explains the 30-day plan super-clearly, and is full of recipes and tips to make it do-able. The approach is similar to paleo in that it includes animal protein and eggs but omits sugar, dairy, soy, corn, alcohol, grains, and legumes (i.e. not appropriate for vegetarians or vegans). However, it’s less intense than a full autoimmune protocol (AIP) or elimination diet (which prohibits eggs and nightshades such as white potatoes, eggplant, sweet and spicy peppers, and tomatoes). The Whole 30 approach is a great 30-day reset to get yourself off processed foods, bring down inflammation, and lose weight in the process. 
  
  

The Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook, by Mickey Trescott

This cookbook is a fantastic resource for anyone suffering from autoimmune symptoms who wants to experiment with how diet might play a role in providing relief. The AIP (autoimmune) Protocol is a way of eating that eliminates common trigger foods—such as sugar, grains, legumes, eggs, dairy, and nightshades—for a period of time, and then reintroduces them individually to see how a body reacts. If you’ve heard of the “Elimination Diet,” this is that. In addition to providing tasty recipes that adhere to the AIP guidelines, the book also contains a master list of “foods to include” and “foods to avoid” as well as a complete run-down of what AIP is and how to follow it.
  
  

The Funky Kitchen, by Sarica Cernohous

This book is lesser known than my other recommendations, but it’s an important book because it covers the basics of how to traditionally prepare foods to make their nutrients more bio-available. If you’ve heard of the Weston A. Price Diet, or the Traditional Diet, that is the diet Sarica follows. She covers it all step by step—how to make bone broth, how to make probiotic-rich foods like water kefir drinks and yogurt from raw dairy, how to soak and ferment grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes, and even how to mill your own flours from the grains you ferment. If you’re looking to make the food you already eat more nutritious, or if you want to try adding back some trigger foods, these techniques can be very helpful.