🥑💪 Is Your Diet Actually Working?

Here's How to Tell (And Why It's More Complicated Than Just Counting Carbs)

By: Your Friendly, Overthinking Nutrition Nerd

So, you’ve been trying to eat healthier. Maybe you’ve gone keto, Whole30, vegan, carnivore, or on that weird soup cleanse your cousin swore by. You feel kinda good… kinda bloated… or just meh. But here's the real tea: whether or not your diet is working depends on way more than calories and macros.

Buckle up—we’re about to unpack every sneaky little factor that affects how your body reacts to food. Spoiler: it’s not just what you eat. It’s your lifestyle, your stress, your genes, your mattress… maybe even your love life.

🧬 Genetics: Your DNA Has Opinions

Not all bodies react to food the same way. Your genes can influence:

• How well you metabolize fat, sugar, and caffeine

• Your risk of insulin resistance or food sensitivities

• Whether you’re more likely to gain weight on a high-carb or high-fat diet

Example: One person thrives on whole grains and beans. Another? Bloated like a beach ball.

🧠 What to do? Consider a DNA-based nutrition test (just don’t let it boss you around). Think of it as a food horoscope with better science.

🏃‍♀️ Lifestyle: What You Eat Isn’t the Whole Story

Even the healthiest diet can’t fix a couch-potato lifestyle. Your body adapts based on how much you:

• Move (or don’t)

• Sleep (or scroll TikTok instead)

• Manage stress (or scream into pillows)

🧘‍♀️ A stressed person eating quinoa may still feel worse than a chill person eating cheese puffs in moderation.

🛏️ Sexual Activity (Yes, Really)

Yep, your love life matters. Regular sexual activity can:

• Reduce stress

• Improve hormone balance (including testosterone and estrogen)

• Support cardiovascular health

These all affect metabolism, weight regulation, and overall energy.

Disclaimer: No, a wild Friday night doesn’t cancel out a week of eating nachos. But hey, it helps.

🌬️ Air Quality: You Are Also What You Breathe

You could be eating organic kale daily, but if your environment is filled with air pollution, it could:

• Trigger systemic inflammation

• Mess with your immune system

• Disrupt your metabolic health

Pro tip: Open a window, get a plant, or move to the Alps. (Okay maybe not the Alps, but at least walk in the park.)

💧 Water Quality: H2-Oh No?

Is your water filtered? Mineral-rich? Full of chlorine or microplastics? The quality of your water can influence:

• Gut bacteria health

• Mineral balance (especially if your water lacks magnesium or calcium)

• Detoxification via kidneys and liver

Tap tip: Filtered spring water often has more beneficial minerals than purified or distilled water.

🧠 Mental & Emotional Health: Your Brain Feeds Your Belly

Stress and emotional state impact digestion and nutrient absorption. Ever felt like food sits like a rock when you’re anxious? That’s cortisol hijacking your gut.

Mood matters. Happy brain = happy belly.

💊 Comorbidities: The Body's Plot Twists

If you have any health conditions—PCOS, diabetes, IBS, thyroid disorders, autoimmune diseases—they can alter:

• Nutrient needs

• How you process certain foods

• What "healthy" looks like for you

Personalized nutrition isn’t a trend. It’s a survival tool.

🪞 How You Feel: The Real Indicator

Forget the scale for a sec. Ask yourself:

• Do I have consistent energy?

• Is my skin, hair, and digestion doing better?

• Do I wake up rested?

• Are my moods balanced (or am I one cheese short of a breakdown)?

If your body says yes, your diet might be a winner—even if TikTok says otherwise.

🌱 VS 🥩 Nutrient Showdown: Plant-Based vs. Strict Meat Eaters

Because no article is complete without a good ol' fashioned food fight.

🥦 What Whole Food Plant-Based Dieters Get That Meat-Only Folks Miss:

✅ Fiber (literally 0g in meat) ✅ Vitamin C (essential antioxidant—carnivores need supplements) ✅ Phytonutrients (like flavonoids, polyphenols) ✅ Prebiotics (hello gut health!) ✅ Magnesium (from leafy greens, legumes) ✅ Potassium (bananas, avocados, beans) ✅ Chlorophyll & plant enzymes (boost detox and cellular repair)

🥩 What Strict Meat Eaters Get That Vegans Often Lack:

✅ Vitamin B12 (essential for nerves & red blood cells)

✅ Heme iron (more easily absorbed than plant iron)

✅ Zinc (critical for immune and hormone health)

✅ Creatine (for brain & muscle performance)

✅ Taurine & carnitine (important for heart and energy metabolism)

✅ Omega-3 DHA & EPA (unless vegans take algae oil)

Who wins?

Neither. Or both. Each side has strengths—so long as it’s balanced, thoughtfully planned, and not just Oreos or bacon-wrapped everything.

The above list is not exhaustive. There are alternatives; take a look at the bonus area at the end of this article.

🚦So… Is Your Diet Working? Here's a Checklist:

✔️ You have steady energy throughout the day

✔️ Your digestion is smooth (and dare we say, satisfying?)

✔️ You sleep well and wake up rested

✔️ You’re not constantly thinking about food (got worms!?)

✔️ Your blood work looks good (ask your doc!)

✔️ You’re not swinging between bloat and starvation

✔️ You feel like a hot potato in a good way

🎉 Final Thoughts: It’s Not a Diet, It’s a Symphony

Your body is not a machine—it’s more like a symphony orchestra. Your food is just one instrument. The others? Sleep, movement, sex, sun, water, laughter, love, stress management… and yes, the occasional donut or green juice.

The most effective diet is one that works with your life—not against it.

So instead of asking, “Is this diet working?” maybe ask: “Is this diet helping me be more me?”

And if the answer is yes, keep going. If not? Remix the track. You’re the conductor.

💬 Have a weird diet win or disaster story? Drop it in the comments. We’re all out here experimenting together—just with different levels of kombucha.

🏆BONUS FOR WOULD-BE VEGANS

Here’s a breakdown of key nutrients that meat eaters typically get more easily or abundantly, why they matter, and where plant-based eaters can still find them naturally (without supplements):

🥩 Nutrients Meat Eaters Get More Easily (and Where Plant-Based Folks Can Find Them Too – Naturally!)

1. Vitamin B12

• 🧠 Why it matters: Vital for nerve function, red blood cells, and DNA synthesis.

• 🥩 Found in: Animal liver, red meat, fish, dairy, eggs.

• 🌱 Plant-based source: Fortified foods like nutritional yeast, some plant milks, breakfast cereals, and seaweed (nori contains small, inconsistent amounts—not reliable alone).

2. Heme Iron

• 🩸 Why it matters: Supports oxygen transport in blood and energy levels.

• 🥩 Found in: Red meat, poultry, organ meats.

• 🌱 Plant-based alternative: Non-heme iron from lentils, spinach, tofu, pumpkin seeds, quinoa. Pair with vitamin C-rich foods (like oranges or bell peppers) to boost absorption.

3. Zinc

• 🛡️ Why it matters: Key for immune function, wound healing, DNA production.

• 🥩 Found in: Beef, pork, shellfish.

• 🌱 Plant-based sources: Pumpkin seeds, cashews, chickpeas, oats, hemp seeds. (Note: Phytates in plants can reduce absorption—soaking, sprouting, or fermenting helps!)

4. Creatine

• 🏋️ Why it matters: Enhances muscle performance, brain energy, and physical strength.

• 🥩 Found in: Red meat, fish.

• 🌱 Plant-based workaround: Your body produces some creatine naturally, but at lower levels. No whole food plant source exists, though improved sleep, exercise, and amino acid intake may help support endogenous production.

5. Taurine

• 💓 Why it matters: Involved in heart health, electrolyte balance, and brain development.

• 🥩 Found in: Meat, seafood.

• 🌱 Plant-based workaround: While not found in plants, your body can synthesize taurine from methionine and cysteine (found in beans, nuts, and seeds), though at lower levels.

6. Carnitine

• 🔥 Why it matters: Helps transport fatty acids into mitochondria for energy.

• 🥩 Found in: Red meat (especially lamb and beef).

• 🌱 Plant-based workaround: The liver and kidneys make carnitine from lysine and methionine (found in legumes, nuts, and tempeh). Adequate vitamin C, B6, and iron help.

7. Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol)

• ☀️ Why it matters: Supports bone health, immunity, mood.

• 🥩 Found in: Fatty fish, egg yolks, liver.

• 🌱 Plant-based sources: UV-exposed mushrooms (contain D2), algae-based D3 (rare but not a supplement if eaten in food form). Sunlight exposure is the best free source.

8. Omega-3 Fatty Acids (EPA & DHA)

• 🧠 Why it matters: Brain health, inflammation regulation, heart function.

• 🥩 Found in: Fatty fish like salmon, sardines.

• 🌱 Plant-based sources: ALA from flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, hemp seeds—your body converts ALA into EPA/DHA, but conversion is limited (~5–10%). Algae-based foods (like spirulina, seaweed) can contain small amounts of EPA/DHA.

9. Vitamin A (Retinol)

• 👀 Why it matters: Vision, skin health, immune function.

• 🥩 Found in: Liver, dairy, eggs (as retinol, the active form).

• 🌱 Plant-based source: Beta-carotene in carrots, sweet potatoes, kale, and mangoes. Your body converts beta-carotene to vitamin A, but absorption varies (fat intake helps).

✅ Bonus Tips for Plant-Based Eaters (Without Reaching for Pills):

• Soak & sprout your legumes, grains, and seeds – improves absorption of minerals like iron and zinc.

• Pair iron-rich plants with vitamin C foods – think spinach + lemon juice.

• Diversify protein sources – get all essential amino acids by rotating legumes, whole grains, tofu, tempeh, and seeds.

• Eat fermented foods – like tempeh, kimchi, and miso to support gut health and nutrient assimilation.

• Make friends with fortified foods – they’re not "cheating," they’re just helpful.