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For me I don't think it necessarily means cutting everything out that I love, but it would entail incorporating more healthy stuff in...so, naturally there wouldn't be as much room for the bad things.

it does mean cutting back on foods I love and introducing newer ways of eating them,

I don't really remove anything except for the biggies like fake sugar, but I am not fanatical about it. I just eat in moderation and exercise. I've always had really good numbers from my physicals so I guess I am fine for now!

I usually try to replace or find new way of eating those foods. Like I love burgers..... but instead I'll eat a portabello mushroom burger, turkey, or chicken burger with a whole wheat bun. And I'll make carrot fries instead of french fries. Not the same, but better then nothing.

For me the one that hits home most is soda and artificial sweetener. I loooove diet coke, and really any soda out there. But I've pretty much cut out soda from my diet, except if I go out to eat and I really don't want water! So maybe once a month

@mrbee: If I make a conscious effort to eat more salads, there wouldn't be room in my belly for french fries as well, so naturally that would cut some stuff out. For me it's easier/more palatable to focus on putting healthy stuff in than it is to focus on delicious but unhealthy stuff I'm not allowing. But I would allow myself to cheat and I know you're pretty strict about your regimen!

When I get healthy I run/work out 3-5 days a week and eat better. I never cut anything out though.. Just eat less of the bad stuff!

No. It's all about moderation. I still eat/drink the things I really like, but I make sure that I'm balancing it with diet and exercise.

Yeah, we have basically given up on pork, beef, alcohol, cheese, and dessert. But, I am finding new ways to prepare my limited options and that makes me feel more like a good home cook.

I actually don't miss bread much, and I love bread. I'm honestly finding being mostly paleo really easy (probably because of the "mostly"). I mean, I get bacon, which I avoided for years.

I spent years trying to convince myself that salad was a meal and that being just a bit hungry was good for me, so giving up wheat feels much better. It's easier to eat a restricted diet and feel healthy and satisfied than it is to eat everything but obsess over calories and fat.

When I gave up dairy for a bit I was a bit depressed though, cheese and icecream are the best!

@mrbee: curious why you've cut way back on fat? I know you've gone low carb, but most who go low carb go higher fat for better satiety.

@mrbee: Just curious

I think some of the diets out there (*cough* Atkins *cough*) haven't done much good for the idea of lower carb/higher fat. But I also think our fat-phobic society has been done a great disservice by the proliferation of the "lipid hypothesis" that took hold midway through the 20th century but has never been adequately born out in science.

It's all about finding what works best for you and your body though

No. I think a healthy diet includes space for any and all foods I want ro enjoy. The key is moderation and a positive mindset.

@artbee: Carrot fries? Do share!

@tororojo: The heathiest people I know have that philosophy!

@mrbee: mayo w/ cut up veggies??? That's a first I've heard that combination!

No. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of elimination diets. I think that the percentage of people who cut out foods and have actual intolerance to them is very small. I read somewhere that 1.6 million people are on a gluten free diet and don't have celiac disease.

I believe that a healthy diet is a balanced one. Grains have a place just as veggies and protein do. Sweets can fit in there right next to fruits. A varied diet is most important -- when we cut everything out it leaves such a limited sample that we are doing our bodies a disservice. It depresses me to think about cutting out sugar, dairy, grains, soy, and red meat not because i'm medically unable to eat those foods but because I want to be as healthy as possible. Deprivation and culinary misery just isn't healthy to me.

*shrug* but that's just me. I'm certainly not going to begrudge somebody their own personal dietary principles! It's just how I feel about my own diet. I'll continue to indulge in the processed stuff now and then while making good choices elsewhere.

@Mrs. Superhero: Yeah, it's crazy but some cheddars are actually labeled as lactose free. As long as I don't go crazy on any dairy I'm usually fine-- milk being the exception, that will take me down.

@ladyfingers: I agree that a ton of people are on GF diets that don't medically need to be, but you can also have a gluten sensitivity without being fully intolerant, which is where I think I fall. I definitely feel worse after eating a bowl of regular pasta than a bowl of brown rice pasta, even though the real stuff tastes better. I'm definitely not totally GF but I'm more aware of it and limit it where I can. Though since morning sickness hit, I have been a little processed carb crazy anyway...

Nope. I love being able to try new foods and I don't like the idea of going over to people's houses and not being to eat what they offer bc of a diet. So I've never regulated my eating by cutting out big groups. We eat vegetarian at home and have certain styles of cooking that I think are healthy but I'll get a burger and fries when I'm out once in awhile, it's just not an every day burger and fries.

Elimination diets make no sense to me personally. If it's medically necessary for issues like IBS or gluten intolerance ok but otherwise it seems to suck every ounce of enjoyment out of eating and cooking. There are enough things in my life that are a chore- I'm not going to make eating one of them. If you use common sense and believe in everything in moderation, I think you can be still be healthy without restricting yourself from certain food groups.