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Diets abound Which one is right for you? STORY:
Carly Cooper
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Photo: Terrance Antonio Photography, LLC
hese days, it’s hard visit a restaurant without overhearing other diners inquire about gluten-free, vegan or paleo options. Everywhere you look, someone’s on a diet. But with new ones popping up every day, how do you know what’s right for you? We spoke with three Buckhead residents about their choices.
Erica Militello: Gluten-Free
Reese Fairbanks: Vegan
Laura Foster: Paleo
A buyer for Carter’s, 31-year-old Erica Militello started eating gluten-free in 2009—before it became a trend. “I’ve always had digestive issues, and my dad started eating gluten-free over 15 years ago. Being sick of never feeling great, I thought I would try eliminating gluten from my diet to see if it made a difference,” she says. “I just pay much more attention to what I’m actually eating, and always know the ingredients in all of my food.”
For Brookhaven resident and Pinnacle Fitness personal trainer Reese Fairbanks, 27, becoming vegan was a 2014 New Year’s resolution that actually stuck. He had been vegetarian earlier in life and already couldn’t eat eggs, milk products and seafood, due to allergies.
A Sandy Springs resident and mother of three, Laura Foster, 45, began incorporating a paleo diet into her lifestyle in order to improve her overall health. Following the advice of Julie Mayfield—author of Paleo Comfort Foods and Quick and Easy Paleo Comfort Foods, as well as owner of BTB Crossfit Vinings— Foster focuses on eating quality meats, vegetables, fruits and nuts and eliminating grains and processed foods and oils when possible.
Militello avoids wheat, rye, spelt and barley and instead eats a lot of fish, vegetables and quinoa. She hasn’t lost any weight, but she no longer has recurrent stomachaches! “I don’t love having to talk about my allergy every time I go to a restaurant, [so] it’s nice when I find a place to eat that has the gluten-free items easily labeled—and has a lot of them,” says the Buckhead resident. She frequents Don Antonio and Blue Moon Pizza, Farm Burger (order the Pure Knead buns, she says), and Taka Sushi (ask for gluten-free soy sauce). She also likes the queso and buffalo chicken taco with grilled chicken and corn tortillas at Verde Taqueria. “Always do your research,” she says. Gluten-free peppereroni pizza from Blue Moon Pizza.
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July/August 2014 | Simply Buckhead
“I realized that my diet was the most important component of living a healthy lifestyle. Hence becoming a vegan was inevitable,” he says. Fairbanks hoped veganism would boost his immune system and heal his acne-prone skin. “Within the first two weeks, I began to notice an increase in energy. Within the first month, my skin began to clear and I lost five pounds with minimum exercise involved,” he says. “Also, my allergic reactions to food have decreased extremely.” He bases many of his meals around beans or tofu. He loves brown rice stir-fries and eats oatmeal with fruit, nuts and almond milk for breakfast. When dining out, he prefers Café Sunflower, where he orders the garden loaf or sesame (soy) chicken. “I eat for nutritional value first, then taste,” he says.
Cafe Sunflower’s sesame (soy) chicken. Photo: Jenny Sun
It’s about “eating foods that are helpful rather than harmful to our bodies,” she says. To Foster, paleo is not a diet but a way to model better eating habits for her children. “I’m focused on making better decisions about my nutrition daily. My overall health has improved, I’ve lost some weight, and my energy level has increased,” she says. She tries to plan meals in advance and keeps a small bag of almonds in her purse for emergencies. She’s also found that most restaurants are willing to make paleo-friendly dishes. At Local Three, she substitutes additional vegetables for grains and avoids white flour and sugar—she favors the restaurant’s short ribs or steak with kale or Brussels sprouts, which can be ordered paleo-friendly. “I have found that when I really focus on keeping my food intake truly paleo, I feel so much better,” she says. Local Three’s Brussels sprouts (order them paleo-friendly).