Listening to modern trends is natural, but what about considering the different thoughts of the past? Is there any credence to combining what different forms of “common sense” were and are? Being a larger woman was considered beautiful by many cultures but as Europe evolved, possessing an hour glass figure was considered more and more attractive and desirable. From China to the Pacific Islands to Europe, “Rubenesque” (or full figured women) represented fertility and an abundance of resources. Women who were fuller figured were most often the wives or consorts of the most powerful and wealthy men, which meant that they were representations of never having to go without.

Today, being slender represents abundance and beauty throughout most of the modern world. In some parts of the world like Africa and with many different tribes of native islanders, being fuller figured is still what is considered physically desirable in a woman. As most health professionals prescribe, gaining a bit of weight is healthy for a woman who is pregnant or who is nursing.

Today’s standards and the extreme route that are taken to be or appear slim despite natural circumstances have a debilitating mental and emotional effect on women who are doing what is naturally healthy. With modern fads are aligning with being of a lesser weight, there have been many other methods that have sprung up in the last century and particularly the last few years in the quest of thinness. From no fat (totally lean proteins and free reign on carbs) to low carbs (fats being fine, just no sugars or starches no matter how natural), what’s a person to do with today’s advice? Common sense dictates that one should eat a diet with a good balance of healthy fats, proteins, and carbohydrates and include vegetables as a major dietary contributor. Having a plate full of food that is as unprocessed as possible is a good indicator of its health. Many colors in the contents (unprocessed of course) is also a good meter. Fads come and go but being balanced will keep you running happily for years.