I don’t endorse only one way of eating, and I’ve worked with people who enjoy a wide range of eating plans. The best diet (or eating plan, since the word diet is restrictive), is the one that works for you —your body type, activity level, genetic makeup, health and weight goals.

So don’t base your decision on what is working for your best friend or one that rates high on a single or limited study. Be careful about diets that promote quick weight loss. Most are not sustainable for 10, 20 or 30 years, with most of the weight likely to return and then some.

Sustainability is important. So, it’s good to experiment with different ways of eating, allowing at least a couple weeks before determining whether a specific way is working—or not.

Nutrition plans are also important because they: 

• Raise awareness of and attention to about what you’re eating, which tends to contribute to improving health and weight goals.
• Focus on eating whole foods, helping to eliminate nutritional deficiencies. Limiting processed foods is a good idea.
•  Allow for better appetite control and food intake.
• Promote regular exercise.

While eating behaviors are complex, some factors can help determine whether changes are in order. For example, are you happy with your weight and body composition? Do you have the energy to sustain you through your day? Are your nutritional needs being met fairly easily?

Your body type may offer one clue to whether to try a change in diet. Also known as somatotypes, these are general categories of body structure as well as muscle and fat storage and distribution. Ectomorphs tend to be long and lean, have a fast metabolic rate and require more carbohydrates than other types. It may be challenging for them to gain muscle or fat. In the athletic world, these are endurance athletes such as marathon runners. They do well with a diet higher in carbohydrates (55%), moderate amounts of protein (25%) and lower fat (20%). These are the folks who can seemingly eat whatever they please and don’t gain weight. Before you get too envious, this can also be problematic.

Mesomorphs have athletic bodies and medium-size bone structures and find it easy to maintain a stable weight. They tend to gain muscle, maintain low body fat, have broad shoulders and a narrow waist. Think Arnold Schwarzenegger. Mesomorphs do well with a diet that is fairly balanced in macronutrients, about 40% carbohydrates, 30% protein and 30% fat. If we were able to choose a body type, I’m guessing this one would be the most popular.

Endomorphs are characterized by a larger bone structure and higher amounts of body fat with less muscle mass. They are naturally broad and thick and tend to have slower metabolisms, making weight loss difficult. Heavyweight power lifters fall into this category. This group has a low tolerance for carbohydrates (25%), does well with moderate protein (35%) and higher fat intake (40%).

Most people are a blend of ectomorph or endomorph and mesomorph. While genetics play a big part in all of this, it is possible to eat and train your way to your best body.

For example, an endomorph looking to be leaner would stick to complex carbohydrates (about 25% of the diet) such as vegetables, including starchy vegetables such as potatoes and tubers, legumes, whole grains and fruits. These provide energy and important nutrients. Limiting simple carbohydrates such as bread, cookies and pastas is important, because these are high in sugar and calories and can get stored as fat.

These body types and recommended eating plans/macronutrient percentages are starting guidelines to help you if you’re looking to make some changes and aren’t sure how to begin. It also explains why the keto diet may be amazing for you and a disaster for your spouse. Approach your way of eating as a real-life experiment, collect the data for a couple weeks, then analyze the results. Make necessary adjustments. Once you discover the best plan for you, stick with it. The best diet is the one you can live with.

Carol Slager is a licensed pharmacist, author, blogger and health coach in Northwest Indiana. Follow her monthly in Get Healthy and at inkwellcoaching.com. Opinions expressed are the writer's.