I figure if you eat things that's been around for thousands of years you'll probably be OK.
It seems that everyone agrees on:
- Lots of fruit and vegetables
- Legumes
- Fish twice a week or more
- Red meat but not for every meal
- Avoid highly processed foods
- Avoid dairy products
There doesn't seem to be any consensus on wheat products. Rice seems fine, and potatoes too if you don't deep-fry them.
Of course nobody knows for sure what the optimal diet is, and I guess 'optimal' is also going to depend on your DNA and the specific mix of bacteria you have in your gut right now.
Your body requires loads of different nutrients to live but many of them can be synthesized in your body using other nutrients if need be. If you really want the optimal nutrient mix you could always try cannibalism. Human flesh, by definition, has the exact mix of amino acids and other nutrients your body needs. Not sure if you should be cooking your human flesh or not though.
My body sure agrees on avoiding dairy. I suppose I'm mildly lactose intolerant, but once I stopped eating dairy I started feeling a lot better. Less gas if nothing else.
Anecdotal for sure but most of the people I know who take diet seriously agree that dairy is bad.
I also believe the saying that humans are the only animals that drink milk after infancy.
Fermented dairy products, e.g. yogurt, kefir, are usually fine even if you're lactose intolerant. They're also high in protein and help maintain healthy intestinal flora.
Bigger problem with the cannibalism: so much of the human livestock around would be poorly fed. Just as corn-fed cattle are less healthy than their grass fed brethren, so too would the many unhealthy humans around provide for poor meals, I think.
It seems that everyone agrees on:
- Lots of fruit and vegetables
- Legumes
- Fish twice a week or more
- Red meat but not for every meal
- Avoid highly processed foods
- Avoid dairy products
There doesn't seem to be any consensus on wheat products. Rice seems fine, and potatoes too if you don't deep-fry them.
Of course nobody knows for sure what the optimal diet is, and I guess 'optimal' is also going to depend on your DNA and the specific mix of bacteria you have in your gut right now.
Your body requires loads of different nutrients to live but many of them can be synthesized in your body using other nutrients if need be. If you really want the optimal nutrient mix you could always try cannibalism. Human flesh, by definition, has the exact mix of amino acids and other nutrients your body needs. Not sure if you should be cooking your human flesh or not though.