The Healthiest Diet for Everyone

Have you ever wondered what diet everyone should follow when there are so many conflicting philosophies like veganism ketogenic Paleo, carnivore, low-fat, or even commercial diets like whole 30, Atkins, South Beach, and more? It can be so confusing and make a person ask, which one is right? Or, it can be so overwhelming that a person gives up entirely.

I have the answer for you! After much research and personal trial and error, as well as working with other people and professional trial and error, I have found the answer for everyone.

I know some nutritionists and laypersons say there is no such thing as a universally healthy diet and to ignore anyone who claims there is. But I want you to hear me out on this.

This diet is guaranteed to improve everyone’s health. It is guaranteed to keep people as healthy as possible. The diet is not commercialized and no one profits from it. I have no affiliations with any organizations and do not gain from promoting this diet. 

What is it?

Everyone, regardless of bio-individuality, should be eating a properly prepared, whole foods diet. That’s it. That means eating food in its whole form or in its least-processed form. A whole foods diet does not rule out bioindividuality. Eating unprocessed foods still allows a person to choose what they are going to eat, and what not to eat according to what their body needs, but the food that they do choose to eat will be as close to nature as possible. It will be nutrient-dense. It will be bioavailable and nourishing. 

Interestingly, a whole foods diet might actually include veganism, ketogenic, Paleolithic, and other non-commercial diets. However, there are many who eat a “dirty keto” or “dirty vegan” diet and are still missing out on the health benefits whole foods could bring them. A dirty diet means eating processed (not whole) foods. Just because something says “vegan” on the package does not mean it’s healthy! There’s more on what to look for below.

Recently, there are new terms being thrown around like “nutravore” and “qualitarian.” Essentially, these made-up labels are for those who care about high-quality, nourishing foods.

A whole foods diet is about quality, not quantity. It’s about recognizing that food is greater than the sum of its calories. 

If you are trying to follow such a diet, good for you! If you are struggling to know what you are doing and what’s right for your body, try nutritional therapy by booking a consultation today.

For those who are untrained in nutrition, it can be hard to understand what exactly is a whole food. So for this reason, I’m providing a list of examples below. This list is certainly not exhaustive. But hopefully, it gives you an idea of what to look for.

10 Examples of Whole Foods

1. Apples 

2. Carrots

3. Broccoli

4. Grass-fed steak

5. Wild-caught salmon

6. Plain yogurt, with minimal ingredients

7. Raw milk

8. Whole-grain, sourdough bread

9. Eggs

10. Sauerkraut

10 Examples of highly processed foods (not whole)

1. Shelf-stable cookies (such as Oreos)
2. Breakfast cereals
3. Many popular condiments, such as Miracle Whip
4. Sweetened, commercial yogurts such as Yoplait and GoGurt
5. Deli meats
6. Most commercial breads
7. Most crackers
8. Granola bars
9. Candy
10. Most commercial ice creams

Bonus: anything made with white flour, refined sugar, vegetable/seed oils (including shortening), and any other unnatural ingredients are highly processed foods.

How to tell if a food is highly processed

I have to admit that I was tempted to list 50+ processed foods that people tend to think are healthy. I had to refrain. Through very clever marketing over the last several decades, we’ve all been duped into thinking that unhealthy foods are healthy. But there are easy ways to tell if something is highly processed or not. Here are some ideas:

Whole foods:

Clearly come from nature 

Are fresh

Are perishable

Are [usually] recognizable

Don’t generally have excessive packaging or labels (meats are most likely to be labeled)

Are single ingredients

Come from farms, gardens, and kitchens

Vary in appearance

Highly processed foods:

Typically have many ingredients, often in scientific-sounding terms

Need an explanation (labels that try to convince you they are healthy or better in some way)

Come from laboratories and factories

Are perfect in shape, color and size

Are shelf-stable

Are addictive

Are highly advertised

Sometimes, we need a more portable, shelf-stable snack, like when we are taking a plane somewhere or backpacking in the wilderness. In those cases, look for packaged foods that have minimal ingredients (the fewer, the better), recognizable ingredients that are clearly food, and something fresh (nuts are often rancid at most grocery stores). Also, try to balance your macros! Most packaged foods tend to be heavy in carbohydrates, so be sure to get adequate fat and protein to balance things out. Otherwise, you’ll end up tired, cranky, and hungry again.

Again, if you would like some help learning how to recognize healthy foods or what to eat, schedule a consultation for nutritional therapy!