Is There a “Best” Diet for Humans?

There is no best diet for all humans. It is, however, helpful to identify a general eating plan using validated nutritional guidelines that can meet most of the needs of most humans. Perhaps from there, one can identify personally compatible diet specifics and design a diet that best meets their own unique and personal nutritional needs.

To identify the best, universally suitable eating plan on the planet, one needs to follow the lead of science. It’s also imperative to understand that no single plan is best for everyone. Years of full-time, dedicated scientific research led to discovering the “common denominator” in successfully eating for health, wellness, and longevity. The shared trait is a diet steeped in body-familiar, nutrient-dense, and low sugar content foods. It’s just as important to avoid foods that are incongruous with our dietary past, especially foods that are genetically altered, processed, or contain preservatives and contaminants.

I’ve consulted with individuals and corporations for 36 years providing specific nutritional modifications that will result in chronic disease prevention and maximum health and wellness benefits. Here are a few "quick tips." Consume a diet consisting primarily of fresh vegetables and fruits from organic sources when possible. Avoid putting the "bad stuff" into your body. Refined foods laden with simple/synthetic sugars and various other chemicals and contaminants must be avoided. Eat a variety of "clean" proteins from sustainably raised, hormone, anti-biotic, and other chemical free sources. Healthy fats should be consumed in greater amounts than most people realize. Animal fats (and proteins) should come from grass-fed, free-range, and open-pasture sources. Processed vegetable oils from seed sources, for example, corn, cottonseed, soy bean, and canola, among others, should be avoided. A simple way to meet these guidelines on the meat side of the equation is to purchase from Open Pasture Meats. They are an innovative, family-owned, farm to table food company specializing in clean, pure meats and wild caught fish. Open Pasture meat products provide the perfect complimentary food source to an anti-aging/health enhancing diet or eating plan.

Wayne Coolidge Jr., M.Ed. is a scholar-practitioner, author, and speaker. He owns Healthy Dynamic Living, an innovative health promotion consulting firm.