What Diet Supports Optimal Health?
I don’t know about you, but I want to live a healthy and long life. As a result, nutrition—for me—has become less specific to my former muscle-building goal and more in line with longevity and overall health.
BUT what does a diet that’s optimal for health look like?!
Looking at our ancestral health & the ‘Blue Zones’ can certainly give us a better indication of how to approach nutrition, and some of the findings might surprise you!
Take the Kitavans tribe in Papua New Guinea, for instance. They have very low rates of heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and obesity, yet they eat a diet incredibly high in carbohydrates (69% of their diet, on average, being attributed to this food group)! (Lindeburg et al, 2003)
The Kuna tribe of Panama, on the other hand, eats a diet that’s high in salt intake BUT doesn’t suffer from the same levels of cardiovascular disease or high blood pressure often associated with this. (McCullough et al, 2006)
As for the Inuits (Greenland Eskimos), they eat a diet that’s approximately 75% fats and virtually no plant food! Again, their health markers (as a population) were surprisingly good UNTIL their lifestyles started to change and there was greater access to refined carbohydrate products. (Murphy et al, 1995)
The change in diet from native to more ‘Westernised’ appears to be one observational variable that seems to make a difference. For example, the Pima Indians of Arizona typically lived off the land until they became dependent on Government food programs providing white flour, sugar, partially hydrogenated lard, and canned goods. The result? This population now has the highest rates of diabetes (38%) in the US & one of the highest rates of hypertension and obesity of any population in the world! (Schulz et al, 2006)
In addition to these observations, the ‘Blue Zones’ represent the highest concentrations of centenarians in the world. There are five locations around the globe listed: Loma Linda, California; Nicoya, Costa Rica; Sardinia, Italy; Icaria, Greece; & Okinawa, Japan. They all follow different diets and lifestyles BUT do have some things in common:
- They don’t overeat—therefore, they maintain a healthy body weight.
- Foods are locally home-grown and prepared—therefore, they don’t rely on processed foods.
- They regularly consume grains and legumes.
The most obvious confounding variable is that these populations do not consume the typical ‘Westernised diet’ that consists of processed and refined foods. In turn, this likely helps them maintain their body weight, avoid being overweight, and reduce their risk of metabolic syndrome.
What This Means for You
To summarise this message, focus on consuming fewer processed foods in favor of more whole grains, legumes, fruits & vegetables, nuts & seeds, dairy, meat, and fish. However, this is NOT to say you should never eat processed foods. Food is a part of our culture, and all food in moderation is a good approach to take!
Ultimately though, the BEST DIET is the one that allows you to maintain a healthy body weight!
