What is your concept of healthy eating?
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As human beings we are part of nature and as such we should eat directly from the products it offers us, without human manipulation.
And why should this be so?
Because our organism is "designed" to correctly process what comes directly from nature, and not for something that does not come directly from nature and has been processed by the hand of man. It is as simple as that.
In other words, our food should be fruits taken from the tree, vegetables taken from the earth and meat to a lesser extent. Nothing more than that. And the more varied the better.
Within the meats, not all are equal. The scale of toxicity for the organism from highest to lowest according to my opinion is:
Pork
Beef
Lamb
Chicken and Turkey
Fish
Seafood is excluded (a good indication of the toxicity of a food is how long it lasts without being damaged and therefore causing harm to the body).For all the above reasons I am suspicious of all those "diets" (I do not mean those for weight loss, but as a dietary scheme) that define groups of products of nature that should only be eaten or groups of foods that should be discarded.
As I am not a fundamentalist at all, I follow the saying:
"Once a year does no harm" (In Spanish rhymes: "Una vez al año no hace daño").
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Thank you for sharing your perspective on healthy eating, @barbudo2005. Relying primarily on whole, minimally processed foods straight from nature does seem like a wise approach grounded in how our bodies evolved. The emphasis on variety and balance, especially in the consumption of fruits and vegetables, aligns with many nutritional guidelines that suggest a diverse intake of foods to ensure a full spectrum of nutrients.
You raise a fair point that complete avoidance of any natural foods is unrealistic long-term. Some flexibility can allow for enjoyment without negating overall health. At the same time, being mindful of potential toxicity differences between meat sources is prudent.
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Another important issue is the food combining.
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Healthy eating is rather easy in Europe, especially the Mediterranean region. Very, very difficult in the United States unless one is both an obsessively-careful shopper and relatively well-off. Marginal or poor earners here can only eat healthy if they grow their own gardens - and the marginal and poor (and most middle-class) have no space to do so. I make up for it by somewhat-picky food choices and supplementing vitamins, enzymes, etc. Plus, I can afford the money, if not the time (daily marketing would be pretty essential - and that's not even an option in the US) to be a bit more fussy in what I buy. But I can scarcely afford the time to prepare healthy foods. One needs about an hour prep time daily, and I don't have it. Through our commercial and economic choices, mankind is militating against its own survival.
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I believe toxicity in meats is entirely related to how they are raised. There is nothing "toxic" in naturally-raised meats from any food animal (save things like puffer fish) unless their environments have been contaminated, and humans are accomplishing that apace, on a global basis.
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@Ayespy said in What is your concept of healthy eating?:
Fascinating stuff! Thanks for sharing this PBS NewsHour piece about the Blue Zones. Those longevity secrets are definitely worth exploring. However, I might not want to live until 100, how about you?
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If I'm no worse off than my dad was at 90, then, yeah.
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There is overwhelming evidence that the most important health benefits of adhering to a whole-food, plant-based diet are health and longevity.
A healthy diet provides many of the nutrients your body needs for good health, including omega-3 fatty acids, fiber and antioxidants, as well as a range of vitamins and minerals that work together to provide significant health benefits. This has been confirmed by many studies and thousands of people.
