Buzz
[CONTEST: This list includes a contest. Check the bonus entry at the end for more details.] I’m just as guilty as anyone else when it comes to idealizing our ancestors—perhaps even more so, judging by all the lists, rankings, and compilations I’ve come across. It's not surprising, though, that when it comes to diet, so many of us look back to the past for answers. After all, our governments let us down when they began promoting the modern diet (you know... the one that made us all gain weight!)
But while it may be tempting to find answers from the past, we don’t live in those times anymore. Just as we don’t look to ancient Greek homes for modern building techniques, we shouldn’t look to cavemen for the ideal diet. In fact, I would argue that the perfect diet isn’t even a ‘diet’ at all!
10. Say Goodbye to Dieting
This is probably the most crucial advice on this list. From now on, eliminate all diets from your life. No more keto, no more paleo, no more veganism, no more vegetarianism, no more Weight Watchers, no more Jenny Craig, and the list goes on. Every time you try a diet, statistics show you’ll gain back 11 pounds after it fails (and it always does).
Why does this occur? The reason, from a physiological standpoint, is that restrictive diets tend to cut out essential nutrients (like Weight Watchers: no fat; keto: no carbs), and when these diets fail, your body goes into a nutrient-replenishing mode. Recent studies suggest that stomach bacteria may also play a significant role in this process. Psychologically, we struggle because the diet is telling us to avoid something we deeply crave. Once the diet ends, both your mind and body work against you, which can create a cycle of negative habits, making matters even worse. This, in essence, describes the binge/purge pattern of modern dieting.
9. Let Go of Intense Exercise
Don’t panic! I’m not suggesting you abandon all exercise, but when it comes to intense and prolonged workouts, it's time to let go – at least for now. Think about that old saying, 'work up an appetite.' Essentially, exercise makes you hungry, and that’s part of the reason why we’re often told to eat six or more meals a day when we join a gym in hopes of losing weight. However, these meals are typically made up of minimal nutrients and excessive fillers like vegetables.
So why put yourself through the agony? Don’t. Instead of punishing yourself at the gym, incorporate movement naturally into your life. Walk to the store for groceries, park farther away from the office entrance, or dance around your kitchen when no one’s around. As you age, staying flexible and nimble becomes increasingly important. Focus on that, not on sweating it out at the gym just to eat a salad that fails to satisfy your hunger. Objectively, this 'gym-to-salad' loop can feel like a form of self-inflicted torture.
8. Have Three Meals a Day
This is the traditional advice, and it follows logically from rejecting the idea of eating six or more meals a day. Stick to three meals a day. Yes, it's true that cavemen ate only when they could (which wasn't every day) and breakfast is a relatively modern concept, but that doesn't mean three full meals should be off-limits. Beyond this strange idea that we should graze all day like cattle, there’s even a ridiculous myth that eating hours before bedtime makes you gain weight. That's absurd! Calories don't change based on the time of day. Have breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and make each meal count.
In essence, common sense suggests one hearty meal and two smaller meals each day. For most people, this looks like a small breakfast, a moderate lunch, and a big dinner. In some European countries (though these are becoming fewer), lunch is the main meal. And by the way, if you're Catholic and live most places outside of America, don't forget: no meat on Fridays!
7. Skip the Snacks
This one’s pretty self-explanatory, right? A lot of this list may seem obvious, but the fact that we need to outline such basic advice only shows how far things have gone. Snacking is, in nearly every case, just a way to kill time or stave off boredom. A busy person doesn’t snack unless they’re following a gym routine that demands six meals a day or they're adhering to the government's advice about eating up to 10 servings of fruit and vegetables each day.
What an absurd suggestion: with no qualifications, a government committee decided we should consume 10 fruits or vegetables a day. Ridiculous. Just have some vegetables with your meal and a little fruit for dessert – and that’s enough. Before refrigeration made it possible to transport food globally, entire nations had no access to most of the fruits and vegetables we now take for granted. In fact, children in England were amazed when they first saw bananas after wartime rationing.
6. Stick to the Basics
Aim to keep your food as natural as possible. Here's a simple guideline: if God made it, it's good for you. Fresh food from nature should be your top choice. One surprisingly effective (though gimmicky) rule is to avoid anything from the center aisles of the supermarket. The outer edges typically offer fresh produce, while the middle aisles are packed with chips, cookies, cakes, and other unhealthy temptations. Supermarkets are designed this way to trick you into thinking they sell fresh, healthy food. The true brilliance of the supermarket masterminds was combining the farmers' market with the dry goods store.
I challenge you to try an experiment and see if you can go an entire week without stepping into the dark, junk-filled middle aisles. Stick strictly to the outer edges for all your meals. Here’s something to consider: if we all did this (which, by the way, we did before the 1930s), how much less plastic waste would we have in our homes? Governments are busy banning plastic straws and shopping bags, but the real issue is the supermarket system itself! Of course, the supermarket chains probably contribute enough money to keep governments from addressing this, opting for the 'visibly right' solution instead. Ah, the illusion of governmental virtue.
5. Prepare Meals at Home
Try to get involved in the cooking process. If you take part in preparing your own meals, you'll find that you're (scientifically) less hungry and more likely to make healthier choices. Naturally, this makes it much easier to follow the 'stick to the basics' rule. Plus, when you cook your food, you know exactly what goes into it.
Occasionally, eating out is inevitable. No big deal: simply opt for meals that align with the advice here as closely as possible, and you'll be fine. Feel free to have dessert if you're in the mood; however, if you're not cooking at home, I'd recommend limiting indulgent foods to every other meal out.
4. Fats and Oils
Fat was the biggest casualty of the government’s dietary campaigns in the 1960s and 1970s. Based on flawed studies, animal fat was demonized as harmful, to the extent that even synthetic fats were recommended in place of natural fats. Chains like McDonald's made the switch from cooking their fries in beef tallow to trans-fats. We now know, of course, that they made a disastrous decision!
Despite the fact that we now know how misguided the anti-fat advice was, animal fats remain off-limits, largely due to lobbying from vegan and vegetarian groups and the media’s obsession with promoting the unusual for the sake of clicks. But if you can, choose cuts of meat with plenty of natural fat, and opt for fatty fish like salmon, which is rich in beneficial fish oils. This is not only better for your brain (especially important for children) but also more flavorful and filling, helping you stay satisfied for longer. The anti-animal-fat movement may just be the worst dietary advice ever handed to mankind.
3. Cheat
If you really feel like it, go ahead and cheat. It's not truly cheating unless you're in a competition. When you're on your deathbed, no one will tally up the chocolate bars you ate or send you to hell for it. In reality, one of the main reasons diets fail is because they are too restrictive. It's far better to indulge in one candy bar today than to deprive yourself completely, obsess over it, and then binge on five at once. What's the point of a healthy diet if it only leads to an ongoing craving for what you're told you can't have?
The purpose of this list is to help you eliminate guilt from your eating habits and get you on track to enjoying one of life’s greatest pleasures. To close, I’ll leave you with this timeless Biblical wisdom: “Eat, and drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we shall die.”
2. Portions
Portion sizes don’t need to be measured. Simply use a standard dinner plate, leaving about an inch around the edge, and avoid piling the food up like a mountain. If you follow this and avoid going back for seconds, you will maintain a healthy weight. If you're overweight, this approach will help your body gradually return to normal, but it's crucial not to stress about it. Natural weight loss is slow and steady. Focus instead on enjoying the food you're eating.
This is a good moment to remind you to treat sugar like you would alcohol. Consider sugar to be an addictive substance that should be consumed in moderation (or avoided entirely if you can’t control your intake). While most of this advice is quite flexible, sugar is not just food—it’s a stimulant. It's just as addictive as alcohol and should be approached with the same caution.
1. Proteins and Carbohydrates
Humans are designed to be meat-eaters. Our digestive systems are similar to those of other carnivores, and our brains allowed us to create the tools needed for the important task of breaking down animals for food. However, some people choose plant-based diets for religious or philosophical reasons. Regardless of whether you follow a typical human diet or a vegetarian one, protein is crucial and should make up a significant portion of your calorie intake. As previously mentioned, it's even better if the protein is combined with fat.
Your primary meal should usually consist of a large piece of meat or fish (or a protein substitute) paired with a generous serving of vegetables and other accompaniments to make the meal more enjoyable. Forget about weighing or measuring food, or worrying about eating six, eight, or ten meals a day. If you enjoy lettuce, load your plate with it. If you love carrots, do the same.
The same principle applies to potatoes and starches, though you should be cautious as you return to eating whole foods. Starches shouldn't dominate your meal, though occasionally they will, such as when you eat pasta. But generally, when eating whole foods, there's no need to stress about carb-to-protein ratios or portion sizes. As a general rule, one small potato is the right serving size for one person.
+ Competition
Since this list is all about food, it’s only fitting that I offer up my go-to cookbook: Gordon Ramsay’s Home Cooking. This is a book I frequently turn to for a wide range of essential recipes. Everyone could use Gordon Ramsay in their kitchen! The person who gets the most upvotes by the end of the day for their clever and insightful comment will receive a free copy sent straight to them. All commenters are welcome to participate, no matter where they are located.
