Human Health
"He who has health, has hope; and he who has hope, has everything." – Arabian Proverb
The search for the secret to longevity and health is as old as time. What keeps us youthful, healthy, happy and well kept? And what’s most important - the food that we eat, the activities that we engage in, or the people we choose to spend our time with? Yes, yes, and yes.
All of these things are as important as the next. Until you have the trifecta you may just be spinning your wheels. So what does the science say?
"Health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity."
– World Health Organization
The science says that all people are different and that we all call many things healthy, even though they may not be for everyone. For example, peanuts are a great source of omega-6 fatty acids, fiber, magnesium and protein. But it is a matter of opinion whether they are healthy. If you have a nut allergy, they are definitely not going to do you any good. In fact, they may land you in the hospital if you consume them. And if you are allergic to peanuts you may also be allergic to tree nuts which includes cashews, chestnuts, almonds and walnuts.
However, all differences set aside, most healthy people require the same nutrients and foods to be well.
One of the most important things to remember is that there are lots of ways to eat healthy. Healthy people in India probably don’t eat what healthy people in Houston, Texas eat. We have so much variety and have never had as many options of great food choices than we do now. We are living in the best of times for food.
The problem with having so many options, is that what is healthy gets blurred.
“I wouldn't say that processed food, ready meals and even takeaways aren't relevant to modern life, it's just that over the past 40 years there are three generations of people who have come out of school and gone through their home life without ever being shown how to cook properly.”
- Jamie Oliver
Humans have been eating mostly whole grains, meat, fish, legumes, seeds, nuts and vegetables for thousands of years. We know this from studying the remains of people who lived long ago. For example, the Romans ate mostly plant-based foods. Vegetables, whole grains like farro, and legumes like lentils and beans were the foundation of their diets.
https://roman-empire.net/society/10-foods-that-fed-the-roman-empire-for-years-not-pizza-or-pasta
Refined and processed fruit and sugar were just not as available as they are today. Meat was expensive, so if it was eaten at all, it was most likely eaten in smaller quantities. It is only more recently that so many of us have been able to afford foods with added sugars and to consume lots of meat. And once we conquered indoor refrigeration, and ice boxes, something amazing happened. We had an extensive choice in the foods we could eat. Fruit became more available and so did candy, frozen desserts and ice cream. Then in the 1970’s and 1980’s small grocery stores became large supermarkets and suddenly there was an explosion in choices, some good and some bad. But many people had a hard time discerning which was which. Pre-wrapped everything was a thing. Hostess came out with pre-wrapped fruit pies. Were they good for you? Well, they did have fruit in them. TV dinners were a thing too, frozen until heated and eaten. Easy peasy. But were these processed dinners better than a home-cooked meal?
So, how do we learn to eat properly and cook properly when we are all bombarded with differing views on what is the right way? The good news is that there are lots of diets that are healthy.
Ever since 2011, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has used the My Plate guide with recommendations on food groups based on current science. I like food groups because they are easier to keep track of than individual nutrients. What’s kind of cool is that meat and dairy can now be substituted with foods from the plant world. Spinach when sautéed can provide so many nutrients including crucial iron, vitamin A and vitamin K. Tofu, fortified orange juice, fortified cereal, and soy milk are all great sources of calcium and vitamin D. And legumes have lots of protein, fiber, B vitamins, magnesium, and folate.
As many of us now know, we do not need meat, dairy, eggs and fish to lead a healthy life. Check out the protein page here. Plant sources of protein have been listed, too.
https://www.myplate.gov/eat-healthy/protein-foods
And the dairy page here. Dairy alternatives have been listed, too.
“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”
- Albert Einstein
Why food groups?
The idea is that if you get in all your food groups, in the right amounts, there shouldn’t be any nutrient deficiencies.
And it’s simple. The only important thing to remember is that variety is the key to great health. Switch it up if you tend to eat the same things every week.
“The food you eat can be either the safest and most powerful form of medicine or the slowest form of poison.”
- Ann Wigmore
"Eat food, not too much, mostly plants." - Michael Pollan
"Those who think they have no time for healthy eating, will sooner or later have to find time for illness." - Edward Stanley
“I know of nothing else in medicine that can come close to what a plant-based diet can do. In theory, if everyone were to adopt this, I really believe we can cut health care costs by seventy to eighty percent. That's amazing. And it all comes from understanding nutrition, applying nutrition, and just watching the results.”
- T. Colin Campbell, Ph.D.
The best way to stay on track is to learn about foods that fall into the food groups and keep track of the number of servings you have in each group.
It is very easy to lose track of food groups when you are not paying attention. But tracking food groups is the most important way to feel confident that you are in fact eating a balanced diet. Americans tend to eat too much fat, oftentimes the bad kinds and they consume too much sugar and other sweeteners. You might say we have a sweet tooth. But tracking what you eat and knowing your limits, are great ways to be sure you are nourishing yourself properly.
Human health and the influence of diet and food is so extensive, I cannot cover it all on this website page. But I will try to address lots of aspects of health related to the food we eat on my weekly blog.
One more fact I will leave you with about protein. The beef industry recently set out to try to prove that meat is a superior source of protein for weight lifting and building muscle. So they sponsored a study at the University of Illinois. The study found that as long as we are getting enough of the essential amino acids, the source doesn’t matter - plants are as good of a source to build muscle as meat.
https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2025/05/27/muscle-building-meat-versus-vegan-plant-based