Healthy Choices: 3 Steps to Life-Changing Nutrition

Genetically, the human body is not accustomed to excess: in prehistoric times, it wasn’t even a consideration. When there was game, the tribe ate buffalo meat; when there wasn’t, they ate leaves and nuts. In summer, they could enjoy raspberries, and in autumn, they might find a fig tree and feast on its sweet fruit. With the advent of agriculture and animal husbandry, the struggle against hunger became easier to manage. But it was only with the industrial revolution of the 20th century that humanity’s eating habits changed fundamentally.

The modern "Western" diet is built on three pillars: sugar, processed fats, and salt. In nature, there is no such combination of salty, fatty, and sweet at the same time, but in processed foods—from sausages and sauces to confectionery—this is a common combination. This mixture makes these foods suitable for transportation and long shelf life in supermarkets. In whole foods, the natural protection against oxidation and spoilage is provided by skins and membranes, whereas in processed foods, this function is taken over by additives and preservatives.

Most plant-based foods hold their value in their skins and peels. B vitamins are found in grain husks, and gut-friendly pectins are in apple and berry skins. During the processing of foods, such as oil refining and grain processing, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fiber are lost. High temperatures and prolonged exposure to oxygen oxidize nutrients; in sausages and refined oils, the molecular structure of proteins and fats changes rapidly.

Interestingly, you can't fool the brain so easily. All the senses have been trained over millennia to distinguish good from bad. With just one bite, you can tell if a pear is ripe or still green; if meat is raw or overcooked. By smell, you can determine if seafood is fresh or unsuitable for consumption. However, this only applies to whole natural foods—it's much harder to determine the freshness and composition of homogenized masses of processed products, "improved" with various additives. To restore the genetic sensitivity and adopt a more responsible attitude toward nutrition, a few steps can help.

Step 1: Choose the Least Processed Foods

Opt for foods that are closest to their natural state. In the chain of "apple sorbet—apple pie—apple juice—baked apple—salad with fresh apple—apple," the most beneficial is at the end. The general rule is: the more whole the food, the better it is absorbed. Therefore, a beef patty is less beneficial than a steak, and zucchini caviar is less beneficial than raw zucchini.

Step 2: Eliminate Industrial Foods

Remove industrial foods that involve processing products into a homogeneous substance from your diet. Don’t be fooled by pseudo-labeling aimed at health-conscious consumers: the "organic" label on factory burger patties does not make them healthy. The right label is one where all ingredients are edible and there are no processed sugars and carbohydrates (refined flour, sucrose, maltodextrin).

Step 3: Maintain Variety in Your Diet

Incorporate different types of vegetables, fruits, and berries, as well as more varieties of fish and meat, to enrich your diet. This also fosters interest in local markets with products from small natural and organic farms.

Meal timing is also important. Geneticists, nutritionists, and gerontologists generally agree: an optimal breakfast (high-protein, with a generous portion of vegetables and greens), lunch, and dinner with intervals of 4–6 hours between them, and at least a 12-hour pause between dinner and the next day's breakfast. The point is that during meals, insulin levels rise, and when insulin rises, fat burning stops. Frequent snacks have another side effect: reduced insulin sensitivity, which in the long term, risks diabetes.

Breakfast is especially important: if you don't eat enough in the morning, your evening portion inevitably increases. If you have no appetite in the morning, it’s a sign something is wrong with dinner. Dinner should be 3–4 hours before sleep, avoiding foods rich in leucine (eggs, meat, squid, poultry, dairy products, legumes, peanuts, wheat, and oats)—this amino acid has a toning effect. Late-night snacking (even if it's just an apple or yogurt) should be stopped.

The brain's function depends on what and how we eat. The best method to prevent degenerative changes is a disciplined daily regimen: meals without snacks, as practiced by the French, moderate portions, emphasis on dark greens, berries, and vegetables, seaweed, seafood, rich in easily digestible protein, omega-3 acids, astaxanthin, and other microelements.

Attention should also be given to the vagus nerve, which runs from the brain along the spine and has large plexuses: digestive, cardiac, pulmonary, and abdominal. In cases of chronic stress, cortisol buildup, and inability to process emotions properly, the vagus nerve fails: this leads to panic attacks, a lump in the throat, rapid heartbeat, and poor digestion. Simple measures have a calming effect: warm saunas, salt baths, breathing exercises, and mindful eating—without Netflix and Instagram.

Stanford University scientists have identified four aging models depending on what suffers most with age in a particular person—immunity, metabolism, liver, or kidneys. As part of comprehensive anti-aging prevention, detox helps well, removing potentially harmful metabolic waste from the body. A well-studied and simple method is reducing caloric intake: alternating different types of food with restriction of several or one macronutrient—animal proteins, simple carbohydrates, having fasting days, or practicing intermittent fasting 16/8. Periodically skipping meals, occasionally reducing the daily diet to 40% of the usual, or consistently practicing light days to relieve digestion.

Additionally, minimizing added sugar and industrially processed foods can help avoid stress and inflammation they cause. Take responsibility for your food choices. Make comfortable changes to your diet. Eat less meat and more nuts, vegetables, and beans. Share experiences and set an example—especially for children. The most effective measures are essentially the simplest. They are investments in health and longevity biohacking.