124 replies to this topic

[sthira]

Human life is filled with innumerable day-to-day and moment-to-moment variables, many that we are not directly aware of, that make the task of correlation, let alone cause-effect, very difficult. Add a large dose of the placebo effect(which is liable to be particularly strong amongst those who are so invested in their personal dietary choices as many longecity members) to the mix and you're left with a hulking mess.

Yes, but what else are we supposed to do? After we cover the basics: wear your seatbelt, don't smoke, exercise some (not too little, not too much) eat mostly fresh f&v, stay away from processed junk, no sugary drinks, not too much salt, not too much meat, don't eat too much methionine, most supplements don't work (to extend lifespan in mice...) we're told...

Focusing on a clean diet (vegan, paleo, whatever floats ur boat) seems about the only thing we can control that's practical & beyond the basics since we're all waiting for godot or whatever. Limit calories, meet RDA, stay lean, stay away from illicit drugs... What else can we do? Contribute to SENS -- but why? Seems like we'll be waiting forever until studies are undertaken and show us anything progressive, and this probably partly explains why people take calculated risks with CR or like rapamycin or metformin, or even C60 in olive oil... Diet control offers some modicum of control over personal health -- even if illusory...

[niner]

What feels subjectively good to eat in the short tem (days to weeks) is not necessarily good for health or longevity in the long term(obesity due to overconsumption of "feel good" calories being a prime example.)

And even if all you are hoping for is to make meagre short-term associations, correlating diet with subjective states is inherently fraught with problems itself.

If I was eating food that I liked in the short term, my diet would be candy, bacon, tobacco and alcohol. But that's not how I decide what to eat. I try to bring as much knowledge and science to bear on the problem as I can. I consider epidemiology, human dietary traditions, and whatever else I come across that is evidence-based and stands up to logical scrutiny. I don't expect a good diet to make me feel transcendent or amazing or any other placebo-like state; I just expect it to not make me feel bad. It's working pretty well so far. I have decades of experience with the SAD, and years of experience with a good diet (real food, mostly plants, not vegetarian). These days I'm pretty healthy. That wasn't always the case.

[Brett Black]

Human life is filled with innumerable day-to-day and moment-to-moment variables, many that we are not directly aware of, that make the task of correlation, let alone cause-effect, very difficult. Add a large dose of the placebo effect(which is liable to be particularly strong amongst those who are so invested in their personal dietary choices as many longecity members) to the mix and you're left with a hulking mess.

Yes, but what else are we supposed to do? After we cover the basics: wear your seatbelt, don't smoke, exercise some (not too little, not too much) eat mostly fresh f&v, stay away from processed junk, no sugary drinks, not too much salt, not too much meat, don't eat too much methionine, most supplements don't work (to extend lifespan in mice...) we're told...

Focusing on a clean diet (vegan, paleo, whatever floats ur boat) seems about the only thing we can control that's practical & beyond the basics since we're all waiting for godot or whatever. Limit calories, meet RDA, stay lean, stay away from illicit drugs... What else can we do? Contribute to SENS -- but why? Seems like we'll be waiting forever until studies are undertaken and show us anything progressive, and this probably partly explains why people take calculated risks with CR or like rapamycin or metformin, or even C60 in olive oil... Diet control offers some modicum of control over personal health -- even if illusory...

I think your last sentence sums it up well. Personally, I prefer not to spend my precious time and energy on the illusory. The threats of aging and death are far too dangerous. The very act of resigning to comforting delusions may cost you your life by delaying real working scientifically-proven life extension technologies.

I'm not suggesting S.E.N.S. is specifically necessarily the answer, but scientific progress generally, is where it's at.

Maybe tinkering with diet could be worthwhile, but don't do it because you've given in to defeatism. There are lots of promising signs. We are potentially on the cusp of the revolution. The NIA has started a program for testing longevity compounds. Google, one of the most exciting, progressive and wealthy companies around, has just announced they will be pouring in hundreds of millions per year to anti-ageing. Rapamycin is already in a human anti-aging trial for goodness sake! Stem cell rejuvenation technology may be about to take off.

A critical mass is made of individuals and your choices can make a difference.

Edited by Brett Black, 03 December 2013 - 03:25 AM.

[niner]

Well, I have to say something about this idea that the benefit of eating right is "illusory". Are you kidding? Do you think we can just swill toxins and everything will be fine? Eating right will NOT make you live forever. No one is saying that. Eating wrong will kill you before your time, however. The odds of that are pretty good. There is nothing inconsistent about both eating healthily and supporting SENS and scientific progress in general. Everyone should do both. If you expect to personally benefit from SENS, I suggest doing what you can today to keep yourself healthy, particularly if you are an adult at this time. Otherwise, try to include SENS in your will.

[sthira]

I agree with what Niner said, and we're probably all on the same page. What do you eat anyway, Brett? What we consume is a choice we make everyday -- so why not eat the best we can based on the slim evidence we do have?

[Brett Black]

Yeah, maybe we're all basically on the same page.

My intention is to remind people that there is little quality evidence for long-term healthspan and lifespan impact of particular diets(beyond the very minimal, like don't get obese, eat sufficiently closely to the micronutrient RDAs etc) and the evidence that there is, beyond that, is suggestive of an impact that is pretty minimal(e.g. best fruit & veg intake level versus worst f&v intake level ~0.8 mortality risk, only around 2 years extra life.)

Edited by Brett Black, 03 December 2013 - 07:03 AM.

[timar]

Healthy plant oils – in moderation:
Choose healthy vegetable oils like olive, canola, soy, corn, sunflower, peanut, and others, and avoid partially hydrogenated oils, which contain unhealthy trans fats. Remember that low-fat does not mean “healthy.”

Mostly reasonable advice except for the bolded part. Industrial seed oils aren't "healthy".

This is an unfortunate exeption to the otherwise sound and objective information given on the Nutrition Source. It is because Harvard's Dariush Mozaffarian holds a rather dogmatic position on omega-6s which reflects on the Nutrition Source.

However, while I agree with you that corn and sunflower oils are to be avoided because of their omega-6 overload, I don't think that there is any evidence for the assumption that seed oils in general are bad for you (sounds conspicuously like one of those paleo myths). I think canola oil is one of the healthiest oils on the planet. Its fatty acid composition is like that of an omega-3 enriched olive oil. Its omega 6/3 ratio is an ideal 2:1. Moreover, unrefined expeller pressed canola oil is a extraordinarily rich source of gamma-tocopherol as well as glucosinolates (those cancer-fighting compounds we all know from cruciferous vegetables).

Edited by timar, 03 December 2013 - 10:24 AM.

[BlueCloud]

In case of doubt, simply stick to one of the diets that has proved to work : Mediterranean/Okinawan. This is not ideology, they DO live longer/healthier regardless of whether one ideologically agrees with those diets or not. As they say, proof is in the pudding.

[DukeNukem]

Currently, what we consume has the biggest impact on our health and longevity. It's not illusionary at all. The difference in longevity between a bad diet and a great diet can be several decades of life.

[DukeNukem]

In case of doubt, simply stick to one of the diets that has proved to work : Mediterranean/Okinawan.

Most people have the wrong idea about the Okinawan diet. It's not a low fat diet like most doctors and dietitians believe. (Same is true of the Mediterranean diet -- the American notion of it is incorrect.)

Benefits of High-Saturated Fat Diets (Part V): The Traditional Okinawans
http://drbganimalpha...-fat-diets.html

[timar]

As they say, proof is in the pudding.

Or in the absence of pudding, in this case

Three very good papers on the Mediterranean, the Okinawan diets and their common features:

• A. P. Simopoulos. The Mediterranean Diets: What Is So Special about the Diet of Greece? The Scientific Evidence. J. Nutr. November 1, 2001 vol. 131 no. 11 3065S-3073S
• Willcox et al. The Okinawan diet: health implications of a low-calorie, nutrient-dense, antioxidant-rich dietary pattern low in glycemic load. J Am Coll Nutr. 2009 Aug;28 Suppl: 500S-516S.
• Pallauf et al. Nutrition and Healthy Ageing: Calorie Restriction or Polyphenol-Rich “MediterrAsian” Diet? Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2013; 2013: 707421.

[timar]

Benefits of High-Saturated Fat Diets (Part V): The Traditional Okinawans
http://drbganimalpha...-fat-diets.html

The usual paleo nonesense. Don't confuse the contemporary, American-influenced Okinawan mainstream diet, which has already lead to a dramatically shortened life expectancy, with the traditional Okinawan diet the elders and most significantly, the centenarians have followed. Please read the scientific paper by Willcox at al. about the Okinawan diet. It is certainly not a vegan, but a largely plant based, low fat diet. The authors have lived and worked in Okinawa for more than 20 years to conduct the Okinawan Centenarian Study. They really know what they are writing about.

Addendum: Incredible! The author of that blog is actually impudent enough to claim the Willcox' work would support his totally distorted characterization of the traditional Okinawan diet, while the exact opposite is clearly the case:

Residents of Okinawa, the southernmost prefecture of Japan, are known fortheir long average life expectancy, high numbers of centenarians, and accompanying low risk of age-associated diseases. Much of the longevity advantage in Okinawa is thought to be related to a healthy lifestyle, particularly the traditional diet, which is low in calories yet nutritionally dense, especially with regard to phytonutrients in the form of antioxidants and flavonoids. Research suggests that diets associated with a reduced risk of chronic diseases aresimilar to the traditional Okinawan diet, that is, vegetable and fruit heavy (therefore phytonutrient andantioxidant rich) but reduced in meat, refined grains, saturated fat, sugar, salt, and full-fat dairy products. Many of the characteristics of the diet in Okinawa are shared with other healthy dietary patterns, such as the traditional Mediterranean diet or the modern DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet. Features such as the low levels of saturated fat, high antioxidant intake, and low glycemic load in these diets are likely contributing to a decreased risk for cardiovascular disease, some cancers, and other chronic diseases through multiple mechanisms, including reduced oxidative stress. A comparison of the nutrient profiles of the three dietary patterns shows that the traditional Okinawan diet is the lowest in fat intake, particularly in terms of saturated fat, and highest in carbohydrate intake, in keeping with the very high intake ofantioxidant-rich yet calorie-poororange-yellow root vegetables, such as sweet potatoes, and green leafy vegetables. Deeper analyses of theindividual components of the Okinawan diet reveal that many of the traditional foods, herbs, or spices consumedon a regular basis could be labeled ‘‘functional foods’’ and, indeed, are currently being explored for their potential health-enhancing properties.

Edited by timar, 03 December 2013 - 05:27 PM.

[Brett Black]

Currently, what we consume has the biggest impact on our health and longevity. It's not illusionary at all. The difference in longevity between a bad diet and a great diet can be several decades of life.

That seems like an extreme claim. Do you have any reliable peer reviewed studies to support it?

Sufficient fruit and vegetable consumption is generally considered about the best-evidenced dietary component for health and longevity, and the peer-reviewed meta-analysis I have seen show just a 2 year increase in lifespan from consuming the ideal amount of fruit and vegetabes versus the least ideal amount of fruit and vegetables.

[Gerrans]

I must say that as a newcomer to this forum who is 59 years old, I read all these endeavours towards longevity with some detachment, as I have little hope of longevity, no matter how well I eat nowadays. I have wilfully spent my life ignoring all health advice, and it is too late to reverse most of the damage I have caused myself. In addition my father, grandfather, and uncle all died before 65. Our women do better, but there have been no long-lived men at all. In fact I am the oldest male already.

Nevertheless, this past two or three years I have turned over a new leaf. I suppose I hope I might poach an extra year of life, maybe--although deep down I believe there's a card with my name on it, and that all this is vanity and a striving after wind.

Anyway, my eating plan is not extremist at all, except that I do not eat factory-processed food. I switched to that principle overnight, and it made a radical change to my health. I have lost count of the ways in which I feel better. Some have staggered me, such as a return of my old libido and the complete renewal of a toenail that had been damaged since I split it playing football at 17. I do not believe in veganism, vegetarianism, paleo, low-carb, or any diet that excludes good food for theoretical reasons. My aim is to include as much of each type of food as I can in my menus. I think this goes back to my childhood, when we were brought up to eat everything put in front of us; as a result, I could not bear to be without meat, milk, beans, grains, and all the other good foods that one dietary system or another rules out.

My diet is therefore healthy but not faddy. It may not help me live longer, but it helps me live better now. Life well spent is long.

I hope that the young people here live to see changes in scientific knowledge that will help them fulfil their dreams of longevity. But, to be honest, I am not sure all this nootropic dabbling I am reading about will help them in that regard. If I dare say so, it sounds a bit risky.

Edited by Gerrans, 04 December 2013 - 01:31 AM.

[Brett Black]

In case of doubt, simply stick to one of the diets that has proved to work : Mediterranean/Okinawan. This is not ideology, they DO live longer/healthier regardless of whether one ideologically agrees with those diets or not. As they say, proof is in the pudding.

One should be aware that there are a lot of methodological issues/limitations involved in the mediterranean and Okinawan dietary studies.

Attempting to isolate just the diet as a cause in their health/longevity is difficult. Of the many variables known and unknown, there are obviously potential genetic variables(e.g. having Okinawan or Cretan genes) and lifestyle variables(e.g. possible calorie restriction in the Okinawans, living on an idyllic island in the Cretans) that are hard to exclude.

Then there are varying interpretations/definitions about what constitutes each diet, with experts questioning the accuracy of recording/reporting of diets in the original studies, and with diets in these places having since changed.

Trials of the mediterranean diet(or limited components of it) have been relatively short term, have loose control over *actual* diet, rely on participants to report their own diet (which is kown to result in inaccuracy), give results as just biomarkers instead of actual health outcomes or are limited to elderly and/or unhealthy people who are already at high risk of death and disease.

Unfortunately, what evidence there is for benefit of these diets is still relatively weak and unimpressive regarding increased lifespan and healthspan.

Edited by Brett Black, 04 December 2013 - 01:47 AM.

[niner]

One should be aware that there are a lot of methodological issues/limitations involved in the mediterranean and Okinawan dietary studies.

Attempting to isolate just the diet as a cause in their health/longevity is difficult. Of the many variables known and unknown, there are obviously potential genetic variables(e.g. having Okinawan or Cretan genes) and lifestyle variables(e.g. possible calorie restriction in the Okinawans, living on an idyllic island in the Cretans) that are hard to exclude.

Then there are varying interpretations/definitions about what constitutes each diet, with experts questioning the accuracy of recording/reporting of diets in the original studies, and with diets in these places having since changed.

Trials of the mediterranean diet(or limited components of it) have been relatively short term, have loose control over *actual* diet, rely on participants to report their own diet (which is kown to result in inaccuracy), give results as just biomarkers instead of actual health outcomes or are limited to elderly and/or unhealthy people who are already at high risk of death and disease.

Unfortunately, what evidence there is for benefit of these diets is still relatively weak and unimpressive regarding increased lifespan and healthspan.

Have you looked at the PREDIMED results? It's discussed in this thread. Do you find the papers that timar posted above to be flawed? Compared to most of us, you are coming to a distinctly different conclusion regarding the importance of diet. It sounds like you're saying that it really doesn't matter what you eat, but I doubt that you really believe that. When you say that there isn't good evidence for the Mediterranean diet improving lifespan and healthspan, what is the comparison diet that you're considering? Surely not the SAD. I just don't understand the practical outcome of what you're saying. How do you think we should be eating?

[Brett Black]

What do you eat anyway, Brett?

I eat a vegan diet for moral/ethical/compassionate reasons.

It is high in fibre and low in saturated fat. I supplement that with B12 and D3 tablets. The bulk of my calories come from legumes and whole grains. I eat large amounts(compared to Anglo Western norms) of vegetables each day, about 30g of nuts/day and some fruit.

I've recently been experimenting with small amounts of raw extra virgin olive oil and red wine(both of which have caused acutely negative effects on me in the past - post-nasal drip, headaches and nausea, I seem to have issues with alcohol and oily high fat food.)

[sthira]

We must eat. So we sift through the shitty, incomplete science that is nutrition, and then we eat what we think will sustain good health. All food is poison to some degree -- kale, blueberries, salmon... So limit calories, and focus on the bare bones evidence as it emerges, like the PREDIMED work. It's incomplete, but slowly clues develop. What's least harmful? Eat that.

[mrd1]

This forum has almost zero science going on. Maybe rats might settle the debate? Since, they don't live long and don't have opinions or beliefs (as far as I know! ).

As far as the proof is in the pudding and tribes. I still believe the only way to proove causation is from a experiment. Therefore, at less yoga instructors, tribes, and really old people grew up in a lab they can't be used other than to hypothesize then test in a experiment.

[sthira]

I eat a vegan diet for moral/ethical/compassionate reasons.

It is high in fibre and low in saturated fat. I supplement that with B12 and D3 tablets. The bulk of my calories come from legumes and whole grains. I eat large amounts(compared to Anglo Western norms) of vegetables each day, about 30g of nuts/day and some fruit.

I've recently been experimenting with small amounts of raw extra virgin olive oil and red wine(both of which have caused acutely negative effects on me in the past - post-nasal drip, headaches and nausea, I seem to have issues with alcohol and oily high fat food.)

Then we're quite similar. I'm also a longterm vegan, and vegan for ethical and humane reasons, not necessarily because the vegan lifestyle is healthiest of all -- but who knows?

If you track your numbers on cronometer or something, what are your macronutrient ratios?

[Brett Black]

Have you looked at the PREDIMED results? It's discussed in this thread. Do you find the papers that timar posted above to be flawed? Compared to most of us, you are coming to a distinctly different conclusion regarding the importance of diet. It sounds like you're saying that it really doesn't matter what you eat, but I doubt that you really believe that. When you say that there isn't good evidence for the Mediterranean diet improving lifespan and healthspan, what is the comparison diet that you're considering? Surely not the SAD. I just don't understand the practical outcome of what you're saying. How do you think we should be eating?

Yeah I saw PREDIMED. It conformed to my description of med diet trials: e.g. older people(55-85), short length(~5 years) and weak reduction in risk (0.7 hazard ratio.)

Remember, if all the major disease-related causes of death were completely eliminated, the estimate is less than 15 years lifespan gained. These dietary studies results and others like them show a small fractional chipping away. Delivering some minor risk reduction for a subset of such diseases, so the lifespan gain is expected to be small.

Some members on here talk about, and focus on, their diet and their dietary choices in such a way that it can give the impression that diet would be expected to have a substantial impact on lifespan and healthspan. The evidence does not support this.

This forum is meant to be focusing on substantially extending lifespan, in fact the tagline says "unlimited lifespan."

Many people who are members here already, or who might just have discovered this place, may not be very knowledgeable about diet and how it can or cannot affect lifespan.

I think it is a disservice to them to not try to offer a voice of clarity that puts these issues into their true perspective. I also think it is a disservice not to periodically attempt to rouse those who have seemingly become irrationally focused and obsessed on such a weak intervention as diet.

Also I think that the very heavy focus that some (highly intelligent and scientifically literate) people *appear* to have on diet serves to potentially delay and obstruct potentially more fruitful avenues that they could and should be focusing their attention and energy on.

Having said all that, I think attempting to develop a healthy diet can certainly be a constructive part of the goal of life-extension, so long as people maintain a reasonable perspective about these things.

Edited by Brett Black, 04 December 2013 - 04:16 AM.

[Brett Black]

Then we're quite similar. I'm also a longterm vegan, and vegan for ethical and humane reasons, not necessarily because the vegan lifestyle is healthiest of all -- but who knows?

If you track your numbers on cronometer or something, what are your macronutrient ratios?

My last sustained CRON monitoring was 2 years ago, and my diet has and does vary, so I don't know how representative this is, but my two week average at that time was:

2300kcal
13% protein
59% carbohydrate
28% fat

What are your macros?

[Brett Black]

I should mention that it is possible that even a very small increase in lifespan(including that attained by tweaking the diet obsessively) *could possibly* be the difference between living long enough to benefit from radical life extension technologies or missing the chance. If one were to subscribe to this idea, then tweaking the diet could prove to be a very good investment.

[sthira]

My last sustained CRON monitoring was 2 years ago, and my diet has and does vary, so I don't know how representative this is, but my two week average at that time was:

2300kcal
13% protein
59% carbohydrate
28% fat

What are your macros?

Haha, they're almost identical to yours. Between 2,200 & 2,300 calories per day -- 56% carbs; 13% protein; 31% fat.

The fat is olive oil, nuts, avocados. I struggle with protein, and probably eat too much tofu (dementia links? idk), and I eat a shit ton of legumes -- mostly kidney and black beans. Leafy greens are the way to go for me, and I eat a lot of fruit with the seasons. In winter I eat more sweet potatoes and soups. In summer I eat more juicy fruits, and I'm not stressing too much about the fructose from fruit but who knows what's best.

We know what to avoid so that's pretty easy. I take a few supplements, and I'm interested in c60 olive oil, but I'm on hold and waiting for more research.

[niner]

I should mention that it is possible that even a very small increase in lifespan(including that attained by tweaking the diet obsessively) *could possibly* be the difference between living long enough to benefit from radical life extension technologies or missing the chance. If one were to subscribe to this idea, then tweaking the diet could prove to be a very good investment.

The thing is, it's not a *very small* increase for everyone. Some people will live quite a bit longer, others not so much. If you happen to be the one who avoids a stroke in their 60's and gets another 20 years of life, that could make a huge difference given where we are on the biotechnology development curve.

It doesn't require "obsessive" tweaking to simply eat a healthy diet.

Do you include vegans among the "obsessive"?

[mrd1]

TBH, my diet is almost entirely supplements. I fast all day. Then eat like 2500-3000 calories of ok to pretty healthy food at night. And, I take clenbuterol everyday instead of doing much serious exercise. This is what not to do. However, I do feel totally blissed out. So, ill take chemicals over certain food anyday.

[theconomist]

TBH, my diet is almost entirely supplements. I fast all day. Then eat like 2500-3000 calories of ok to pretty healthy food at night. And, I take clenbuterol everyday instead of doing much serious exercise. This is what not to do. However, I do feel totally blissed out. So, ill take chemicals over certain food anyday.

Not to dable into the realm of ad hominem but maybe you should not give out (diet) advice(refering to the recommend me a diet thread) if, after getting to know the science behind nutrition, that is how you chose to live your life.
Please do not consider this a personal attack.If it works for you then enjoy it by all means.

Edited by theconomist, 04 December 2013 - 08:49 PM.

[timar]

This is what not to do. However, I do feel totally blissed out. So, ill take chemicals over certain food anyday.

This is really not what to do if you want to live a long and healthy life. It may work for some years, but you will most certainly pay the price in later life. Feeling blissed out is not predictive of longevity, at least not if that feeling is induced by chemicals. Heroin addicts feel blissed out too.

[mrd1]

Well I mean technically if Wellis doesn't know what he is talking about because he is fat and that vegan guy is a expert because he looks pretty good. Than, I must no offense, be the expert on nutrition because my clenbuterol and testosterone boosting fueled ripped muscles proove the bottom of the food pyramid should be research chemicals. I did not give any advice. I gave you harvards advice if I was fat it be the same, on heroin still the same, because it has nothing to do with me. Perhaps, the key to the best diet comes from research not "well, this guy looks like x, therefore he don't no nothing". That proves we are in fact not doing science and in fact doing dogma touting because 2+2 should always equal 4 no matter who says it.

I mean if I recall correctly vegan and paleo are in yet America looks like crap, has crap blood work, and probably as Dr. Oz would love to point out has crappy crap - litterly!

I must appologize if I appear to be attacking anyone my testosterone is 1153 ng/ml so this is more just my normal.

I guess what I am trying to say is, diet does matter. However- it is not the entire picture and its not just about if it is atkins or vegan or paleo and more about if your eating a restricted calorie (not 1200 I mean 85% of calories used), exercising, wearing sunscreen, getting regular quality medical care, not missing b12 folate vitamin d iodine potassium zinc or just about anything that people tend to be totally missing.

Plus, enough with these diet people anyway its all bull total bull noone talks about it but if your going to a guru fitness dude he is either going to tell you things based on ancient medicine and ancedotes or be a lean but believable sexy SOB who isn't all natural he or she takes things like clen t3/t4 igf 1 gh.

If I have to go get medical treatment for gods sake ill take a hospital full of "fat" qualified people than some guy who seems pretty healthy.

This sort of logic on this form would be like if a cardiologist had a heart attack then we said "what could he know he had a heart attack"

[mrd1]

Grains: 6 to 8 servings a day
Grains include bread, cereal, rice and pasta. Examples of one serving of grains include 1 slice whole-wheat bread, 1 ounce (oz.) dry cereal, or 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice or pasta.

Focus on whole grains because they have more fiber and nutrients than do refined grains. For instance, use brown rice instead of white rice, whole-wheat pasta instead of regular pasta and whole-grain bread instead of white bread. Look for products labeled "100 percent whole grain" or "100 percent whole wheat."
Grains are naturally low in fat, so avoid spreading on butter or adding cream and cheese sauces.
Vegetables: 4 to 5 servings a day
Tomatoes, carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes, greens and other vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins, and such minerals as potassium and magnesium. Examples of one serving include 1 cup raw leafy green vegetables or 1/2 cup cut-up raw or cooked vegetables.

Don't think of vegetables only as side dishes — a hearty blend of vegetables served over brown rice or whole-wheat noodles can serve as the main dish for a meal.
Fresh or frozen vegetables are both good choices. When buying frozen and canned vegetables, choose those labeled as low sodium or without added salt.
To increase the number of servings you fit in daily, be creative. In a stir-fry, for instance, cut the amount of meat in half and double up on the vegetables.
Fruits: 4 to 5 servings a day
Many fruits need little preparation to become a healthy part of a meal or snack. Like vegetables, they're packed with fiber, potassium and magnesium and are typically low in fat — exceptions include avocados and coconuts. Examples of one serving include 1 medium fruit or 1/2 cup fresh, frozen or canned fruit or 4 ounces of juice.

Have a piece of fruit with meals and one as a snack, then round out your day with a dessert of fresh fruits topped with a splash of low-fat yogurt.
Leave on edible peels whenever possible. The peels of apples, pears and most fruits with pits add interesting texture to recipes and contain healthy nutrients and fiber.
Remember that citrus fruits and juice, such as grapefruit, can interact with certain medications, so check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if they're OK for you.
If you choose canned fruit or juice, make sure no sugar is added.
Dairy: 2 to 3 servings a day
Milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products are major sources of calcium, vitamin D and protein. But the key is to make sure that you choose dairy products that are low fat or fat-free because otherwise they can be a major source of fat — and most of it is saturated. Examples of one serving include 1 cup skim or 1 percent milk, 1 cup yogurt, or 1 1/2 oz. cheese.

Low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt can help you boost the amount of dairy products you eat while offering a sweet treat. Add fruit for a healthy twist.
If you have trouble digesting dairy products, choose lactose-free products or consider taking an over-the-counter product that contains the enzyme lactase, which can reduce or prevent the symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Go easy on regular and even fat-free cheeses because they are typically high in sodium.
Lean meat, poultry and fish: 6 or fewer servings a day
Meat can be a rich source of protein, B vitamins, iron and zinc. But because even lean varieties contain fat and cholesterol, don't make them a mainstay of your diet — cut back typical meat portions by one-third or one-half and pile on the vegetables instead. Examples of one serving include 1 oz. cooked skinless poultry, seafood or lean meat or 1 egg.

Trim away skin and fat from poultry and meat and then bake, broil, grill or roast instead of frying in fat.
Eat heart-healthy fish, such as salmon, herring and tuna. These types of fish are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can help lower your total cholesterol.
Nuts, seeds and legumes: 4 to 5 servings a week
Almonds, sunflower seeds, kidney beans, peas, lentils and other foods in this family are good sources of magnesium, potassium and protein. They're also full of fiber and phytochemicals, which are plant compounds that may protect against some cancers and cardiovascular disease. Serving sizes are small and are intended to be consumed weekly because these foods are high in calories. Examples of one serving include 1/3 cup (1 1/2 oz.) nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds, or 1/2 cup cooked beans or peas.

Nuts sometimes get a bad rap because of their fat content, but they contain healthy types of fat — monounsaturated fat and omega-3 fatty acids. They're high in calories, however, so eat them in moderation. Try adding them to stir-fries, salads or cereals.
Soybean-based products, such as tofu and tempeh, can be a good alternative to meat because they contain all of the amino acids your body needs to make a complete protein, just like meat.
Fats and oils: 2 to 3 servings a day
Fat helps your body absorb essential vitamins and helps your body's immune system. But too much fat increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The DASH diet strives for a healthy balance by limiting total fat to 27 percent or less of daily calories from fat, with a focus on the healthier monounsaturated fats. Examples of one serving include 1 teaspoon soft margarine, 1 tablespoon mayonnaise or 2 tablespoons salad dressing.

Saturated fat and trans fat are the main dietary culprits in raising your blood cholesterol and increasing your risk of coronary artery disease. DASH helps keep your daily saturated fat to less than 6 percent of your total calories by limiting use of meat, butter, cheese, whole milk, cream and eggs in your diet, along with foods made from lard, solid shortenings, and palm and coconut oils.
Avoid trans fat, commonly found in such processed foods as crackers, baked goods and fried items.
Read food labels on margarine and salad dressing so that you can choose those that are lowest in saturated fat and free of trans fat.
Sweets: 5 or fewer a week
You don't have to banish sweets entirely while following the DASH diet — just go easy on them. Examples of one serving include 1 tablespoon sugar, jelly or jam, 1/2 cup sorbet, or 1 cup (8 oz.) lemonade.

When you eat sweets, choose those that are fat-free or low-fat, such as sorbets, fruit ices, jelly beans, hard candy, graham crackers or low-fat cookies.
Artificial sweeteners such as aspartame (NutraSweet, Equal) and sucralose (Splenda) may help satisfy your sweet tooth while sparing the sugar. But remember that you still must use them sensibly. It's OK to swap a diet cola for a regular cola, but not in place of a more nutritious beverage such as low-fat milk or even plain water.
Cut back on added sugar, which has no nutritional value but can pack on calories.


Here is the mayoclinic both harvard and the mayoclinic say nothing about paleo or vegan being needed. There could be a better diet but be careful but you could also run the risk of eating raw milk or listening to gurus talk nonsense to the point you mine as well be standing on your head.