From my point of view, ‘Diet’ is the most cliche and misinterpreted word around. Even though diet means your daily eating habit, over the past few years, the meaning has changed a lot. Nowadays, diet refers to the restriction of food consumption as an attempt for weight loss.
No matter which definition you prefer, the perfect human diet satisfies both the meaning. This diet will please your tastebud and hunger without ruining your health. However, in most cases, this type of dieting helps you to get in better shape.
So, without wasting any more words, let’s find out what the perfect human diet is.
What is the perfect diet?
A perfect diet for the human is that one which contains all the necessary vitamins and nutritions. This type of food should include a considerable portion of carbohydrates, protein, and fat.
The concept of the perfect diet can vary from people to people or community to community.
Many people follow the paleo diet plans to stay in shape, whereas others follow the Mediterranean food habit. Again, you will find people who strictly maintain the diet chart suggested by a licensed nutritionist. So, the debate on which one is the perfect human diet will go on. In this article, you will get to know each type of diet plan.
1. The perfect human diet food list
Here are the food items that are healthy and help you lose weight.
- Eggs
- Green leafy vegetables (spinach, swiss chards, kale, collards, etc.)
- Vegetables (broccoli, asparagus, carrots, cucumber, garlic, onion, tomato, cabbage, Brussels sprout, cauliflower, etc.)
- Lean beef
- Chicken breast
- Lamb
- Tuna
- Salmon
- Shrimp
- Sardines
- Shellfish
- Trout
- Boiled potato or sweet potatoes
- Legumes (green beans, lentils, kidney beans, peanuts)
- Cottage cheese
- Soups
- Apple cider vinegar
- Nut (almond, walnut, Macadamia nuts)
- Avocados
- Chilli pepper
- Whole grain (brown rice, oats, quinoa)
- Fruits (apple, banana, blueberries, orange, strawberries)
- Chia seeds
- Full fat yogurt
- Wole milk
- Coconut oil
- Olive oil
Adding these foods to your diet is always beneficial. On the other hand, some food items can make a negative impact on your health. Such as:
- Pizza
- Sugary drinks
- Commercial fruit juices
- White bread
- Sweet breakfast cereals
- Fried foods
- Grilled foods
- Cakes
- Cookies
- Potato chips
- French fries
- Low fat yogurt
- Gluten free junk food
- Agave nectar
- Low carb junk food
- Candy bars
- Ice cream
- Processed cheese
- Processed meat
- High calorie coffee
- Fast food meals
- Anything with refined sugar
- Highly processed food items
These food items are undoubtedly mouth watering and tasty but not a fit for the healthy human diet. You must avoid these items.
The perfect human diet meal plan
Now you know which food items are healthy and which one to avoid. To prepare a considerate meal, you can add or remove any food item you want according to your taste.
Here is an overall diet plan that you can follow:
- Fruits and vegetables – ½ of your meal
- Whole grain – ¼ of your meal
- Protein – ¼ of your meal
- Always choose olive oil, sunflower oil, or other healthy oils instead of hydrogenated oil.
- Drink at least 1 gallon water daily.
While preparing your meals, you have to remember some bottom lines. Such as:
- You have to minimize your carbohydrate consumption, especially the refined and high glycemic index types.
- Try eating fruits and vegetables as much as you can.
- You must add high protein food items in your meals. Plant oil and fish are considered as good sources of polyunsaturated fats.
- Limit your consumption of nuts and dairy products.
2. The paleo diet
This is another type of human diet that works perfectly. The paleo diet kind of resembles the food habit of our ancestors. Several scientific studies have proven that this diet is good for human health and can be a solution for weight loss.
Before learning about the diet plan, let’s take a look at the paleo diet food list.
- Meat (lamb, pork, beef, etc.)
- Eggs
- Fish (haddock, salmon, trout, shrimp, etc.)
- Vegetables (broccoli, kale, carrot, etc.)
- Nuts (walnut, hazelnut, etc.)
- Seed (pumpkin seed)
- Spices (turmeric, garlic, etc.)
- Fat and oil ( olive oil, avocado oil, etc.)
Here is a list of foods that you should not add on a paleo diet meal.
- Processed foods
- Sugary items
- Anything with artificial sweetness
- Dairy products
- Legumes
- Vegetable oils ( sunflower oil, corn oil, safflower oil, etc.)
- Grain
Paleo diet meal plan
Though there is no perfect paleo diet plan, you can make one by yourself. The purpose of following this diet type is to avoid processed food items and eat natural ones. Here is a model meal plan that you can moderate according to your choice and taste.
Breakfast: Boiled fish and vegetables.
Lunch: Boiled lean meat and salad.
Dinner: Roasted beef or fish and steamed veggies.
Snacks: Fruits, nuts.
3. Mediterranean diet
Many people consider this diet type as the perfect human diet. This is also a traditional food system. Many scientific studies claim that this food habit can help in weight loss and reduces the chance of heart attack and stroke.
Mediterranean diet is different from the regular ones. Here is a Mediterranean diet shopping list you can follow to buy the food items.
- Vegetables
- Eggs
- Fruits
- Nuts
- Grains
- Legume
- Seeds
- Fish
- Condiments
- Potato
- Chicken
- Yogurt
- Seafood
- Cheese
- Turnips
- Yum
These are the items that you can put in your diet meal plan. For drinking, water is a must. But the interesting thing is, this diet allows drinking moderate red wine 1 glass per day. You must avoid putting processed food, sugary items, refined oils, trans fat, and refined grains in your Mediterranean diet plan.
Like the paleo diet, there is no perfect diet chart for this one too. Different countries or states follow different habits. For your convenience, here is a model Mediterranean diet meal plan. You can add or remove food items according to your taste.
Breakfast: Omelet or yogurt with fruits and nuts.
Lunch: Tuna sandwich, salad.
Dinner: Grilled chicken or fish with rice or boiled veggies.
Snacks: Nuts, fruits.
Besides these 3 types, you may find other human diets that are perfect for you. All these diets can contribute a lot in weight loss and help you to stay fit. To live a healthy life, avoid unhealthy foods, and try to maintain a diet plan according to your ability.
Related: The Fast Metabolism Diet: Is This The Right Way To Lose Weight?