Do As the Romans Do

There is a reason why societies of certain areas in the world are still in existence today: they have healthy, sustainable diets. They have a food culture. The use of fresh ingredients, cooking from scratch daily, and eating meals as a family are the norm, and an integral part of life. The dietary choices of places with actual food cultures continually show that when it comes to food, good decisions are being made there. But here in the USA, we have no food culture; instead we have the so-called "Western Diet", in which the use of highly processed foods (including lots of added sugars, salt, and preservatives) and a lack of homemade meals are the norm. The Western Diet is neither healthy nor sustainable. In fact, it leads to diseases (such as heart disease and obesity) and eventually kills. Followers of the Western Diet are literally a dying breed.

Great. So how are you supposed to make healthy dietary choices if you live in a society that doesn't even have a proper food culture? Easy. Choose to follow the dietary choices of someplace else... someplace with a food culture...someplace with a society that has been in existence for centuries. Someplace like, the Mediterranean region, Asia, or Latin America, perhaps? The people in these areas have been eating the same way for centuries, so clearly they're doin' something right. 

Granted, the dietary pyramids of these three different regions are unique in their own way. But, there is one common theme: the majority of one's daily intake of food should come from plant-based sources (grains, beans, nuts, legumes, fruits, & vegetables). This is how societies that have been around for years and years, and will continue to stick around, eat. Take it or leave it, but that's the truth. So, when people make suggestions that you eat more veggies or cut back on red meat (best example is Michael Pollan's mantra: Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants) this advice isn't being pulled out of thin air. It might not be such a bad decision to follow the lead of someplace with a history of dietary success. You might not physically be in Asia, Latin America, or the Mediterranean, but you can definitely still eat like them. Do as the Romans (or Asians or Latin Americans) do.