What is The Best Diet For a Human?

Healthiest diet for a human in the world

In this blog post, I will explain my perspective on the best diet for a human, what defines the best diet, and how to navigate the confusion on this controversial topic. There are so many perspectives on the Best Diet for a Human, and I am here to give you my own perspective based on my own research and my own action plan.

Ultimately, your best diet is your individual choice. And your best diet could simply be made of foods you enjoy most in life or convenient foods. The two major camps of people who divide in their opinion are those who live to eat and those who eat to live. In this blog, I will address the people who want to eat to live. The trouble is that even health-oriented people fight like cats and dogs over various diets.

First, let's talk about why there is so much controversy about the diets and foods that people consume.

It is no secret that the same food can be helpful in small doses and harmful in bigger doses. All the food we eat comes with a certain degree of nourishment and a degree of poison, leading to one of the causes of the controversy where one group of people will focus on the poison aspect and the other group of people on the beneficial aspect.

Perfect examples would be spinach, which contains iron, betaine, and other important nutrients but also contains a high amount of oxalic acid and may cause kidney stones.

Another example is coffee; it contains chlorogenic acid, an amazing DNA protective compound (01), but many people will react badly to caffeine. Eggs are another example; they are loaded with healthy nutrients, choline being one of them. Choline is also important for DNA methylation and allows a more beneficial expression of our genes, but it causes cardiovascular problems in some people. And the list goes on and on. Kale, red meat, fish, fruits, herbs, rice, and even good old potatoes are controversial. Not only can people not agree on diets such as vegan, omnivore, and carnivore, but they also can not agree on isolated nutrients in these diets.

The second reason for a controversy comes from the simple fact that we, as individuals, react to nutrients differently from others and tolerate different poisons in various foods also differently. Some people are more predisposed to diseases like diabetes or kidney stones than others. For example, some people can't convert folate into a usable form in the body called methylfolate - a critical nutrient for staying healthy and living longer.

Is it Enough to Look Young and Lead a Healthy Lifestyle?

Have you ever been captivated by the radiant vitality of seemingly ageless individuals? Did you ever wonder what their secrets might be? I've been probing this question with people who defy the passage of time. Their responses have varied greatly: abstaining from sugar, incorporating supplements, indulging in facials, embracing a vegan diet, and staying physically active, among other things.

Now that I'm 41, people are turning the question back on me. There have been instances where some mistook my son for my brother, and now that he's taller than me, queries have surfaced about whether I'm his girlfriend, and that is due to my appearance. And I was sure I was biologically younger than my peers and that my longevity secrets were supreme. That is until I tested my DNA methylation with TruDiagnostic. I was shocked to learn that I was not only not younger but also older! My DNA methylation tests showed that I was 47! A whole six years older! I understood very quickly that I had many missing puzzle pieces in my lifestyle and set myself on a journey to figure it out.

Thankfully, due to my background in health and fitness, it didn't take me that long. I was missing particular nutrients in my body. That was it.

Next, I made up my mind to fix the problem and dedicated a lot of strong effort to making changes in my diet and lifestyle

It wasn't perfect; I didn't always stick to the diet due to my lifestyle of being a mother of two boys and having to work. Many days were stressful, and many nights were sleepless. Frankly, I procrastinated on testing the second time to see if my DNA methylation improved because I was skeptical of my efforts. Finally, I forced myself to complete my second test, and several weeks later, I received my new test results.

My second test showed that I was 39, more than seven years in biological age reversal. I did become biologically younger, and my flaming excitement has sent me on an even deeper dive into the power of nutrition. I am in the process of experimenting more with my diet, lifestyle, and supplementation..

DNA methylation as a Main Mechanism by Which We Can Stay Young and Disease Free

So what is it that I figured out? I figured out two things! After reading a couple of books and many articles on nutrients, nutrient deficiencies, and how to fix these deficiencies, I decided to investigate my own diet. I am a vegetarian, and many vegetarians will tell you that you have to combine foods well to avoid getting in trouble with this diet. Which I thought I did. And it only occurs to a few people to actually investigate their diets on nutrient content. I decided to do that and discovered that my diet lacked many nutrients and had compounds that were not very beneficial.

Our body needs all the vitamins, minerals, and amino acids; otherwise, it will diminish its function faster. And since all foods have a harmful aspect, we need to eliminate the most harmful ones or find a way to prep them to diminish their harm. And we need to find a way to balance these foods better.

But I also discovered that my diet lacked nutrients supporting DNA methylation patterns and returning it to a more youthful state! This pattern is how our DNA spins around itself, determining what genes are activated and which are not.

Thanks to many bright scientists and health practitioners who figured it all out, I learned how to fix my DNA methylation pattern and got to work.

It is common knowledge that we are more prone to developing various diseases as we age. One of the major reasons for this phenomenon is that DNA methylation patterns change as we age. This pattern is so predictive that you can find out how old you are biologically by doing a DNA methylation test.

Here is why biological age and DNA methylation matter a lot: DNA methylation determines which genes are activated and which are deactivated. But what do these genes do? Genes contain instructions that tell our cells to make molecules called proteins, including sequences that control when, where, and how much protein to make. But what do these proteins do?

Did you ever hear that the body produces various proteins less and less with age, such as collagen, for example? Well, there are genes responsible for collagen production in the body. COL1A1 gene provides instructions for making part of a large molecule called type I collagen, and in total, there are 28 types of collagen encoded by 43 genes.

Genes instruct many more proteins to make, such as antibodies, contractile proteins, enzymes, hormonal proteins, structural proteins, storage proteins, and transport proteins. Another interesting fact is that as many as 100 different proteins can be produced from a single gene. The production of all of these proteins gets dysregulated with age. When these genes are not methylated properly, they do not work correctly, causing our bodies to age faster. And not only that! This dysregulated gene expression can activate cancer-causing genes or tumor-suppressing genes and contribute to the development of many diseases of old age. In short, it determines how young and healthy we are. So we can accept this as something that happens to us or! Learn to slow this process down or even reverse it.

With my all-or-nothing attitude, I became more curious about the reversal process.

So as we get older, this pattern becomes more and more distorted; this is the bad news; the good news is we can fix that.

So What is the Healthiest Diet For a Human?

I embarked on a journey to uncover the ideal diet for optimum health. The diet keeps my body healthy and functional and can reverse the signs of aging and significantly slow it down. At this point, I did succeed in this pursuit, but all of this is in the form of self-experimentation, and we will see what happens next. I am improving on what I already do and working on staying more consistent in my approach.

Now, I look back at the times when I contemplated all sorts of diets, such as ketogenic, gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian, carnivore, and Mediterranean diets. It all seems silly now because it is not about the label of what diet to follow but about the nutritional content of our foods and their digestibility. Now I understand there's more than one way to skin a cat. And the answer to what the healthiest diet is for a human is straightforward:

1. It has to be individually tailored through DNA, microbiome, and other blood tests. There is simply no way around that.

2. It has to influence DNA methylation positively.

3. It has to balance out hormones in the body.

4. It has to bring the least harm to the body.

No matter how you spin it, a human's healthiest diet must be based on individual choices and individual body specifics. I am a vegetarian, and it works great for me. I have a friend with cycle cell disease; she tried being a vegetarian, and it didn't work for her. She started becoming anemic and went back to eating meat. When people test, they find differences in their DNA and microbiome. I eat eggs, and some people are allergic to them, but they should investigate their diets and ensure that they consume nutrients that eggs can provide through other foods that are least harmful to the body. Therefore, it is my firm opinion that there is no such thing as a generic healthiest diet for a human; it has to be Your Best Diet or My Best Diet.

I spent a lot of time immersed in literature and scientific studies, analyzing the information and putting it all together. Finally, my persistent efforts culminated in creating My Best Diet, a meticulously curated list of foods and supplements that now constitute the cornerstone of my dietary regimen. I have tested with several companies to see how to apply this diet and the results of it, and this is hands down the healthiest diet in the world FOR ME.

A Word of Caution

I am not a qualified nutritionist or a medical practitioner, and I do not endorse any specific diet for others. I share knowledge readily available through scientific studies, literature, and the internet. My insights stem from personal experiences, and while it would be intriguing to witness how this diet, or a variation of it, affects others, I encourage individuals to approach it as their own personal experiment at their own risk.

I named this dietary approach 'My Best Diet' for a reason—it was crafted by me, for me. I am fully aware of differences in individual preferences, individual microbiomes, and DNA patterns. If you wish to try this diet, you can adopt the entire regimen or just some elements and customize it to your preferences, using yourself as the ultimate test subject. However, every item on the list holds a specific purpose, and any omissions are deliberate and backed by rationale.

Most Important Nutrients That are Needed for DNA Methylation

Methyl Donors

Folate - not to be confused with a synthetic form of folate folic acid. Folic acid is linked to cancer. Folate-containing foods on My Best Diet list are lentils, avocados, beets, parsley, buckwheat, leeks, kiwi, mango, papaya, oranges, and broccoli sprouts. The best being lentils. It is important to remember that some people can not turn folate into an active form of methyl folate. DNA testing is required to determine that.

Vitamin B12 - although animal sources are great for B12, I concluded that avoiding meat has its benefits, and I will be writing about it in future blogs. Clams, liver, and fish are great, but I chose eggs, homemade kefir, aged cheddar cheese, occasional chlorella supplementation, and occasional B12 shots.

Betaine - extremely important. I prefer to get it from beets and am currently experimenting with TMG supplementation. TMG is pretty much betaine in a supplement form. I take it because some people recommend taking it with NMN, which I also recently started taking.

Choline - egg yolks, lentils, and pumpkin seeds are my best source, but they are still not sufficient. I do my best to eat all three of these foods in one day.

DNA Methylation Adaptogens

EGCG - it is in high quality in green tea. I found my source of green tea in a local store in Chinatown. This tea is organically grown in the mountains of Taiwan and is the best green tea I've ever tasted! I drink a cup of green tea occasionally, but not every day. I prefer black tea, which I buy from the same store. Black tea has smaller amounts of EGCG but, like green tea, contains some amount of oxalates. Adding milk to tea helps to prevent oxalates from being absorbed into the bloodstream. Which is why my preferred tea is black with milk from grass-fed cows.

Curcumin - I try to take it here and there; curcumin is also high in oxalates, and although it is an amazing adaptogen, it can kylate minerals out of the body and even cause breathing problems in some people. There was a time when I was consistently putting freshly squeezed turmeric and ginger juice into my evening tea, and I started noticing that my skin would glow after drinking this tea for about a month. But sometimes, when I try to get back to it, it causes shortness of breath. Overall, turmeric is great but not perfect for some individuals, and you should proceed with caution.

Rosmarinic acid - this acid is in Rosemary, an amazing adaptogen that helps the nutrients to be guided to the right places in the body. I buy fresh rosemary leaves or even get a potted plant and throw some leaves on my stews, soups, eggs... anything really. So far, I experienced no problems consuming it.

Quercetin - capers, apples, onions, and capers are my favorite main sources of quercetin. Quercetin is a powerful senolytic, and it is important not to overdose on it. I throw a teaspoon or a tablespoon of capers several times weekly into my greens.

There are so many other adaptogens in the foods on my list, such as anthocyanin, catechins, genistein, luteolin, and many more, and all of them benefit DNA methylation. Foods like pumpkin seeds, thyme, apples, broccoli sprouts, blueberries, and parsley are all loaded with nutrients and adaptogens, creating a food matrix that can not be mimicked with supplements.

DNA Methylation Supportive Nutrients.

Methionine - pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds, buckwheat, lentils, egg whites, aged cheddar.

Pyridoxine (B6) - Buckwheat, lentils, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, baked sweet potatoes, shiitake, apples, and avocado.

Riboflavin (B2) - Buckwheat, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, baked sweet potato, white button mushrooms, eggs, lentils, natto, avocado.

Niacin (B3) - Buckwheat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, lentils, hemp seeds, avocados, chlorella, baked sweet potatoes, shiitake, white button mushrooms, avocado, sourdough.

Magnesium - Lentils, natto, sunflower seeds, hemp seeds.

Zinc - Lentils, natto, buckwheat, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, shiitake, avocados, papaya.

Potassium - Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, avocado, buckwheat, lentils, baked sweet potato, kiwi, apple, oranges.

Sulfer - leeks, garlic, broccoli sprouts.

Taurine - egg yolk and a small amount of kefir and aged cheese. I am contemplating adding taurine to my supplement stack.

Nutrients discussed above are the most important. However, ensuring the diet has the rest of the nutrients, such as vitamin A, vitamin C, and other B vitamins, is important. Fortunately, some foods are nutrient-dense, such as lentils, buckwheat, sunflower, and pumpkin seeds.

To eliminate second-guessing in my diet, I chose foods that My Best Diet comprises and checked their nutrient composition to ensure that I have everything and have very little. I am in the process of constantly improving this diet.

Results I achieved on My Best Diet

Below are my personal measured successes. I am not claiming that others will achieve similar results or will not achieve better ones. I am also not claiming that other diets do not yield results. Nonetheless, My Best Diet worked great for Me.

I reversed my DNA Methylation Pattern from 46.81 down to 39.43, effectively reversing my biological age by more than seven years in 10 months.

My telomere length improved. According to my telomere length, I was 36.52 on 11/30/2022 and 32.73 on 11/04/2023

My Dunedin pace of aging has gotten slightly higher. And that is understandable. As I said, my attempts at age reversal were not perfect, and stress and sleepless nights definitely can cause changes in the pace of aging. The results were still good. I went from 0.80 on 11/30/2022 to 0.82 on 10/17/2023

The age of my immune system improved from 35.07 years of age on 11/30/2022 to 19.70 years on 10/17/2023

• I successfully maintain my body fat, currently at 15.8%, a figure even considered excellent for women aged 21 to 25, despite being 41 years old.

• My visceral fat stands at 29.6 cm2, a measurement comparable to that of a 20-year-old female, indicating exceptional health for my age.

• My skeletal muscle mass amounts to 53.4 lbs, constituting 46% of my total body weight (114.3 lbs)

• I no longer feel sluggish, experiencing a newfound vibrancy and vitality

• This diet supplies me with more energy than any other diet I've previously experimented with

• I can stay physically fit and preserve my muscle mass while consuming fewer calories, a practice known to promote longevity

• It has enhanced my sleep quality, ensuring a more restful and rejuvenating experience

• I constantly feel satiated and nourished even with a reduced calorie intake. Managing calorie consumption is crucial in preventing accelerated aging

• I maintain a low inflammation score and exhibit low cellular senescence, a critical marker of aging (tested with Viome)

• I have high immunity (tested with TruDiagnostics)

• And the best part, I look great in form-fitting mini dresses :) I'm joking; the best part is that I can keep up with my kids and people younger than me, even by 20 years.

Transforming The Healthiest Diet into a Way of Life

Although various diets and exercise plans can produce comparable outcomes, several crucial aspects often must be addressed. One significant shortcoming of many diets is the deficiency or excess of certain nutrients, making the long-term adoption of these diets challenging without consequent side effects.

"My Best Diet" is meticulously balanced, encompassing all essential nutrients required by the body while deliberately omitting excessive nutrients that can potentially slow down the system and accelerate the aging process.

The Benefits of My Best Diet On a Deeper Level

• Corrects nutritional deficiencies

• Regulates Mtor activity to promote longevity

• Protects DNA from damage and mutations

• Provides protection from UVB/UVA radiation

• Protects from cancer and various chronic illnesses

• Balances out hormones

• Reduces inflammation and cellular senescence. Yes, I stated this before, but a low inflammation score is a big deal

• Supports beneficial DNA methylation

• Extends healthspan and potentially lifespan

Important!

Prior to Trying My Best Diet or Adopting It In Parts:

• Consult your doctor before making any changes to your diet and lifestyle

• Contact me if you have any questions and to request a consultation

• You can support me and my work by a donation or becoming a member on Patreon

Foods I Do My Best To Consume Every Day

Tomatoes - when cooked, aid in naturally produced hyaluronic acid in the body due to it's lycopene content, which is a big deal. Hyaluronic acid has many benefits, but one is that it fights inflammation and extends life in some organisms.

Tomato Paste - I add a tablespoon of it to my food to increase the amount of lycopene - super protective to the body compound. I especially like lycopene's ability to protect skin from UV damage.

Orange - has a good amount of vitamin C, among other nutrients. I rarely go a day without an orange; when I eat oranges, I also eat a little bit of the peel because it aids in bone density.

Broccoli Sprouts - they can detoxify the body from pollution, and I make sure to combine broccoli sprouts with mustard to activate the full power of sulforaphane found in broccoli sprouts.

Pumpkin seeds - nutrient loaded superfood.

Sunflower seeds - nutrient loaded superfood.

White button mushrooms, shiitake, maitake - aside from other nutrients, mushrooms contain ergothioneine. This amino acid is a powerful antioxidant, even more potent than our endogenous glutathione. One serving of mushrooms can contain 2.4 to 4.9mg of ergothioneine. Mushrooms with the highest amounts of ergothioneine include king oyster, maitake, oyster, and shiitake varieties. Ergothioneine is a heat-resistant compound that can withstand temperatures of up to 100 °C for up to 24 hr, which is perfect because mushrooms should be cooked. Even common button mushrooms contain traces of carcinogenic compounds in raw form. A toxin called hydrazine is found in portobello mushrooms. Shiitake mushrooms have a naturally occurring formaldehyde. All of these compounds are heat-sensitive and should be cooked away!

Avocado - nutrient loaded superfood

Leeks - contains sulfur, great for increasing butyric acid, which helps uplift digestive health, reduce inflammation, protect the brain, manage weight, help prevent cancer, and improve mitochondrial function.

Arugula - improves bile flow and increases nitric oxide in the body. Arugula is an excellent choice of greens because it does so much, including improving digestion, and has a lower oxalate content.

Homemade raw kefir from grass-fed cows - has B vitamins produced by the bacteria, including vitamin B2, and contains vitamin K that helps with the proper distribution of calcium from that kifer in the body. I love drinking half a cup of Kifer to ensure adequate calcium intake. It has more nutrients than milk and is much easier to digest.

Camomile tea - calming and contains apigenin, a compound that helps decrease CD38 in the body and increase NAD+. It is also low in oxalates, and using it here and there is good instead of green or black tea.

Black Tea - contains EGCG, a compound with numerous health benefits and DNA methylation nutrients. I drink it with milk from grass-fed cows to help reduce the absorption of oxalates.

Lentils - nutrient loaded superfood. I eat black or dark green lentils that are smaller in size. They have a higher amount of polyphenols. I soak them before cooking and sometimes sprout them to increase nutrient content and decrease the number of antinutrients such as lectins, phytic acid, and oxalic acid. I then use a pressure cooker to help this process further.

Hemp seeds - nutrient loaded superfood. I have more B1 per 1oz than pumpkin, sunflower, and many more nutrients.

Buckwheat - nutrient loaded superfood. I soak it before cooking and sometimes sprout it to increase nutrient content and decrease the number of antinutrients such as lectins, phytic acid, and oxalic acid. I then use a pressure cooker to help this process further.

Tartary buckwheat - nutrient loaded superfood.

Olive oil - my preferred oil I buy Blueprint olive oil.

Beet root - I currently baking it. I want to learn to pickle it, which should make it more tolerable than raw beets and reduce the amount of oxalates. Beets contain betaine, an amino acid that is extremely important for DNA methylation.

Vinegar - AMPK activator.

Grass-fed aged cheddar - contains spermidine, vitamin K, and calcium, the nutrients that I am definitely after. I do my best to eat it with foods that contain oxalates. Such as beets or some greens. Oxalates tend to accumulate in the body and cause kidney stones in some cases. It is best to avoid high oxalate foods such as spinach and or combine these foods with calcium-rich foods. Calcium binds to oxalic acid, not allowing it to be absorbed.

Foods I Rotate

Sweet potatoes - loaded with vitamin A (vitamin A is fat soluble, so you need some fat to go with it). Sweet potatoes decrease feelings of hunger, which is great for weight loss and management and for avoiding cravings.

Eggs - contains complete protein, biotin, and vitamin A. I make sure to cook the whites and leave the egg yolk raw. Raw egg whites block the absorption of biotin.

Capers- contain a powerful analytic quercetin, which aids in the reduction of senescent cells, also known as zombie cells.

Turmeric - helps DNA methylation, fights endogenous retroviruses, and regulates estrogen in the body.

Garlic - high in sulfur.

Papaya - contains papain that helps the digestion of proteins and has a high amount of vitamin A.

Kiwi - contains a high amount of vitamin C. and digestive enzymes.

Apples - contain apple pectin that protects against UV/UVB radiation.

Parsley - contains apigenin that help decrease CD38, which helps increase NAD+. Be careful with parsley; everything in moderation. Parsley has oxalic acid and is a powerful chelator of minerals in the body.

Sauerkraut - high in vitamin C, fiber, and probiotics.

Sourdough - A healthier choice of bread, unlike white bread, contains higher amounts of B vitamins due to the process of fermentation. I usually load up on carbs a little more before a long, intense activity such as mountain hiking or paintball or when coming off 1 to three-day fasting.

Walnuts - Among all tree nuts, walnuts contain the highest total polyphenols by weight.

Quinoa - nice addition of a carb in my diet; I usually mix it with lentils.

Cilantro - detoxifying herb.

Olives - nice snack, especially if I want to eat something at night. Olives don't contain carbs and protein, preparing the body for a good night's autophagy - cleansing of the body on a cellular level.

Sage, oregano, Rosemary, thyme, basil, mint - adaptogenic herbs that help nutrients go to the right places during DNA methylation. Help repair DNA and prevent DNA mutations and cancer.

Butter - sometimes I cook with butter for a change; my kids love it.

Sourcream - goes well with so many things such as sweet potatoes, legumes, and vegetable stews.

Green Tea - contains EGCG, a compound with numerous health benefits and DNA methylation nutrients.

Foods I eat More Rare

Sugar-free chocolate - contains copper, iron, and polyphenols but is higher in oxalates, and I tend to limit the consumption of it.

Beet greens - they increase bile flow. If I have symptoms of poor bile flow, I consume a small amount of beet greens for several days. Although they have beneficial nutrients, they are high in oxalic acid, helping the bile flow is pretty much the only reason I will eat them.

Supplements:

List of supplements that made a difference in my health.

01 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23134416/#:~:text=The%20results%20showed%20that%20each,protective%20effects%20to%20various%20extents.

Glycine - helps collagen production. Our body, after water, is mostly collagen. Therefore, glycine supports the structure and integrity of the body as a whole. I add it to my daily homemade kefir

Proline - helps collagen production. Our body, after water, is mostly collagen. Therefore, proline, like glycine, supports the structure and integrity of the body as a whole. I add it to my daily homemade kefir

Mitopure - improves mitochondrial health, increases muscle strength by up to 12% after just 16 weeks, and endurance by up to 15% after eight weeks when compared to placebo.

Bacopa - increases dendrites in the brain and therefore improves signal transfer between neural cells. It helps prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

Ovega - vegetarian omega 3 supplement

Sirt6 Activator- helps DNA repair.

Lutein + Zeozenthin - can filter blue visible light (400–500 nm) light to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species, especially singlet oxygen, in the retina.

Magnesium - add it to my kefir to balance out calcium, just a few drops.

Granite Essential Aminos - These very unique and high-quality amino acids are a biproduct of bacterial fermentation which makes them vegan friendly. I will take half a scoop of these after intense physical activity if I feel that my body needs extra help with the recovery.

Chlorella - Exciting supplement that contains high amounts of vitamin A, iron, spermidine, B12. I take it occasionally and should probably make myself eat it more often.

Other General Rules For My Best Diet

• My last meal for the day is between 4 and 6 pm. This helps my body to detox better during sleep and have more restful sleep as well.

• I do not eat meat, fish, or anything with a brain, blood, and a beating heart. This is a personal choice. However, meat consumption has been associated with cardiovascular problems and overactive mTor. An overactive mTOR pathway ages the body faster.

• My first meal is typically around 10 am.

• I exercise before my first meal.

&bull I get out into the sun for short periods to raise the only nutrient I can not get from food, a vitamin my body can produce, although it has been argued that vitamin D is a hormone. It is also recommended by many not to go out in the sun. This is yet another very controversial subject. However, the right diet and supplementation can protect DNA from UV radiation.

• I stick to this diet 90% of the time. I deviate occasionally and may snack on things like macaroons or popcorn. And I don't give myself a hard time about it; I enjoy my little deviations.