Eating a healthy diet is important, as evidence suggest that healthy diets can protect from many diseases. It should be remembered that improvements in sanitation and diet are the two biggest factors in reducing the risk of infectious disease. Good quality diets have also been shown to protect from Western lifestyle diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. This therefore raises the question as to exactly what is a healthy or high quality diet. This Is however, not an easy question to answer for a number of reasons. Traditional diets around the World vary considerably. For example the Eskimos in Alaska eat a high fat, high protein mainly marine diet and are generally very healthy. In contrast, the populations around the Mediterranean eat a more balanced diet of fruit, vegetables, dairy, wine and whole grains, and they too as a population are very healthy. Therefore it is clear that different diets can provide health to disparate populations that consume them, and this is evidence that there is no one healthy diet.
A high quality diet is one that provides health and disease protection to the consumer. This diet can vary between individuals, and can contain very different nutrient profiles. Trial and error can help most people, over time, to find the diet that works best for them. Experimenting with different diets, and listening to your body as to how it reacts, is the best way to ensure that a healthy diet is being consumed. In this regard advice about a healthy diet should be taken as a guide, and the information modified for your own purpose. Beware of those that tell you that their diet is the best. There is no such thing.
Another thing to consider is that individuals will require different diets at different times of their life. The amino acid histidine for example is required by children in high amounts during growth phases, and it cannot be synthesised in great enough quantities for metabolic needs. Therefore during these imres, histidine is considered an essential amino acid and must b4e present in the diet. However, adults do not require a dietary supply of histidine because their metabolism can synthesise enough for metabolic needs. Certain nutrients are also needed in larger quantities by athletes, or those who are pregnant or lactating, and as such there is no one single healthy diet. Another factor to consider is biochemical individuality. Biologically, people are all different, and their metabolic pathways work at varying levels of flux. Some will require higher amounts of certain nutrients. No one diet can therefore supply all individuals with the nutrients they require and there cannot be said to be a single diet that is healthy to all individuals.
Eat Well, Stay Healthy, Protect Yourself
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