Whole Foods Beat Everything Else
The Evidence
Diet quality matters more than macro ratios. Every major health organization agrees (American Heart Association, 2021, 2024):
- Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean protein → lower disease risk
- Ultra-processed foods → higher all-cause mortality
The specifics (keto vs. Mediterranean vs. vegan) matter less than this: eat real food, mostly plants, not too much.
The Protocol
If >50% of your diet is processed: Start swapping. Add vegetables to every meal. Replace refined grains with whole. One change at a time.
If vegetarian: Watch protein. Legumes, tofu, eggs if you eat them.
If gaining weight: Track calories until you understand portion sizes. Then stop tracking.
If already eating well: Maintain. 80/20 rule: occasional treats won’t kill you.
How To Know It’s Working
- Waist circumference stable or decreasing
- Labs in range (LDL, fasting glucose)
- You feel better than you did 6 months ago
Definition
Nutritional density measures the concentration of essential nutrients (vitamins, minerals, fiber, phytonutrients) per calorie in a food. Whole, minimally processed foods score highest; ultra-processed foods score lowest. The concept resolves most diet debates: regardless of macro ratios, diets built on nutrient-dense whole foods consistently produce better health outcomes than those built on processed alternatives.
When This Applies
- Choosing what to eat daily: Default to foods with ingredients you can name and pronounce
- Evaluating “healthy” packaged foods: Marketing claims don’t equal nutritional density. Read ingredient lists, not front-of-package claims
- Resolving diet debates: When two diets both emphasize whole foods (e.g., Mediterranean vs. Paleo), the differences matter less than the shared foundation
- Deciding whether to track macros: If >80% of your diet is whole food, macro ratios largely self-correct
Related
- Protocol: Eat Well (the actionable nutrition protocol)
- Concept: Calories vs Hormones (energy balance still matters)
- Concept: Saturated Fat and LDL (food quality impacts lipids)
- Anti-Patterns: Health Anti-Patterns (extreme diet hopping, “healthy snack” overload)