Is my diet appropriate/optimal for living well for the next 25 years?

 

Is my diet appropriate/optimal for living well for the next 25 years?

I think a good place to start would be with this cartoon of human development.

Early on in human history, we were hunters and gatherers, eating whatever we could kill or gather in our environment. Since then our physiology has evolved slowly while our sources of food have evolved very rapidly. In the last century our physiology cannot have changed very much because only a few generations occur in 100 years, but our food sources have changed dramatically. Does this mean that my current diet is matched worse or better with my body’s requirements?

Paleontologists tell us that humans began farming about 20,000 years ago and this changed how we lived in many ways. For one, we started to raise our food rather than hunt it or gather it. This also meant settling in one location instead of being on the move continuously. We have also been told that cultivated plants became a major source of calories, and this would represent a significant change from animals that could be caught and seeds that could be picked. If you ponder over a sample from today’s diet, there might be little that would have been eaten by our forefathers even 10,000 years ago. Let’s look at a fast food meal of hamburger, fries and a soft drink. The hamburger patty is made of ground beef from an animal fattened on corn rather than grass. The bun is white and doesn’t have the bran and wheat germ of whole wheat flour, and even the wheat has been selectively bred for different characteristics than the wild grass ancestors of modern wheat. Potatoes have been domesticated from South American varieties, and deep frying them would make them quite different in terms of nutrition from the original potatoes. Then the soft drink is a completely fabricated liquid with little that would have been familiar to our ancestors other than its water. Clearly this isn’t the kind of food that my ancestors would have eaten 10,000 years ago. What do the “experts” say about the ideal diet for contemporary 75 year-olds? It all depends on whom you ask. A vegan might tell you all vegetables, a paleo enthusiast might say lots of meat and little starches, a “keto” person may say lots of fat, next to no carbohydrates and some animal protein, a centenarian from Okinawa could say green tea and sweet potatoes. And what about Canada’s food guide? It’s interesting to observe how their advice has changed since its inception in 1942.

1942 These are the health protective foods. Be sure to eat them every day in at least these amounts (use more if you can).

MILK- Adults- ½ pint. Children- more than 1 pint. And some cheese as available.

FRUITS- One serving of tomatoes daily, or of a citrus fruit, or of tomato or citrus fruit juices, and one serving of other fruits, fresh, canned or dried.

VEGETABLES- (In addition to potatoes of which you need one serving daily) - Two servings daily of vegetables, preferably leafy green or yellow and frequently raw.

CEREALS AND BREADS- one serving of a whole grain cereal and four to six slices of Canada Approved Bread, brown or white.

MEAT, FISH, etc. - One serving a day of meat, fish, or meat substitutes. Liver, heart or kidney once a week.

EGGS- at least 3 or 4 eggs weekly

Eat these foods first, then add these and other foods you wish. Some source of vitamin D such as fish liver oils, is essential for children, and may be advisable for adults.

2007

VEGETABLES AND FRUIT- 7 to 10 servings per day.

GRAIN PRODUCTS- 6 to 8 servings per day.

MILK PRODUCTS- Children 4 to 9 years: 2 servings per day. Youth 10 to 16 years: 2 to 2 servings per day. Adults: 2 to 3 servings per day.

MEAT AND ALTERNATIVES- 2-3 servings per day.

While the labels may appear in both the 1942 and 2007 guides, the actual food items that we buy have changed in subtle and not so subtle ways. Let’s consider some items that may appear in any food flyer that is delivered to our home. There might be lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, avocados and asparagus as well as cheese, boneless skinless chicken breasts and bacon. In 1942 we wouldn’t have had access to fresh produce and I don’t recall seeing an avocado before 1970; only recently have avocados been eaten widely in Canada. Even the cheese, chicken and bacon aren’t the same as they were a few generations ago. I have to conclude that even if I ate meals that had the same named food items as my grandparents might have done 50-60 years ago, the nutritive value will have changed. Where they may have eaten canned tomatoes or asparagus, I have access to “fresh” ones that were grown in Mexico or other southern country. They taste different and they must provide different nutrients.

This brings me back to my original question- What should I be eating to protect my brain health?

 I think my next entry will be about centenarians.  What can I learn from their experience and wisdom?