There are a lot of health and diet fads popping up all the time. But the truth is, good health will only ever be the result of three things.

Nutrition, exercise, and meditation.

This page is about eating for optimal health with five basic nutrition guidelines. Survival Fitness Plan nutrition to be exact.

It is not a "fad diet". It is a lifestyle of healthy eating, based on the fundamental rule of healthy eating:

"Eat more good stuff, eat less bad stuff."

Yep, that's all. Go do it!

Haha, just kidding. For most people, it isn't so easy. So I have made these five daily nutrition guidelines to help you stay on track. It follows the above basic rule and adds some tweaks to boost your diet for optimal health in the simplest way.

This is intermittent fasting. There are several ways to do it but I find this one way the best because it becomes part of your daily routine. It keeps things simple.

Note: These are good food and nutrition guidelines for adults and children alike, except for this first one. I don't encourage for children to skip meals. They need the fuel to develop into healthy adults.

The times you choose depends on your lifestyle, as long as it is 16 hours. I like to fast between 8 pm and 12 noon the following day. All I am doing is skipping breakfast.

During the fasting period, you can drink water, herbal tea, or black coffee. If you get hungry try having a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water.

Intermittent fasting has some great benefits such as:

Having a healthy gut is important, and the way to do that is to consume probiotics and prebiotics.

Probiotics are good bacteria. Some good sources of probiotics are yogurt, kefir, miso, sauerkraut, pickles, and my favorite condiment-kimchi.

Prebiotics are a type of dietary fibre which feeds the probiotics. Some foods that contain prebiotics include apples, bananas, cocoa, garlic, oatmeal, and onions.

You can also buy probiotic and prebiotic in tablet form. I think it is better to consume it via food but taking the supplement can be good when you have gastro issues and/or when on antibiotics (which will kill all the bacteria in your gut - good and bad.)

Get some probiotic and prebiotic tablets here.

What are whole foods? Here is a definition straight from Wikipedia:

“Whole foods are plant foods that are unprocessed and unrefined, or processed and refined as little as possible, before being consumed. Examples of whole foods include whole grains, tubers, legumes, fruits, vegetables.”

As a bonus, eating a whole foods diet will cut your food bill. Quite a lot in some cases.

Anything made with white flour is not a whole food. This includes bread, cereals, crackers, granola bars, pasta, etc. You can still eat these things but choose the non-white whole grain version instead.

Same goes for white rice. Eat wild or brown rice instead.

Here's a list of non-white flour foods.

"Normal" potatoes are okay but sweet potatoes are way better.

Refined sugar is poison and is in many things. Here are some examples. The less of these things you eat, the healthier you will be.

Processed Food. Almost everything processed will have refined sugar in it. This covers most things that are not in the "fresh-food" section of the supermarket. The easiest way to know is by looking at the ingredients label.

Deep Fried Foods. Most things that are deep-fried will also have refined sugar. Even if they don't, nothing deep fried is good for you anyway.

Drinks. Drinks other than water and fresh herbal tea usually have quite a bit of sugar in them. Soft drinks are the worst.

Clean water is the best drink you can have. Making it your main drink will flush your body of toxins. Aim to drink AT LEAST one liter every day.

Herbal teas, either cold or hot brewed, are a good way to add a bit of flavor as well as get some extra benefits.

Every morning when you wake, rinse your mouth out and then drink a couple of cups of water. It will assist rehydration from the night and stimulate your digestive system.

This includes alcohol, cigarettes, pharmaceuticals you don't need, and illicit drugs.

Of course, some drugs are worse than others. Smoking cigarettes, for example, is crazy. Drinking a little alcohol once in a while, not so bad.

Consider extra carefully if thinking of stopping anything prescribed by a medical professional.

Fruits. Fruits are great but due to a large amount of fructose, consuming too much is bad for your teeth. Limit yourself to three serves a day. High fructose corn syrup is much more harmful to your health than regular fruit fructose.

Vegetables. You cannot eat too many vegetables. They should make up a big part of your diet. Local fruits and vegetables that are in season for your location are best.

Herbs. Not only do they make your food taste nicer, they are super healthy. Garlic, ginger, and chili are my favorites, and they are very cheap to buy and easy to grow. Garlic is crazy healthy.

Fresh salads, soups, or steamed are the best way to prepare your vegetables. The next best is stir-fried, roasted, etc. Stay away from anything shallow or deep fried.

Bright or deep colors are best. Go for leafy greens, berries, red bell peppers, papaya, moringa, etc.

Wash all fruits and vegetables. Even organic fruits and vegetables can have poison sprayed on them. Also, ensure you use water you would consider safe to drink.

Get a good variety. Different foods have different nutritional value. When it comes to fruit and vegetables, choose a variety of colors and types. This actually applies to all food. Ensure you are consuming proteins, dairy, fruit, vegetables, complex carbohydrates, good fats, etc.

Proteins. Vegetarian proteins (tofu, eggs, beans, etc.) are best for health and other reasons. Failing that, go for fish (salmon is great) and lean meats (skinless chicken and lean beef are my favorites).

When you crave something sweet go for dark chocolate. The higher percentage of cocoa the better. Raw Honey is also great.

For those that think you need meat for a balanced diet, you are incorrect. There are lots of replacement options such as tofu, legumes, nuts, eggs, etc.

There are a few reasons I advocate vegetarianism.

Well, that's it for these five nutrition dietary guidelines. Not too bad right?

The hardest thing for most people is intermittent fasting. It was hard for me too! I've been doing it for a few years now and I still get hungry before my first meal. But I can still exercise and my mind is sharp.

To be honest, I am sometimes quite slack with the rest of these food nutrition guidelines. Especially when traveling, because I like to try everything. It means I eat more sugar and meat than I'd like and making kefir can be difficult.

But I still keep up with the intermittent fasting and daily conditioning so I stay in good shape. I know everyone is different, but I'm confident that most people will have similar results.

Did you find these five basic nutrition guidelines useful?

If so, please share them with your friends.