{"id":2280,"date":"2019-10-25T20:13:41","date_gmt":"2019-10-26T00:13:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=2280"},"modified":"2025-09-12T15:22:34","modified_gmt":"2025-09-12T19:22:34","slug":"holistic-diet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/holistic-diet\/","title":{"rendered":"Holistic Diet: 7 Principles of Clean Eating for Whole Health"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>What is a holistic diet? How can it make you healthier while also helping the planet?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A holistic diet is a way of eating that focuses on whole, unrefined food in its natural state.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn the 7 principles of the holistic diet and discover why it leads to better health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/personal-life\/health\/nutrition\/dieting-guide\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Shortform\u2019s guide to dieting<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-holism-and-the-confusion-around-nutrition\"><strong>Holism and the Confusion Around Nutrition<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Americans are confused about what to eat to be healthy. This is largely due to the prevalence of fad diets and the reductionist approach to research practiced by many scientists and marketers. Generally, fad diets are not holistic diets&#8211;they&#8217;re not focused on whole, unrefined foods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Also leading to our confusion about nutrition is the practice of <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/western-science\/\">reductionism<\/a><\/strong>. This is the practice of doctors, researchers, and reporters focusing on the health benefits of specific nutrients like vitamin A and calcium rather than the food as a whole. This oversimplifies our biological systems and the holistic effects of food on the body, leading to confusing and contradictory research results. We end up talking about the benefits of specific nutrients rather than food they come from.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because the whole food is more than the sum of its nutritional parts, <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/change-your-diet\/\">changing your diet<\/a> one nutrient at a time isn\u2019t going to make you healthier.<\/strong> You need to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/how-to-look-at-the-bigger-picture\/\">look at the bigger picture<\/a>, your dietary and lifestyle patterns as a whole, to understand how to be healthier and eat a holistic diet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-holistic-diet-of-the-china-study\"><strong>The Holistic Diet of The China Study<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>T. Colin Campbell, author of <em>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-is-the-china-study\/\">China Study<\/a><\/em>, believes health is a holistic phenomenon (he terms it \u201cwholistic,\u201d adding the \u201cw\u201d to emphasize the term\u2019s link to whole foods and an approach to health that addresses the whole person). All the chemicals in a particular food work together to promote or weaken health.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Therefore, <strong>no single nutritional factor <em>causes<\/em> a disease.<\/strong> The health of the human body depends on complex and various mechanisms with numerous known and unknown inputs and outputs. Isolating one factor isn\u2019t necessarily helpful, nor are the results of these kinds of experiments conclusive. Further, diet works in tandem with other lifestyle factors such as physical activity, making it even more difficult to isolate one dietary factor as a cause of disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The whole-foods, plant-based diet promoted in <em>The China Study<\/em> is an example of a holistic diet. It prizes dietary <em>patterns<\/em> over specific nutrients.<br><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-holistic-diet-as-an-alternative-to-traditional-healthcare\"><strong>The Holistic Diet as an Alternative to Traditional Healthcare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Although an increasing number of doctors are learning the value of holistic diets and lifestyles, the majority still turn to surgery and pills rather than food and holistic treatments to heal their patients.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While these treatments can be effective, they\u2019re not always safe. In fact, <strong>medical care is the 3rd leading cause of death in the U.S.<\/strong>, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention refuses to acknowledge it on its list of the top ten causes of death.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Doctor errors, medication errors, and deaths from drugs and surgery kill 225,400 people every year. This is less than the number of people killed by heart disease (710,760) and cancer (553,091), but more than those who die of strokes (167,661) or respiratory diseases (122,009).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>These are deaths resulting from people following doctors\u2019 orders and taking medication as directed.<\/strong> And 225,400 deaths is a conservative estimate. It doesn\u2019t include deaths from clearly labeled side effects or deaths from overdoses. The actual number of deaths caused by medical care is probably closer to 400,000 per year.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Clearly, doctors aren\u2019t following the Hippocratic Oath to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/the-harm-principle\/\">do no harm<\/a>. But it\u2019s not necessarily their fault. Our system encourages the use of risky surgeries and drugs rather than the safer (and often more effective) treatments of holistic diets and lifestyle changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-holistic-diet-one-facet-of-holistic-health\"><strong>Holistic Diet: One Facet of Holistic Health<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>A holistic diet is part of a web of holistic health benefits. <strong>Good nutrition works holistically with physical activity, mental and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/emotional-health-and-well-being\/\">emotional health<\/a>, and our environments.<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Positive lifestyle changes work together and build off of one another to promote health. A holistic diet jump-starts a cycle: Eating well gives us more energy. Having more energy makes it easier to exercise more. Exercising more promotes mental and emotional health. When we\u2019re in a better mood, we eat healthier meals. Each lifestyle change reinforces the cycle of good health.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Eating a holistic diet is also good for the planet. It allows us to use less water, less land, and fewer resources. Growing plants also generates far less pollution than raising livestock. Consequently, eating what\u2019s best for our physical, mental, and emotional health is also what\u2019s best for the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-seven-principles-of-plant-based-holistic-diet\"><strong>The Seven Principles<\/strong> of Plant-Based, Holistic Diet<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-1-various-nutrients-work-together-to-achieve-health\"><strong>Principle #1: Various Nutrients Work Together to Achieve Health<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>No single nutrient is responsible, on its own, for good health. The way food chemicals function in the body and the way they interact with each other are too complex to ever fully understand. The sum of all these chemicals working together is greater than the actions of each individual chemical.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This is why the \u201cwhole foods\u201d part of the whole foods, plant-based, holistic diet is important. How nutrients are packaged together in food matters more than the specific nutrients themselves. This brings us to Principle #2.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-2-nbsp-avoid-supplements-get-your-nutrients-from-food-not-pills\"><strong>Principle #2&nbsp;Avoid Supplements\u2014Get Your Nutrients From Food, Not Pills<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Supplements are problematic for a variety of reasons. First of all, the whole concept of a supplement ignores Principle #1\u2014it\u2019s the whole food, not a particular nutrient, that provides the most benefit.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, supplements are poorly regulated, so you don\u2019t really know what you\u2019re getting when you buy them. They may have unforeseen side effects and some can cause harm. For example, many researchers caution against taking beta-carotene supplements because they\u2019ve been shown to increase lung cancer risk.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another problem is that supplements encourage people to eat poorly and \u201ccompensate\u201d by taking pills.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exceptions-to-principle-2\">Exceptions to Principle #2<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vitamin B<sub>12<\/sub>:<\/strong> A plant-based, holistic diet doesn\u2019t contain B<sub>12<\/sub>, which is found only in animal products. Supplements of this vitamin have been shown to be effective in resolving deficiencies and there\u2019s no evidence they cause health problems.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vitamin D:<\/strong> While we can usually get the vitamin D we need easily from the sun, some people living in northern climates won\u2019t see enough daylight to meet their needs. Studies on the benefits of vitamin D supplements are inconclusive. Sunlight is still the best way to get your vitamin D.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-3-the-same-principles-that-prevent-disease-can-reverse-it\"><strong>Principle #<\/strong>3: <strong>The Same Principles That Prevent Disease Can Reverse It<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>A holistic diet can prevent heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. It\u2019s also been shown to <em>reverse<\/em> these diseases.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are some exceptions, of course. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-causes-autoimmune-disease-diet\/\">Autoimmune diseases<\/a> are largely irreversible. Still, a plant-based, holistic diet has been shown to slow the progress of even incurable diseases like Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/what-causes-multiple-sclerosis-risk-factors\/\">multiple sclerosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-4-genes-alone-don-t-cause-disease\"><strong>Principle #4: Genes Alone Don\u2019t Cause Disease<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>We have considerable control over which genes are expressed.<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Dormant genes, genes that aren\u2019t expressed, have no effect on our health. Genes only affect us when they\u2019re activated, and diet is one of the biggest triggers of gene activation.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Researchers can turn \u201cbad\u201d genes on and off by altering the amount of animal protein they give to mice.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The idea of dietary triggers explains why, in populations made up of people who share a genetic heritage, disease rates vary widely.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Further, genes evolve slowly, changing minimally, or not at all, over hundreds of years. But disease rates change at a much faster rate, sometimes in a period as short as a year. Therefore, we can\u2019t blame changing genes for increasing disease rates.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In summary, genes give us dispositions, but they don\u2019t dictate what diseases we\u2019ll get. A holistic diet can work to keep &#8220;bad&#8221; genes from turning on.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-5-plant-foods-are-healthier-than-animal-foods\"><strong>Principle #<\/strong>5: Plant Foods Are Healthier Than Animal Foods<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Almost any nutrient you can find in animal-based foods, you can find in a healthier form in plant-based foods.<\/strong><br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Plant foods have more of almost every nutrient, including fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Most animal foods lack these nutrients. In their place, they contain cholesterol and fat.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Vitamin B<sub>12<\/sub> is the only true exception.<\/strong> As detailed in Principle #2, consider a vitamin B<sub>12<\/sub> supplement if you eat a plant-based, holistic diet.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-6-a-holistic-diet-can-counter-carcinogens\"><strong>Principle #<\/strong>6: <strong>A Holistic Diet Can Counter Carcinogens<\/strong><br><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As a society, we\u2019re under the impression that carcinogens like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/insecticide-ddt\/\">DDT<\/a>, Red Dye Number 2, and artificial sweeteners cause cancer (that is, when we\u2019re not under the impression that genes cause cancer).<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We like to blame carcinogens because, in some cases, they\u2019re easier to avoid than whole food groups. But, like genes, carcinogens are often activated by diets high in animal protein.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Conversely, antioxidant-rich plant foods can diminish the potency of carcinogens.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-principle-7-good-nutrition-is-good-across-the-board\"><strong>Principle #7<\/strong>: Good Nutrition Is Good Across the Board<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nutrition that prevents one disease is probably beneficial for health in general.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Regardless of <em>how <\/em>whole, plant foods function to reduce your risk of various diseases, they seem to reduce risk across the board. Therefore, if you know that a holistic diet is good for your heart, you can be pretty sure it\u2019s also good for your brain, liver, kidneys, and nervous system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What is a holistic diet? How can it make you healthier while also helping the planet? A holistic diet is a way of eating that focuses on whole, unrefined food in its natural state. Learn the 7 principles of the holistic diet and discover why it leads to better health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":2287,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[17,16],"tags":[51],"class_list":["post-2280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food","category-health","tag-china-study","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Holistic Diet: 7 Principles of Clean Eating for Whole Health - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A holistic diet is one that focuses on whole, unrefined food in its natural state. 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