My Nutrition Fundamentals: 3 basic things I feel you should start with when formulating a long term strategy for healthy eating

Hey yall these are my basic nutritional fundamentals, the 3 baseline things that I feel should be covered as a foundation for more in depth nutritional strategy.

#1-Calories

In my opinion awareness of total caloric intake is a critical first step for long term nutritional success. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways, counting calories, portion control, intuition, I don't think it matters as long as there is some reference point for the total volume of food consumed, and some idea of maintenance caloric intake. In recent years many proponents of high fat low carbs styles of eating(Dave Asprey, Gary Taubes etc..) have discounted the idea of total calories being the most important measurement in regards to weight loss. While I respect their position I disagree somewhat, they're are a variety of variables that may effect ones ability to process/assimilate nutrients but I feel it is disingenuous to discount the total caloric intake as the driving factor for weight control with most people. Neither do I believe that nutrition is as simple as calories in vs calories out, but overall I feel that some type of awareness of total caloric intake is absolutely necessary.

#2 Nutrients

While getting the required nutrients seems obvious it is surprisingly common to overlook baseline nutrition needs in the context of the SAD(Standard American Diet) approach to eating. This includes macronutrients(protein, carbohydrate, fat) and micronutrients(vitamins+minerals). In this context I simply mean getting sufficient macros and nutrients to support daily activities. Nutrient needs vary greatly from person to person but simply making sure you are not nutritionally deficient in any obvious areas should be in check before further manipulation of specific nutrients.

#3 Food Quality

Food quality is a very general term, I am using it to mean nutrient dense, digestible, whole foods with few if any anti-nutrients. I believe in the 80/20 rule for a minimum level of quality food vs junk food, meaning at least 80% of total calories come from high quality whole foods, with less than 20% of total calories coming from lower quality foods as long as they fit within nutrient and caloric requirements. Optimally I think most people would benefit from getting the vast majority of their caloric intake from high quality whole foods, however abstaining entirely from less healthy options is often unsustainable so I think a rough 80/20 split is a good starting point. Quality of food can be very subjective so I personally like to use the above criteria as a starting point in my own food selection and then evaluate how specific foods make me feel to determine how often I will consume them in the context of my personal goals.

Once these three things are covered I do feel there are many layers of nutritional strategy that can be used in addition to these basics to optimize health and performance. Nutrition can have a profound effect on overall quality of life and being mindful of what you consume is a very fulfilling practice. Thanks for reading this I hope you've found some value in my approach, I love discussing different nutritional philosophies so any questions, comments, or suggestions let me know below.

Cheers,
Luke