About Optimal Nutrition

The Optimal Nutrition is not a form of medical treatment. It is the correct nutritional supply template of all the necessary nutritional elements needed by the body in order to sustain a healthy life. Diseased individuals who adopt this type of nutrition quickly return to health, regardless of the type of disease, since the diet does not treat the particular disease, as does a pill or a specific treatment.

The causal treatment associated with the Optimal Nutrition is based on the delivery of the most important nutritional elements, e.g., the most valuable proteins and fats, whilst leaving the body in charge of the distribution of these elements to the most critical areas. Thus, the Optimal Nutrition firstly treats the underlying disease and then subsequently (rapidly) removes the burden of unnecessary body weight, whilst increasing the strength, the energy, the resistance and the vitality of the body. And that is how the principles of the therapeutic function of this diet should be understood.

Therefore, this type of diet, or rather a healthy eating habit, can and should be adopted by sick and healthy individuals. Various disease states, which can be corrected (and in many cases cured) by the Optimal Nutrition are described below.

The Principles of Optimal Nutrition

The main principle of this dietary model is a marked increase in the consumption of fat, and the reduction in the consumption carbohydrate, as the energy source for the body. There are, however, strict rules on the proportion between the three main food components: protein (P), fat (F) and carbohydrates (C) which need to be followed (with few exceptions) in order to achieve claimed benefits of Optimal Nutrition.

The ideal proportion between the main food components should be in the range of :

1 (P) : 2.5 - 3,5 (F) : 0.5 - 0.8 (C)

NOTE : During the first stages, obese people should use 1:2.0(max):0.5

In order to work out the correct daily food intake using this proportion, one has to know how many grams of protein needs to be ingested in a day to satisfy body's requirements. This amount varies from person to person and depends on a "ideal bodyweight". Ideal bodyweight, in kilograms, is equal to person's height in centimeters less 100 (± 10%). Thus, for a person 160 cm tall, an ideal body weight is 60 kg ± 6 kg.

A correct amount of protein to be consumed in a day is approx. 1 g per 1 kilogram of an ideal bodyweight. Thus, a 60 kg person needs to consume 60 ± 6 g of protein to satisfy body's daily needs. Any excess of protein, above the daily requirement, is converted by the body to fat, provided that energy requirements are met by other components. (Note: with time, metabolic processes will become so efficient that the amount of protein should be reduced to approx. 0.6 to 0.8g/kg )

Having worked out the amount of protein, one can then calculate the amount of other components in a daily menu. Thus, for our typical 60 kg person, the consumption of 60 g of protein has to be accompanied by between 150 to 210 g of fat, and 30 to 50 g of carbohydrate in order to follow the principles of the Optimal Diet.

Any excess of carbohydrate, above the daily requirement (needed to prevent ketosis), is converted by the body to fat, provided energy requirements are met by other components. The main exception from that rule is the state of obesity. In such a case, the proportion between protein and fat should be changed to 1 (p) : 2 (f) in the initial period of 3-4 weeks (by the increase in protein and the reduction in fat intake), in order to stimulate the catabolism of the stored fat. The amount of carbohydrate should be kept low, preferably at no more then 50 g/day. Subsequently, when the weight loss is well on the way, the amounts of protein and fat can be adjusted to the ideal proportion.

The best products to be eaten while on the Optimal Nutrition are animal-sourced products, including eggs, cheeses, cream, meats, and all types of animal fat. The best fats are saturated ones, however, vegetable oil rich in monounsaturated fats (e.g. olive oil, or some nut oils) are also good. Products containing predominantly or exclusively polyunsaturated fats or trans-saturated fats (i.e. margarine) should be avoided because of deleterious effect on health.

For more comprehensive description of the principles of the Optimal Nutrition, weight
loss-focused adjustments to it and types of products, which should be eaten, please
refer to the book Homo Optimus.