kai morales

currently, my view on diet is focused on optimization and affordable-ish healthy eating through whole, single-ingredient foods. i try to pay close attention to where food comes from, not just what it is. for example, eggs from smaller farms where chickens are raised on pasture and eat a natural diet of seeds, insects, and plants feel fundamentally different to me than mass-produced alternatives.

many of us agree with the idea of "you are what you eat," but fewer people extend that logic to what our food is eating. to me, that part matters just as much. foods raised in ways that align with how the animal or plant evolved to exist tend to make more sense nutritionally. unfortunately, these foods are often labeled as "premium" and priced accordingly. still, i see value in supporting small farms rather than large corporations that attempt to factoryize the entire food system.

in general, i think it's best practice to ensure that what your food is eating is what it is naturally supposed to eat. this applies especially to animals like cows, which evolved to graze on grass rather than consume grain-heavy industrial feed.

i've noticed a strong trend in modern nutrition advice to avoid red meat, particularly beef, often citing links to high cholesterol or certain cancers. i'm skeptical of how these conclusions are drawn. after reading the literature, it's not always clear whether the meat being studied comes from grass-fed, naturally raised animals or from industrial feedlot systems. on top of that, many of these studies are observational and do not fully control for lifestyle factors such as physical activity, smoking, stress, or overall metabolic health. i understand that controlling for all of this is extremely difficult, but it makes strong causal claims less convincing.

i also think historical and anthropological evidence suggests that meat, including red meat, has played a central role in the human diet for thousands of years. many hunter-gatherer and early agricultural societies relied heavily on animal foods, often obtained through physically demanding labor. for example, indigenous peoples of the great plains followed bison herds and structured their lives around them. these were highly active, resilient, and intelligent populations. this makes me wonder whether the problem is not red meat itself, but red meat consumed alongside a sedentary lifestyle and poor metabolic health.

that said, i don't believe going fully carnivore is a good idea. we have access to an incredible variety of foods year-round, which is something people historically did not have. it seems wasteful to ignore that. balance matters, and diversity of foods can be a strength when chosen intentionally.

fruit, in particular, feels extremely important to me. fruit provides fiber, vitamins, minerals, and natural sugars that our bodies are well-equipped to handle. humans evolved with a strong preference for sweetness, which likely helped guide us toward ripe fruit that was safe to eat and energy-dense. while modern fruit is more sugar-rich than ancestral fruit, i still think fruit plays a valuable role when eaten in reasonable amounts.

when it comes to vegetables, i think they are useful tools rather than strict requirements. there is less strong evidence that very high intakes of vegetables, especially modern leafy greens, are necessary for optimal health once basic nutrient needs are met. plants produce defense compounds to discourage being eaten, and leafy greens in particular can be harder for some people to digest. preparation methods like cooking and fermentation help, but tolerance varies a lot between individuals. on top of that, modern vegetables are often exposed to pesticides, which is another factor to consider.

this week, i've been eating sweet potatoes and carrots as my primary vegetables. these are root vegetables, which are storage organs where plants naturally concentrate nutrients. they tend to be easier to digest, more energy-dense, and more bioavailable once cooked. for me, they feel like a practical and sustainable way to include plant foods without overcomplicating things.

overall, my approach to nutrition prioritizes food quality, metabolic context, and how i personally respond to different foods. i think many nutrition debates fail because they ignore activity level and metabolic health as primary variables. what works well for a highly active person may not work the same way for someone who is sedentary.

i am not a nutritionist, medical doctor, or licensed professional. this is simply the result of personal research, reading, and lived experience. it reflects what currently makes me feel healthiest and most functional, and i expect my views to continue evolving as i learn more.