Healthy Eating Facts Risks and Advice

So, in 2026, eating right has become more confusing than ever. Everywhere you look, there are new diets, health trends, or food companies trying to force us to eat a certain way. And I'm not a nutritionist. I am not a doctor. I'm just a YouTuber. But proper nutrition and well- being have become one of my greatest passions in life. I spent over a decade trying different diets, learning about other food crops, and eventually growing a lot of my own food. All this with the aim of feeling your best and, hopefully, staying healthy for a very long time. In this video, I break down everything I've learned over the years into seven steps that I believe constitute a very practical and balanced approach to healthy

eating in 2026, without any unnecessary nonsense. So, my first step to healthy eating in 2026 is something I'm guessing most of you are already doing to some extent: simply cooking from scratch. It sounds almost too simple, but I truly believe that this is the foundation and a kind of path to a complete, healthy diet. When I started cooking many years ago, I definitely didn't think about my health. I didn't buy organic products or read ingredient labels. I knew nothing about healthy eating. I was just learning to become a better cook and make food as delicious as possible, which actually started back in my student years. At first, everything moved quite slowly. Oh, I cooked a dish or two when I was 19 or 20. Then, in my senior year of college, my roommate and I

started making a weekly grocery budget. And I actually cooked a lot of dishes from scratch. I was still supplementing my diet with classic frozen dinners and eating out a lot back then. But without realizing it, I had already taken the first real steps towards healthier eating. Because cooking is not just the act of creating food, you also take responsibility for what you put into your body. And this is incredibly valuable, because no one will be more interested in protecting your health than you. When you cook from scratch, you make a ton of decisions: how much salt to add, what oil to use, portion sizes, quality of ingredients. And by cooking from scratch, your food automatically becomes simpler and less processed than many store-bought foods. I mean, try

making a Cheeto from scratch. This is impossible. It is very important to understand that the food companies from which we buy products have different goals than ours. They run businesses that serve thousands, and sometimes millions, of people. Therefore, they have to think about cost, shelf life, quality stability, and, of course, profit. Health is just one of many factors they think about, and some companies don't care about it at all. And when it comes to eating out in restaurants, you're also dealing with completely different priorities than when cooking at home. Their main goal is to make the food as delicious as possible so that you get the best experience in the moment. So when you get the bill at the end of your meal, you feel like it's

worth the price, which often means using a little more fat, salt, or sugar than you would normally use at home. But when you cook for yourself, you can choose your own priorities. For me, the main priorities are delicious food, but also food that makes me feel good. And remember, it doesn't have to be an instant transformation. Even cooking one meal a week will give you more control over your diet. It's about gradually forming the habit of cooking and starting to feel these positive results. But the next question, of course, is what does this diet actually look like? So, if you want to eat healthy in 2026, the second step is to look to the past,

not the future. I grew up in a family where there was really a lack of food traditions. We didn't have many recipes or cooking skills passed down from generation to generation. The same was true of most of my friends. This is because we grew up in the US, which in general is a fairly young country and, in my opinion, lacks many culinary traditions. And when you don't have a strong food culture to guide you, it's very easy to be influenced by different opinions. So one year it's low-fat, then low-carb, then high-protein, then keto and carnivore diets. It never ends. And this is exactly what the modern food industry thrives on. This is a multi-billion dollar business competing for your wallet. Therefore, I personally realized that due to the lack of my own

food culture, I had to start looking for other, healthier food cultures that have worked for many peoples for centuries and even millennia. And my first step in this was simply traveling. So, for example, in Central America I discovered very simple dishes with fresh fish, beans, vegetables and lots of fruit. In Asian countries, I discovered balanced dishes with noodles and rice, lots of vegetables cooked over fire, and fermented foods. In Europe, I found dishes based on fresh, seasonal ingredients that didn't require excessive complexity. Every diet I've immersed myself in has been a rewarding experience for me. Then I would return home and not just copy the cuisine of a particular country, but take the elements that suited me, matched my lifestyle, and the

ingredients available where I live. So my nutrition is not based on fad diets, but on the experience of cultures that have learned to thrive and eat right, perfecting their diets over many generations. As I explored these different food cultures, I kept noticing one key element, which leads me to the third step of healthy eating: choosing balance over extremes. You've probably noticed that few food companies promote the idea of balance in your diet. This also applies to influential figures in the health sector. Social media usually encourages extremes. We hear: eat more protein, never eat carbs, avoid fats. This product is destroying your health.

This superfood will help you live forever. But that's not how most healthy cultures eat. As humans, we naturally crave diversity. Sometimes we want something sweet, sometimes something salty, sometimes something filling, and sometimes just carbs. This is not a defect. This is our body trying to satisfy its biological needs. The problem is not that we have these desires. The problem is that we have created a food environment that skillfully exploits them.

Take carbohydrates, for example. Many diets and people try to present carbohydrates as something harmful. But if you look at the world, many of the healthiest cultures have consumed a lot of carbohydrates for thousands of years. Italians eat pasta and bread. In Asia, people consume a lot of rice and noodles. Many Central and South American cultures survived thanks to beans and corn. The commonality is not that they avoided carbohydrates. And in that they choose quality sources and include them in balanced meals. The same goes for fats, dairy products, proteins, and sugars. They are not a priori good or bad for you. These are parts of a healthy diet and the nutritional elements our bodies need. So, for me, balance means

giving your body what it naturally craves, but choosing foods that truly nourish it, rather than trying to eliminate entire food groups from your diet. So the same effort and intention that I've put into my nutrition for years, I try to apply to shopping in general, which is why I'm a big fan of today's sponsor, Quint. I first heard about Quint from my wife, who probably hasn't stopped talking about them for a year. Quintly took over her wardrobe, but I had no idea they made men's clothing, and now it's quickly taking over mine too. I like this mesh sweater. It's 100% organic cotton, and I now have a few of these in different colors. Quint is truly a one-stop shop for quality essentials at affordable prices. And this applies not only to

clothing, but also to home goods and accessories. I recently ordered this gorgeous set of dinner plates from East Fork, a ceramic company out of Asheville, North Carolina that I have admired for years. I complemented them with this European linen tablecloth runner and organic cotton napkins to completely update the table setting. So, if you want to update your wardrobe or home with quality items from Quint, follow the link in the description or scan the QR code to get free shipping and 365-day returns. Now, step four is building a balanced diet. Well, let's start with protein, which is a very popular topic right now. Early on in my journey to health, when I learned about the horrors of factory farming in this country, it motivated me to start following a more

vegan diet. And that was really important to me at the time because it helped clean up my diet and I started learning how to properly cook vegetables and consume them in larger quantities. But after two years of a strict plant-based diet, I felt like I needed more protein in my diet. My body seemed to crave it, and I was tired of eating so much food just to satisfy my hunger. And that's exactly what you see today. Hey, we've gone from super popular vegan diets to a pendulum swinging the other way, where everyone is talking about eating more protein. But, in my opinion, we still lack balance. And one book that really helped me find that balance was The China Study. And the thought that stuck with me the most: in traditional Chinese dishes, meat is not always the main

ingredient. This is just one ingredient in a much larger dish. Think of roasts or fried rice, where the meat is balanced with vegetables, rice, or noodles. instead of dominating the entire dish. And while it's an extremely simple concept, it was quite revolutionary to me at the time, especially given the food culture where a large piece of meat with several side dishes was the standard dinner. So I started investing a little more in quality protein sources like free-range eggs, local grass- fed meat, wild fish, and. I've started implementing them as part of a nice, balanced meal, which is also a great way to get the most out of your protein since it's likely the most expensive item on your shopping list. Carbohydrates were another element of my

diet that had completely changed over the years. When I was growing up, the Atkins diet was extremely popular. Then, more recently, she switched to keto. So for a long time, carbohydrates were something negative for many people. But when I started learning about how other healthy eating cultures incorporate carbohydrates into their diets, my perspective began to change. I stopped trying to avoid carbs and started focusing on finding better sources of them. So, for me, it's a naturally fermented bread, such as sourdough. I eat a lot of rice and various whole grains. I love potatoes. Now I grow a lot of it. I eat it almost every day. And yes, even pasta. Sometimes I substitute it with gluten-free noodles because I find that unfermented wheat can be

a bit heavy for me, but it's what works best for my body. But I eat a lot of carbohydrates. They are often fermented. And if not, I usually try to choose whole grain forms and, of course, include them in a balanced diet. Now, fats-that's another thing that has changed for me over the years. Unfortunately, fats are out of luck, which is terrible branding of the name itself. And when I was growing up, everything in my family was low-fat. But our bodies need fat to survive. So now, instead of avoiding fats, I choose the healthiest forms of fat I can include in my diet. So lots of extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil for cooking, and lots of saturated fats, which have been demonized for decades. I use a lot of animal fats for cooking. I consume a lot of grass-

fed butter, coconut oil, lots of full-fat yogurt, and lots of cheese. While traveling through Europe, I learned that my body tolerates aged cheeses better. I digest them more easily. That's why I look for these kinds of products more often. As for sugar in my diet, I grew up consuming a lot of candy and overly processed sweets. Let's just say, I have a big sweet tooth. I had this habit before. She still remains. And instead of pretending it wasn't there, I learned to work with it. I love baking, but when I bake my own, I often use less refined sweeteners: honey, maple syrup, dates, or coconut sugar. And when I use cane sugar, for example, for ice cream or muffins, I usually reduce the amount compared to the recipe.

I also eat a lot of fruit to satisfy my sweet tooth. I have over 50 fruit trees in my studio, and I love adding fruit to various desserts. This is one of my favorite ways to satisfy a sweet craving. And of course, I eat a lot of vegetables, which brings me to step five. Mmm, the delicious Asian pear is a perfect example for step five: eating seasonal and local foods, as you probably know if you've been following the evolution of this channel. I hope you have already added at least some seasonal foods to your diet. There is perhaps no better guide to nutrition than simply following nature. It was something I had completely lost touch with for most of my life. I definitely didn't grow up eating seasonally.

My parents belonged to the first generation that was completely taken over by the industrialization of food, when you could go to a supermarket and buy almost anything you wanted, regardless of the season. Over time, this convenience created a disconnection from the natural seasonality of food. And again, if you cook on your own, that's still great. This is a big step forward. But this is only the first step. And we are now on the fifth step. Nowadays, seasonal eating seems a little strange because technically everything is always seasonal somewhere in the world, and we can go to the store and buy food from anywhere. So I added to this step also the consumption of local products. I don't eat 100%

local food. I still buy bananas, citrus fruits, and sometimes I can get cherry tomatoes in the middle of winter. But for many years, especially before I started growing my own food, I tried to buy as much produce as possible from my region. One of the easiest ways to do this is to visit the farmers market, which I started going to every week when I moved to Brooklyn about 15 years ago. That's where you'll find the freshest ingredients, as the products don't have to travel such a long way. In many cases, they are harvested just a few days before you buy them. But the main thing is to gradually train your brain to work with what is seasonal. Instead of first coming up with a dish and then looking for ingredients, like I've been cooking for years.

You need to change your worldview: think first of all about the ingredients and let the dish emerge from them. It seems simple, but it's a significant difference from how we eat today and a throwback to how people ate for most of history. And from a health perspective, this is where seasonal eating starts to bring real benefits. You naturally build your diet around whole foods and what's fresh right now. Of course, fresh, seasonal food usually tastes better, which I think is more motivating because you'll cook tastier meals. But if you live in a four- season climate like I do, what do you do in the winter when seasonal produce is impossible to find? This brings me to step six: consuming fermented and preserved foods, which has become an important part of

my diet and my approach to nutrition over the course of a year. Of course, before the advent of modern conveniences like refrigerators and supermarkets, people had a big problem. Winter is near. The main way to survive the winter was to ferment and preserve foods. You take cabbage harvested in the fall and turn it into sauerkraut or kimchi. You take milk and make yogurt or cheese from it. You turn soybeans into miso. This allowed people to extend the shelf life of products long after the harvest season was over.

Over time, people adapted to eating fermented foods as they became a necessary element of survival throughout the year. What's fascinating is that fermentation doesn't just preserve food, it transforms it. During fermentation, microorganisms such as bacteria and yeast break down the components of food, releasing beneficial nutrients and vitamins, and even making it easier to digest. When we consume them and they enter our digestive system, they help create a more balanced and healthy gut microbiome. For me, fermentation completely changed my diet. I eat some kind of fermented food almost every day, especially during the colder months. There's nothing better than opening a fresh jar of pickled

vegetables in the middle of winter. From my own experience, eating more fermented foods during the cold season has helped me feel better in the winter. I can't prove it, but I've noticed my mood is getting a little better. I feel much better and I think it has something to do with the natural way I eat throughout the year. So, if you haven't started fermenting foods yet, I have beginner tutorials on YouTube. I have a video with the simplest recipes to get you started with fermentation. As with cooking, it's important to take small steps in fermentation, learn the basics, and gradually add more of these foods to your diet. Okay, we've come to the final step,

which I consider the ultimate boss of healthy eating -investing in better quality foods. I say "investment" because, unfortunately, quality food is expensive, at least in this country and in many other places around the world. You can raise animals or vegetables with the main goal of doing it as cheaply and quickly as possible. And in many ways, that's a good thing when you have to feed hundreds of millions of people. But when the main goal becomes the cheapest and most efficient production, quality usually takes a back seat. On the other hand, paying attention to soil health, growing conditions, animal welfare, and better farming practices leads to better quality food: fresher, tastier, more nutritious, and ultimately healthier.

But, of course, growing food and raising animals this way will cost farmers more. And this is an obvious fact that cannot be ignored. Finding better quality products often requires more money. So over time, I had to rethink my attitude towards these additional costs. I don't just look at it as spending money on food. I view this as an investment in my health. Since I consume food every day, I want to choose the best option from what I can get. That's why my ultimate goal was to grow my own food. In the comments on my gardening videos, people often ask if I really save money by doing it. And the truth is, even after 5 years, this is not a way to save a lot of money. I really think that over time, as the systems are built and working and the fruit

trees produce more and more fruit, you can save money. But that's not the main reason why I do it. I garden and grow food because, first of all, I love it. It's very fun and satisfying. This makes me want to be outdoors more often. It connects me to the natural flow of the seasons and nature in general. But most importantly, I have complete control over my garden, the soil, how I grow my food, and what goes into it. So I know I can grow the highest quality and most nutritious food I can get. Many people advise investing in the stock market or pension funds, and that's sound advice, but I don't think enough people talk about investing in their own

health. So I view growing food as a huge investment in my health and the health of my family. And some people may not appreciate it as much as I do. And that's absolutely normal. But for me, when it comes to creating the highest quality diet, finding the best ingredients is something I'm willing to invest in. And finally, remember, this is very important. Your own path to health and your diet are completely unique to you. All people are different. We all need different things. This has been my personal journey to improving my nutrition over time, and it will be different for everyone