Every long-lived cuisine has already solved most of the problems you'll run into.
Traditional food systems
Long before nutrition science, people figured out balanced meals through generations of trial and error. Mediterranean, Japanese, Indian, Mexican, West African, and countless other traditions each carry an internal logic — which foods pair, which are cooling or warming, what to eat in which season.
A few well-studied traditions
- · Mediterranean — plants, olive oil, fish, fermented dairy
- · Japanese — rice, fish, fermented soy, sea vegetables
- · Indian (regional) — legumes, spices, ghee, fermented dairy
- · Mexican (traditional) — corn, beans, squash, chilies
None of these is a rulebook. Treat them as libraries. Borrow the parts that make sense in your own kitchen.
Something to investigate
Which tradition is closest to how you already eat? Which one is furthest?