Researchers at Yale University published a paper entitled, “Can We Say What Diet Is Best for Health?”

As part of it, they examined the major diets of the day: Paleo, low glycemic, Mediterranean and vegan among others.

They discovered that if a diet is set in rigid principles, the outcome will not be the best for your health.

Despite the pervasiveness of these diets in culture and media, Katz and Meller write, “There have been no rigorous, long-term studies comparing contenders for best diet laurels using methodology that precludes bias and confounding. For many reasons, such studies are unlikely.”

They conclude that no diet is clearly best, but there are common elements across eating patterns that are proven to be beneficial to health. “A diet of minimally processed foods close to nature, predominantly plants, is decisively associated with health promotion and disease prevention.”

The findings call to mind Michael Pollan’s iconic book Food Rules: An Eater’s Manual. It’s a timeless blueprint for developing a healthy relationship with food – encouraging readers to go back in time and avoid manufactured food.

Pollan’s motto was simple: “Eat food. Not too much. Plants mostly.”