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Optimum Nutrition

Discover optimum nutrition: a low carbohydrate, high protein and high fat plan that mirrors body composition and cuts obesity, diabetes and heart risk.

Chris Farmer, Founder of Corporate Coach Group

“Your body is 60% water, 16% protein, 15% fat and just 1% carbohydrate, so the smart diet mirrors that mix: drink plenty, load up on protein and healthy fat, strip back starch, and you will see weight, blood sugar and heart risk fall.”

Chris Farmer — Founder, Corporate Coach Group

Optimum Nutrition

Optimum Nutrition

Every human being is fundamentally made up of water, fat, and protein, with carbohydrates constituting a mere 1% of our body. This fact about our makeup should dictate the basis of dietary recommendations.

Human Body Composition

Our bodies are approximately 60% water, 15% fat, and 16% protein. In contrast, carbohydrates make up only about 1%.

This raises a critical question: Why do conventional dietary guidelines advocate for a diet mostly based on carbohydrates, often constituting up to 60% of daily caloric intake?

The Fault in Our Dietary Guidelines

The standard dietary advice pushes for a high intake of carbohydrates-grains, fruits, and vegetables.

Given that our physiological composition is 1% carbohydrate, why would our diets not mirror this fact?

The human body is capable of converting fats into energy through processes like ketogenesis, a fact exemplified by populations like the Inuit (Eskimos) who thrive on a diet rich in proteins and fats with minimal carbohydrates. They are much healthier than most westerners following a high carbohydrate high sugar diet.

Challenging High Carbohydrate Diets

The overwhelming amounts of carbohydrates in our diet is not just a deviation from our physiological needs but a direct contradiction to it.

Look around: obesity, diabetes, and heart diseases are rampant under the current dietary regime that vilifies meats and glorifies carbohydrates.

It's clear-the advice handed down through our dietary guidelines does not reflect our bodies' true needs.

Diets that Reflect Our Physiology

It's time to correct the course and advocate for dietary guidelines that align with the universal human composition.

A shift toward higher protein and fat intake, with carbohydrates minimised to reflect their actual presence in our bodies (1%), mirrors our physiological composition more accurately. This approach promises not only to align our diet with our biological design but also to remedy the chronic health issues prevalent in modern societies.

If our bodies are composed of 60% water, 15% fat, and 16% protein, with only about 1% carbohydrates, our diet should reflect these proportions.

This is not just a hypothesis, but a conclusion drawn from observing the universal human condition. Our diets should prioritise fats and proteins, with carbohydrates playing a much smaller role, to truly meet the criteria of optimum nutrition.

optimum nutrition

In public health nutrition, optimum nutrition is the dietary principle that mirrors human body make-up by stressing water, protein and fat, capping carbohydrate near one per cent of calories, and guarding weight, blood sugar and heart health.

CG4D Definition

Context: Public health nutrition
Genus: Dietary principle

  • Matches food macronutrient mix to human body composition
  • Gives protein and fat the main share of energy intake
  • Keeps carbohydrate intake at about one per cent of daily calories
  • Targets healthy weight, normal blood sugar and strong heart health

Article Summary

Your body is 60% water, 16% protein, 15% fat and just 1% carbohydrate, so the smart diet mirrors that mix: drink plenty, load up on protein and healthy fat, strip back starch, and you will see weight, blood sugar and heart risk fall.

Chris Farmer, Founder of Corporate Coach Group

Written by Chris Farmer

Founder & Lead Trainer, Corporate Coach Group

Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has over 25 years experience designing and delivering leadership and management training across both the public and private sectors. His programmes are structured, practical and built around real-world performance. Read more about Chris and the story of how the Corporate Coach Group was founded.

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Key Statistics

In 2023, 64% of adults in England were classed as overweight or obese, up from 61% in 2019, while government guidance still advises that starchy carbohydrates should provide over half of daily calories.

A 2024 randomised trial in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe showed that adults with type-2 diabetes following a low-carb high-fat diet cut their HbA1c by 1.3 points and lost 8 kg in six months, compared with a 0.4-point drop and 2 kg loss on a high-carb plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about this topic

Our body is only one per cent carbohydrate, so matching intake avoids excess blood sugar and helps weight control.
With fewer carbs, the body enters ketogenesis, turning stored and eaten fat into steady, clean fuel.
Research ties such diets to rising obesity, type-2 diabetes and heart disease rates seen across modern populations.
Evidence from groups like the Inuit shows humans thrive on protein and healthy fat, with improved weight, blood sugar and heart markers.
Prioritise meat, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts and natural oils; cut starchy grains and sugary snacks to keep carbs low.
Yes. Water forms sixty per cent of us, so drinking plenty aids digestion, circulation and the metabolic shift away from carbohydrates.
Mirror your body: stay hydrated, make energy mainly from fat and protein, and cap carbohydrate at about one per cent.

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