Agrarian
Lots of plants, lil’ bit of everything else
Agrarians aren’t built for diet fads. Butter coffee and collagen? Nope. Carnivore? Nope. Keto? Not with animal fats. Vegan? Not a good fit either.
Although a plant forward template is their happy zone, Agrarians are in the camp that can handle all in moderation. They sit right in the middle of our fat scoring matrix which means they can eat some saturated fat, but shouldn’t make it a staple.
The same can be said for Agrarians and carbohydrates. Of course, with a name like Agrarian, these genotypes can handle some grains from time to time and will do a better job of handling the blood sugar spikes than some others, but this doesn’t mean they also shouldn’t be aware of their blood sugar numbers as well. Refined grains and sugar aren’t a good idea on this diet.
True to its name, this is a farmer’s market diet. Freshness of food is key for Agrarians because they are more likely to have issues clearing histamine. This doesn’t mean going down a histamine rabbit hole (you’ll get lost down there), but it does mean Agrarians will usually want to pass on leftovers, meal prep services, aged cheeses and meats, as well as fermented foods.
What is the scientific basis for this diet? With macronutrient recommendations of 25% fats, 55% carbohydrates, and 20% protein, largely from plant sources, the Agrarian diet fits squarely within the current United States Dietary Guidelines. For more on the science of nutrigenomics, see our science page which we keep up to date with the latest studies on DNA diets.
Most closely related diet: Nordic
Primary difference with Nordic: Nordic and Agrarian diet types will have similar scores for carbohydrate clearance and fat metabolism. The major difference between these two diets is with dairy. Agrarians can handle some dairy but have issues with histamine. By contrast, Nordic diet types have normal histamine scores, but are very likely lactose intolerant.
Biggest challenge: Like all of the diets in our system that flag high for histamine, Agrarians are tasked with figuring out for themselves which foods and lifestyle choices overflow their “histamine bucket.”
Red meat friendly? No pun intended, but on “rare” occasions Agrarians can celebrate with a small piece of grass fed beef. The trick is to limit saturated fat and not to make beef a staple.
Keto friendly: No. Agrarians don’t deal well enough with dietary fats of any kind to go full “Keto.”
Carnivore diet friendly? Nope.
Does this diet type handle fermented foods? Likely, no. Agrarians tend to have poor histamine clearance and therefore want to limit or exclude fermented foods altogether.
What about pancakes and refined grains: Assuming the celiac genes look good, Agrarians can handle some high quality sourdough bread and even a pancake from time to time as they have strong carbohydrate clearance. Having said that, low quality grain and wheat products aren’t a good idea for anyone to include as a staple.
Go to breakfast: Buckwheat porridge with almond butter and a banana.