When it comes to what sorts of food are best for us, opinions abound. There's a never-ending avalanche of nutritional advice from many different sources: social media, news sites, television ads, books, and such.
Often this advice isn't based on scientific facts. That's why I was thrilled to see the special issue of New Scientist that arrived in the mail recently. The cover headline: How to Eat Better: The Seven Chewiest Questions About Nutrition and Your Health.
Here's the questions and a brief summary of the answers. (New Scientist is a British publication, so some spellings are different from American English.)
(1) Could when you eat matter as much as what you eat? Not really. But it's advised to "get most of your calories earlier in the day and avoid eating altogether during your biological night, which for non-owls starts around 8pm." Owls, who wake late and go to bed late, could eat later at night.
(2) What's the truth about hormone-balancing diets? Hormones vary a lot, so the notion of balancing doesn't make much sense. However, it's still good advice to follow hormone diets touted on social media just because they make good general nutritional sense: "eat more wholegrains, more lean proteins, plant-based fats, fruits, vegetables, high fibre foods."
(3) Is snacking really that bad for you? It depends on the quality of the snack. "If you are a grazer, as long as you're grazing on healthy food and not grazing late at night, current evidence would support that can be part of a healthy, balanced dietary pattern."
(4) What's the real supernutrient we don't get enough of? Fiber (or fibre, in British English). "Few of us appreciate just how far-reaching its health benefits go... high fibre diets lead to lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels." Good sources are vegetables, fruits, wholegrain cereals, nuts, peas and beans.
(5) Do anti-inflammatory diets work? Once again, a diet that reduces chronic inflammation, which is implicated in cardiovascular disease, cancer, arthritis, and dementia, is simply a good diet in general. "A fibre-poor diet will be more pro-inflammatory... diets that seem to offer protection are those already recognised as broadly healthy: low in processed foods, saturated fats, salt and sugars."
(6) Is personalized nutrition worth it? Probably not. "A 2023 report from the UK's Food Standards Agency concluded that the benefits of personalised nutrition 'seem somewhat marginal when compared to what is already understood about a healthy diet.'"
(7) Are fermented foods all they are cracked up to be? "The case is strongest for yogurt...[but] some of the benefits may have nothing to do with fermentation...yogurt is high in calcium, a nutrient helpful for stronger bones." Be cautious about making your own fermented food like yogurt, kombucha, sauerkraut, and kimchi. Inexpert at-home fermentation can foster harmful pathogens like salmonella.
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