(Why) Everything you know about nutrition is wrong

"A little bit of what you fancy does you good" this was my Grandparents saying.

A varied diet, move as much as you are able, keep your mind active, that is it.

These surveys and research projects provide employment for lots of under/post graduates. Every single "project" gives a different result.......suspicious moi???

Yes, it's a really interesting article. Diet alone doesn't do it, but you can choose foods which help. There are reputable studies which give good indications. I think it is widely accepted that if what you like is heaps of sugary things, you're going to have a higher risk of chronic Western illnesses. Having good genes helps to protect you and you've no control of that. A lot of it is lifestyle though. It's quite hard for people to change their lifestyles, although over the last century the West has done pretty well at creating one where obesity is becoming more or less the norm.

I think we should be aware that much of the 'food' available now is processed and made from ingredients that we humans have not evolved to eat. Much of what we take for granted as being 'food' has only been available for a very, very short time on an evolutionary scale and we have no idea how they will affect us over the long term, nor how they will affect future generations (as with Pottenger's cats).

I don’t seem to be able to read the whole article as I get through two paragraphs & then it wants me to subscribe

But Monica I don’t think you can dismiss all observational studies just because they’re observational studies.

Nasopharyngeal cancer is very rare but much more common in southern Chinese people. Research has suggested consumption of dried salt fish as a risk factor.
I think it’s all about fitting pieces of a huge jigsaw puzzle together & perhaps just as dangerous to dismiss all research out of hand, as it is to believe every word.

moderation in all things is the way to eat and drink, I never take any notice of any demonisation towards a certain foodstuff.

The article was about general nutrition advice and its contribution to longevity rather than very clear connections with specific illnesses, such as the one you describe, janeainsworth, and there are other equally specific links between food and specific diseases.

But at the end of the day, too many studies can and are contradictory so at present the sensible thing to do is ignore all the horror stories that if you eat broccoli your chances of cancer of the earlobe quadruple, ie go from 0.000001% to 0.000004%.

There is no evidence that eating excessive quantities of sugar or living off processed foods will do you any harm, providing on that choice of foods you do not put on excessive weight and are regularly active.

this article that is linked to in the New Scientist article, explains it further.

Gonegirl, Exactly so.

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I too am in agreement with Nanny007..most of all foods are full of poisons to make them more palatable..even if we use organic foods they are still contaminated because over time the soil is contaminated

Zsarina
When you say "most of all foods are full of poisons" are you talking about fresh non processed produce, such as from a farmer's market, or about processed and packed foods with added stuff to make it keep longer?

Eating the right foods begins from an early part of life and what you eat depends on how you fare for the rest of your life.
If you're fed a variety of foodstuffs from the beginning it sets you in good stead for the years ahead.

I've thankfully/luckily maintained pretty well the same weight throughout the years by a regime which has always ,suited me. I eat well with what I class as the " best " in everything and only eat when I'm hungry and not because it's lunch/dinnertime, which means that I can go all day without food until my stomach rumbles then I'll set to and cook myself whatever I fancy and thoroughly enjoy it.

I fed the family well too and the results are evident as all members keep free from serious illness thank God.

As long as there's a variety and no junk. My mum's suet dumplings/puds were to die for ! No doubt people would now be up in arms at the suet. Stews/hot-pots shepherd's pies, all fresh produce. I still do the same during the winter months.

It’s a very sweeping statement to claim that everything we knew about nutrition is wrong.

We have been urged for years to eat more fruit and vegetables and that advice still stands.

It really all boils down to eating food in its natural state where possible. The main problem though is portion size.

I am always shocked at the massive portions served up in restaurants these days. No wonder there is such an obesity crisis.

Yes I agree with you about portion sizes JenniferEccles far too much given and in fact puts me off eating when I am faced with a heaped plate. The same goes for drinks too, some wine glasses are huge now.

At a supper party with some girlfriends recently, weight issues came up. One person said she felt it starts with giving children plenty on their plate and telling them to leave what they don’t want, she said we’ve all done that. I said no, I never did that, I always gave mine smaller portions and said they could have more if still hungry, I hate to see food wasted. She seemed very surprised, but that’s what I did, and still do actually.

After years of hearing horror stories about the good old egg and how we shouldn't eat more than two or three a week, I was intrigued to hear of a recent Australian study that claims we can eat a dozen eggs a week for a a year and it will not have any negative effects at all on our systems.

Eggs have Always been one of my foods and as a child they were part of my breakfast in one form or another most days.

They are also one of the cheapest forms of protein.

Whenever I feel a bit off colour, I have to eat soft boiled eggs. I think a boiled egg is like a large, natural, multivitamin and mineral pill.

You can feel it doing you good.

Published studies generally have money behind them.
Someone is getting the information out on whatever business they are in.
The sugar lobby is enormous for example.

You do have to use your own wits and I think it's best to think about what foods have been eaten for a long time and so proven they are ok.
I have never eaten margarine it made no sense to me...and tasted awful I stick to butter or olive oil. New info suggest seed oils are not healthy in large quantities. They are the wrong type of Omega. ^ not 3.
In fact the old lard and dripping are healthier than sunflower oil but i can't eat them too much fat for my taste.
Eat natural foods and you can only go wrong is you have an allergy.

Gonegirl I love your description of the humble egg!! and totally agree with you.

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Quite simple really. Ignore it all. Eat less, exercise more and keep off processed foods as much as possible. Everything in moderation.