Everything You Wanted to Know About Nutrition

Surprisingly, a lot of people have no idea how to eat. All other species on Earth do not experience such difficulties. Our ancestors must also have known what was, until our too large brain complicated everything. And now we are the only species that doubts the “correctness” of the diet.

We are constantly confused by bloated headlines, echo cameras, and profiteers who are happy to cash in on fast food and trendy diets. As a result, proper nutrition is given with such difficulty, not because it is so complicated, but because it is difficult for us to make a choice in his favor.

With this in mind, we invited friends, acquaintances, and readers to ask anything they wanted about diets and nutrition. And they answered these questions based on scientific consensus, without unnecessary ranting and mentioning the word “wellness”. We wanted to dispel myths and show that eating well is easier than it sounds. Here are our answers – carefully assembled, deeply studied and completely comprehensive.

Veganism, vegetarianism or omnivorous?

We do not know, because there has been no research on which diet is “the best” for a person. Most likely, this is generally impossible to verify.

So for health, this combination is best: lots of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, and thirst – plain water. It may or may not include seafood, dairy, eggs, and some meat. The diet may be low or high fat.

What about all kinds of diets? For example, will paleo diet change my life?

A true paleo diet is almost certainly good for health, because it is our body that is adapted to it. But what is this?

Well, nutrition is like in the Stone Age. Meat and fruits. And maybe eggs. And the bacon!

Paleo diet is not an excuse for eating bacon. And no reason to abandon whole grains. And it’s not necessary to eat eggs, or even meat.

But what about burgers and pepperoni? Are they part of the paleo diet?

Proper nutrition

There were no burgers or pepperoni in the Stone Age. And bacon too.

What then is there?

Nutrition experts in the Stone Age believe that our ancestors (who, incidentally, were gatherers) ate a varied, ever-changing plant food. Every day they received about 100 grams of fiber from it. Today, on average, we eat about 15 grams of fiber per day.

It is also believed that they ate a large number of insects. Few modern paleo diet adepts are willing to try this. Even then, they probably ate cereals. There is evidence that they were eaten about 100,000 years ago. And, of course, the meat of wild animals. There were no domesticated animals in the Stone Age, with the possible exception of a wolf.

In any case, the nutrition our body has adapted to is almost certainly much healthier than the modern diet. There is much evidence that diets consisting of minimally processed foods and plant-based diets help get rid of certain diseases.

So plant-based food is good. Maybe for a while switch to juices? Or is juice cleansing dangerous?

Usually not, it all depends on your health. But there is no benefit from such juices.

Don’t they cleanse the body?

This is promised on the packaging – but what should they be cleaned of?

From toxins?

The body daily removes toxins. This is the main task of the liver and kidneys, and they do an excellent job. The intestines, spleen, and immune system are also involved. Therefore, take good care of the liver, kidneys, intestines and immunity. It is much healthier than some kind of juice.

How to take care of them? Of course, take care of yourself: eat well, do not smoke, play sports, get enough sleep, limit stress.

A friend talks about stimulating ketosis all the time. What it is?

With ketodiet, glucose sources do not enter the body. This forces him to burn ketone bodies – products of fat metabolism.

But is it not harmful to health?

There is no evidence that such a diet is beneficial in the long run. And it is not established that it is better than other dietary regimes helps to improve health or lose weight.

But my friend is losing weight!

Not everything that quickly leads to weight loss or visible metabolic improvements is a good idea. Cholera also causes weight loss, blood sugar and lipids, but that does not mean that you want to get infected! The only time when a ketodiet is justified from a medical point of view is the treatment of refractory epilepsy in some cases, mainly in children.

Which is better: a plant-based diet with carbohydrates or a low-carb diet with meat?

According to existing data, a plant diet is much more useful in terms of two most important criteria: longevity and energy.

Carbohydrates are evil. This is the only thing I know about nutrition.

This is perhaps the most stupid of all the stupid misconceptions imposed by pop culture. All plant foods are a source of carbohydrates.

Yes, but they are evil.

A lot of foods – from lentils to candies, from beans to marmalade, from hazelnuts to donuts – are sources of carbohydrates. Most plants are almost entirely composed of these substances.