We Actually Know What We Should Eat

The constant noise of new diet theories can make every choice seem wrong, but there are tried-and-true ways to achieve good nutrition

By Mark Bittman and David L. Katz

March 7, 2020 12:01 am ET

https://www.wsj.com/articles/we-actually-know-what-we-should-eat-11583540287?shareToken=st62959c21f7934e9abe4b1f1e2ef85ffd

Quotes

Before the 20th century, humans knew what to eat: Little or no junk (not much existed); animal products in moderation (far less was available); and relatively unprocessed plant foods in abundance.

In eras before that, it was even simpler: Humans ate everything we could find that wasn’t poisonous, and as long as we found enough of it in sufficient variety, we generally did fine.

...beginning in the 19th century and accelerating through the 20th, mass production and marketing of new foods began to dominate. Science and industry combined to find ways to create shelf-stable, nutrient-poor, high-calorie ultra-processed foods, from cheeseburgers to sodas, as well as almost anything you see in a vending machine or next to the checkout counter. These have generated a public health crisis that requires us to relearn what every human once knew from instinct and experience.

The now-constant barrage of headlines about nutrition science can make us feel like we’re doing everything wrong.

Highly processed foods, especially meats, and added sugar and salt are all significant contributors to heart disease and other chronic killers.

...unsaturated fats from nuts, seeds, fruits and fish tend to be beneficial, while saturated fats, commonly found in meat and dairy and far too commonly consumed, tend to be detrimental. Fiber and added sugars are simpler to sum up—in our modern habits we badly need more of the former and less of the latter.

...we already knew, based on massive evidence, that people eating beans and legumes routinely had better health, not worse.

A 2010 study found the single largest reduction in heart disease risk among women who replaced beef with beans. Another published in 2016, which followed more than 100,000 people for more than 30 years, showed markedly lower mortality when more calories came from plant protein—notably beans—than from animal protein. Beans are one of the most common foods in the world’s “blue zones,” where people routinely live to 100.

Are milk products good or bad? Yes—depending on what dairy, what farm, your metabolism, your genes and what it replaces in your diet. Milk (either whole or skim) is a good thing if it is replacing Coke or Pepsi. Good cheese is an upgrade from cheese puffs. Greek yogurt is a far better snack than pork rinds.

A 2010 study from Harvard showed that cardiovascular disease in women was reduced when protein from beans replaced protein from meat and poultry—and even fish.

There is no one best diet. Good diets can be low or high in fat or carbohydrates, as long as they are made up of wholesome foods, and mostly plants.