At Foodstream we want to go beyond the headlines to examine the topics important to our members and fulfill our mission of being the intelligence layer of food security. This week we examine some of the current ideas important in nutrition and diet.
Fad diets of all kinds have been in the public discourse for decades. They reflect people’s desire to lose weight or generally improve their health. Celebrities, TV doctors, social media influencers and hucksters looking to make a quick buck all promise that through the latest superfood, method or “one weird trick” you too can become the pinnacle of fitness. But what does science say and what are the current debates in nutrition and diet?
Fad Diets
Some of the popular fad diets currently being promoted are:
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- Ketogenic: Focuses on high fat and protein while severely restricting carbs to induce ketosis, a metabolic state where the body burns fat for fuel. Examples include the Atkins and Keto diets.
- Paleolithic (Paleo): Based on the presumed diet of early hunter-gatherers, emphasizing lean meats, fruits, and vegetables while excluding dairy, grains, and legumes.
- Detox & Cleanses: Short-term plans like the Master Cleanse or juice fasts that claim to “flush toxins” from the body, often using liquid-only regimens or supplements.
- Intermittent Fasting: Focuses on when you eat rather than what you eat, cycling between periods of fasting and eating.
- Extreme Diets: Diets that focus on one food or extreme restrictions of types of foods. For example, the carnivore diet promotes eating only meat.
Dangers of Fad Diets
Certain fad diets come with health risks, especially the more restrictive or extreme versions of otherwise healthy diets. The first and most important risk to health from restrictive diets is the potential for macro or micro nutrient deficiency. Other diets may have positive short-term effects, but lead to long-term health problems. For example, over consumption of certain foods like meat may help with calorie restriction in the short term, but can lead to over consumption of saturated fat and cholesterol, which can lead to heart disease and other negative health conditions. The diagram below published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition illustrates some of the risks associated with fad diets.
Consensus on Healthy Diets
For the average person it can seem hard to actually know what constitutes a healthy diet. Author Michael Pollan famously advised people to “Eat food. Not too much…mostly plants” and to not eat anything your grandmother wouldn’t recognize as food. This simplification reflects what most experts agree on. Limiting excess calories, particularly from processed sugars, helps prevent obesity. Eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains provides micronutrients and fiber that help your digestion and body’s functions. Macronutrients like protein and unsaturated fats from lean meats and plant sources help your body grow, absorb nutrients and build immunity. The best way to achieve this is where people differ.
Debate in the Science of Nutrition & Diet
What are the actual debates in nutrition and diet? With the changes in the federal dietary guidelines previously discussed by Foodstream, there are some disagreements among researchers, public health officials, medical professionals and anyone in the public health discourse. Here are some of the current points of contention in diet and nutrition.
- Macronutrients: The debate around consumption of macronutrients like protein and fat stems from how much you actually need versus the negative secondary effects of eating high quantities of animal products. The new government guidelines argue increased proteins and fats are part of a healthy lifestyle. Critics argue that the average person doesn’t need more macronutrients and the increased risk of diet related diseases outweighs any benefits.
- Highly Processed and Ultra-Processed Foods: The current NOVA definition of ultra-processed foods used by most academics and researchers is industrial formulations that contain five or more ingredients that are rare in home kitchens. The US government prefers the term “highly processed foods” which they define generally as packaged, prepared, ready-to-eat, or other foods that are salty or sweet. Whatever you call them, the debate centers around processed foods being all the same or not. Critics of processed foods say that they are high in calories, have little nutritional value and potentially harmful additives. Others argue that this is a generalization and there can be processed foods that offer nutritional value and they can be an affordable option for low-income people.
- Personalized Diets vs. General Guidance: Debates on the wisdom of universal healthy diets for the average person have emerged with critics saying factors like age, genetic makeup, or other individual factors make dietary needs different for each person. Some public advocates argue that general diet guidelines are sufficient for most healthy people and encouraging changes can lead to negative health outcomes.
- Definition of Health: Metrics like body mass index (BMI), which is used to estimate body fat, have become less used in health determinations by medical professionals. The universal nature of the BMI classifications did not factor in specifics of muscle versus fat and was seen as too general, as it only used height and weight. This shift away from BMI is part of a greater movement toward a more holistic classification of health. In the case of diet, the current shift in dietary guidelines argue that eating whole foods are more important than tracking individual nutrients like fat or sodium. Critics argue that this lack of focus on specifics can lead to overconsumption of unhealthy nutrients like saturated fat and cholesterol.
When considering new diets, be aware of methods that promise a quick fix or seem too good to be true – because they usually are. It’s also important to consider your individual health needs when considering a diet trend. Many conditions can be exacerbated or negatively impacted by drastic changes in diet. With that, let us know what works for you or something we missed.
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