Three things everybody agrees about nutrition

Credit: www.eatforhealth.gov.au

What should you eat?

The answer is confused by any number of factors, including:

● people who regard their food preferences as nutritional imperitives

● people who (often unconsciously) regard food as entertainment, a cure for boredom or stress, or a solution to any number of psychological symptoms, & ignore nutrition

● propaganda from marketing organisations for food industries — beef, sugar, salt etc.

● charlatans who want to part you from your money with large volumes of cheap fat, sugar & salt, fad diets, or devices such as blenders

http://lifehacker.com/why-theres-so-much-confusion-over-nutrition-and-fitness-1572870867

However, there are three things almost all authorities agree on:
1. Minimise sugar
2. Avoid artificial trans fats
3. Eat more vegetables

If you read the comments in the article below, keep in mind:

● Ignore most of the fruit vs vegetables debate. A botanist will tell you that a fruit is the part of a flower in which the seeds develop¹. Thus, a wheat grain & a tomato are fruits & an apple is a false (or accessory) fruit² (to a botanist, the fruit of an apple is the fibrous part around the seeds that you probably throw away — the core). For a discussion of nutrition, the botanist’s definition is irrelevant. This is much more useful: “From a culinary standpoint, vegetables are less sweet — or more savory — & served as part of the main dish. Fruits are more sweet & tart & are most often served as a dessert or snack.”³ So vegetables include what the botanist will call a fruit (tomato), stem (celery), leaf (lettuce), flower (broccoli), root (carrot) & tuber (potato), but exclude grains, nuts & seeds.

● If a “diet” differs from the advice given above & in the article linked below, it is generally the “diet” which is wrong. Keep in mind that many popular diets were originally designed to treat specific medical conditions & may even be dangerous if used for other purposes.

http://vitals.lifehacker.com/the-only-three-things-everybody-agrees-on-when-it-comes-1709039566
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¹ “What's the Difference Between a Fruit & a Vegetable?” http://www.livescience.com/33991-difference-fruits-vegetables.html
² “Accessory fruit”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accessory_fruit
³ “Fruit or vegetable — Do you know the difference?”, http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/nutrition-and-healthy-eating/expert-blog/fruit-vegetable-difference/bgp-20056141 / not much agreement about nutrition fat salt carbs government guidelines paleo vegan fad diets eggs white bread low-fat salad dressing three basic things sugar trans fat vegetables government guidelines controversial Paleo non-scientific disagree minimize sugar bad for you really bad for you World Health Organization evidence linking sugar to obesity tooth decay strict limit no more than 10% of your calories should come from added sugar Five percent even better food pyramid discouraged fats sweets calorie limit SoFAS solid fats added sugars added sugar calories can of Coke Starbucks smoothie allowed sugars for the day added sugars include table sugarsucrose corn syrup natural sweeteners honey maple syrup empty calories calories glass of milk side salad handful of nuts burger calories vitamins protein useful nutrients increases triglycerides bad cholesterol linked to diabetes endocrinologist Robert Lustig sugar fructose causes fatty liver chronic metabolic disease Paleo gurus The Sugar Association part of a healthy diet calorie content empty calories artificial trans fats partially hydrogenated oils trans fats aren’t found in nature oil donuts pie crusts frying oil margarine unhealthy saturated fats saturated fats trans fats nature dairy products conjugated linoleic acid harmless beneficial labeling partially hydrogenated oils heart disease diabetes obesity diet junk food fried foods mass-produced cupcakes USDA trans fat on their naughty listsolid fats SoFAS saturated fat World Health Organization paleo vegan processed foods eat more vegetables vegetarians vegetables paleo natural food vegetables USDA detox diet solid food veggies eat more vegetables potatoes starch starchy beans leafy greens vegetables health benefits vitamins fiber lowered lower risk of heart disease eat those veggies fruits too much sugar whole fruits sugar in fruit fiber purveyors of crap science gateway claims sales pitches too much sugar in our diet healthy diet lots of vegetables principles /