Reimagining Nutrition: Is the 1970s Legacy Holding Us Back?

Reviewed by Dr Mitra Dutt

How many times have you been told to load your plate with “healthy wholegrains” and eat a “low-fat diet”? And what about that clever nugget of weight-loss wisdom, “eat less”?

These mantras have been repeated so often across popular media and over the decades that they are considered hard facts. And yet, nutrition science has not stood still. In fact, it is picking up pace and entering realms that were hard to imagine several decades ago. For example, studies are coming in thick and fast on topics such as:

• Gut microbes and their effects on health and disease.
• Dietary strategies to improve cognitive impairment and mental health conditions.
• Nutrigenomics - the identification of person's genetic variations so that their diet can be tailored precisely.

Bad diet advice

The “healthy” wholegrains and low-fat, low-calorie diets of the past few decades are not rooted in recent evidence. In fact, many of us would argue, as nutritionists, that these popular concepts are holding people back on their health journey. Consider this:

• Wholegrains contain more fibre and nutrients than refined, white grains, but they still contain far fewer nutrients than vegetables, meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds and dairy foods. In addition, a diet high in wholegrains is a diet high in carbohydrates. For most people, a high-carb diet is more likely to lead to insulin resistance and metabolic conditions such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and difficulty managing weight. In fact, research is showing great results for low-carb diets in reversing metabolic disease such as type 2 diabetes, improving cognitive function and helping with depression.
  
• Low-fat diets are a disaster for most people. The fat-soluble vitamins – A, D, E and K – are found in dietary fat, so if you always opt for low-fat versions of foods, you can easily miss out on these valuable nutrients. In addition, you’re likely to increase your intake of additives, fillers, sugars and starches as something has to replace the flavour, texture and calories of fat. If you’re not convinced enough already, note that our brain and nerves need fatty acids and our sex hormones – testosterone and oestrogen – are made from fat.
  
• Eat less? If this was the answer to weight loss and weight management, there would not be an obesity crisis. Clearly, many of us just can’t do this for an extended period of time – the body reacts to a low food intake as if a famine is coming and slows down metabolism to keep hold of fat stores. This is why many people don’t eat very much at all but still find it hard to lose weight. To compound the problem, keeping calories low more often than not will eventually drive us to eat anything and everything in an attempt to load up before the food runs out.
  

Leaving calories behind

A more sustainable approach to weight loss and management is to look not at calories but at the effects different foods have in the body.

And it’s really not rocket science: fat has a minimal effect on blood glucose and insulin, protein has a moderate effect and carbohydrate (starch and sugar) has a significant effect. Insulin is the storage hormone – it puts a stop to the burning of body fat and makes sure we store the excess sugar we eat in our fat cells. Designing meals to contain protein and the natural fats that come packaged with protein (think meat, fish, eggs, nuts, dairy, seeds, for example) is the best way to make meals satisfying, nourishing for the body and brain, and great for weight management.

Let’s put away the tired diet mantras from the 1970s that supported the sales of cereals, treats and processed foods, and choose instead whole foods and low-sugar dietary strategies that are backed by modern research. The future is ours.

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