In today’s world of diet fads, social media influencers, and conflicting nutritional advice, it’s difficult to separate fact from fiction. But according to leading nutritionist Federica Amati, the best dietary advice isn’t new, innovative or fad; it’s rooted in common sense. And more importantly, it works.
Amati, a registered dietitian and medical scientist, has dedicated much of her career to studying how diet affects everything from mental health to longevity. in hay festival And in a subsequent interview, she emphasized that the basics of healthy eating, such as consuming more vegetables and whole foods, remain the most reliable foundation for good health.
science-based diet
“Our grandmother was right,” she said in an interview. ZME Science. “The simple things they taught us, like eating your vegetables first, were always good advice, and now the science backs it up.”
Amati is passionate about bringing people together through a science-backed approach to food. “There’s a lot of noise in the world,” she says. And in fact, there are so many modern fad diets that claim to have cracked the code to perfect health. But in most cases, it’s simple things like eating more fiber that really make a difference.
“The vast majority of us, around 90% of adults in the UK and up to 95% in the US, don’t consume the minimum daily requirement for dietary fibre. This means we consume around 30 grams of fiber per day. on average, which means you’re getting 18 grams of fiber. That’s a long way off target. So starting with fiber is a great place to start.”
“That means whole grains, legumes, legumes, vegetables; [leafy greens]But also mushrooms and basically all vegetables and all nuts and seeds. Add more of them to your plate and make sure you’re getting fiber at every meal. ”
Fiber should be a priority, but it’s not the only thing, emphasizes Amati. Nothing affects your diet, for better or for worse. In fact, she says a good way to eat healthy is to simply follow common sense. But what does this mean?
healthy pattern
We often hear things like “carbs are bad” and “protein is good,” but Amati cautions that we’re not consuming individual nutrients. Since we eat food, or eating patterns, we should always try to be aware of what those patterns are.
“Rather than focusing on individual foods or individual meals, look at your eating patterns as a whole: not daily, but weekly, monthly, and throughout the year. How often you eat, what foods you eat, etc. Take a step back and look at the overall pattern. If you bring more of the foods you want to eat into your home, you’ll automatically eat those foods.”
One of the most compelling examples of a common sense diet backed by science is the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is not a strict menu, but a general pattern. It’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, healthy fats like olive oil, and low in dairy and meat. There’s a lot of research to back this up, Amati said at the Hay Festival panel.
“There’s evidence across all health outcomes. There’s hundreds of studies. We have epidemiological data. If you follow people over long periods of time and you track what they eat, you can track that. We now know clearly that people who do this tend to live longer and have the best health outcomes.”
Amati is clear that adopting a Mediterranean diet doesn’t mean making dramatic changes overnight. The key is to implement small, sustainable changes. For example, you can start by replacing processed snacks with nuts or adding more leafy greens to your diet. You don’t have to review everything at once.
She also warns against being too strict. If you’re in an airport or somewhere that doesn’t have Mediterranean diet foods, that’s okay. It’s not a tragedy if you feel like eating a hamburger every now and then. “It’s not what you eat that day that matters, but your long-term eating patterns.”
Intestinal bacteria and ultra-processed foods
However, if there’s one thing to watch out for, it’s ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are a growing concern in modern diets. But the problem is that it’s quite difficult to even define what they are. Some things, like soda and potato chips, are clearly ultra-processed foods (UPF). But others, such as sweetened breakfast cereals and some deli meats, don’t scream “UPF” and can deceive consumers.
Considering ultra-processed foods are “industrially produced ready-to-eat foods,” Amati says, they are typically made in factories, heavily packaged, and packed with marketing messages to make them look appealing. Good, Amati said.
A key characteristic of ultra-processed foods, she says, is that they contain ingredients you would never use at home, such as gums, emulsifiers, sweeteners and colorings. Food may be ultra-processed if it contains additives or extracts that you wouldn’t have access to in your home kitchen.
For example, she emphasizes that even seemingly natural products, such as “100% Natural Chicken Breast Skewers,” often contain dozens of unnecessary ingredients when you check the label. Instead, she advises preparing whole foods yourself, such as buying a simple chicken breast and seasoning it at home.
As Amati explains, the gut microbiome (essentially the ecosystem of bacteria that lives in the gut) plays a critical role in overall health, affecting everything from mental health to immune function. influence.
“We know that a healthy gut can improve mental health, reduce inflammation, and even impact heart disease,” she says. Amati points to basics like eating fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, but also says fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir may also help the gut microbiome. .
“Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which can help support a healthy microbiome,” she says. “Incorporating these foods into your diet, even in small amounts, can make a big difference.”
Block out the noise and follow science-backed advice
Federica Amati’s message is clear. A common sense diet, backed by scientific evidence, remains the best way to improve and protect your health. Flashy diets and extreme advice may garner attention on social media, but they often lack research to back them up.
“Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s the simple things that work: more vegetables, more whole grains, and less processed foods. It’s important to create long-term sustainable habits.”
Federica Amati’s new book “Every Body Should Know This: The Science of Eating for Lifelong Health‘ is available for purchase on Amazon.
Read the full interview with Federica Amati. on Youtube.
