The first thing to realise is that new-year resolutions are a self-defeating sham inimical to the process of real and lasting change. The second thing to realise is that you will never change. But you can, maybe, eat a bit better. We all know, basically what that entailswillpower, produce, maybe some kind of juicer but its easy to get lost online, where counterintuitive, contradictory, and flatly absurd advice proliferates beneath every half-hearted healthy diet search. And so for this weeks Giz Asks, weve asked a number of experts to weigh in on the most healthy thing a person can eat.

Professor, Nutrition and Epidemiology, Harvard University

This type of question puts us in the realm of superfoods, a popular but poorly defined term that is typically more useful for marketing than nutrition guidance. While foods labelled as such may often have high levels of desirable nutrients, or may be linked to prevention of certain diseases, there are plenty of equally nutritious options that dont receive much hype. Variety in our diet is important not only to gain the benefit of eating a wide array of essential vitamins and minerals, but also to prevent one from eating too much (or too little) of a particular nutrient. It also keeps our meals interesting and flavorful.

Instead of getting too fixated on any individual food, zoom out to think about your diet as a whole, and the foods you include more and less often. In general, a healthy dietary pattern features abundant amounts of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, and nuts; moderate amounts of seafood, poultry, and dairy products; and lower amounts of red and processed meat, sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, and refined grains. While this way of eating is typical in a traditional Mediterranean Diet, these broader categories provide plenty of options to incorporate the flavors of your favourite cuisines. Indeed, in the long-term, the healthiest dietary pattern is the one that you can stick to!

Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Harvard University

All of the TV media medical darlings love the term superfoods. In this world of exaggerated and superfluous terms, superfoods is one of my absolute least favourites. Ironically, it may be more important to find foods to avoid then to focus only on a few foods we think are exceptionally beneficial.

For example, a diet rich in berries, coffee, fish, and lightly processed whole grains does not cancel out the impact of a dinner with a double bacon cheeseburger, ketchup, 60 french fries, and a soda. Foods are not like a drug which has a well-established molecular target with a direct treatment benefit. Foods are awesome because they represent hundreds of compounds with thousands of biological effects.

Even better is that a blueberry is different for you and for me, in part because of differences in our microbiome, but as important, I may have my blueberries on top of 1% yogurt and bran flakes and you may have yours on top of a full fat strawberry sundae with chocolate syrup and whipped cream. Funny thing is that with our current technology and research, I dont know which of us would benefit more from the blueberries (or, ironically, which of us would enjoy this meal more!)

Professor, Medicine, Stanford Prevention Research Center, whose research focuses on investigating the potential health benefits of various dietary components or food patterns

It can be confusing, and controversial to try to oversimplify food (i.e, this is the one best thing to eat), because some people try to game the system, eating poorly all day except for the one healthiest thing and feeling like theyre choosing well overall.

Rather than bickering over grains, red meat, dairy, or other tribal issues, Ive been trying to think more aspirationally.

Human health is one issue. Taste is critical and shouldnt be left outwe need to bring the pleasure and joy back to food. Environmental health is another issue that is gaining momentum in the food world (GHG, water usage, land usage/biodiversity). And there are many social justice issues that are relevant (e.g., fair wages for people working in agricultural settingscrop harvest, slaughterhouses). So, my aspirational goal is for people to look into these different areas and find the foods or dishes that are in the sweet savoury spot at the intersection of human health, great taste (unapologetic deliciousness), environmental health, and social justice.

And for this, there are hundreds of examplesalthough, to be fair, getting it right means finding out who grew the food, where, how, etc.

Professor of Nutrition, Food Studies, and Public Health and the author of Food Politics, among other books

One of the main principles of healthy eating is varietyconsume a wide variety of relatively unprocessed foods. No one food meets all nutritional requirements. Some foods have more of required nutrients than others, which is why its good to mix and match. With that said, vegetables! Eat the ones you like.

Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco, Research Scientist at the University of California Berkeley School of Public Health, and founder of the Health from the Soil Up Initiative, who studies the connections among health, culture, and agriculture

Your lawn.

Its an easy recipe: first, stop using herbicides and fertilisers on your lawn. Next, read Gaias Garden:AGuide to Home Scale Permaculture by Toby Hemenway, and start making soil lasagne (or sheet mulching, as he calls it). It can swiftly transform the lifeless dirt beyond your front door into carbon-rich soil, exploding with microbes and worms. All you need is manure, leaves, your neighbour's discarded Amazon cardboard boxes, and water.

Then plant a garden.

What to plant? Spices like oregano or thyme are rich in anti-inflammatory phytonutrients (antioxidants) so put them everywhere. Plus they repel noxious insects. Tomatoes are chock full of lycopene (good for the prostate and breast) and carrots have lutein (good for the eyes), while kale is an excellent source of iron and good chow for the healthy microbes in your gut. Basically, plant a rainbow on your lawn and dont worry about the weeds, because most of them are even better for you than the vegetables. Oxalis, or sourgrass, a common garden weed, is high in vitamin C, and mallow, another garden invasive, is super tasty and has more calcium than kale!

And there are other reasons why an edible lawn is the healthiest thing you can eat. Researchers in Colorado found that planting food next to sidewalks and on front yards, strengthens neighbourhoods, cuts down on crime, and builds what is calls collective efficacy. In general organic food has more nutrients than conventionally grown food, and you can be sure that no chemicals have entered your edible lawn. Researchers in Europe and the US discovered that children exposed to soil on sustainable farms are less likely to develop things like eczema, allergies or asthma. There is no reason why your edible lawn cant confer this same benefit.

One specific type of microbe, isolated from healthy soil, seems to trigger nerve pathways that improve mood and promote a sense of wellbeing. And then theres all the exercise: the squatting and lifting required to build good soil and grow vegetables.

Happy digging!

Featured image: Illustration: Benjamin Currie (Gizmodo)

Here is the original post:

What's the Healthiest Food? - Gizmodo UK