Human Nutrition is a frustrating subject for many people, and it is easy to see why. The information that gets thrown at the public (by those who interpret scientific research for us) is always in flux. To confuse matters more, many journalists who don’t know how to properly analyze a scientific journal are prone to oversimplify the results of a new study, especially if it makes for good headlines. Even worse yet, many studies are funded by corporations or big agribusiness, where there are obvious conflicts of interest.

Science in the realm of human physiology is hardly ever black and white; the human body is just too complex to be fully understood, so it should come as no surprise that scientific studies can have conflicting results. However, there are trends in past and ongoing research suggesting that certain adjustments to your diet will affect many aspects of your health. The cynic will say, “Yeah, I heard those things are bad for you, but my grandfather drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, ate steak n eggs every day, and still lived to be 86 years old.” Well, not only did the cynic’s grandfather grow up in a different era – it sounds like he happened to have very forgiving genes as well. Genetics plays a huge role in the disease process, ultimately determining how an individual’s body reacts to the food that it is nourished and/or assaulted with. Nonetheless, even if you have “good genes,” the quality of your life in the 21st century will be intensely determined by what you eat. So the question really should be, “How much do you care about your health?”

Margarine vs. Butter
Remember when butter was branded as “bad” (because of all the saturated fat) and people started buying margarine instead? Remember how research subsequently discovered that the hydrogenated vegetable oils of older margarines were even more detrimental (due to the trans-fats)? This kind of back-and-forth leads many people to give up on nutrition; they say, “The information is always changing, so I just eat whatever I want.” Well, I can empathize with that point of view...but I also see obesity and other diet-related health problems all around me...
I will be writing on many topics (not only food) as frequently as my time allows; if you are interested in the nuances of what the research really tells us about how food affects your body and mind, then please keep an eye out for my articles on Xomba!
(Note: I have a graduate degree in Nutrition, but my writing is not influenced by money. In other words, I don’t work for the Dairy Council, a nutraceutical company, or any such institution).