To think there is a poor understanding of a healthy diet?

[LivelyLemonQuoter]

I think most people think they know what a healthy diet looks like, but in reality they do not. I see so many comments on MN that demonstrate this.

The most common one is that fruit should be limited because of its sugar content. This is very bad advice. Sugar in fruit has little impact on our blood sugar levels. And most people in the UK do not eat enough fruit.

The other is concern over eating any carbs. Wholemeal bread and pasta is fine, carbs in pastry and doughnuts is not great though.

And most people need to eat more nuts. Nuts are very good for you and should be part of your regular diet.

I can’t say those are concerns I’ve seen on MN except for people who are on a calorie controlled diet reducing or cutting out carbs which I think is sensible.

The problem is that the advice on what is a healthy diet seems to change on a weekly basis.

Nope, supermarket wholemeal bread is pretty much the same as a doughnut...

Fruit isn't great for my blood sugar and oats was really bad, so it depends on how you process foods.

Agree about nuts.

That is people with a new diet to sell. The research is clear. Every day a portion of berries, nuts, flaxseed or chia seeds, three portions of fruit minimum, three minimum of veg, three of pulses.

I must say I find the weight loss threads on MN absolutely daunting. Surely eating shouldn't be so complicated and rule bound?
I don't really eat meat but apart from that generally live by the rule of avoiding processed food as much as possible but eating a varied diet that includes a lot of fruit , some veg and, actually, a lot of nuts. I've always liked " simple " food.

Which research do those figures come from?

Luckily my 6 year old can eat his body weight in fruit and veg

Academic research into the impact of lifestyles on health.

Three portions of pulses a day?! I think that is excessive. You're coming across as giving a lecture and as a bit of a know-it-all, tbh.

@DearBee a portion is what would fit in the palm of your hand.
Three portions of pulses a day is not excessive. It is simply that most peoples diet is poor.

Great. Can you link to the paper in question? And I don't mean the Daily Mail.

Agree with the bread. Most supermarket bread is full of crap (including the wholemeal).

You really wouldn't want to share a room or a life with me if I ate three portions of pulses a day.

Sadly, people differ.

What does a healthy diet look like for you?

It is not one paper. There are lots.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38794673/

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/338827245_Benefits_of_pulse_consumption_on_metabolism_and_health_A_systematic_review_of_randomized_controlled_trials

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31983216/

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7566181/

Honestly, I hold my hand up and say I really don’t know what I should be eating. I grew up with a parent who went from one extreme to another, banning things but also eating to excess. I’ve been thin in the past but that wasn’t healthy (eating mostly cornflakes) and currently have weight to lose. I know where I went wrong (the weight gain is linked to emotional eating/mental health) but I have no idea where to start on getting it right. I’ve read so many different diet plans but it all seems really complicated and also expensive - which I know it shouldn’t be.

Totally agree! Wish more people understood that.

I agree with OP re. fruit and nuts but wholewheat bread and pasta can spike blood glucose just as much as the conventional kind - though they are more nutritious and can certainly form part of a healthy diet.

I think the main problem is that most people simply eat too many carbs and sugar, and not enough vegetables. Fruit is perfectly fine - most people are unlikely to eat an unhealthy amount of fruit, though it makes sense to limit those with high sugar content, such as mangos and grapes.

We are learning. Not so very long ago I'd have felt quite smug about lunch being a sandwich made of shop bought wholemeal bread with Bernard Matthews chicken slices and a bit of lettuce. I'm sure official advice still includes things like tinned soup towards your 5 a day (mand all of the above are often full of emulsifiers, preservatives, added sugar, flavour enhancers etc and all of these can be harmful. There has been so much focus purely on obesity until quite recently that all other health concerns have been left aside.

My DS is 11 and I happily fed him sausages and shop bought chicken goujons when weaning. I restrict those kind of things now in his diet. I wish I had known better.

Breakfast - porridge with blueberries and flaxseed added
Vegetable and red lentil soup with sourdough bread
Chickpea and spinach curry with wholemeal rice
Fruit and nuts for snacks.

The whole protein thing too.
All engineered to sell overpriced products and powders. Brainwashing an over consuming society at its best.

Also sugar. Sugar is natural and not bad for you.
Not some evil to be avoided at all costs.
Over processed foods on the other hand, these tend to have a lot of sugar which seems to have caused the link to the sugar being bad.

Try and add fruit, veg, nuts and pulses to your daily diet. As much as you can.

You've got some strange ideas there OP.

We are all different, we all react differently. I wore a continuous glucose monitor for a week and didn't find a single fruit I could eat without it rocketing. Best I can do is berries after a form of protein or some fibrous veg.

Similarly I didnt find any grain product I got on with in a 'healthy' form, combined with fat and protein I was OK with small amounts.

So I think yabu in your sweeping statements.

@Sunny91 - I would try to keep it simple. Cut out UPF and limit refined carbs, sugar, alcohol.

Eat mostly vegetables and around 120g lean protein per day, plus some fruit, dairy, nuts and healthy oils, as well as small amounts of complex carbs (such as lentils and root vegetables.

If in doubt, eat more veggies and/or another apple!

Good lord I’d rather die young than eat that every day