Page 15 | To think there is a poor understanding of a healthy diet?

LivelyLemonQuoter · 2025-04-12T20:17:54+00:00

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.

FeelingLessTired · 13/04/2025 14:18

Jacarandill · 13/04/2025 14:15

When people talk about glucose spikes they’re not talking about the normal (small) rise in blood sugar caused by eating. Obviously.

Porridge spikes my blood sugar so much that I can literally feel it crashing - it makes me shake. It’s like I’ve had nothing to eat, which is why I avoid oats.

Consistently raising your blood sugar like this and then it crashing is not good for you, even if you’re not diabetic. It increases inflammation and insulin resistance.

(Edited to add - note how the poster’s blood sugar actually crashed to lower than before she’s eaten.

I think you need to reconsider your ‘advice’.

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Exactly- when I eat some fruits (grapes are really bad) i go white and nauseous and feel shaky and floppy and usually have to sit down. That's not a normal glucose spike.

I find it interesting that some posters just deny that people like me experience what we experience. I have lived in my body for 52 years. I know a bit about it.

Tryingtokeepgoing · 13/04/2025 14:25

LivelyLemonQuoter · 12/04/2025 21:47

@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.

The Mediterranean and Japanese diets have been shown and are widely recognised as the healthiest in the world. Neither consumes pulses to that extent. I’d be very interested to see a link to the research you refer to :)

Ineedcoffee2021 · 13/04/2025 14:25

If people don’t cook it’s probably because they just aren’t that interested

Bingo
Its messy, time consuming, energy i dont want to spend after work
It kills my appetite
I cook and i eat less cos im sick of looking at food and not hungry anymore

LSmiff · 13/04/2025 14:35

You can’t just live on fruit, veg, & bloody nuts. A balanced diet where you eat a little bit of everything is required.

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 14:51

Tryingtokeepgoing · 13/04/2025 14:25

The Mediterranean and Japanese diets have been shown and are widely recognised as the healthiest in the world. Neither consumes pulses to that extent. I’d be very interested to see a link to the research you refer to :)

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Pulses are an intrinsic component of the Mediterranean diet.
Traditionally the Japanese consume a lot of soya beans.

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 14:53

Ineedcoffee2021 · 13/04/2025 14:25

If people don’t cook it’s probably because they just aren’t that interested

Bingo
Its messy, time consuming, energy i dont want to spend after work
It kills my appetite
I cook and i eat less cos im sick of looking at food and not hungry anymore

What was a game changer for me in terms of improving my eating was realising I could make very simple healthy meals.
Meals like a tin of sardines and cooked veg.
A plate with wholemeal bread, avocado, handful of nuts, some dried apricots, olives and apples. No cooking at all, just a grazing plate of healthy food.

Tryingtokeepgoing · 13/04/2025 14:59

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 14:51

Pulses are an intrinsic component of the Mediterranean diet.
Traditionally the Japanese consume a lot of soya beans.

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They do, but not to that extent which was my point. I’ve lived in both for extended periods of time over the years :)

Anotherparkingthread · 13/04/2025 15:00

I hate fruit I'm not going to start eating it just because some vague out dated advice says I should. I don't eat any sugar at all, I can't stand it.

Ineedcoffee2021 · 13/04/2025 15:07

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 14:53

What was a game changer for me in terms of improving my eating was realising I could make very simple healthy meals.
Meals like a tin of sardines and cooked veg.
A plate with wholemeal bread, avocado, handful of nuts, some dried apricots, olives and apples. No cooking at all, just a grazing plate of healthy food.

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But then i dont enjoy food like that, which is a waste of appetite to me and id struggle to get it down

Out of what you listed i eat dried apricots and apples
All seafood is out due to allergy, the rest is taste and texture not what i like

My appetite for food has always been odd

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 15:27

@Ineedcoffee2021 I was replying to someone who hates cooking. Grazing plates of healthy foods are brilliant if you hate cooking.

TempestTost · 13/04/2025 15:33

MrsMorrisey · 13/04/2025 07:39

Why is it then that some people thrive on Keto and some one else a vegan diet? Or a raw food diet or a paleo diet.
everyone is different and everyone should eat according to their body.
threads like this just confuse people more.

No one thrives on a vegan diet, it has to be artificially supplemented.

TempestTost · 13/04/2025 15:40

BreatheAndFocus · 13/04/2025 08:01

That’s not a proper spike - and I say that as someone with Type 1 diabetes. It’s normal for your blood sugar to go up after eating. More than that, your graph shows a very quick insulin response - ie things are working well.

The drop into the red you mention isn’t actually ‘red’ at all - unless you’re on insulin and thus at risk of hypos. People without diabetes often go into the 3s. It’s only a risk for those on meds like insulin as, unlike non-diabetics, our blood sugar won’t stop there but can continue to go down, potentially leading to hypoglycaemia, seizures, etc. More then that, the Libre and other CGMs often over-estimate low blood sugars and that’s why people with diabetes are told to fingerprick to check what their blood sugar actually is.

I certainly don’t think everyone should get a CGM! They’re making money from the worried well and helping to spread silly ideas about food. Because I have diabetes, people sometimes ask me about their blood sugar, having bought a Libre or other CGM. The questions they ask are usually…well, neurotic. All based on the normal movement of blood sugar up and down.

I could write a book about it. No, actually, I could write a book wibbling on about blood sugar in normal healthy people, list lots of daft rules - and make a fortune from it like some popular influencers.

Anyone wondering what a healthy diet is, can look at the Mediterranean Diet, which has been shown to be one of the healthiest. They can also look at How Not To Die, which contains loads of studies. That diet is plant-based, which some people won’t like or won’t be able to do, but taking that diet and adding a bit of animal protein is one way forward. People are joking about beans and pulses above. Check out the Blue Zones programmes and books.

I think the problem with diet is extremes. People don’t want to only eat the perfect healthy foods, so they think “F* it! I might as well eat what I want” then over-indulge in addictive junk food. The answer is a middle way. Base your diet on healthy foods and have occasional treats.

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Yup, those monitors are creating more problems than they help being marketed to the public. People think the normal responses of the body are somehow illness.

This is what medicine today seems to want to do with everything, medicalize what is normal.

pinkfloralcurtains · 13/04/2025 15:43

Workoutrage · 13/04/2025 13:25

It goes far beyond Tim Spector. Try listening to what Dr James Kinross, a consultant collateral surgeon at Imperial College London has to say about the gut microbiome. It’s about supporting your gut health and always good to update yourself with with the latest scientific findings.

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Thanks, but I was referring to CGM devices being sold to mostly middle class, healthy people - most notably as part of Zoe.

TempestTost · 13/04/2025 15:45

FairKoala · 13/04/2025 08:59

Actually unprocessed meat does have an effect

You only have to look at the healthiest and most long lived groups and most if not all are Vegan

Problem is most people’s idea of veganism and some vegans themselves eat too much processed food

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T is completely false, there are no truly vegan traditional diets in the world. And not even many that come close to being vegan.

Slackbladder22 · 13/04/2025 16:37

Jacarandill · 13/04/2025 11:47

If I ate this:

the oats would spike my blood sugar
the pulses would give me gas
all the carbs and lack of protein wouldn’t keep me full

So healthy for you isn’t what suits everyone.

For me:

Breakfast: three scrambled eggs with mushrooms and tomatoes
Lunch: a chicken breast with rocket, peppers, sweet potato and other veg
Dinner: steak with spinach, pine nuts, broccoli and roasted aubergine

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Now this I can get on board with! More protein really than I’d normally have but plenty of taste and enjoyment

Goatinthegarden · 13/04/2025 16:43

I love cooking, baking, and eating so spend a lot of time thinking about food (mostly what I’m going to eat next!). I’d like to think I’m pretty clued up on a healthy diet but, as with everything on the internet, you can often find completely contradictory information depending on where you look. I’d suggest the information has been changing quite rapidly with all the research and media delivery around fasting, upf, and gut microbiomes. It can be hard to know what is correct, or up-to-date. I don’t really blame people who are not interested in food for not paying attention to it all.

At the moment, I’m focusing on eating as little UPF as possible, eating a wide range of fruit/veg/grains/pulses, and upping my fibre intake. I usually only eat between 1200 and 1930. I love cake, so I make my own (apparently all free sugars are evil, even honey, but I’m not quitting cake). As with all things, it’s a balance - if a mate suggests a dirty burger and chips, or a night of cocktails, I’m not going to say no.

TempestTost · 13/04/2025 16:48

Goatinthegarden · 13/04/2025 16:43

I love cooking, baking, and eating so spend a lot of time thinking about food (mostly what I’m going to eat next!). I’d like to think I’m pretty clued up on a healthy diet but, as with everything on the internet, you can often find completely contradictory information depending on where you look. I’d suggest the information has been changing quite rapidly with all the research and media delivery around fasting, upf, and gut microbiomes. It can be hard to know what is correct, or up-to-date. I don’t really blame people who are not interested in food for not paying attention to it all.

At the moment, I’m focusing on eating as little UPF as possible, eating a wide range of fruit/veg/grains/pulses, and upping my fibre intake. I usually only eat between 1200 and 1930. I love cake, so I make my own (apparently all free sugars are evil, even honey, but I’m not quitting cake). As with all things, it’s a balance - if a mate suggests a dirty burger and chips, or a night of cocktails, I’m not going to say no.

But people are pretty healthy diets, barring starvation scenarios, for thousands of years. Even before, say, the 1940s, most people were no obese and the incidents of many dietary diseases was lower - again, barring privation diseases like rickets.

It shouldn't require reading up on any research to eat well, and there should be no need for confusion. We shouldn't need to know about gut biomes to be healthy.

Lourdes12 · 13/04/2025 16:52

MikeRafone · 13/04/2025 08:12

https://overcomingms.org/latest/digesting-pulses

there are ways to make digestion easier, both by cooking practices & eating other foods to help with the digestion

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Perhaps a bit easier but people are still bloated and suffering from gas. I speak from own experience and know others with the same issue

GarlicSmile · 13/04/2025 16:55

Workoutrage · 13/04/2025 11:15

You don’t digest it well in all likelihood, because you don’t eat it enough. The more you make these a regular part of your diet the more your gut biome produces beneficial bacteria and short chain fatty acids making them easier to digest.

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🤣🤣🤣 Straight from the school of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", advanced "Keep on hurting yourself" module.

My intestinal flora don't get a chance to adjust to tinned/dried legumes, my gut expels them violently (pebbledash style) the minute they arrive. It started around menopause, along with my dairy intolerance and wine allergy. New menopause allergies are A Thing.

Now I use an anti-sulphite wine spray, add cheese-like flavourings to tofu, and make 'falafel' out of mince & breadcrumbs. Where there's a will there's a way, and it doesn't include forcing yourself to ingest foods which are toxic to you.

I've got to admit, though, no fake cheese can touch the real thing. I make my own poor substitutes with tofu because the shop-bought varieties have hardly any protein.

YourTidyScroller · 13/04/2025 16:56

Surely if you have a low fibre diet and want to eat healthier, you need to do it gradually. So slowly introduce more veg, fruit, pulses and nuts.

Lourdes12 · 13/04/2025 17:00

GarlicSmile · 13/04/2025 16:55

🤣🤣🤣 Straight from the school of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", advanced "Keep on hurting yourself" module.

My intestinal flora don't get a chance to adjust to tinned/dried legumes, my gut expels them violently (pebbledash style) the minute they arrive. It started around menopause, along with my dairy intolerance and wine allergy. New menopause allergies are A Thing.

Now I use an anti-sulphite wine spray, add cheese-like flavourings to tofu, and make 'falafel' out of mince & breadcrumbs. Where there's a will there's a way, and it doesn't include forcing yourself to ingest foods which are toxic to you.

I've got to admit, though, no fake cheese can touch the real thing. I make my own poor substitutes with tofu because the shop-bought varieties have hardly any protein.

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I was a vegan for many many years, I have never been more bloated in my life. So glad to be off the grains and pulses

Workoutrage · 13/04/2025 17:03

@GarlicSmile

’🤣🤣🤣 Straight from the school of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", advanced "Keep on hurting yourself" module.’

The latest scientific research is what I’m talking. What your body does is your concern.

NeedABabelFish · 13/04/2025 17:05

LivelyLemonQuoter · 12/04/2025 21:24

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.

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Bugger me, if I ate that lot every day it'd play bloody havoc with my IBS

Jacarandill · 13/04/2025 17:15

Slackbladder22 · 13/04/2025 16:37

Now this I can get on board with! More protein really than I’d normally have but plenty of taste and enjoyment

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It’s how I eat 90% of the time. It’s tasty and keeps me full.

When I used to eat starchy carbs like pasta, bread and oats I would get horrible blood sugar crashes and be shaky with hunger. I never feel like that now.

And I can eat a piece of cake or a packet of crisps if I want them because my blood sugar is stable and I eat healthily the vast majority of the time.

I’m perimenopause and am in the best shape of my life.

GarlicSmile · 13/04/2025 17:31

Workoutrage · 13/04/2025 17:03

@GarlicSmile

’🤣🤣🤣 Straight from the school of "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", advanced "Keep on hurting yourself" module.’

The latest scientific research is what I’m talking. What your body does is your concern.

Nice one. You made it your concern when you indicated a PP should keep plugging away with foods she can't digest, yet now you're all "You know your own body best" 🙄