Did you know that it’s really only over the last 100 years that we’ve gained much understanding about nutrition?
Most vitamins and minerals weren’t discovered before the 1920’s. And, when they were discovered, we then discovered their uses for preventing and treating deficiency related diseases (like scurvy or rickets, for example) and so, diet strategies were suggested in order to tackle these, including RDAs (recommended daily allowances).
It wasn’t until the 90’s that we learned that these single nutrient theories were inadequate to explain the impact of diet on non-communicable disease. We learned that a variety of health outcomes were shown from a variety of nutrients, food and dietary patterns.
This is where the more recent information about food quality, fat types, protein types, food preparation and processing methods and food additives, and how these relate to each other, has come from.
Nutrition advice is presented to us as ‘definite’ – we ‘definitely’ should and shouldn’t eat or avoid certain foods…
It has been interesting seeing the huge “upside-down” treatment given to the American food pyramid this week.
We’ve known since the 90’s that focussing on reducing our total fat intake has produced little measurable benefit to our health, weight loss or blood sugar control.
And, that in fact, foods rich in healthy fats show benefits while foods rich in starch and sugar show harm.
It is super exciting that the American food pyramid has finally started to recognise this knowledge… I hope the UK will follow suit before too long!