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Recently two curious people, both prominent in the field of nutrition, set out to settle the hotly contested debate regarding which diet is best for our health. With different reasons for their quests and using different methods, they unbiasedly examined the scientific literature on diets and their effect on health. The search was exhaustive covering Asian, vegan, vegetarian, Mediterranean, low glycemic, Paleo diets and more. They separately came to the same conclusion and published their findings in separate journals in early 2014. In a jointly published article in the Huffington Post Sept. 2, 2014, Dr. Katz and Dr. Hu said of their research findings: “What we know about the fundamentals of healthful eating is as decisive as it is dull; as redolent with promise as it is devoid of pixie dust. Our problem is not want of knowledge about the basic care and feeding of Homo sapiens. Our problem is a stunning and tragically costly cultural reluctance - to swallow it.”
What they saw as they looked at the $70 billion diet industry and the health effects of each diet from an aerial view was an area where ALL overlapped. The most healthful diet was not a diet at all but a dietary pattern summed up in a quote by Michael Pollan in his book In Defense of Food: “eat food, not too much, mostly plants”. Katz and Hu said this vague statement turns out to be a “fundamentally valid insight about diet and health”. Its positive impact on health has been supported by solid research for the past two decades but its application has unfortunately largely been ignored by our culture, resulting in rampant chronic disease.
The Blue Zones project by National Geographic writer Dan Buettner beautifully illustrates the results of this principle. “Blue zones” are pockets where populations manage to avoid debilitating chronic diseases like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and cancer and regularly live with vigor well into their nineties. In the culture of each blue zone the basic overall dietary pattern emphasizes unprocessed foods, mainly vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, beans, legumes, and whole grains. Some add dairy, some meat, some fish, some are high in fat and some are low. No one variation is better than another so long as this surprisingly simple theme is present – daily significant consumption of any type of vegetables, fruits and whole grains. Additionally, their overall food intake is always low because among the many virtues of higher quality, simpler foods are their propensity to fill a person up on fewer calories.
Katz and Hu are calling for an end to the lucrative but paralyzing debate regarding diet details. With great interest I have been watching them, with scores of other like-minded individuals, pool their influence and intelligence. Their aim is to ultimately make the messages about a healthy diet as simple, commonplace, and consistent as the messages by the surgeon general found on cigarettes. Swallowing the truth will soon be easier than ever.
Debbie Coblentz is a registered dietitian living in Churchill County. Your comments in response to this article are welcome at healthatanysize@gmail.com.