In this day and age, we have so many options when it comes to food, and everyone seems to have a different idea of what is and isn’t good for us. From the paleo diet to the ketone diet, the Atkins diet, to being vegan to being gluten-free the list is endless for how people can eat. Whether it’s for weight loss or weight maintenance there seems to be a diet for everyone's goals and desires. And of course, there are the countless amounts of processed and junk foods available for the people in a rush and for others who frankly don’t care what they put into their body.
My food is something I often think about, especially this semester as I’m taking a course on nutrition and health. It is amazing how food can fuel our bodies and how the right foods can work wonders, while the wrong ones can wreak havoc on our digestion and health. We all know the basics of nutrition, food that is fresh like fruits and vegetables are good, whereas processed foods like donuts and candy are bad for us. It seemed pretty simple to me too, until it got complicated.
Recently, I watched the Netflix documentary “What the Health,” after a friend suggested to watch it, and it completely freaked me out. Kip Andersen scrutinizes the American diet in every way possible and makes some very scary claims. He warns people that eating processed meats and an egg a day is as bad as smoking is for you. Andersen also claims that fish are filled with toxins and that there is a direct link between milk and cancer. So where does this leave us? If everything he says is true that would mean all of us should be on a completely vegan, plant-based diet and that this diet would cure all diseases from diabetes to cancer. When you think about it, he has a point. Sure, if we all moved to plant-based diets and cut out processed meats from our diets, we would certainly all be healthier, but are all the other claims he made true?
Thankfully, no, no, and no. When you do more research you can find that Andersen hand selected particular studies and outrageously exaggerated their claims. For example, when he says that processed meats will cause cancer what he really means is that eating processed meats slightly increases your risk of cancer. The World Health Organization found that by reducing consumption of processed meats you can reduce your risk of colorectal cancer. They even put out a statement clarifying that they are not asking people to completely stop, just reduce consumption.
You can basically do this for every claim he makes, which just goes to show how careful you have to be with what you believe. “What the Health” is a cautionary tale encouraging us to fact check the information we receive about food, whether it’s from documentaries or reputable organizations. Scrutinize the studies the claims originate from, before cutting out entire food groups from your diet.
So what should you eat? Balance, moderation, and variety are key. As long as you're eating a variety of food groups and roughly follow the USDA food guide, you are doing just fine!
