ABSTRACT
It is no surprise that many people are confused about what constitutes a healthy diet. There are two main problems with diet research and advice. The first is that eating is such a deeply personal thing that people do for all sorts of reasons, not just hunger. The second problem is that diet is political. Antibiotics, though of course useful and sometimes life-saving, can dramatically reduce the numbers and diversity of good bacteria, but a healthy diet can restore them quite quickly. Most people gain weight with age, and it is often seen as a natural part of getting old. Fat stored around the waist is the most dangerous for health: too much fat in this area substantially increases the risks of several types of cancer, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis and type 2 diabetes. People may wish to lose weight. If so, the standard advice used to be to ‘eat less and exercise more’.
