Are we overthinking nutrition?


If you're like me, you're probably utterly confused by nutrition. Eat clean. Eat healthy. Paleo. Primal. Vegan.

Our society is obsessed with diet. Everyday we're bombarded with "healthy" eating tips that often contradict each other: low-fat versus low-carb; 5-meals-a-day versus intermittent fasting; plant versus meat. Last year alone, over 44000 research articles were published on obesity and diabetes, yet we're nowhere near answering some of the fundamental questions about diet, weight and health. What exactly is a healthy diet? How did the obesity epidemic evolve? Is weight control as simple as "calories in, calories out" and "eat less, move more"?

I'm over at INK (Ideas, Numbers, Knowledge) Journal today, diving into the question of why nutrition is so freaking hard to get. What are the problems with epidemiological studies? Do we need randomized controlled trials for how we eat? What's up with vilifying macronutrient groups? Hear from Gary Taubes, Dr. Peter Attia and Dr. David Katz.

Read the perspectives article here.

A plug: INK Journal is a peer-reviewed popular science journal run by an incredibly talented team of graduate students at the University of British Columbia. If you're interested in trying your hand at writing in a low-pressure environment with people giving you candid feedback, feel free to leave me a message and let me know that you want to submit.