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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

Thegreatdietfoodcon
Haveyoueverwonderedwhypeopleondietsseemtobeonandoffthemforever?Orwhyitsreallyonlypeoplewhostrugglewiththeir
weightwhohaveextralowfatmayonnaiseintheirfridge?Mostprocessedfoodsbrandedasdiet,lowfat,lightorlighterarentwhat
theyrecrackeduptobe.Andifyoulookattheirlengthyingredientslists,youllrealisethattheyrenotevenverygoodforyou.
Takelowfatmayonnaise.Whenyoustripoutthefatyouhavetoreinjectflavourwithsweetness.Soanemulsionofeggsandoilbecomes
anemulsionofwater,maizestarch,extrasugarandglucosesyrup.Ortoputanotherway:water,sugar,sugarandsugar.Thatsanawful
lotofsugar,andbecausethetrafficlightsonpacketsoffooddontflashreduntilawhopping27gofsugarisineach100gportionthats
justunderseventeaspoonsabusyshopperwontthinktwiceaboutchoosingthishealthyoption.
Otherculpritsaremicrowaveablelowfatmeals.Thehighglycaemicindex,carbohydratesandsugarsaside,manufacturersaresobusy
bendingbackwardstolimbounderthethresholdforeachoftheothertrafficlightcategoriesthattheyoftenleaveoutplentyofhealthy
foodssuchaspositivefats,fruits,vegetablesandfibres.Itswhytheyreoftensotastelessanddontleaveyoufeelingfullforlong.
Thedietfoodindustryisaheadlessbeastdrivenbymarketforces:itmakesgoodbusinesssensetomakelowqualityfoodwitheffective
branding.Theonlywaywecanbringittoitskneesandstopthistyrannyoftiny,tastelessmealsistobecomesavvyconsumersandstop
buyingthem.Ifyoufeelyourselfbeingseducedbyanalluringlypresenteddietfoodanddonthavetimetointerrogateitsingredients,a
goodruleofthumbistojustsayno.

Arecaloriesimportant?
Welovetoascribevaluetothings.Ithelpsusmakedecisionsaboutajumbleofinformation,likethewayweusecaloriestohelpus
managewhatweeat.
Theconceptenteredpublicconsciousnessduringthefirstworldwarwhenthestateusedittomakesurepeopledidntovereatduring
foodscarcity.Thecalorietheunitofenergyneededtoheatonecm3ofwaterby1Chassincebecomethebackboneofour
understandingofhealthyeating,butatwhatcost?
Inaperfectworlditmakesperfectsense.Ifyouconsumemoreenergythanyourbodyneeds,then
accordingtothecentraltenetofEinsteinsmostfamousequationitllbeturnedintomassawibbly
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Ahealthydietisnot
aboutrestrictionbut
inclusionofdiverse
andprotectivefoods

Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

wobblytypeofmassaroundyourbellyandthighs.
TheproblemisthatourbodiesdontburnenergywiththeconsistencyofaBunsenburner.Wedonot
absorballthenutrientsfromsomefoods,saysPeteWilde,aprofessorattheInstituteofFoodResearch
inNorwich.Bychewingandeatingwholealmonds,forinstance,weabsorbonlyaroundtwothirdsof
theenergylistedonthelabel.Thecalciuminmilkanddairyproductsreactswithfattyacidsandagain
reducestheenergyabsorbed.

Thedifferentratesofdigestionofdifferentfoodscanalsoaffectyourappetiteanddeterminehowmuchyouendupeating.Themore
slowlyourfoodisdigestedthelesshungrywellfeelforlonger,Wildeadds.Thecaloriesabsorbedbytwodifferentfoodscouldbethe
same,butifonefoodisdigestedmoreslowly,itllmakeuslesshungryandlesslikelytosnack.
Inhowyourbodyusesandstoresenergy,140caloriesofcolaisnotthesameas140caloriesofbroccoli.Ifyouwanttoloseweightby
starvingyourself,thenacalorierestricteddietisthewaytogo.Thoughyoulllikelybouncebackonceyoustarttoeatnormally.Ifyoure
afterasustainablewaytobehealthyitsbesttothinkalittlemoreabouttheconstituentsofyourfood.
Ahealthydietisnotaboutrestrictionbutinclusionofdiverseandprotectivefoods.Choosingfoodonthebasisofonlycaloriecontentis
likechoosingyourlifepartneronhowquicklytheycanrun100metres:itmightbeusefulinextremecircumstances,butforyourdayto
daylifeandgeneralwellbeing,itsprettymuchuseless.

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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

Lookoutforthemountainsofsaltusedtomakelowqualityprocessedfoodsmorepalatable.
Photograph:JeanChristopheRiou/Riou/SoFood/Corbis

ShouldIlowermysaltintake?
WhetheryoursalthasbeencoaxedfromacavebyaTibetanmonkorextractedfrombrinebyamancalledGary,itsalwaysexactlythe
samethingsodiumchloride.Becauseitsthesodiuminsaltthatsassociatedwithhighbloodpressure(theonlyhealthconcernwith
salt)ifanyonetellsyoufancysaltslikeselgris,fleurdesel,HawaiianseasaltorpinkHimalayansaltareanyhealthierthantheordinary
tablestufftheyrewrong.
Thematterofwhetherornotyoushouldloweryoursaltintakeislesscutanddried.Somepeoplesbloodpressureismoresensitiveto
saltthanothers.Evenscientistsaredividedabouthowtointerprettheevidenceonanindividuallevel,buttogetboggeddownwiththe
scientificcontroversieswouldbetomissthepoint:saltmakesfoodtastegood.
ThefirstthingthatMasterChefjudgeMichelRouxJrcommentsonisadishsseasoning.PoorRickSteinmustliveinconstantfearof
finallybeingcaughtbythesaltpolicehementionssoregularly.NobodyhaseverwonaMichelinstarwithasaltfreemenu.
Therelationshipbetweensaltintakeandbloodpressureiscomplicated,saysAnthonyHeagerty,professorofmedicineattheUniversity
ofManchester.Loweringsaltisadvisableonapopulationlevelbecausemanypeoplewillrespondfavourablytoanoveralllowersalt
intake,hesays,butteasingouttheeffectonanindividualismoredifficult.Anunhealthydiet,excessweightandalcoholplayalarge
partinanindividualsriskofhypertension,soifyoureconcernedaboutbloodpressureyoucanloweryoursalt,butitsperhapsmore
importanttofocusonyouroverallfoodandalcoholintake.
Fruitandvegrichinpotassium,suchasmushrooms,spinachandbananas,canhelplowerbloodpressure.Lookoutforthemountainsof
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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

saltusedtomakelowqualityprocessedfoodsandsnacksmorepalatable.Usingsaltinasensiblewaycanmakethefoodyoucookat
hometastebetter,and,importantly,giveyouabetterhandleonwhatyoureputtinginyourbody.

Thecomplicatedhistoryoffats
Itstartedinthe1950swithacaseofmistakenidentity.Saturatedfats,researcherssaid,werethemaincauseofheartdisease.The
smokinggun?FattydepositsinpatientsarteriesandstudiesshowingthatpeopleinMediterraneancountrieswherepeopletendtoeat
moreunsaturatedfatslikeoliveoilthansaturatedfatslikebutterhadalowerriskofdisease.
Bythe1970sthefoodindustryresponded.Theiranswerwastransfattyacids,ortransfats:unsaturatedfatstransformedby
hydrogenationtofitconvenientcriteria.Oncehydrogenated,forexample,cottonorvegetableoilswouldbesolidatroomtemperatureto
makemargarine.Fatscouldbechemicallytweakedtoincreasetheshelflifeofbiscuitsandcakes,ortoavoidthemfrombreakingdown
duringtherepeatedreheatingdoneinchipshopsandrestaurants.
Thatthesetransfatsweremadefromunsaturatedones,thethinkingwent,meanttheywerehealthierthansaturatedfats.Itwasa
misconceptionsupportedbythemedicalcommunityandonewhichprovedtobedeadly.
Theincreasedconsumptionoftransfatscontributedtoapeakofheartattacksandstrokesduringthe1980sand90s.Eatingthem,it
turnsout,canalsoincreaseyourriskoftype2diabetes,sothereslittlewonderthatmanufacturers,atthebehestofgovernments,have
beenreducingtheamountoftransfatsintheirproducts.
Theresstillnolegalrequirementforcompaniestolabeltransfatsassuch,warnsChloeMiles,oftheBritishDieteticsAssociation.Its
importanttochecktheingredientslists.Lookoutforanythingwithpartiallyhydrogenatedoilsorfats.Theusualsuspectsaretakeaways,
pastries,pies,friedfoods,cakes,biscuitsandhardmargarines.
Dingdong,pseudosciencenutritionistsproclaimedattheoutingoftransfats,thewitchisdead!Buttheyfellintoadangeroustrap:they
startedsayingthatsaturatedfatssuchasbutterandcoconutoilaregoodforyou.Thisisbynomeanstrue.Thoughangeliccompared
withtransfats,eatingtoomuchsaturatedfatwilldamageyourhealthbydisplacinghealthierfoods.Tryingtoreplacesaturatedfats
completelywithlowfatoptions,though,meansyoullbeeatingmoresugarandrefinedcarbohydrates,whichwilldoyouworse,so
saturatedfatsshouldbeusedwiselytomakesomehealthyfoodsmoresatisfying.
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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

Theheroesareunsaturatedfatsfromwholefoodsources.Oliveoil,seeds,nuts,oilyfishandavocados,ifprioritisedoversaturatedfats,
canhelpyouloseweightandavoidheartdisease.Andtheymayevenprotectagainstneurologicaldisorderssuchasdepression.The
healthbenefitsofthesefatsisasimplemessagethatshouldnotgetlostinacomplicatedhistory.

Peoplewhoeatexcessiveamountsofprocessedmeatscanalsohaveunhealthylifestyles.
Photograph:NormanHollands/GettyImages

ShouldIeatprocessedmeat?
Baconsandwichesareoneoflifeslittlepleasures.TheonlyproblemisthattheWorldHealthOrganisationhasclassifiedbacon,along
withallotherprocessedmeats,asagroup1carcinogenuptherewithcigarettes,plutonium,asbestosanduranium.
Butthepictureisalittlemorenuanced.Traditionallywelumpedredandprocessedmeatstogetherinthesescientificanalyses.Only
recentlyhavethetwobeenseparatedout,showingthatforcancer,aswellascardiovasculardisease,asensibleamountofredmeatis
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probablyfineprocessedmeat,itseems,hadbeenthestrongercontributortodiseaseandhadbeentippingthebalance.But,intermsof
risk,isa30%meatsausagereallythesameasacured,airdriedIbericoham?Thetruthisthatnobodyknows.
Therearesomemechanisticexplanationsforwhyprocessedmeatsmightcausecolorectalorbowelcancer,saysLouisLevy,headof
nutritionscienceatPublicHealthEngland(PHE),suchassomethingcarcinogenicthathappensduringthecookingprocessor
somethingusedtopreservethem.
Giventheincompletepicture,PHEadvisesalimitof70gofredorprocessedmeataday.Thereasonfor70g?Itstoensurethatthe
peoplewhoeatmeatwillstillgettheironbenefitsofnutrientdenseredmeats.Butthisseeminglysensibleguidelinefallsfoulofa
familiarproblemitlumpsallredandprocessedmeatstogether.
Anotherpossibilityforthelinkbetweenprocessedmeatanddisease,Levysays,isconfounding:studieshaveshownthatpeoplewhoeat
excessiveamountsofprocessedmeatshaveotherwisepoordietsandunhealthylifestyleswhichincreasetheirlikelihoodofdiseasegiven
theseverityofthepotentialconsequences,onlyafoolwouldbeflippantabouttherisk.
Trytofavourredmeatoverprocessedmeatandchoosequalityoverquantitybecausethereareotherbenefitstocuttingbackonmeat.
Yourshoppingwillbecheaper.Youllbeabletoeatmoreoilyfish,vegetables,nutsandfibre.And,giventheenormousamountofcarbon
themeatindustrypumpsintotheair,ifyougoveggieforafewdaysaweekyoullbedoingyourbitfortheplanet.

Theglutenfreecon
Foodpackagingthatyellsaboutwhatisnotinitandonlywhispersaboutwhatisshouldalwaysbearedflag.Thisisnowheremoretrue
thanwithglutenfreefoods.
About1%ofthepopulationhavecoeliacdisease.Theyareallergictogluten,amixtureofproteinsfoundingrains,andmustadheretoa
strict,lifelongdietiftheywanttolivewithoutstomachpains,diarrhoea,vomiting,anaemiaandfatigue.
Thentherearepeoplewhoareglutenintolerant.Itstrickytodefinebutitprobablyaffectsaboutanother1%ofthepopulationwhohave
themildersymptomsofcoeliac(itcantbemedicallydiagnosed)withoutlastingdamagetotheirgut.
Interesting,then,thataboutoneinfiveofusor20%vsthe2%whowouldactuallybenefitbuysorhasboughtglutenfreefood.Only
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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

peoplewithcoeliacdiseasearelikelytobenefitfromaglutenfreediet,saysDalvinderMandair,aconsultantgastroenterologistinthe
NHS.Fortheotherstheresnophysiologicalmechanismbywhichnoteatingglutenwillhelpthem,butbecauseglutenintoleranceis
suchasubjectivethingitcanbeopentopersuasion.
That18inevery20customersarebuyingglutenfreeproductsbecauseofaperceivedbutnonexistenthealthbenefitiscertainlygood
marketing.Butthatsnoreasontododownpeoplesattemptstofeelhealthyaslongastheirdecisionsarewellinformed.Itsatthis
pointthatthingsstarttobreakdownforglutenfreefoods.

Ifyouvenotgot
coeliacdisease,you
shouldaskyourself
whetheritsreally
worthgoinggluten
free

Theyreoftenmoreexpensivethantheirglutencontainingcounterparts,andtocompensateforthe
elasticityglutengivestothingslikecakesandbread,manufacturersspooninmoresugar,Enumbersand
additives.Itsalongwayfromthehealthy,naturalimagetheyliketoinvoke.
Ifyoukeepavoidingfoodwithgluteninityoullnotbeeatingmuchfibre,andadietlackinginfibrecan
increaseyourriskoflowerbowelcancerandcardiovasculardisease.
Ifyouvenotgotcoeliacdisease,youshouldaskyourselfwhetheritsreallyworthgoingglutenfree.

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Isbacondangerous?Thesciencebehindfoodtrends|Lifeandstyle|TheGuardian

Inhowyourbodyusesenergy,140caloriesofcolaisnotthesameas140caloriesofbroccoli.
Photograph:TastyartLtdRobWhite/GettyImages

Understandcholesterolandcontrolitwithdiet
Cholesterolisanotherwronglymalignedcomponentofourdiet.Becauseitsawaxysubstanceitcantdissolveinourblood,soits
packagedintolittleferriesalongwithfatandproteintobetransportedtowhereitisneededforthingslikemakinghormones.Its
cholesterolsinclusioninthesetransportationferrieswherethemisunderstandingaboutitsroleinillhealthcomesfrom.
Lowdensitylipoprotein,orLDL,cholesterolferriesareknownasbadcholesterol.Thesearethepackagesofcholesterol,fatsand
proteinsmadeintheliverandsentoffaroundthebody.Enroute,andunderspecificconditions,theycangettrappedintheliningof
yourarteriesandleavefattydepositsthatcanleadtocardiovasculardisease.
Thentheresgoodcholesterol,orhighdensitylipoprotein(HDL)cholesterolferries.Ontheirwaybacktothelivertobeunpackedand
excreted,theseferrieshelptopickupthefattydepositsandthusloweryourriskofdisease.Whetheryourtotalcholesterol,therefore,is
highorlowisanoversimplificationitsthebalanceofgoodandbadcholesterolferriesthatsimportant.
Thinkofthisbalance,knownasyourlipidprofile,asagaugeofyourgeneralhealth.Thecanarydowntheproverbialcoalmineisabad
profile:highlevelsofbadLDLcholesterol,highlevelsoftrigylcerides(anothertypeoffatinyourblood)andlowlevelsofgoodHDL
cholesterol.Thegoodnewsisthatmanypeoplecanreverseabadprofilebychangingtheirdietandlifestyleratherthanbypoppingmore
pills.
Countertowhatyoumighthaveheard,cholesterolinyourdietfromthingssuchaseggsandprawnsisalmostirrelevant.Instead,watch
outforexcesssugarandrefined,lowfibrecarbohydrates(bothcausespikesinyourbloodsugars,yourliverrespondstothesurgeby
packagingthesugarintotriglyceridesandbadcholesterolandsendingthemoutintothebody).Avoidtransfats,eatingmoresaturated
fatsthanunsaturatedfatsfromwholefoodsources,anddrinkingtoomuchalcohol.
Toimproveyourprofileyoucanactivelyintroducefoodswithlotsofsolublefibre:pectiningummyfruitsandbetaglucaninporridge
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protecttherestofthefoodyouveeatenfromdigestiveenzymes,meaningitsdigestedmoreslowlyandyougetfewersugarspikes.
Prioritisingunsaturatedfatsfromwholefoodssuchasnutsandoilyfishwillreduceyourbadcholesterolandincreaseyourgood
cholesterol.Andincaseyouthoughtyoucouldeatyourwayalongadeliciouspathtoahealthyheart:exerciseiskey,sogetthosewalking
shoesonandearnthatbrunch.
DrAliKhavandiisaconsultantinterventionalcardiologistatRoyalUnitedHospitalNHSFoundationTrustBath

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