Food companies have massive marketing budgets, and the promotion of unhealthy foods need to have the same restrictions as smoking or alcohol to protect us We are all bombarded with advice about what we should and shouldn't eat, and new scientific discoveries are announced every day. Yet the more we are told about nutrition, the less we seem to understand. However, his aim in this book is not to give advice. Our gut microbiomes are so different that, in human studies, there is an “eight- to tenfold variation in individual insulin, blood sugar and blood fat responses to the same meals”, and so every person’s ideal diet is different, and should be based on sensible choices from a position of knowledge.

One journalist tested herself using several different store or online allergy tests and ended up with a long list of “dangerous” foods, but with no agreement at all between tests In general, I liked it, though I would: the basic principles are "ignore fads and alarmism, don't trust marketing, don't bother with supplements or fake-healthy food, have a varied diet with a lot of plants, be moderate with the treats". Which seems sensible but it's nice to read the science is on our side. Spector describes the changes he’s made to his diet as “an evolving process”. He only eats meat about once a month, while concerns about sustainability means he only has fish occasionally, at restaurants: “I wouldn’t say I suddenly had the answer when I discovered the microbiome, but I’ve slowly been changing the habits I had when I was a smug doctor thinking that I knew everything.”As well as a desire to nurture his “inner garden”, his dietary choices are motivated by the insights he’s gained from monitoring his personal responses to different foods. This is why he eschews large amounts of pasta, rice and potatoes – not because they are inherently unhealthy, but because using a continuous glucose monitor has revealed that they produce worryingly high spikes in his blood sugar levels. Sometimes you read a book to learn more; sometimes to confirm that you are up to date and sometimes to reaffirm that it is legitimate to be confused about that specific field. This is that book.Dit boek is een tegengif tegen de sprookjes over voeding die we ingelepeld hebben gekregen en waardoor we alsmaar ongezonder en ongeruster zijn geworden. Het gaat over een andere manier van denken over voeding en dieet, en laat zien dat iedereen een individu is, in plaats van de ‘gemiddelde’ persoon voor wie de richtlijnen bedoeld zijn. The ingredient list on gluten-free foods is often much longer with many added chemicals that together could be having unknown effects on our body and microbes Coffee contains high levels of the antioxidant chemicals, polyphenols, which are likely to be beneficial due to their role in feeding our microbes. A mug of coffee also contains around 0.5g of fibre There is much to savour in Spector's breezy demolition of the claims of both the greedy food corporations and the joyless "food police". Jonathan Prynn, Evening Standard Diversity cultivates a healthy microbiome – the micro-organisms living in our gut – which plays a vital role in digesting food, regulating our immune systems, and tweaking our brain chemistries through the chemicals they produce. “It’s that diversity of gut microbes that gives you a diversity of chemicals and, we believe, a healthier immune system and a better metabolism,” Spector says. “Once people start seeing that there is this link between the food we eat, our microbes and our immune systems, I think that changes the way we think about food. It’s not just fuel. It really is changing the way our body works.”

The problem with the 10,000 steps a day guideline; the step count doesn’t necessarily correlate with increasing your heart rate, and is not affected by intense activities such as weight lifting or cycling, so this will miss short bursts of exercise or even just brisk walking, which are likely to be much better for your help Fake milks like soy or almond claim to be healthy but are usually ultra-processed with multiple ingredients The high-octane, polemical approach that has become popular amongst a certain set of evidence-driven, 'rationalist' authors — a symptom perhaps of their vying for limited attention in a social media landscape already overwhelmed with the misinformation they're combating — isn't one I'm fond of, and doesn't often have the effect, I suspect, they're after. I'd have preferred a subtler, analytical, less 'campaigney' lense - even at the risk of it making for a drier read. What this amounts to is very similar to a Mediterranean diet – one high in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and containing less meat and dairy products than a typical western diet. Spector says: “It doesn’t really matter if you have bits of meat and fish on top of that – I don’t believe they’re necessarily healthy, but as long as you’re getting enough plants on your plate, it’s fine.” TL;dr - eat a wide range of plants and seeds, though there's no need to avoid anything completely. Unless you've tried cutting it (where it = meat /milk /nuts / relatives' cooking) out and you feel better.Investigating everything from environmental impact and food fraud to allergies, ultra-processed food and deceptive labelling, Spector also shows us the many wondrous and surprising properties of everyday foods, which scientists are only just beginning to understand. Neither GPs nor hospital doctors are obliged to keep up to date with any changes in diet or nutrition advice as part of their continuing education- not even diabetes doctors Eileen M Hunt: Feminism vs Big Brother - Wifedom: Mrs Orwell’s Invisible Life by Anna Funder; Julia by Sandra Newman Combining cutting-edge research with a personal insights, and taking a wide angle lens on everything from environmental impact and food fraud to allergies and deceptive labelling, Spector takes a deep dive into each food type. Food for Life also includes easy-to-implement action points and useful tables as practical tools in our everyday food decisions, presented in a novel and comprehensive format. Ultimately, this book encourages us to fall in love again with food and celebrate its many wondrous properties, which science is still only just beginning to understand. The common thread running throughout is 1) The insidious influence of the food industry, 2) diversity in food (again this is not new) - rather than fadishness of demonising/deifying food groups , and