{"id":1186,"date":"2025-01-03T08:00:14","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T08:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=1186"},"modified":"2025-03-07T08:35:34","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T08:35:34","slug":"how-to-eat-healthy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/blog\/how-to-eat-healthy\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Eat Healthy: 23 Things the World\u2019s Leading Experts Have Said in the Last 12 Months"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Advice on how to eat healthy constantly evolves as new research emerges, but some truths stand the test of time\u2014or get reimagined in fresh ways. Over the past year, experts have weighed in on everything from why one meal a day might not be your best bet to whether skipping breakfast is really a cardinal sin. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wondering if your daily coffee routine, water intake, or love for peanut butter is helping or hindering your health goals? We\u2019ve gathered 23 expert-backed quotes that cut through the noise and provide practical, thoughtful insights into how to eat well without overcomplicating things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"how<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. \u201cRye bread is probably the healthiest bread you can have.\u201d \u2013 Tim Spector<\/strong><\/a>, British epidemiologist, doctor, and scientist at food and health monitoring app <\/strong>Zoe<\/strong><\/a>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. \u201cThere is no rigid type of diet that everyone should follow to live longer [and] healthier. […] Identify which of the whole foods you really enjoy and make your own healthy diet. You can mix and match the elements of a Mediterranean diet and an Okinawan diet, or create an entirely new diet altogether.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Frank Hu<\/strong><\/a>, Chair of Department of Nutrition, Fredrick J. Stare Professor of Nutrition and Epidemiology at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. \u201cFrom a nutritional perspective, [shrimp tail] is kind of like the white meat of the sea.\u201d \u2013 Zach Koehn<\/strong><\/a>, a nutrition researcher at Stanford University\u2019s Center for Ocean Solutions<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. \u201cDon\u2019t equate words like \u2018wholesome\u2019 and \u2018natural\u2019 with \u2018unprocessed.\u2019 Just because a food label contains a picture of a garden or words like \u201cnatural\u201d or \u201cplant-based\u201d doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s not ultraprocessed. \u201c \u2013 Josiemer Mattei<\/strong><\/a>, Assistant Professor of Nutrition at the Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. \u201cMost of our excess sodium comes from packaged, processed and restaurant foods, not the saltshaker.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Maya Vadiveloo<\/strong><\/a>, Ph.D., RD, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Nutrition at the University of Rhode Island<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. \u201c\u200bI\u2063 encourage everyone to consider the DASH diet<\/a> \u200dnot just as a temporary fix but as a sustainable lifestyle choice.\u200c\u201d \u2013 Deepak Gupta<\/strong><\/a>, MD, MSCI, Associate Professor of Medicine, Director of the Vanderbilt Translational and Clinical Cardiovascular Research Center <\/strong>[The DASH diet, or Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a healthy eating plan designed to lower blood pressure by reducing sodium and focusing on nutrient-rich foods like vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean proteins.]<\/em>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  7. \u201cIn several studies published in the past decade or so […] researchers reported that it was only people who consumed much more sodium \u2014 on the order of 5,000 milligrams per day \u2014 who had a greater risk of heart disease or earlier death. Those findings suggested sodium guidelines set by health organizations across the world were too strict.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Martin O\u2019Donnell<\/strong><\/a>, is Executive Dean of College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, University of Galway<\/strong>

    \"\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  8. \u201cThere are a lot of excessively large water bottles being carried around by people these days. But the overwhelming majority of people do not need to drink an excess of water.\u201d\u2013 Dr. Siddharth P. Shah<\/strong><\/a>, a nephrologist at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania who specialises in hydration and electrolyte balance<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  9. \u201cOne meal a day is not a good idea.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Caroline Apovian<\/strong><\/a>, an obesity specialist at Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  10. \u201cYour meals are meant to be enjoyed. And when you eat while watching TV, you can end up being distracted and ultimately eat more calories while feeling less satisfied. Instead, enjoy your meals with friends and family. […] Or, at the very least, simply make sure you are not distracted by the TV\u2014or any device\u2014while you are eating. Eating without distractions allows you to eat mindfully, which means you can pay attention to your body’s cues when it’s had enough to eat.\u201d  \u2013 Lauren Manaker<\/strong><\/a>, M.S., RDN, LD, CLEC, Award-Winning Registered Dietitian and Lactation Counselor<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  11. \u201cWhen buying packaged foods, a good rule of thumb is to choose products with no more milligrams of sodium per serving than calories.\u201d \u2013 Cheryl Anderson<\/strong><\/a>, PhD, MPH, MS, is a Professor and Dean of the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  12. \u201cIf you want to use vinegar to control your blood sugar, dilute one or two tablespoons of any type of vinegar into water before drinking, but don\u2019t exceed two to four tablespoons in a day. Even when diluted, vinegar can erode tooth enamel, so drink the vinegar with a straw. If you drink it undiluted, you run the risk of corroding your esophagus lining too.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Nitin K. Ahuja<\/strong><\/a>, Associate Professor in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at the University of Pennsylvania<\/strong>

    \"\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  13. \u201cMaybe you aren\u2019t hungry until 10 a.m. That\u2019s OK. Sit down and have yogurt and a banana. That still counts as \u2018breakfast\u2019.\u201d \u2013 Lauren Au<\/strong><\/a>, Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutrition at UC Davis<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  14. \u201cI have a lot of patients who ask what they should eat and avoid, and I tell them that as long as they\u2019re not allergic, there\u2019s no one food you can eat that will cause an anti-inflammatory response. So eating 18 pounds of blueberries one day isn\u2019t going to lower inflammation. And also, if you have red meat once in a while, it\u2019s not going to cause systemic inflammation. What matters most is your overall dietary pattern.\u201d \u2013 Amy Bragagnini<\/strong><\/a>, M.S., RD, CSO, Certified Specialist in Oncology Nutrition<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  15. \u201cDark chocolate should not be considered a \u201cmagic bullet\u201d for preventing diabetes.\u201d \u2013 Dr. Qi Sun<\/strong><\/a>, Associate Professor in the Departments of Nutrition and Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health<\/strong>

    \"\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  16. \u201cPeople turning to green tea to lose weight can\u2019t expect a big effect, and certainly nothing close to medications like Ozempic.\u201d \u2013 <\/strong>Rob van Dam<\/strong><\/a>, Professor in the Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences in the Milken Institute School of Public Health at George Washington University<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  17. \u201cStudies show that eating flaxseeds can lower blood pressure and also improve your skin, which could be down to the fatty acids and antioxidants which are much more readily available when you grind them up. Just one teaspoon of flaxseed daily can make a big difference.\u201d \u2013 Michael Mosley<\/strong><\/a>, British medical journalist and TV personality<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  18. \u201cIf you determine whether or not a diet “works” based on whether or not it will produce sustainable weight loss that you can keep doing for the rest of your life, I\u2019d say the Cambridge Diet<\/a> is destined for failure.\u201d \u2013 Mike Molloy<\/strong><\/a>, nutritionist and founder of coaching company <\/strong>M2 Performance Nutrition<\/strong><\/a>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  19. \u201cOne word of warning is always choose the peanut butter with the least ingredients: ideally peanuts only. […] I would avoid anything with added sugar, oils or emulsifiers. Keep it simple.\u201d \u2013  Valentina Cartago<\/strong><\/a>, London-based Registered Nutritionist<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  20. \u201cIf you want to reduce your consumption of seed oils, do so by eating fewer ultraprocessed foods.\u201d \u2013 Christopher Gardner<\/strong><\/a>, director of nutrition studies at the Stanford Prevention Research Center and the Rehnborg Farquhar Professor of Medicine at Stanford University<\/strong>

    \"\"<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  21. \u201cUse simple, packaged foods like frozen vegetables, canned beans, tinned fish and precooked whole grains to more easily prepare balanced meals at home<\/a>. You can whip up a stir fry with frozen vegetables or a pasta puttanesca with tinned anchovies and canned tomatoes in just a few minutes, no chopping required. […] That is not cheating.\u201d\u2013 Dr. Nate Wood<\/strong><\/a>, inaugural Director of Culinary Medicine at the Yale School of Medicine and Irving and Alice Brown Teaching Kitchen at Yale New Haven Health<\/strong>

    <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  22. \u201cAt some points in your life, you\u2019re going to eat more sugar, sodium or fat. But your overall habits and lifestyle choices are what really determine your health. We\u2019re all human!\u201d \u2013 Alexis Silver<\/strong><\/a>, M.P.H., RDN, Registered Dietitian with a Master of Public Health in Nutrition and Dietetics<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    And there you have it. With these expert tips on how to eat healthy, maybe you\u2019ll rethink your cooking oils, swap your bread choice, or simply celebrate the fact that you\u2019re already doing a lot of things right. Wherever you are on your food journey, these nuggets of wisdom can guide your next steps\u2014one meal, one decision at a time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Advice on how to eat healthy constantly evolves as new research emerges, but some truths stand the test of time\u2014or get reimagined in fresh ways. Over the past year, experts have weighed in on everything from why one meal a day might not be your best bet to whether skipping breakfast is really a cardinal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1218,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","_editorskit_title_hidden":false,"_editorskit_reading_time":0,"_editorskit_is_block_options_detached":false,"_editorskit_block_options_position":"{}","footnotes":""},"categories":[116],"tags":[138],"class_list":["post-1186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-guides","tag-featured"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1186"}],"version-history":[{"count":26,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1328,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1186\/revisions\/1328"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1218"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}