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Food Dollar is shown in this report summary from the Economic Research Service.

Gizmodo's reporter decided to eat a healthier and less environmentally harmful diet, based on guidelines.

" A recent report put out by the EAT-Lancet Commission lays out how we may have to change our diets to accommodate another 2.5 billion souls and a hotter Earth. With that in mind, Earther is going to borrow io9's tagline for the next month and eat like it’s 2050. I’ll be our futuristic guinea pig and will be documenting my experience not as some holier-than-thou crusade but as an attempt to understand what eating could be like in a more sustainable future—easy, difficult, cheap, expensive, tasty or bland.

I’ll get a hand from Claire Lower over at Skillet. She’ll be sending me some recipes in line with the diet’s suggestions, which are an attempt to maintain the health of humanity and the planet we call home. "

Eating differently can just mean taking what is healthier for you. And you will be getting away from mass-produced food in almost all cases.
Healthiest types of bread in this article. The word organic isn't even mentioned, but obviously if you can get bread made with organic grains you are limiting your exposure to pesticide.

I love sprouted grain bread. I buy it from Food for Life. At first I found it weird to buy bread from the freezer, but I just put it in the toaster and it’s awesome.

Sounds very interesting, thanks!

Be healthier, reduce the risk of obesity; eat nuts instead of junk snacks.
Don't ask me, ask the experts.

Just so you know, eating raw or marinated fish can mean eating fish parasites.
Restaurants are required to freeze fish to kill them off, so don't just prepare sushi at home from fresh fish.

This training document was posted on Gizmodo.



Here's the original article, which is mainly about safe strawberry eating. That's important too, but not as important as parasites.

The UK Government's Eatwell Guide has been tested on a large population group and effects of following some or all of its recommendations assessed.

"Adhering to Public Health England's 'Eatwell Guide' of a balanced diet could reduce your chance of dying prematurely and lower your environmental footprint, according to a new study in BMJ Open....
"It found that people who adhered to any five or more of the evaluated recommendations set out in the guidelines had an estimated 7% reduction in their mortality risk—based on data from three major UK databases (UK Biobank, EPIC Oxford and the Million Women Study).

They also found that the recommendation associated with the largest reduction, when adhered to alone, was the consumption of fruit and vegetables which reduced estimated risk by 10%.

Additionally, the study showed that following Eatwell Guide recommendations could reduce the emission of greenhouse gases—one of the biggest drivers of climate change. Diets that adhered to between five and nine of the evaluated recommendations were associated with 1.6kg less CO2 emissions per day, a 30% reduction compared to average daily CO2 emissions of diets that adhered to up to two of the nine evaluated recommendations."

Interactive EatWell Guide as above, from National health Service.



As mentioned in the above article, this does not take environmental action into account, but does have beneficial effects by reducing meat.
The above does not mention that if you eat locally grown and raised foods, and drink tap water rather than imported water or bottled soft drinks, you will do more for the environment than if you get them flown in from the other side of the world.

The full story on the population study:

Journal information: BMJ Open
More information: P.F.D. Scheelbeek, R. Green, K. Papier, A. Knuppel, C. Alae-Carew, A. Balkwill, T. Key, V. Beral & A.D. Dangour. Sustainable food systems & diets in the UK: The Eatwell Guide as a blueprint for healthy and sustainable diets in the UK. BMJ Open.
Journal information: BMJ Open

Mature people can prevent some muscle loss by getting enough Vitamin C each day; just as much as from eating one or two pieces of fruit.
Plus, of course, you have to use it or lose it.



More information: 'Lower dietary and circulating vitamin C in middle and older aged men and women are associated with lower estimated skeletal muscle mass' is published in the Journal of Nutrition on August 27, 2020.
Journal information: Journal of Nutrition

We should reduce meat in the diet of affluent countries, and plant trees and shrubs, according to this report. That might buy us time while we are changing over power generation to a clean economy.

"But the benefits of cutting back on meat and dairy reach far beyond addressing climate change.

"Reduced meat production would also be beneficial for water quality and quantity, wildlife habitat, and biodiversity," notes William Ripple, a co-author on the study and a professor of ecology at Oregon State University.

Recent events have also shone a spotlight on the importance of healthy ecosystems in preventing pandemic diseases with animal origins, such as COVID-19."



Some people are vegans or vegetarians in affluent countries. They often can do this because they eat a wide variety, and take supplements. Whereas in peasant cooking, vegetables and grains featured largely, every part of the animal got eaten or made into soup, and the bones were given to the sheepdogs.
Animal manure also fertilises, and distributes seeds. Grazing, provided it isn't overgrazing, has many beneficial aspects which increase biodiversity. And animals can graze where no crop can be grown. However, deforestation for cattle ranching is clearly exacerbating the carbon problem.

We need less meat than we're accustomed to eating. We could eat less of it, better quality and ethically reared.

Ecowatch reproduces an item from Environmental Health News.

"we sent a survey to 22 endocrinologists asking what they use in their homes.

These scientists know what ingredients are harmful to your health, and give some important pointers on things to avoid as you do your shopping.

Explore their answers to questions such as "do you buy organic produce?" and "do you buy scented products?" below."

All you ever needed to know about honey, including how bees make honey and how it can be adulterated and fraudulently sold - honey laundering.
Thank you, Trinity College's researchers.

This study finds that as we get older, the benefits of a Mediterranean type diet can more easily be undone by adding red meat, sweets, processed grains and other processed foods.

""The more we can incorporate green leafy vegetables, other vegetables, berries, olive oil, and fish into our diets, the better it is for our aging brains and bodies. Other studies show that red and processed meat, fried food and low whole grains intake are associated with higher inflammation and faster cognitive decline in older ages," Agarwal said. "To benefit from diets such as the Mediterranean diet, or MIND diet, we would have to limit our consumption of processed foods and other unhealthy foods such as fried foods and sweets.""

Mediterranean-style diets linked to better brain function in older adults
Provided by Rush University Medical Center

These days I notice (even with full strength ad blockers) that much marketing is being done of high protein diets to burn calories.

This article by a dietician explains the differences between diets high in calories/ proteins/ fats/ carbohydrates / fibre / micronutrients and those lower in some ways.
Reminders are given about blood sugar levels and how they relate to fat storage, and the kind of diet that helps us live longer.

Locavore is a word to name people who only eat food produced locally - defined as within 100 miles of their home.
We don't need to be that extreme to benefit from a policy of eating locally grown fruit and veg.

University of Sydney
"have found that 19 percent of global food system greenhouse gas emissions are caused by transportation.
This is up to seven times higher than previously estimated, and far exceeds the transport emissions of other commodities. For example, transport accounts for only seven percent of industry and utilities emissions.
...

"richer countries can reduce their food transport emissions through various mechanisms. These include investing in cleaner energy sources for vehicles, and incentivising food businesses to use less emissions-intensive production and distribution methods, such as natural refrigerants.

"Both investors and governments can help by creating environments that foster sustainable food supply," Professor Lenzen said.

Yet supply is driven by demand—meaning the consumer has the ultimate power to change this situation. "Changing consumers' attitudes and behavior towards sustainable diets can reap environmental benefits on the grandest scale," added Professor Raubenheimer.

"One example is the habit of consumers in affluent countries demanding unseasonal foods year-round, which need to be transported from elsewhere.

"Eating local seasonal alternatives, as we have throughout most of the history of our species, will help provide a healthy planet for future generations.""

More information: Arunima Malik, Global food-miles account for nearly 20% of total food-systems emissions, Nature Food (2022). DOI: .
Journal information: Nature Food
Provided by University of Sydney

Locavore. I'd never heard that one before, but sounds in many ways an interesting concept.

Most of us can't be; for instance, coffee and tea drinkers can't be that choosy.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life



This family spent a year growing their food and buying local produce. Great read. They also raised turkeys and chickens.

Clare wrote: "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life



This family spent a year growing their food and buying local p..."

Thanks Clare, that sounds like an interesting book. I could actually be without coffee, there was a time when I drank very, very strong coffee, and I just finished my quota for life. 🙂

Coffee is the world's largest 'soft' commodity. At one time in history, that would have been sugar.

"A study estimating the environmental impact of 57,000 food products in the U.K. and Ireland has been published this week in the journal PNAS by an Oxford-led research team.

The paper compares the environmental impacts of meat and meat alternative products, such as plant-based sausages or burgers, and finds many meat alternatives had a fifth to less than a tenth of the environmental impact of meat-based equivalents. This is the first time a transparent and reproducible method has been developed to assess the environmental impacts of multi-ingredient products. It provides a first step towards enabling consumers, retailers, and policymakers to make informed decisions on the environmental impacts of food and drink products."

Interestingly, the team found that generally the foods with lower impact had higher nutritional quality, apart from sugary drinks.


More information: Estimating the environmental impacts of 57,000 food products, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2022). DOI: .
Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Provided by University of Oxford

Have to admit, I grew up in a pretty carnivorous family. But my wife and boys are all getting fond of the meatless alternatives: impossible burgers, veggie dogs / sausage, portobello sandwiches, etc. The culinary artistry used to craft these meat substitutes amazes me. Food science to the rescue!

I love meat alternatives, so this research makes me feel even better about my choices! I'm also lactose intolerant, and vegan cheeses/ cream are so good nowadays

The Three Cricketeers: Betting on Bug Food to Help the Planet

A family in Minnesota wants to put crickets on your dinner plate.

We enjoy something like a no-meat steak or sausage once a week or so. Starting to be a lot of variety and the tastes are great. If you're not keen on the taste you can add a sauce.

Research and consumer surveys informed this article.



"Driven in part by changes in consumer behaviour, Short Food Supply Chains (SFSCs) are going through something of a renaissance. From an EU perspective, SFSCs are an opportunity to reconnect producers and consumers, and to rebalance power in the supply chain.

For that reason, the European Commission funded a project called agroBRIDGES � of which Teagasc is a partner � that aims to empower farmers through new business and marketing models based on SFSCs.

An online consumer survey was conducted across 12 European countries in the summer of 2021. Respondents cited “quality attributes of the SFSC products (in terms of taste, freshness and healthiness)� as the major motivation for purchasing food from SFSCs. Other top motivations included food safety concerns, as well as support of local farmers, producers and the local economy. Access (i.e. a lack of local outlets that sell SFSC products) and affordability, however, remain leading concerns among consumers and hinder their ability to buy food from SFSCs."


A few online platforms now enable farmers to sell direct to home consumers.
The reduction of oil used in transportation and refrigeration also has to be good. Wherever we are, we try to eat local food and drink local beverages.

"Researchers at the University of Sydney, Australia, have conducted a metadata analysis on vegetarian diets' effect on people at high risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). They found that the vegetarian diet was associated with significantly improved LDL-cholesterol, HbA1c (glucose level) and body weight.
...
"Vegetarian meals marketed for convenience may be high in calories, refined carbohydrates, hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, sucrose or artificial sweeteners and salt.

A higher risk of CVD and diabetes is possible on a vegetarian diet if the veggies pass through a deep fryer first. Foods rich in trans fatty acids and salt are associated with a 32% higher risk of coronary heart disease and a high risk of type 2 diabetes.

While a meta-analysis of 20 past trials cannot control for the wide range of diets included in those studies, which ranged from vegan to vegetarian (allowing for eggs and dairy), the overall signal from these diverse vegetarian diets was clear.

The vegetarian diet is associated with significant improvements in LDL-C, HbA1c (glucose level) and body weight in individuals with type 2 diabetes or at high risk of CVDs."

More information: Tian Wang et al, Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and Cardiometabolic Risk in People With or at High Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, JAMA Network Open (2023). DOI:

Journal information: JAMA Network Open

Yes, its possible to be on a vegan diet that is very unhealthy. For example, a diet of nothing but coca cola is vegan but it caused one woman to die of a protein deficiency.
However there is an Australian guy who always struggled with food addiction and was overweight and unhappy with it. He wanted to be able to go cold turkey like alcoholics have to do. But of course you can't just stop eating or you die.
So he did the closest thing he could and vowed to spend one whole year eating nothing but plain bland potatoes, boiled, baked in its skin without any sauces or condiments except a little salt and pepper. He stuck to it for the year and documented it online for followers to watch. He finished the year, slim, fit and healthy with no trace of protein deficiency.
A potato is 5% protein which is the perfect protein requirement. He'd chosen the humble spud because he'd heard it provided the closest thing to perfect nutrition in a single food. Now he eats all sorts of other foods as long as its plain unprocessed vegan food. So all fruit and veges are fine, as long as not fried or processed. All oils (being processed food) are out because you get all the oils you need from nuts, seeds and avocados.
Too much protein has proved to cause cancer in rats. Their cancer rates rise as the animal protein levels are raised in their food. The China study proved the same in humans.

Well done! You may know that in pre-potato blight days, the Irish populace in poorer areas, survived on potatoes and buttermilk.

I eat a vegan diet for three reasons in the following order of importance:
1. it is better for the planet by far.
2. animal ethics
3. my own health
I've been eating vegan for about 7 years now. I would never go back. When I'm out on the sea in my kayak, I feel I can look my sea friends in the eye, whether they are dolphins, whales, rays, fish,sharks or even birds, because I am not out there to steal their food, like so many humans who trespass on the ocean.
And even though I do not steal their food, I still see myself as a trespasser because I'm a land animal and do not belong on the sea. When you trespass on property you do not own, it is best to at least be respectful and not steal the food you find there.
Sea beings have never stolen my food so I return the favour.

A friend who went vegetarian years ago, said he would still eat fish, because if you fell in the sea, the fish would eat you. He has never yet fallen in the sea, I'm pleased to say, and he is mostly vegetarian.

I learned a new term today: climatarian. People who steer their diet towards what they consider is best for the world's climate. So that would mean not importing palm fat, reducing dairy and meat. Not necessarily plant based only, provided the meat was local. I think that's what my diet is; I was calling it flexitarian, but that could mean eating palm fat.

The other day I saw 'vegan butter' in a supermarket. It turned out to be made of palm fat. This horrible mislabelling shows that there is probably no such thing as a completely harmless diet.

The cheese makers are getting more creative, and using bean and other pulse extracts, powdered potato and so on, coconut oil to replace the fat. With carrot colouring if needed. So the vegan cheese is possible, but it's still got imported ingredients. All a matter of balance. In Ireland, the dairy is local, friendly and employing.

Commercial vegan cheese is all very well but it's usually so full of weird number-munching additives, it's not exactly whole unprocessed food is it. So, if I want cheese, I make my own using, nuts, seeds etc, which I grind up to a paste with soymilk and my own varying choices of spices and condiments and it makes a flavoursome creamy stiff past which tastes nothing like cheese and nor do I want it to, but it adds a creaminess to the food in the same way cheese does. I put it on sandwiches, in soups, on pasta, on home-made pizza, and all sorts of ways.
I also have tahini sauce recipes which can be substituted for cheese. Tahini is sesame seed butter. My tahini sauces enrich soups exactly as a handful of grated cheese does, but with a more interesting taste (IMO) .
Once we start using these recipes, our tastes start to change. Cheese is no longer appealing to my once-addicted palate.

Sounds like what we call nut butter and seed butter.

Some people do not have a choice over what they eat or how it is produced, as they are reliant partly on food banks. This story is from Belgium.
Your browser may offer to translate.



"In these conditions, between rising energy and food costs, more and more people are turning to food aid. The Federation estimates that some 600,000 people currently use them. But there are two problems: associations no longer receive enough donations; donations are increasingly of poor quality.
...
" A number of factors explain this shortfall: "Firstly, there's the rise in prices, which means that consumers are buying even on the dates closest to expiry, which saves them money," she explains, "then there's the increase in the number of people who need help, which has been quite glaring in recent months, with the result that the donations collected are finished more quickly. And then there are apps like Too Good To Go, which siphon off some of the potential donations," adds Brigitte Grisar.
...
"Another concern raised by the food aid sector is the quality of donations. At the Petite Maison du Peuple in Colfontaine, Dominique and the other volunteers are not taking it lying down: "Look at these broccoli and grapes," explains Dominique, "they're in a deplorable state! The volunteer takes us on a tour of the vegetable and fruit bins received in the last few hours, and the results are distressing. Brown eggplants, rotten bananas, dodgy radishes... And even cold meats that expired a few days later. "It's a disaster," adds Dominique, "before, when we received a pallet of donations, we'd throw away the equivalent of one or two bins. Today, we throw away three times as much". "We also get threats." The volunteer explains that the ASBL receives threats if it complains about the quality of the donations: "Some stores threaten to stop giving us anything if we refuse some of it." The volunteer explains that because of these donations of inedible products, the ASBL now has huge waste management costs: "We empty several rolls of garbage can bags a week. Sometimes we have to throw everything away. We have the impression of being the department stores' dustbin." "

A photo is shown of an aubergine, eggplant, with a browned end. Okay, you wouldn't buy it; but you could still make a good meal out of the good part.

The alternative meat made from vegetables seems to have hit a plateau. Because of a variety of economic factors, the alternative meat ends up costing 30 to 40 percent more than the meats they are trying to replace.

Fed by venture capitalism that contributed 15 billion dollars which means that companies are propped up by seemingly unlimited funds until the money runs out. Sales from the resulting 7.5 billion dollar alternate meat industry are now flat or less than they were as consumer enthusiasm wanes. This is caused in part by higher costs, taste, health concerns, and the new fad factor wearing out.

Part of the higher cost is caused by the alternate meat companies trying to imitate the taste of the meat products they are trying to replace.

According to a Berkeley study beef burgers would cost $13 instead of $5 if it weren't for subsidies, but as it is they cost $5. The alternate meat burgers would probably be considered affordable if they were only 5 to 10 percent more expensive instead of 30 to 40 percent more expensive.

If the alternate meat companies billed their products as a new way of eating vegetables instead of trying to imitate meat they would have a bigger market. Vegetables are a regular part of everyone's diets. You can use the same way to cook the alternate meat products as meat is cooked but don't try to imitate the flavors. At least while it is not economical to do so. Eventually a cheaper way to add meat flavors will be found but they don't exist yet.

Some of the alternate meat products have more salt and less vitamins than what they are replacing. Its not about what is produced so much as how the land is used.

The total value of the agricultural industry was 3.7 to 6 trillion with the animal industry valued at 1.4 to 3 trillion. Animal agriculture takes up 75 percent of the world’s agricultural land but produces 25 to 50 percent of the total agricultural value. It produces 11 percent of greenhouse gas emissions. It uses a lot of water and pollutes quite a bit of it in the process.

Changing from animal based protein to plant based protein won't use less land and will probably use more land. Hopefully it will use water in a better way and create a healthier food selection and add to the stability of the global ecosystem.

I've eaten vegetable burgers of various kinds, the ones that are obviously pressed vegetables still identifiable by the colours are my favourite. Those which imitate meat, you're right, they don't hold together as well or have the same texture, but they can still be good. Those tend to be dearer. Your point about the money running out is a good one, because any food production needs to be self sustaining.

From 5X15.

"Chef, writer and broadcaster Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall.
"Leading nutritionists have confirmed that when it comes to eating plants, diversity is the key, and 30 is the magic number. As we add more plants to our diet, measurable health benefits accrue, thanks to their amazing micronutrients and differing fibres, and once we get to 30 per week the effects start to plateau. So hitting the magic 30 week after week will do wonders for your gut microbiome and in turn help reduce the risk of common diseases, from obesity and diabetes to heart disease, dementia, depression, auto-immune diseases and allergies. 30 plants may sound a lot, but in Hugh’s expert hands it feels like an easy win. How to Eat 30 Plants a Week is bursting with recipes that are dependably delicious, packed with plants and great for your overall health."


Online talk
Date and time
Mon, 17 Jun 2024 18:30 - 19:30 GMT+1

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

Your diet doesn't just benefit or harm the environment, of course, it benefits or harms you. Your body replaces all its parts over months or years, and it uses your food to make the replacements.

Diet and alcohol are two of the mutable - changeable - risk factors in dementia.



"In their latest study, the researchers examined 161 risk factors for dementia, and ranked their impact on this vulnerable brain network, over and above the natural effects of age.

They classified these so-called 'modifiable' risk factors—as they can potentially be changed throughout life to reduce the risk of dementia—into 15 broad categories: blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, weight, alcohol consumption, smoking, depressive mood, inflammation, pollution, hearing, sleep, socialization, diet, physical activity, and education.

Prof. Gwenaëlle Douaud, who led this study, said, "We know that a constellation of brain regions degenerates earlier in aging, and in this new study we have shown that these specific parts of the brain are most vulnerable to diabetes, traffic-related air pollution—increasingly a major player in dementia—and alcohol, of all the common risk factors for dementia.
...

""It is with this kind of comprehensive, holistic approach—and once we had taken into account the effects of age and sex—that three emerged as the most harmful: diabetes, air pollution, and alcohol.""

More information: The effects of genetic and modifiable risk factors on brain regions vulnerable to ageing and disease, Nature Communications (2024).

Journal information: Nature Communications
Provided by University of Oxford

"Eating a vegan diet may reduce a person's biological age, research suggests.

After eight weeks of a plant-based diet, there were also decreases in the ages of the heart, hormone, liver, and inflammatory and metabolic systems, the study found.

However, these changes were not seen in those whose diet included meat, eggs, and dairy.

Those who ate a vegan diet also lost two kilogrammes more on average than those who did not, due to them consuming 200 fewer calories through the meals provided during the initial four weeks of the study.

According to the experts, the weight loss could have contributed to the observed differences in biological age between both groups.

Some experts suggest that, long-term, a vegan diet may result in nutritional deficiencies and may not suit all ages, while others say the differences could have been down to the weight loss.

The findings are based on a small study of 21 pairs of identical twins aged 39, half of whom ate a vegan diet, while the other sibling ate an omnivorous diet.

By the end of the study, the researchers observed decreases in biological age estimations based on levels of DNA methylation - a type of chemical modification of DNA that is used to estimate biological age.

Biological aging refers to the decline in functioning of tissues and cells in the body, as opposed to chronological age.

Previous research has reported that increased DNA methylation levels are associated with aging.

However, Varun Dwaraka, of epigenetic testing company TruDiagnostic Inc, and Christopher Gardner of Stanford University, California, and colleagues, said it is unclear how much the differences between the pairs can be attributed to the differences in diet.

Further research is needed to investigate the relationship between diet, weight and aging, in addition to the long-term effects of vegan diets, they add.

Tom Sanders, Professor emeritus of Nutrition and Dietetics, King's College London (KCL), who was not involved in the study, said the research found some difference in terms of aging for vegans, but does not consider the fact that vitamin and mineral deficiencies often take years to appear.

He added that research also suggests a vegan diet may not be good for the health of older people.

Prof Sanders said: "Although observational studies indicate that vegan diets may have favourable effects on health in middle age (such as a lower risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes), this is not the case in older vegans who seem more likely to suffer from muscle loss, low bone density and neurological disorders which have a significant impact on the quality of life."

"The Mediterranean diet is mainly based on abundant phytonutrients. The Mediterranean diet consists of olive oil as the primary source of fat, fresh fruit, low to moderate amounts of seafood, poultry, dairy products, wine and eggs. Sweets containing sugar or honey and red meat are consumed sparingly. Adhering to this diet could be protective against several conditions.

DailyColors is a dietary supplement designed to mimic the benefits of the Mediterranean diet by providing important nutrients found in fruits, berries, and vegetables. These nutrients, like Quercetin and Anthocyanins, are known for their potential health benefits, particularly in aging.

A collaborative study between the Center for Healthy Brain Aging at King's and Center for Age-related Medicine, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway, aimed to explore how DailyColors affects certain blood markers linked to aging and related diseases, such as how our cells produce energy, inflammation, and stress in the body.

The study also looked at changes in DNA methylation in saliva, which can provide indicators of biological aging.
...
"This study is the first to show that a novel supplement containing plant compounds found in the Mediterranean diet can alter blood biomarkers and epigenetic profiles that are associated with healthy aging," says Dr. Richard Siow, Director, Aging Research at King's (ARK).

In a follow-up study with 26 participants who continued to take DailyColors for a month, the study found changes in the way DNA is marked, which might slow down some of the negative effects of aging. Although the effects observed were minimal, the study suggests that DailyColors could help slow down certain aging processes. However, more extensive studies are needed to confirm these benefits."

More information: Joyce Ruifen Chong et al, A Randomised, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Cross-Over Clinical Trial to Evaluate the Biological Effects and Safety of a Polyphenol Supplement on Healthy Ageing, Antioxidants (2024).

Journal information: Antioxidants
Provided by King's College London

"Vegetarianism is often equated to eating a lot of fruits, nuts, and vegetables. In practice, that might be the case, but often it also includes the consumption of ultra-processed foods such as breakfast cereals, candy bars, noodles, fake meats, and pizza.

Such foods have been found to contain a host of added, sometimes unhealthy, compounds and chemicals to enhance taste, improve texture, help with freshness, or simply make them look more appetizing. Meat, on the other hand, tends to undergo less processing because it looks and tastes good in its natural state.

To learn more about eating habits in the U.K., healthy and otherwise, the researchers looked at data from 200,000 people whose patient information about eating habits are stored in the UK Biobank project. They found that people eating a vegetarian or vegan diet were also eating more ultra-processed food than those who regularly ate meat. Such a finding suggests that the health gains made by eating less red meat were being lost due to the health hazards found in ultra-processed foods."

More information: Kiara Chang et al, Plant-based dietary patterns and ultra-processed food consumption: a cross-sectional analysis of the UK Biobank, eClinicalMedicine (2024).

Journal information: EClinicalMedicine

Glucose is fuel for tumours, but a new study shows that fructose, when processed by the liver, can provide tumors with the lipids they need to make new cells. This may explain an increase in cancers in people under 50 in America, where high fructose corn syrup, a by-product of (subsidised) maize, is added to many foods and drinks to get rid of it.
Fructose is another item I'll be checking for in the food packet ingredients lists.



More information: Gary Patti, Dietary fructose enhances tumour growth indirectly via interorgan lipid transfer, Nature (2024).


Journal information: Nature
Provided by Washington University in St. Louis

The latest dietary health study shows that calcium rich foods, vegetables and whole grains can protect against the harmful effects of alcohol and red or processed meat.



"Participants were drawn from the Million Women Study, a cohort of middle-aged UK women who completed dietary questionnaires detailing intake of 97 dietary factors. The study recorded data from 542,778 women for an average of 16.6 years, during which 12,251 were diagnosed with incident colorectal cancer.

Multivariable models adjusted for demographic, lifestyle, and clinical factors."

More information: Keren Papier et al, Diet-wide analyses for risk of colorectal cancer: prospective study of 12,251 incident cases among 542,778 women in the UK, Nature Communications (2025).

Journal information: Nature Communications

More dietary fibre is recommended in this new study too.



""We found a direct link between eating fiber and modulation of gene function that has anti-cancer effects, and we think this is likely a global mechanism because the short-chain fatty acids that result from fiber digestion can travel all over the body," said Michael Snyder, Ph.D., Stanford W. Ascherman, MD, FACS Professor in Genetics.

"It is generally the case that people's diet is very fiber poor, and that means their microbiome is not being fed properly and cannot make as many short-chain fatty acids as it should. This is not doing our health any favors.""

More information: Short-chain fatty acid metabolites propionate and butyrate are unique epigenetic regulatory elements linking diet, metabolism and gene expression, Nature Metabolism (2025).

Journal information: Nature Metabolism
Provided by Stanford University Medical Center

Good sources of omega-3 include seed oils. Also try to get enough omega- 6 and 9. Flax, pumpkin, safflower, echinacea, evening primrose etc. are good, and berries such as sea buckthorn contain the range of omegas. Omega-3 can also be found in fish oil.



"During the clinical trial, testing eight different groups or treatments, participants consumed 2,000 International units (IU) of vitamin D per day, and/or took 1 gram of omega-3 per day and/or participated in a 30-minute home exercise program 3 times a week across a 3-year span.

In an analysis of blood samples, Bischoff-Ferrari and colleagues found that omega-3 consumption moderately slowed biological aging across several of the epigenetic clocks by up to 4 months. This finding was not dependent on the sex, age or body mass index of the participant. Combining omega-3, vitamin D, and exercise was found to work even better, as shown by one of the tests.

Additionally, the authors also found that these three interventions together had the biggest impact on lowering cancer risk and preventing frailty over three years. Each intervention works through different but related mechanisms, and when combined, they reinforce each other, creating a stronger overall effect, the authors suggest."

More information: Heike A. Bischoff-Ferrari et al, Individual and additive effects of vitamin D, omega-3 and exercise on DNA methylation clocks of biological aging in older adults from the DO-HEALTH trial, Nature Aging (2025).

Journal information: Nature Aging
Provided by Nature Publishing Group