What we eat is important for everyone. From early childhood to old age, the food we eat is critical to how well, or not, the body can work.
The old saying ‘you are what you eat’ is so true as we are literally made from the compounds taken from the food we eat. When it comes to health, it’s not over dramatic to say that every meal can either heal or harm.
The rise in the Western diet eating pattern over the last 80 years has coincided with a huge increase in chronic health conditions and obesity. This includes some of our biggest killers:
- Heart disease
- Alzheimer's Disease and dementia
- Cancer
As well other long term health conditions connected to low level chronic inflammation such as:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Autoimmune disease including Multiple Sclerosis, Rheumatoid Arthritis and Lupus
- Parkinson's Disease
- Fatty liver disease
This list can go on but I won't as I don't want to depress you too much!
The Western diet is formed of cheap, low quality products, high in saturated fat and refined sugars, high in animal products, low in fibre and fresh fruit and vegetables.
A poor quality diet fuels inflammation and cell degeneration, the underlying process in all chronic health conditions.
This means a high quality diet can make a difference......
Research indicates that diets high in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole-grains, beans and legumes, nuts and seeds helps support healthy ageing (1). A diet high in these types of foods could be classified as 'anti-inflammatory' (2) helps to reduce chronic inflammation and supports the body to do what it does best - heal and be well.
This way of eating is not only good for us, but good for planetary health too. The Eat-Lancet Report developed a 'Planetary Health Diet' (3), one that supports human health whilst reducing the impact of our food systems on the environment. This way of eating is high in all the whole plant foods mentioned above and low in animal products.
It may sound simple, but eating colourful whole plant foods really does make a positive difference to health. I've witnessed this myself and seen the same in hundreds of others.
Colourful whole plant foods are nutrient dense, packed full of all the essential macronutrients - carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids. They also contain healthful sources of minerals and vitamins as well as powerful phytonutrients that can have an anti-oxidant effect in the body. Plants are also packed with a key 'nutrient' highly deficient in most people's diet - fibre.
Complex fibre is essential for human health, although it's not just for us. The gut microbiome thrives on it. An estimated 100 trillion microbes have made the human colon their home, a diverse community that thrives on complex fibre and polyphenols, compounds found in colourful plant foods. We have a symbiotic relationship with the microbiome, each of us having our own unique make-up. Lack of fibre essentially starves our friendly microbes that help us to stay well.
Food is not the only influence on our health of course. Genes, where you live, exercise (or lack of it), stress, vitamin D levels, smoking, alcohol and/or drugs, social connection - these all play a huge role in 'health' and how we feel because everything is connected.
In my role organising nutrition and lifestyle medicine conferences, I've heard many expert speakers on the positive, and negative, effects of all of the above. I make sure I take their advice by exercising regularly, managing my stress and getting outside whenever I can. There are days where this can be challenging. Which is what makes food so powerful, as even on the busiest of days we have to eat.
Every meal time is an active choice and we have the potential to help the body live well an average of three times a day. Which will you choose?
To find out more about the benefits of eating whole plant foods, please have a look at my articles. My recipes also contain lots of helpful information so do check them out too. My book might also be a great place to start. If you want support to explore how to change you're own health with diet, book a call with me to see how I can help.
References:
1) Tessier, AJ., Wang, F., Korat, A.A. et al. Optimal dietary patterns for healthy aging. Nat Med 31, 1644–1652 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-025-03570-5
2) Stromsnes K, Correas AG, Lehmann J, Gambini J, Olaso-Gonzalez G. Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Diet: Role in Healthy Aging. Biomedicines. 2021 Jul 30;9(8):922. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines9080922.
3) https://eatforum.org/eat-lancet-commission/the-planetary-health-diet-and-you/
