LET THEM EAT CAKE? NOT IN THE OFFICE!

There are always zillions of press articles trying to debunk commonly-held views about which foods are bad for us. Salt in your diet causes high blood pressure. Carbohydrates and red meat are bad. Dairy products fattening. Brown bread better than white. And everyone needs tons of protein.

Each “report” producing more waffle than a Belgian baker. Dark chocolate, coffee, red wine – good for you because they have antioxidants which neutralise the free radicals in your body. Next week, hang on! That earlier study was flawed, they’re actually bad for you: too much sugar (like in cakes. Remember “Cakegate”?) Next month, they’re good for you again; they contain a newly-identified chemical that reacts with an amino acid//enzyme/protein in such a way that scientists are only now starting to comprehend. And next month, sorry! Those findings were overhasty; they’re still bad for you. Frankly, practically everything that feels good or tastes good is probably finally going to somehow make you ill anyway.

Trouble is, this “research” can mean different things to different people. We’re all individuals and what works for some doesn’t work for others. Anyone who says otherwise is a bit like men claiming they only used to read Playboy “for the articles”…

What we need to remember above all, however, is that the diet industry is a multi-billion pound one that constantly needs to reinvent itself in order to keep us handing over our dosh. That’s what is behind the majority of these “reports”. What faddy diets do is sell lots of books to the easily influenced and fill up magazine/newspaper space. Common sense doesn’t make the snake oil brigade any money and so it generally isn’t encouraged. It’s not rocket science to know how to eat healthily. The only thing we really need to bear in mind is that people do vary, and that some people have an intolerance or allergy to certain foods. Some feel ill if they consume carrots or bananas. Others avocados or watermelon. Odd, but true.

And there we have it, definitive proof of what to do and what not to do! But wait. Aren’t “reports” like these plastered everywhere all the time, contradicting each other and offering basically zero science? How many articles on food analysis do we need? The problem is that the myths and facts are often all mixed up. Each author, physician or study gives a view that collides with another’s so that one person’s myth is another’s facts.

It’s not unusual for research to produce conflicting results, particularly when the studies are small. It’s better to step back and look at the bigger picture. It’s important that neither nutritionists nor the public are swayed by one study that confirms their fears or, at the other extreme, another that validates their enthusiasm. Look to the middle ground, where most results are to be found.

Basically, almost all food is OK in moderation and moderate exercise is good for us. Nothing is new, it seems.

Meanwhile I’m off to the gym for my regular 90 minute session. And that’s no myth! 15 minutes of cardio,15 minutes of weights. And 60 minutes of talking myself into it.

Nora Johnson’s 11 critically acclaimed psychological crime thrillers (www.nora-johnson.net) all available online including eBooks (€0.99;£0.99), Apple Books, audiobooks, paperbacks at Amazon etc. Profits to Cudeca cancer charity.

Thank you for taking the time to read this article. Do remember to come back and check The Euro Weekly News website for all your up-to-date local and international news stories. Remember, you can also follow us on Facebook and Instagram.