There are definitely valid reasons for eliminating certain foods from your diet for the sake of your health. If you’re doing it just because it’s buzzy, however, new research suggests that nixing entire food groups comes with serious side-effects.
That’s the case with healthy carbs like whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds. A long-term study recently published in The Lancet Public Health took a deep-dive into the eating habits of more than 447,000 individuals around the globe. It found cutting carbs from your life—like on keto—might help you lose weight or feel great in the short term, but with long-term dangers. After a 25-year follow-up, those who ate the lowest amount of carbohydrates had the highest risk of death.
A 22-year-long study published in PLOS Medicine of 470,000 Europeans looked at the issue from another angle. It found the opposite to be true. People who ate plenty of leafy greens, legumes, veggies, and nuts lived longer and were less likely to develop conditions like diabetes and cancer than those who didn’t. Its findings echo those of The China Study, the most comprehensive examination of human nutrition to date, which concluded that plant-based diets are the best for long-term health.
The real secret to great health, according to all three studies, is actually pretty simple for most folks. Build your meals around plants and eat from all the important food groups. Sure, it’s not the most exciting thing in the world, but it works. Plus, you don’t even need to memorize a giant list of dos and don’ts to reap the benefits.
Doesn’t all this make the idea of food freedom all the more appetizing?
Your skin might love this plant-based ingredient even more than retinol. Or check out the healthy “flavor bombs” one chef uses to jazz up simple recipes.
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