When it comes to healthy eating ideas, there are all kinds of rules, trends and advice about what’s good for you and what’s not.
Some of the advice may be valid, but others should be taken with a grain of salt.
Several experts and researchers from Mass General Brigham in Boston examined some popular diet concepts that were doing the rounds, and separated fact from fiction.
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Here are six popular concepts—and a clear explanation of whether or not they’re true, according to experts.
True or false?
1. ‘To live longer, women should follow the Mediterranean diet’
WHERE. Recent studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for overall health.
Researchers from Mass General Hospital evaluated six myths about healthy eating, including plant-based diets and peanut butter for kids. (iStock)
Mass General supports this theory, citing its own research that found that women who followed the diet for more than 25 years had a 23% lower risk of death. Deaths from cardiovascular disease and cancer also decreased.
The study also found that introducing a single dietary component led to a 5% reduction in the long-term risk of death from certain diseases.
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The Mediterranean diet consists of healthy foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, nuts and fish. Sugar, processed meat and red meat are avoided.
According to Samia Mora, MD, director of the Center for Lipid Metabolomics at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, most people don’t realize the impact nutrition has on health and longevity.
The Mediterranean diet consists of foods such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, olive oil, nuts and fish. Sugar, processed meat and red meat are avoided. (iStock)
“What we eat today has major implications for living a long and healthy life,” she wrote in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“The benefits [of the Mediterranean diet] were seen for both cancer and cardiovascular death – the two leading causes of death in women and men – and were related to multiple biological mechanisms, notably reducing inflammation and insulin resistance and improving metabolism.”
2. ‘Removing trigger foods is always the best treatment for digestive problems’
Incorrect. While some people do indeed suffer from food allergies or autoimmune disorders, Mass General experts concluded that this dietary concept is flawed overall, as many digestive symptoms have “more complex causes.”
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When patients react badly to certain foods, it’s not the food itself that’s causing the problems, but the digestive system’s response to food “in general,” says Kyle Staller, MD, director of the Gastrointestinal Motility Laboratory at Massachusetts General Hospital.
Poor digestion may not just be caused by the foods you eat, a doctor says. (iStock)
“Some people are allergic to certain foods (for example, gluten allergy in celiac disease) or cannot digest certain foods (such as dairy in lactose intolerance), but many symptoms attributed to specific foods are actually caused by the body’s response to the food,” he told Fox News Digital.
According to Staller, eating starts a “cascade of nervous activity in the gut,” regardless of the type of food eaten.
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People with sensitive nerves in their intestines may experience gastrointestinal complaints such as gas, bloating and an abnormally full feeling.
“These are what we call ‘gut-brain interaction disorders,’ feeling abnormal sensations even when digestion appears to be normal,” Staller said.
Eating sets off a “cascade of nervous activity in your gut” regardless of the type of food you eat, a doctor says. (iStock)
“Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most classic example.”
According to Staller, the best way to alleviate these symptoms is to address the abnormal nervous system responses and avoid only the “most problematic” foods.
3. ‘Eating blueberries may reduce the risk of certain eye diseases’
WHERE. The researchers found this claim to be true: blueberries can indeed be good for your eyes.
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A Mass General study of nearly 40,000 middle-aged and older American women found that eating one or more servings of blueberries per week was associated with a 28 percent lower risk of age-related macular degeneration (AMD), an eye condition that can lead to significant vision loss.
One or more servings of blueberries per week was associated with a 28% lower risk of conditions that cause vision loss. (iStock)
Dr. Howard D. Sesso, director of nutrition and supplement research at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, confirmed that blueberries can optimize eye health.
“Blueberries contain anthocyanins, a bioactive polyphenol that gives them their blue color and has been linked to a possible reduction in eye disease,” he told Fox News Digital.
4. ‘Following a plant-based diet will always improve your health’
Incorrect, with reservations. According to experts at Mass General, a plant-based diet isn’t always the best solution, even though it may seem super healthy.
According to Dr. Qi Sun, associate professor of medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, plant-based eating plans have “various and sometimes conflicting health effects.”
“Diet alone is not a miracle cure.”
A plant-based diet high in refined grains, sugary drinks and sweets is very different from a diet high in fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, coffee, tea and more, he noted.
According to an expert, a plant-based diet should be balanced and include fruits, vegetables and whole grains. (iStock)
According to the researchers, the first diet is associated with “many negative health consequences.”
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The second diet is seen as a “healthy version of a plant-based diet,” which Sun says “is strongly associated with better health outcomes, including a lower risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, obesity and gout.”
According to experts, the ‘healthy version’ of a plant-based diet has been proven to reduce the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, obesity and gout. (iStock)
In a statement to Fox News Digital, Sun encouraged people to focus on high-quality ingredients, such as fresh fruits, non-starchy vegetables, whole grains, legumes and nuts, and olive oil and other vegetable oils, and to limit sugary and salty foods.
“Don’t forget to exercise regularly and make other healthy lifestyle choices,” he advised. “After all, diet is not a panacea by itself.”
5. ‘The location of the food in the supermarket has no influence on purchases’
Incorrect. Mass General called this concept outright “false,” saying the “choice architecture” of the supermarket “strongly influences what we buy.”
When healthy products are offered in visible or convenient places, people are more likely to make a healthier choice, the researchers said.
According to Mass General, “healthy choice architecture” involves offering healthy products in a visible or convenient location. (iStock)
In the cafeteria at Mass General Hospital, food and beverages are labeled red, yellow, and green, with red being the least healthy and green being the healthiest.
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The researchers found that employees made healthier choices when the healthiest items were conveniently located or at eye level.
Anne Thorndike, a family physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, told Fox News Digital that the reverse is also true.
According to researchers, people are more likely to choose foods that are easily accessible and visible. (iStock)
“This is well known to the food industry, which places sugary drinks, salty snacks, sweets and baked goods at checkout counters, at the ends of aisles and at the front of the store,” she said.
6. ‘Early introduction of foods like peanut butter can prevent allergies’
WHERE. It can be scary for parents to introduce a young child to foods known to cause allergic reactions, but Mass General confirmed that it can be beneficial in the long run.
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According to the LEAP (Learning Early About Peanut Allergy) study, introducing “developmentally appropriate” peanuts to children between 4 and 6 months of age can lead to an 80% reduction in peanut allergy in those at high risk.
Feeding children between 4 and 6 months of age ‘developmentally appropriate’ peanuts can reduce the risk of peanut allergy by 80% in children at high risk. (iStock)
Michael Pistiner, director of Food Allergy Advocacy, Education and Prevention at Mass General Hospital for Children, stressed that these findings show that “timing is important.”
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“Once a child gets to a pediatric allergist, it may be too late to prevent certain food allergies that could have been prevented by early introduction of allergens and family education,” he told Fox News Digital.
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Pistiner added: “Given limited access to allergy specialists and long wait times that can exceed three months, primary care providers play a critical role in supporting families with feeding babies, introducing allergens early, treating eczema, and diagnosing and referring for food allergies.”