A recent study published in the American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition has changed the game once again. Milk fat, the kind of fat found in full-fat milk, cheese, butter, etc., is not bad for you as many previously thought. In fact, it is probably good for you. This happened with eggs a few years ago, and potatoes before that. Nuts, avocados, chocolate, coconut oil, coffee, and red meat have also had similar ups and downs. At one time these were all things that you should absolutely avoid or eat as rarely as possible. Now, they are considered good for you. I’m sure the pendulum will swing the other way in the not so distant future.

I have spoken before about not getting caught up in the hype of fad diets and this is all part of the reason why. Part of the problem is with the science of nutrition itself. It is a confusing mess of contradictory ideas and “facts”. There is a great vox article that you can read here about what is wrong with the study of nutrition.

I should say that I am not anti-doctor or anti-science or even anti-diet. What I am is someone who has seen time and time again the “facts” about food and health be done and undone. I have seen bandwagon hoppers get whiplash from hopping from one wagon to another. And I have seen foods that I love, and that humans have been eating and thriving on for thousands of years be vilified because of some perceived negative effects.

So what should you do? What should you eat if you want to stay healthy and live a long life? To quote Michael Pollan “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.” Eat a varied diet with a lot of leafy greens and vegetables. Eat fats like olive oil, and animal fats but avoid hydrogenated oils. Limit the number of processed foods, or try to avoid them all together. Not that complicated.

By eating in the way I just described you will not only be eating healthier, but you will be avoiding all the headaches that come from paying attention to all the confusion around eating. In all honesty, and this is the big secret no one wants to tell you, your guess about what is good to eat, is just as good if not better than anyone else’s. Unless you are a complete moron you probably have a pretty good idea about what foods are good for you, and what ones aren’t. Eat more of the ones that are good for you, and a lot less of the ones that aren’t.