Almost daily, there’s a news story about the latest “research” on what you should- or shouldn’t- be eating. Just opening your fridge at this point feels like an act of bravery, as the expert guidance on healthy eating seems to constantly shift. But, according to real nutrition experts, the truth about healthy eating- which is critical for healthy aging- is really not that complicated. As Dr. David Katz, Director of the Yale University Prevention Research Center, and Founder of The True Health Initiative has stated, “Where humans practice any reasonable variant on the theme of wholesome foods..wherever they eat mostly vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts, and seeds, and drink mostly water, they tend to live long, prosper with vitality and go late and gentle into that good night.” 

According to Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, Dean of the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, poor diet is the largest cause of poor health (and mortality) in our country. However, physicians receive little training about nutrition, the National Institutes of Health has no focused research institute addressing nutrition and we spend billions of health dollars annually paying for the costs of Type 2 Diabetes, a largely diet-preventable illness. So we pay on the back end because of poor diet and pay little attention to addressing and educating about what goes into our mouths in the first place. You can watch Dr. Mozaffarian speak about the need for good nutrition at the Aspen Ideas Festival here, and read more about his concerns and suggestions in this recent New York Times op-ed.

And speaking of good nutritional advice: More evidence has now come out about the cardiac and cognitive benefits of including blueberries in your daily diet as well as the heart health benefits of nuts. Which are the healthiest nuts for you? Pull out your snack pack and take a look here.