Well hey! I’m a science guy. I like to have at least a little bit of mechanistic understanding of what I’m doing, whether that’s neuroscience, exercise, music, etc.
I understand that there are different diets out there, that excess sugar is generally bad and the right amounts of certain vegetables are good. But after that, I’m a little lost!
acknowledging that it’s a complex topic, is there a good place to start understanding nutrition? I’m also interested in nutrition for fitness, happiness, supporting longevity, skin and hair health. Also, vegetarian nutrition is interesting too.
many thanks!
You could read about the Nordic Nutrition recommendations 2012. It’s very long but, I have only read the beginning part which covers some basics of the science around what’s healthy eating. It’s backed by a lot of science which is a good start
https://norden.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:704251/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Understand that nutrition isn’t a traditional science and that it’s not a beast we understand (or like most things in biology, ever will).
Most diets works for their intended purposes. Any exclaiming that X diet that is clearly not dangerous is a fad, is likely selling you something.
Other than that, welcome to nutrition. It’s a hell hole of understanding, hypothesis and the unproveable concept of longevity.
University courses are reliable. If you go onto YouTube you will find endless contrarian grifters. Keep in mind the dietary guidelines have coached very little over the years and continue to result in better outcomes. Those saying the dietary guidelines are substantially wrong are grifters.
There is this book called Eat Rich, Live Long. Lots of scienctifky goodness.
https://www.amazon.com/Eat-Rich-Live-Long-Mastering/dp/1628602
Start with caloric goals. Calculate your BMR and estimate your daily exercise level. Understand what a given daily deficit/surplus will do to your weight over time.
Next, your macronutrients: protein/carb/fat. Calculate your daily protein requirements based on the literature and your goals. Will probably range between 1g per kg and 1g per pound for you. Understand the difference between simple carbohydrates and complex carbohydrates and their effect on blood sugar, insulin and the long term prevention of metabolic disorders. Similarly with fats, understand the difference between omega 3s and omega 6s etc. Remember that your body needs protein and fat, but does not need carbs (although eating no carbs will make it harder to meet fiber and micronutrient requirements).
After macronutrients, learn about fiber. It’s more than regular bowel movements lol!
After fiber, learn about vitamins and minerals. Sodium vs potassium intake and effects on blood pressure. Vitamin deficiencies, vitamin rich foods to meet your daily recommended values (this is where the veggies come in).
Next, sleep. Seriously, especially if you have weight loss goals sleep is the so very important. I know if I were reading this I would skip over it, but consult the literature.
Last exercise. Cardio vs strength training and the benefits of each.
This is all googleable, and someone like you should be able to find peer reviewed sources for everything I mentioned in a couple minutes.
Tim Spector’s book “Food For Life” covers these topics and explains our microbiome. He makes a case for eating vegetarian and making sure you are getting the right nutrients. “The Longevity Diet” by Valter Longo a neuroscientist and geneticist discusses the optimal diet at different ages and explores commonalities of diet between blue zones around the world.
Edit to add: “The Good Gut” by Justin & Erica Sonnenburg explores the micro biome and how our diet affects our health
Nutrition is a complex field that is still not that well understood in terms of the mechanisms. Anyone who tries to tell you that they understand it, is a scammer. The most important thing to know is the Hierarchy of evidence. Most scammers use the lower forms of evidence, because scammers need sensational conclusions. Weaker evidence can generally be interpreted more liberally. It is also more likely to be wrong, which means they can tell you that only they have the right answer. Robust conclusions are usually not sensational or new.
I recommend the YouTube channel Nutrition Made Simple to get away from all the BS being spewed.
Hey OP, i found myself in a similar situation as you a few years back. Personally, the addition of a WHOOP strap (not nutrition based, but associated and important to understand the caloric expenditure). Following that, i found a food tracking app (myfitnesspal, chronometer [pairs with whoop]) and began logging food items. The app will give you a visual and foundation to base your nutrients off of. Or, like many others have posted, you can go to a coach/dietitian/“nutritionist” and they can set you on a specific course.