Does Nutrition Have a Dark Side?
Recently, the New York Times published an article about people who follow extreme diets, eating everything from buffalo brains to raw chicken to colostrum, the thick yellow milk from cows that have recently given birth.
The people profiled gather virtually on social media and live at conferences and festivals, where they find kindred spirits who join them in 'rejecting everything they've been taught about food,' including the ideas that red meat is bad for you and that vegetables are good for you.
In the spirit of Halloween, there is another creepy still life, like the one above, that includes lamb brains, tripe (the lining of an animal's stomach), and roadkilled raccoon.
The story struck such a chord that three different people sent me a copy and asked what I thought.
The article is meant to be entertaining, rather than educational, but I think there are some nuggets of wisdom to be gleaned from it.
Three Truths about the Dark Side of Nutrition
1. There is a kernel of validity to most extreme nutrition practices
Organs are some of the most nutritious parts of an animal. When you eat organs, which used to be much more common, you get those nutrients. I have a recipe post for Cailletes, meatballs made with liver, for this exact reason. They are not only nutritious but delicious.
Colostrum contains high levels of immunoglobulins, which are very healing for the gut lining and support the immune system. I sometimes recommend colostrum as a supplement for clients who have gastrointestinal issues.
Plant-free diets avoid the compounds in plants that are hard to digest, like certain types of starch, or that block the absorption of minerals, such as oxalates, phytates, and lectins.
Just last week, a client told me she felt bloated after eating broccoli, which is common because broccoli and other cruciferous vegetables contain the same starch (raffinose) found in beans. Humans don't have the enzyme to digest raffinose, so it's left for the bacteria in your gut to do the job. Depending on the health of your gut, this can cause a gassy problem.
2. Lack of trust in nutrition authority
I won't go so far as to say everything you've learned about food is wrong, but there have been plenty of head-shaking nutrition reversals over the years, including the idea that fat is bad for you and that eating cholesterol raises your cholesterol.
Nutrition studies are also frequently misrepresented by the media, which can make the results of a subsequent study read like a contradiction. It takes dozens of studies and decades to arrive at a scientifically valid conclusion, but by that time, public interest has moved on.
Many of the people in the article also push back against the food industry and the health claims it makes for ultra-processed products. When a box of colorful, sugary, marshmallow-laden Lucky Charms is plastered with multiple health claims — good source of calcium! 19g whole grains! 12 vitamins and minerals! — who can blame them?
3. Nutrition needs are highly individualized
Hagney writes that the people she interviewed were constantly talking about the n of one. This refers to the fact that research studies are based on a sample size (n), and the larger the sample size, the more valid the results. Her interviewees reject that premise and consider only their individual response to what they eat.
I understand this because it's a principle of holistic nutrition. While studies with larger sample sizes are better predictors of an individual's response, the only way to know for sure how you will respond to a certain food or diet is to try it.
One-size-fits-all guidelines are kind of like one-size-fits-all clothes. They are better described as one-size-fits-most. Response to food varies just like height and hair color.
Most of the people in the article came to their n of one conclusion because they felt bad eating a certain way, made a change, and then felt better. Maybe that seems kooky and 'dark,' but it's not hard to understand the appeal.
If you get a chance to read this article, I hope you enjoy it, and keep these ideas in mind when you come across what seem like crazy nutrition claims on social media.
There's nothing I like better than helping people filter what they see online and figure out whether it does or doesn't apply to them. If you have a great example, drop me a line (kristin@realfoodpower.com) or schedule a call.
Curious to Learn More?
I've touched on a lot of these ideas in past newsletters, not yet posted on my blog:
Whether eating cholesterol raises your cholesterol: The Great Cholesterol Myth
How dietary fat came to be demonized: The Skinny on Fat
Individualized nutritional needs: What Works for You,
Nutrition and absorption of plant foods: Plant-Based Power
How nutrition studies are reported: Understanding the Headlines
The problem with ultra-processed food: When is a Cherry not a Cherry,
