13 July 2026

This past week, the New York Times published this article, which mainly encouraged nuance in assessing healthy eating advice and rebutted some food fads we see on TikTok (one viral trend I fully support: #beantok). The article itself was both interesting and surprising (frozen yogurt is not as healthy as you think at #1? haven’t we been through this before?).

My favorite part, though, was the comments. I’ve always thought we have so much to learn from each other - sometimes it’s data or factual information, but also there are new perspectives and lived experiences to consider. Even if we disagree with someone’s opinion, hearing it is sometimes enough to get us to think more about our own values and motivation.

Nobody in Particular from Chicago said, “That still doesn’t top “eat food [whole food without pesticides, that is). Not too much. Mostly plants.” [quoting Michael Pollan]

This is good basic advice. I think it lacks the precision, imagination and ideas that most people need to make good food choices (Pollan goes into much greater detail in his book, The Omnivore’s Dilemma). How much is too much? It’s different for me versus for you. Broccoli’s a plant so if I just eat a ton of that, will I be healthy? Probably not. If most of the plant foods I can afford have been treated with pesticides (which even organic may be), does that mean I should NOT eat them? The peer reviewed research on this says produce is beneficial, regardless.

American from Kansas commented, “How about we fix our food system to provide easily available and affordable healthy foods as the majority of options instead of all of these rules for people to follow?”

Some people like rules. They provide structure, and they encourage consistency and [a degree of] willpower. But willpower is not a long term strategy. I find that healthy food is often not convenient. Convenient healthy foods (e.g. washed salad greens, cut fruit) are often expensive, and cheap convenience foods generally lack nutritional value (one notable exception is canned beans). If you give a toddler [or adult!] the choice of potato chips, a donut or an apple…which are they most likely to pick? Which are you most likely to find in a bodega in the poorest neighborhoods? Which might you find on an supermarket end cap or near the checkout register? As food prices head ever upward, those at greatest risk of health consequences are forced into choosing calories to feed their families, rather than nutrition.

PG from Miami, complained, “Such a pity that, like so many nutrition articles, this focuses on lifespan more than life quality.” Other commenters go on to lament the desire to enjoy life more as they grow older, wanting a “party for my tastebuds.”

I think one big problem with our culture is that it pits healthy against delicious. I'm working to change that perception, but it’s slow going. We've been brainwashed into thinking that certain foods are more "fun" than others. Including more whole plant foods (which by design "crowd out" the less nutritious stuff) often precipitates changes to our taste buds and our gut that alter cravings. And of course, healthy people have more fun, whatever age you happen to be.

DNYC from NYC noticed, “It's funny how the sound advice has pretty much stayed the same over the years.”

This is true. While advice hasn’t changed much, our levels of chronic disease have skyrocketed. What changed? The food environment. Perhaps advice needs to be updated (limitations on certain ultra processed foods?), but I think consumers have the power to transform our food system to bring it back in line with appropriate recommendations. By following an 80/20 rule (or better) - and choosing mostly whole plant foods (vegetables, whole grains, fruits, legumes, nuts and seeds), demand can influence supply. This would have knock-on effects that will improve our health and reduce climate impacts.

Outi from Stockholm provided a great summation of healthy eating: “[it’s] a bit like sleeping well: when it’s regular, predictable and varied, everything else works better.”

One year ago, the Big Beautiful Bill (sweeping legislation meant to bolster the economy) passed in the US. The result of new SNAP work requirements (and more importantly, the paperwork involved in such) has been the elimination of food assistance for more than 4 million people, 39% of which are children. Food banks and other community programs have stepped in to try to fill this gap, but the problem will keep growing (pun intended). Children raised in food insecure conditions are more likely to grow up to be adults with expensive chronic diseases. This will not work better, for individuals nor taxpayers.