THE idea that what we eat affects our health is deeply ingrained in our collective consciousness. Most people know that the wages of dietary sin are a slew of diseases including obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. The World Heath Organization, too, sees unhealthy eating as a major problem. It estimates that non-communicable diseases will account for 75 per cent of all deaths worldwide by 2020, and considers an unhealthy diet to be one of the main causes.
That’s all very well, but what actually constitutes a healthy diet? Obesity-inducing gluttony aside, it’s surprisingly hard to say. When nutrition researchers have attempted to find definitive…
