A pillar of lifestyle medicine
Nutrition
What to eat day to day to lower your risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and other chronic conditions. It is one of the six pillars of lifestyle medicine: whole, mostly plant-based food.
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Nutrition in lifestyle medicine: a guide to whole, mostly plant-based eating
What "whole, mostly plant-based" eating means, why it is linked to lower heart disease risk and how to start without going to extremes. With scientific sources.
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Nutrition How to build a healthy plate: a simple method for every day
The plate method in plain English: half vegetables and fruit, a quarter whole grains, a quarter protein. Why it works and how to use it without counting calories.
Nutrition Fiber: how much you need per day and where to get it
How much dietary fiber adults need, what the Lancet meta-analyses show about fiber and chronic disease, and the easiest ways to eat more.
Nutrition How to read a Nutrition Facts label: 5 things to check
A one-minute guide to the U.S. Nutrition Facts label: serving size, % Daily Value, sodium, added sugars, fiber and the ingredient list, plus common packaging traps.
Nutrition Beans and legumes: an underrated source of protein and fiber
Why beans, lentils and chickpeas deserve a regular place on your plate: protein, fiber, LDL cholesterol and easy ways to eat more without the gas.
Nutrition Sodium and salt: how much is too much and where it hides
How much sodium adults should have, how cutting back lowers blood pressure, what a large salt-substitute trial found and where most sodium in the U.S. diet comes from.
Nutrition Sugar and sugary drinks: what the research says
Why sugary drinks are the easiest source of excess sugar, how they are linked to type 2 diabetes and weight, and practical ways to cut back.
Nutrition Ultra-processed foods: why it pays to eat fewer of them
What ultra-processed foods are, what a NIH randomized trial and an umbrella review of nearly 10 million people found, and how to spot them on the label.
Nutrition Water: how much should you really drink?
How much fluid adults need according to the National Academies and EFSA, where the "8 glasses a day" rule came from and simple ways to tell if you are drinking enough.
Myth or factMyth or fact: you need a detox diet to cleanse your body
Do juice cleanses and detox teas remove toxins? What a critical review found, how your liver and kidneys really work and what supports them.
Nutrition Nuts: a handful a day for your heart
What meta-analyses and large cohorts show about nuts, heart disease and longevity, how much to eat and which nuts to choose.
Nutrition Whole grains: oats, brown rice, barley and heart health
What a BMJ meta-analysis found about whole grains, heart disease and longevity, and how to tell whole-grain products from refined ones on the label.
Nutrition Red and processed meat: what the WHO said and how much is OK
Why the WHO cancer agency classified processed meat as a group 1 carcinogen, how red and processed meat are linked to heart disease and diabetes, and practical limits.
Nutrition Fish and omega-3s: food or fish oil capsules?
Why eating fish once or twice a week is linked to lower coronary death, what a Cochrane review found about omega-3 supplements, and FDA advice on mercury.
Nutrition Vitamin D: who really needs supplements?
What the VITAL trial and a meta-analysis of 81 randomized trials found about vitamin D supplements, and who may still need them.
Nutrition Vitamin B12: what to know if you eat few animal foods
Why vegetarians, vegans, older adults and people on metformin or acid reducers are at risk of B12 deficiency, the warning signs and how to prevent it.
Nutrition Coffee: benefits, limits and who should cut back
What an umbrella review of more than 200 meta-analyses found about coffee and health, the safe caffeine limit for adults and who should drink less.
Nutrition Eggs and cholesterol: how many is OK?
What large cohorts and a BMJ meta-analysis found about eggs and heart disease, why another study raised concerns about dietary cholesterol, and practical advice.
Nutrition Milk and dairy: how much do adults really need?
What a New England Journal of Medicine review says about the three-cups-a-day advice, dairy and fractures, and how to get calcium if you skip dairy.
Nutrition Dietary fats: olive oil, butter and your heart
Why replacing saturated fat with vegetable oils lowers heart disease risk according to the American Heart Association, and what U.S. cohorts found about olive oil.
Nutrition Trans fats: the most harmful type of fat
Why industrial trans fats raise heart disease risk so sharply, what the FDA ban on partially hydrogenated oils means and how to spot trans fat today.
Myth or factMyth or fact: fruit is bad for you because of its sugar
Is fruit sugar harmful? What large U.S. cohort studies show about whole fruit, fruit juice and type 2 diabetes risk.
Nutrition Fermented foods and the gut microbiome: yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut
What a Stanford randomized trial found about fermented foods, microbiome diversity and inflammation, and how to add them to your diet.
Nutrition Intermittent fasting: does it work better than a regular diet?
What randomized trials show about time-restricted eating such as 16:8 compared with ordinary calorie restriction, and who it may suit.
Myth or factMyth or fact: breakfast is the most important meal for weight loss
Does eating breakfast help you lose weight? What a BMJ meta-analysis of randomized trials found, and why breakfast quality matters more than timing.
Nutrition The DASH diet: an eating plan for healthy blood pressure
What the DASH eating plan is, how much it lowered blood pressure in NIH-funded trials and how to follow it day to day.
Myth or factMyth or fact: apple cider vinegar helps you lose weight
What research shows about apple cider vinegar for weight loss and blood sugar, its side effects, and why a morning vinegar shot is not a magic pill.
Myth or factMyth or fact: seed oils like canola and soybean oil are toxic
Do seed oils cause inflammation and heart disease, as influencers claim? What meta-analyses of linoleic acid, biomarkers and a Cochrane review show.
Myth or factMyth or fact: raw (unpasteurized) milk is healthier
Does raw milk offer benefits pasteurized milk lacks, and how risky is it? What U.S. outbreak data show about unpasteurized dairy and foodborne illness.
Myth or factMyth or fact: the carnivore diet is the healthiest diet
What is known about an all-meat diet: why there is so little evidence, what happens to LDL cholesterol and the risks of cutting out plants long term.
Myth or factMyth or fact: every blood sugar spike after eating is harmful
Should healthy people wear a continuous glucose monitor and fear "glucose spikes"? What CGM studies in people without diabetes actually show.
Myth or factMyth or fact: you can never eat too much protein for muscle
How much protein you really need to build muscle, the point where benefits level off, and why protein shakes do not replace strength training.
Quizzes and calculatorsAll quizzes →
MEDAS: how Mediterranean is your diet?
The PREDIMED trial screener (13 questions; we deliberately removed the wine item).
Editorial toolHow much fiber do you eat? Calculator
A rough estimate of your daily fiber based on your habits.
Editorial toolToo much sodium? Self-check
The habits that affect your sodium intake the most.
Editorial toolHow many fruits and vegetables do you eat? Calculator
Compared with the WHO minimum (400 g) and the optimum from a meta-analysis (about 800 g).
Editorial toolHow much sugar do you drink? Calculator
Sugary drinks are the biggest source of added sugar in the American diet.
Editorial toolHow much ultra-processed food do you eat? Self-check
A quick check based on the NOVA classification.
Editorial toolAre you drinking enough? Self-check
A quick check using thirst, urine color and how much you drink.
Printables (PDF)All printables →
Weekly meal planner using the plate method
A 7-day planner with plate-method prompts and space for your grocery list.
ChecklistHealthy grocery list
A grocery checklist by food group, with blank lines for your own items.
Cheat sheetCheat sheet: read a Nutrition Facts label in one minute
A wallet or fridge card with % Daily Value rules and what to look for.
Tracker"10 a day" fruit and vegetable tracker
A monthly tracker for fruit and vegetable servings: fill in the circles.
TrackerFiber tracker: 4 weeks to 25+ grams
A weekly tracker of fiber sources with a gradual build-up.
TrackerWeekly water tracker
Check off glasses of water, tea and coffee every day.
CardFridge card: the healthy plate
A visual card explaining the plate method with everyday examples.
ChallengeChallenge: 30 days without sugary drinks
A 30-day challenge with space for notes and a reward.