Episode #266. Learn the key pillars for a healthy diet from the world’s most cited nutrition scientist, Dr Walter Willett. In this two-hour exchange, Dr Willett shares the cornerstones of a healthy diet, providing the practical guidance you need to live a long, healthy life.
We discuss:
- Introduction (00:00)
- Which Foods Should You Eat to Stay Healthy? (04:10)
- Does the Quality of Foods Matter? (06:39)
- The Impact of the Average American Diet on Health (08:29)
- Do We Have Sufficient Evidence on How Nutrition Impacts Our Health? (11:05)
- Key Tasks/Leaves to Make Healthy Choices (14:03)
- How Diet Patterns Have Changed from the 70s till Now (15:09)
- Walter Willet: A Nutrition Story (18:20)
- Ancel Keys' Research on Fat (19:40)
- Three Large Observation Studies by Walter Willet and His Team (27:19)
- Advantages of Large Observation Studies over Randomized Control Trials (32:45)
- Correlation and Causation in Nutrition (39:15)
- Food Frequency Questionnaire: Importance of Methods for Measuring Dietary Intake (50:58)
- Biochemical Analysis in Three Cohort Observations of Walter Willet's Studies (55:18)
- Are Low-Fat Diets Good for Cardiovascular Health? (1:00:37)
- Polyunsaturated Fats and Cardiovascular Disease (1:02:21)
- Benefits of Switching from Saturated Fat to Unsaturated Fats (1:08:31)
- Is Dairy Bad or Good? (1:09:04)
- Should You Consume Full-Fat or Low-Fat Dairy? (1:11:29)
- Daily Recommendation for Dairy Consumption (1:16:03)
- Can You Be Healthy Without Consuming Dairy? (1:20:42)
- Confusion Surrounding Unprocessed Red Meat (1:23:00)
- What is Substitution Analysis? (1:25:55)
- Insights into the Research Process (1:27:45)
- Contrast and Exposure in Research (1:29:33)
- Safe Intake of Red Meat (1:33:02)
- Is Grass-Fed Beef Good for Me? (1:33:51)
- Is White Meat Better Than Red Meat? (1:35:57)
- Fish vs. Legumes: A Comparison (1:36:37)
- Dietary Cholesterol and Its Impact on Human Health (1:40:08)
- The Best Diet for a Healthy Life (1:43:28)
- Outro (1:52:01)
To learn more about Dr Walter Willett and read his studies, head to his Harvard Academic Profile. Dr Willett has also published four books; you can find his bestseller, Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating here.
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Enjoy, friends.
Simon
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Simon Hill, MSc, BSc (Hons)
Creator of theproof.com and host of The Proof with Simon Hill
Author of The Proof is in the Plants
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