The Genius Life 519: What Should We Actually Eat? An Evidence-Based Guide to Eating for Health and Longevity | Ty Beal, PhD
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Oct 22, 2025 
In this engaging discussion, Ty Beal, PhD, a nutrition scientist and head of data at GAIN, unravels the complexities of modern diets. He advocates for minimizing ultra-processed foods to improve health outcomes, emphasizing that a balanced omnivore approach is often beneficial. Ty highlights the unique nutritional properties of meat and the challenges posed by climate impacts on food quality. He also tackles common nutrition myths and promotes a pragmatic, evidence-based guide to nurturing long-term health. Tune in for essential insights on what we should really eat!
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Cut Ultra-Processed Foods To 10%
- Cut ultra-processed foods to around 10% of your diet and eat a variety of minimally processed foods.
- Focus on fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seeds, eggs, dairy, poultry, fish, and fresh meats to improve health.
NOVA Works At Diet Level
- The NOVA ultra-processed classification works best at the diet level rather than for single foods.
- One ultra-processed item daily is tolerable, but diets dominated by these foods drive chronic disease.
Food 'Dark Matter' Matters
- Foods contain thousands of molecules beyond essential vitamins and minerals, which Beal calls 'dark matter.'
- Ultra-processed foods both add harmful contaminants and lack many beneficial natural compounds found in whole foods.