From cutting out carbs to eating only meat, everyone in the media seems to have a different opinion on what makes up a healthy diet. In fact, this advice is often contradictory, making it even more difficult to know what we should be eating. But is this lack of consensus simply due to sensationalised coverage by the media, or is it a product of a deeper, internal disagreement between scientists?
Really, it’s a mix of both. Diet is a difficult variable to measure, as what is best will often vary from person to person, depending on factors such as age, health conditions, and even gender. The question of “what is the perfect diet?” is therefore unrealistic for scientists to answer. The media, on the other hand, is less likely to publish findings from more niche, complex scientific research in favour of flashy, eye-catching headlines. The problem with this is that most of us turn to the media as our first point of call for advice.
Really, it’s a mix of both.
A study on health influencer marketing conducted by Sortlist, found that 73.2% of users initially turn to some form of media (whether that be social media, TV programmes, or other online and offline formats) when searching for health information, while only 21.6% consulted a personal trainer and/or nutritionist. This demonstrates a worrying trend of people choosing to trust the opinions of health influencers over licensed professionals, with only half saying they further research the information they found through social media. This inevitably leads to the spread of misinformation and sometimes outright false information, which, when it comes to diet, can even be damaging to our health.
The general advice by the NHS is to eat a balanced diet which includes a variety of different food groups. You can use The Eatwell Guide as a good visual representation of the proportions in which different food groups should be eaten. This is especially important for busy students; however, for many of us, university will be the first time we have to cook for ourselves. Here are some tips on how to eat well on a budget, so you can avoid reaching for that fifth pot noodle of the week.
I would highly recommend sitting down once a week to plan your meals and write yourself a shopping list. This will decrease your chances of buying unnecessary items, helping you save some money. I would also suggest buying own-brand products as these tend to be cheaper.
In terms of protein, you could add chickpeas or lentils to a meat-based dish to bulk up the meal and increase the nutritional value. Choosing canned over fresh fish can also be a great, affordable alternative to getting Omega-3 fats into your diet, which are important for maintaining healthy brain function.
Perhaps most importantly though, you should be trying to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, so having some frozen peas or broccoli in the freezer is always a good idea. Frozen fruit and veg also tend to be cheaper than fresh, and last longer, helping you reduce waste.
