busting diet myths with evidence-based nutrition

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This chapter views popular diet fads and social media trends with a nutrition science lens, including clean eating, natural, and raw foods that carry a health halo but distract from the major nutrition culprits that increase chronic diseases, like sugar, salt, and saturated fat. It highlights plant-based diets (a.k.a., plant-rich, plant-forward, flexitarian, semi-vegetarian, vegan), noting the broad scientific consensus on the significant benefits on health, sustainability, chronic disease prevention, and climate change rooted in nutrition and environmental science. It combats disinformation about plant-based meat by illustrating the lower carbon and water footprints compared to animal meat alongside higher nutritional content, sharing how these ultra-processed foods (UPFs) fit into a healthy, sustainable diet. The chapter examines the microbiome, revealing the role of probiotics and prebiotics and plant-based diets that foster good bacteria and prevent disease, closing on the importance of breastfeeding as the fundamental first step in human health and longevity.