Ep. #702: Alan Aragon on the Real Science of “Healthy Eating”

Anyone who cares about health knows the importance of diet. How many times have you been told to eat a “healthy” diet by a doctor or some other authority?

Nearly everyone aspires to eating a healthy diet, so much so that “eat healthier” is one of the most common New Year’s resolutions. “Eat healthier” seems simple on its face, but ask a handful of people what that means and you'll get wildly different definitions.

How would a carnivore dieter answer compared to a vegan? What about the fat-adapted keto Crossfitter versus a carb-gel-loading endurance athlete? And how would a paleo adherent’s response differ still?

The same can be said for any food fad or eating style including keto, IIFYM, blood type diets, and more.

One group’s “superfood” (like beans for many vegans, for example) is a veritable, evil “no no” to be avoided at all costs amongst another group of equally fervent zealots (like Dr. Gundry’s plant paradoxers).

So, what really constitutes a healthy diet? How can we define it, and thus, create one and follow it?

To help answer that seemingly simple question, the one and only Alan Aragon has returned to the podcast. In case you’re not familiar with Alan, he’s a nutrition researcher and educator who’s been at the forefront of the evidence-based fitness movement for over a decade now and has helped countless fitness enthusiasts, professional athletes, and top coaches, and even influenced my own work.

Alan has a knack for translating science into practical application, which you can see for yourself if you check out his research review, which was the first of its kind in 2008.

In this episode, Alan and I discuss . . .

• What it means to be healthy and what constitutes a healthy diet
  
• Why looking like an elite athlete doesn't necessarily mean you're healthy
  
• The negotiables and non-negotiable of a healthy diet
  
• Why food preferences matter
  
• Relative energy deficiency syndrome, the female athlete triad, and healthy levels of body fat
  
• Specific macro recommendations (and food choice recommendations to get there)
  
• Why oats are awesome
  
• Why you should take a multivitamin
  
• And a lot more . . .
  

So, if you want to learn more about what truly makes up a healthy diet, and how you can implement these qualities into your own lifestyle, listen to this episode!

6:19 - What is a healthy diet?

21:52 - What does healthy calorie management look like?

30:28 - What are some of the adverse effects in men if they do not manage calories properly?

31:41 - How long before these effects start to manifest?

39:15 - How do macros play a role in this?

43:07 - What are your thoughts on carbs and fats?

46:44 - What are some food choice recommendations?

55:31 - What do macros look like in the concept of healthy eating?

1:09:13 - What are your thoughts on minimum amounts of nutritious carbs?

1:14:33 - Would you count bread as a “healthy” carb?

1:29:53 - Are multivitamins worth taking?

1:37:51 - Where can people find you and your work?

Mentioned on The Show:

Alan Aragon's Research Review: https://alanaragon.com/aarr/

Alan Aragon's Website: https://alanaragon.com/

Alan Aragon's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thealanaragon/