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We all make many, nearly automatic food choices daily. What did you choose for breakfast? Was it cereal, or did you have a full fry-up? It`s easy to forget that these choices impact both our body's health and the environment. Join us to bust some myths about nutrition and learn about how the way we eat affects our planet.
Fat matters - Myths and reality of obesity and weight loss
Professor Alexandra Johnstone (Appetite Research at The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen )
Obesity is a serious medical condition and there are lots of anecdotal reports about why some people find it difficult to lose weight and keep the weight off in the long term. Sometimes there are genuine medical reasons for weight gain, but often it is simply an issue of overeating relative to energy expenditure. Some of the anecdotal reasons will be examined in more detail using scientific data to examine the credibility of the myth. With all good myths, there is sometimes a shred of truth in the argument!
Waiter, why’s there a fly in my soup?
Stephen Whybrow (Research Fellow, University of Aberdeen)
We need to eat less meat to achieve healthier diets and to limit climate change. Many people think there is an urgent need to find alternative protein sources that are more sustainable, and that farmed insects could be one solution. But do insects live up to the hype, and will we soon be eating climate-change-friendly, protein-rich insects fed on food waste? Or is it a case of the emperor (moth) having new clothes?
Diet and diabetes – no single diet fits all!
Baukje de Roos (Baukje de Roos, Professor in Nutrition, University of Aberdeen)
Our population is aging, obesity levels are increasing, and the number of patients with type 2 diabetes is growing world-wide. Type 2 diabetes is a lifestyle disease, so can be prevented or treated effectively by weight loss and improved diet. However, can a ‘healthy’ diet prevent or reverse all our health problems? Could it be that ‘healthy’ foods or diets work for some and not for others? Increasingly, we find that individuals respond differently to foods or diets that allegedly have glucose, lipid and blood pressure lowering properties. How can we find out what specifically works for you?