Is food quality important?

HELEN TRUBY: So here, we have some examples of some core foods put into sort of macronutrient groups– our protein foods here, our eggs, nuts, and meat, fish, milk, dairy products, our oil group, which can also come from nuts and seeds and also some vegetables like avocado do actually contain some fats as well, which are actually really good type of fats for us, and then our carbohydrate group, so our carbs come from breads and cereals, but also dairy products do contain some carbohydrates, and also, fruit and vegetables.

So we know that in terms of overall health, having a diet that’s mainly comprised from these core food groups really helps us be able to make sure that we’re getting sufficient micronutrients and all those phytochemicals that we’re starting to learn more about in our diet. So what we do know is that people far too many of those discretionary foods, so those foods that are high in sugars and fats and high in salt, but are not so good for us. So what does this tell us about appetite and satiety?

Well, as we’ve discussed, we know that protein types of foods and having these as a part of our diet or a part of our main meals will help us feel fuller for longer, and if we add a protein food in, again, with a bulking agent, so lots of vegetables, for instance, or salads, will help us feel not only fuller for longer, but also provide us with the micronutrients and those important phytochemicals that we need that we wouldn’t get any other way.

So in that respect, choosing foods from the core food groups enables us to manage and maintain our best of health in terms of the best of what we can do with the genes that we’re given, and enable us to meet our micronutrient needs as well. So in terms of diet quality and how we think about that is that when you’re trying to lose weight, you obviously maybe try to eat less, but you don’t want to have a low quality diet.

So even though you might be able to have a piece of cake, for instance, and it’s got the same amount of calories in it as a lunch with sandwiches and a salad, you’re actually not going to get the micronutrients you need from your piece of cake. That would be not such a high quality diet, so diet quality really relates to the density of nutrients that you’re getting in those choices, and we know that these types of whole foods are going to give you the better choices and being able to make sure that you are getting all the micronutrients you need with also that satiating power, and so it’s easier for us to then maintain a healthier weight.