In these stressful times, eating a balanced diet can seem like a miracle. Diets that promise quick results, trends that spread on social networks or the increase in convenience foods complicate the path to a healthy menu. In a context of noise and misinformation about food, what guidelines really shed light?
Azahara Nieto, clinical nutritionist and author of the EL PAÍS newsletter, Healthy food for those in a hurrymet a group of the newspaper’s Premium subscribers on November 5th to share the keys to a simple and balanced diet, but above all “with freedom and without feelings of guilt”. This meeting is part of the exclusive activities of the EL PAÍS+ loyalty program.
During the event Nieto explained the origins of his latest book, Guilt makes you fat: “With healthy food, a lot of morality is generated and we feel guilty because we want certain foods.” The nutritionist wanted to delve deeper into the origins of this sense of guilt and its weight in society to offer a radical approach in an era obsessed with thinness. According to the expert, “there should be no forbidden foods at any time in our lives. The more we ban them, the more we will generate the desire for them”, she added.
Moderated by EL PAÍS journalist Bernardo Marín, the meeting lasted an hour during which Nieto answered questions from subscribers. He warned that there are no magic formulas, but there are general guidelines that we can find at the basis of the Mediterranean diet: a diet rich in proteins, with a daily intake of fruit and vegetables, legumes, quality carbohydrates and sufficient hydration (about two liters of water per day). White meat is recommended up to three times a week, with a maximum of 90 grams in the case of red meat, making sure it is “lean”.
From there, each guideline can be customized based on age, gender, or genetics. Between the ages of 35 and 40, he explains, muscle mass begins to lose, which is why it is advisable to increase protein intake. In women, especially in menopause, it is recommended to “increase proteins in every intake, oily fish and healthy fats such as avocado, chia seeds, nuts, legumes and limited consumption of carbohydrates”. Likewise, encouraging sun exposure and rest is crucial for hormonal regulation at this stage.
Even supplements, so fashionable on social networks, have been the subject of debate: “Without prior analysis, it is not advisable to include any of them, with the exception of vitamin B12 in the case of vegan or vegetarian diets,” warns Nieto. “We are in a moment where we integrate everything and it is not always necessary.” For the expert “there is a commercial aspect, since it is easier to supplement than to prescribe a personalized diet” and insists on consulting a specialist before including them in our diet.
Participants were able to learn to distinguish healthy processed foods from harmful ultra-processed foods. Nieto is wary of apps like Yuka or Nutri-Score, whose ratings meet their developers’ criteria and don’t always offer an impartial evaluation. Instead, he encourages learning to read labels: “More than the number of ingredients, you need to look at their percentage and note how much sugar is present – starch, syrups, agave or concentrates – or oils such as palm or coconut,” he said.
Both during the event and in the newsletter, which you can sign up for here, the nutritionist debunked some food myths, such as that fruit ferments in the stomach or that it is impossible to increase muscle mass with a strictly plant-based diet. At the end of the workshop, Nieto recommended eating consciously, allowing a minimum of half an hour for lunch or dinner, not spacing meals more than three hours apart, planning the shopping list and cooking in blocks to save time (the well-known batch cooking). Other methods, like the Harvard Plate, offer simple visual guides for creating balanced menus.
Premium subscribers can participate in exclusive finance and wellness events. Not Premium? Upgrade to Premium now and participate in the next meetings organized by EL PAÍS+.
