Nutrition

Introduction For a few months, my evenings followed a predictable pattern. At lunch I would eat a large bowl of fruit or a fruit-rich smoothie, feel great for about 40 minutes, and then drop hard until 2:30 p.m., irritable and unable to focus on anything that really requires attention, even on days when nothing else … Read more

Introduction My GP read my cholesterol number in the same nonchalant, nonchalant tone he uses for most things, but I noticed that he paused and then said, “Nothing concerning, but I should be vigilant.” This kind of phrase sticks with you longer than a dramatic warning, especially since it gives you a chance to act … Read more

What I Learned After Switching My Entire Kitchen to It My sister moved her entire kitchen to coconut oil about two years ago, through a wellness podcast she believed was healthier than anything in her wardrobe. He began to fry everything inside, even the things he had previously cooked on a fairly high heat, and … Read more

Introduction I thought I ate well. I’m Faizan Ahmed, and for most of my adult life I’ve described my diet as quite healthy: home-cooked food, whole bread, yogurt for breakfast, salad for lunch. Then, a week of honest diet monitoring brought out something that really left me behind. The ‘healthy’ foods I had been eating … Read more

Introduction I’m not excited for just one component. I’m Faizan Ahmed, and after years of writing about nutrition, I’ve developed a healthy skepticism about anything called a superfood. But California walnuts have quietly gained  a different kind of attention in my kitchen, not because of the marketing but because of what they actually do and … Read more

After My Sister-in-Law Went Vegan and Panicked About Protein A few weeks later when Sarah fixed the magnesium gap she had already fixed, she called me again, this time looking really concerned and not just curious. A friend at her gym asked her directly how she was getting enough protein “now that you don’t eat … Read more

Introduction My sister-in-law, Sarah, went completely vegan about a year ago, mostly for moral reasons and not for health. I was three months old when she called me around midnight, half laughing and half nervous, because her calf muscles were so tense that she couldn’t keep her foot straight on the ground. It happened again … Read more

Introduction I used to buy a particular brand of granola bar precisely because the packaging had a picture of oatmeal and a strawberry and the word “natural” printed near the top. I ate two or three of these a week for years, sincerely believing I was making a reasonable decision to snack, until one night … Read more

And What I Wish I’d Ignored Sooner Three years ago, I did a five-day juice cleanse because an online follower swore I had “completely restarted” her digestion. On the third day, I was dizzy at my desk, irritable with everyone, and so hungry that I dreamed of toast. On the fifth day I broke it … Read more