Issue #2 - Varied, Balanced Diets for Healthier Lives

Welcome to Weekly.health’s second issue. Every week, we explore cutting-edge research, actionable advice, and science-backed nutrition insights to help you live longer and healthier.

Our aim is to help you live another 10 healthy years and cut your risk of age-related disease.

🗒️ In This Issue:

• 🔬 Longevity Spotlight: More Variety to Age Better

• 📈 Research Digest: What’s New in Nutrition Science

• 🧠 Lower Dementia Risk With Daily Habits

• 🍽️ Build a Balanced Plate in 3 Minutes

• 📘 Glossary of Terms: Definitions for technical terms in this issue

🔬 Longevity Spotlight: More Variety to Age Better

Evidence shows that consuming more fruits and vegetables, as well as fewer ultra-processed foods, is associated with a longer and healthier life. This week, we reviewed a couple of recent studies supporting healthier diets in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases (the most common cause of death worldwide) and in delaying ageing.

• Eat a culturally adapted cardioprotective diet to reduce cardiovascular risk: This 120-day pilot study on Brazilian adults with a predisposition for high LDL (bad) cholesterol found their condition improved when consuming a healthy eating plan that matched traditional eating habits (local foods, minimal processing, more fruits and vegetables), reducing risk of heart disease. (source)

• Eat whole plant foods and reduce ultra-processed foods to delay ageing: 
  A review of research on telomeres - the protective caps on our chromosomes that shorten as we age - found nutrition may delay ageing. Diets rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, seeds, and herbs, as well as minimal ultra-processed foods, delayed ageing of telomeres. (source)

  • Consume more: berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and kale, legumes like lentils and chickpeas, flaxseeds, chia seeds, walnuts, oats, quinoa, barley, green tea, turmeric with black pepper, apples, onions, fortified cereals.

  • Consume less: sugary drinks, processed meats, ready meals, refined grains, sweet snacks, ultra-processed foods, artificial sweeteners, emulsifiers.

👉 We find that a common complaint is that it’s difficult to eat such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. We suggest to start slow, adding just a few extra plants to your diet each week, trying new recipes as you go. Slowly introduce more variety over a few months to make the transition easier to manage.

📈 Research Digest: What’s New in Nutrition Science

Here’s the best of recent nutrition research:

💊 Supplement Curcumin to Improve Various Biomarkers in Diabetics
Curcumin was shown to significantly decrease markers of inflammation, blood glucose, body fat, live fat, and BMI, in individuals with T2 Diabetes and Liver Disease. The study found 1,500mg of Curcumin per day was effective. (source)

⚖️ Join a Plant-based Community Programme to Lose 3kg
A 10-week programme (2 hours, twice weekly) learning about health and plant-based nutrition led to a 5kg drop at the final session and a sustained drop of 3kg after 3 years. Markers of blood sugar and cholesterol, as well as BMI, also dropped. Look for local plant-based nutrition programmes online and in community centres. Sticking to the new diet was found to produce greater weight loss. (source)

📘 Learn About Nutrition (and Eat Better) to Reduce Stress
This study on students found that improving knowledge of nutrition and subsequently improving their eating habits was associated with lower levels of stress. Exercise showed no relationship to stress. To improve your nutrition literacy you could read relevant books, listen to podcasts, take courses in nutrition, and read Weekly.health each week. (source)

🧠 Lower Dementia Risk With Daily Habits

A recent review looked at how lifestyle interventions influence the development and progression of dementia. The review emphasised that while results vary wildly, lifestyle interventions (improved diet and fitness) can benefit brain health and significantly reduce the development and progression of the disease. (source)

Our key takeaways from this review include;

• Physical Exercise: The study lists physical exercise as ‘one of the most effective risk reduction strategies against cognitive decline and dementia’, suggesting it produces benefits for brain structure, increasing hippocampal volume, cerebral blood flow, and BDNF. It has been shown to slow cognitive decline particularly in at-risk and mildly impaired individuals.

• Cognitive Training: Some evidence shows cognitive training can improve attention processing speed, and memory, while increase grey matter volume. Data shows it is more beneficial when introduced early.

  • Memory exercises – recalling lists, stories

  • Executive-function drills – planning, problem-solving

  • Speed and attention tasks – quick-response computer games

• Diet: The MIND and Mediterranean diets were shown to improve cognition. Particularly in those over 50, the Mediterranean diet was shown to have a stronger effect on reducing the risk of cognitive decline.

• Sleep & Stress: Stress is associated with higher levels of inflammation, while sleep disturbances or poor sleep duration was shown to increase levels of amyloid-beta - the proteins found in the brains of those with dementia. Reducing stress and improving sleep should reduce these risks.

👉 This review of the literature on dementia risk reduction suggests that “up to 45% of the dementia risk can be attributed to modifiable risk factors … further developing and tailoring lifestyle modifications could have a significant impact on the number of affected people worldwide”.

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🍽️ Build a Balanced Plate in 3 Minutes

Government Guidelines: Eatwell, DGA, & MyPlate

Each government advises on the dietary guidelines they suggest, such as Eatwell, which is the guideline used in the UK.

The Eatwell guide (download the pdf) is only one example, and at 12 pages long it is simplified into easy to digest sections that you can complete before succumbing to boredom.

The creatively-named Dietary Guidelines for Americans by the USDA (download the pdf), however, clocks in at 164 pages, almost as if to deter readers.

In the U.S., the MyPlate tool (download the pdf) offers a more visual version of the Dietary Guidelines. It divides your plate into five food groups (fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy), encouraging a balanced intake. The idea is simple: make half your plate fruits and vegetables, include whole grains, vary your proteins, and don’t forget some dairy (or fortified alternatives).

To create a healthy and varied diet, these guidelines recommend;

• Consume fewer saturated fats, such as from meat and dairy

• Consume more wholegrain carbohydrates, such as oats

• Consume a variety of proteins, such as legumes and pulses, nuts, fish, and lean meats

• Generally consume more fruits and vegetables, with Eatwell recommending five or more 80g portions per day

What Does Research Say?

A healthy and balanced diet contains a variety of foods from the main food groups, and in moderation. Research shows, as covered earlier in this issue, diets rich in plants (fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, and legumes) and healthy fats are linked to longer and healthier lives.

The Mediterranean diet has been shown to significantly reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (source), while the DASH diet has been shown to substantially reduce blood pressure in hypertensives (source).

These diets appear to work because they provide a diverse range of nutrients and fibre types, minimising unhealthy components of other diets. To get your fill of nutrients, also ensure to consume a variety of colours and types - e.g leafy greens, berries (blue, purple, red), root vegetables (brown, red, orange), and various others.

Eatwell and MyPlate advise to fill about half your plate with fruits and vegetables, and the 5-servings-a-day rule exists because it has been associated with a longer life and reduced risk of disease (source).

Whole grains are often talked about, but what are they? Refined carbs (white bread, pasta, and processed wheat cereals) are the antihero of their whole grain cousins (wholemeal bread, wholewheat pasta, brown rice, oats). Replacing refined carbs with whole grains reduces inflammation and improves cholesterol (source).

Healthy fats are another important component. The addition of olive oil (a monounsaturated fat) to the Mediterranean diet, instead of butter (a major source of saturated fat), has been shown to improve cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk.

Ultra-processed food is a term you might be familiar with - it describes how the pre-packaged food bought in shops / stores is filled with additives and manufactured cheaply to maximise profits while minimising nutrition. Research shows that people consume an additional 500 calories each day on an ultra-processed diet compared to a whole-food diet (source).

Design Your Healthy, Balanced Diet

With all of the above in mind, here’s how to design a balanced diet that works for you;

1. Start with vegetables and fruits: Make them the foundation of meals, filling half of each plate. Add fruit to breakfasts or consume as snacks. Aim to consume five 80g portions (400g or roughly 14.1oz) daily and consume a variety each week, not repeating just the same plants every day.

2. Include whole grains: For each meal, choose a whole-grain carb, such as oatmeal or whole-grain cereal in the morning, whole-meal bread for sandwiches, brown rice or whole-wheat pasta at dinner.

3. Pick a variety of proteins: Plan your protein for each day, aiming to mix it up through the week. You might have beans or lentils in a curry one day, fish the next, chicken or tofu stir-fry another day. By varying protein sources you’ll get a broader range of nutrients. Eat fish 2-3 times a week, preferably oily fish like mackerel or salmon. Keep red meat to relatively small portions once weekly and minimise or eliminate processed meat.

4. Use healthy fats, but sparingly: Cook with olive, rapeseed or other high-quality vegetable oil instead of butter. Snack on a few nuts or seeds for healthy fat. Keep portions small due to high calorie counts, and where possible instead of frying, try baking or grilling foods with just a brush of oil.

5. Limit added sugars and junk foods: You don’t have to ban treats you love - just enjoy them infrequently and in small portions. Both the UK and US guidelines put foods like cakes, crisps / chips, and sugary drinks outside of the daily diet. Plan your day so that most of what you eat is whole foods, but allow the occasional treat each week (not necessarily each day).

   1. Simple swaps can help: drink water or sugar-free drinks instead of sugary ones, choose fruit or a piece of dark chocolate instead of a dessert every night. Over time, your taste buds adjust and you will likely find natural foods more satisfying.

6. Adjust to your needs and culture: A healthy diet isn’t one-size-fits-all. Use the plate model (half veg/fruit, one-quarter protein, one-quarter whole grain carbs) as a flexible guide, but tailor it to your preferences. If you have a smaller appetite or higher calorie needs, adjust portion sizes accordingly. The key is the proportions and variety, not perfection at every meal.

💡 Food Spotlight: Legumes (Beans, Lentils, Chickpeas, Peas)

This week's spotlight falls on tiny little powerhouses of nutrition: legumes.

As the seeds of the legume family of plants, they are packed with healthy plant proteins, abundant fibre, gut-friendly resistant starch, and a plethora of heart-healthy polyphenols.

They are the one food with the strongest evidence linking them to longer, healthier lives.

Legumes are a major component of most Blue Zones’ diets - the populations with the longest lives, primarily found around the equator - and research shows they are linked to metabolic health, lower weight, and the reduction of disease risk.

Why you should be eating more legumes:

• A meta analysis of over 1.1 million participants found that every 50g/day of legumes drops all-cause mortality by about 6%. (source)

  • Another review found all-cause mortality decreased by ~16% up to 150g/day of legumes. (source)

• 400g/week (57g/day) of legumes was shown to be the upper limit for reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease, with the effect being stronger as you consume more. (source)

• Consumption of legumes was shown to reduce the symptoms of diabetes. (source)

• They may help you lose weight: Consuming 1/2-1 cup (~120-240g) of cooked beans daily was associated with significantly greater body fat loss (losing 2.4% more than the control) and lower weight circumference (reducing by 3.3cm more than the control). (source)

 🥜 Stuck for Ideas? Try These Recipes;

• Chickpea and Spinach Curry
  Warming Indian-style dish rich in fibre and iron, served with brown rice or quinoa.

• Lentil and Vegetable Soup
  A hearty, filling soup packed with protein and slow-digesting carbs.

• Three-Bean Chilli
  Black beans, kidney beans, and cannellini beans simmered with tomatoes, spices, and peppers.

• Mexican Bean Burrito Bowl
  Black beans or pinto beans with rice, avocado, salsa, corn, and grilled veg.

• Hummus and Roasted Veg Wrap
  Chickpeas as hummus, combined with nutrient-dense roasted vegetables.

• Puy Lentil Salad with Feta and Herbs
  A high-protein cold dish, perfect for lunches or side servings.

• Tofu and Edamame Stir-Fry
  Soybeans in two forms, paired with stir-fried greens and a tamari-based sauce.

• Dal Tadka (Spiced Yellow Lentils)
  A comforting South Asian staple rich in protein and flavour.

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🙏 Thanks for Reading!

That’s the end of our second issue of Weekly.health. We hope you learned something useful to help you on your nutritional journey.

This newsletter is written by a small, independent team, led by James — who’s been following nutrition science for nearly 20 years and is now working towards a formal, industry-recognised qualification.

Our goal is to make cutting-edge, evidence-based nutrition advice simple, useful, and genuinely applicable to everyday life.

We’ll keep improving with every issue. If you’ve got any feedback or suggestions, we’d love to hear them (just reply to this email).

See you next week!

📖 Glossary of Terms in This Issue (Alphabetical Order)

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