As diet trends proliferate on social media, it can be hard to work out which are backed by science and which should be ignored. From paleo to keto, raw food to intermittent fasting, each attracts a tribe of ardent followers. Now Daniel Lieberman, professor of biological sciences at Harvard University, has written a book to try to cut through the noise. In Fed Up, he uses his background as an evolutionary anthropologist to scrutinise the evidence, turning himself into a guinea pig in the process and trying various diets. In this podcast, he tells Ian Sample which one has remained part of his routine
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As a nurse, I wish more people would read Lieberman’s work before starting restrictive eating plans on TikTok.
It’s frustrating how many fad diets ignore basic anthropology. Glad someone is finally debunking the noise with science.
Wait, did he say which diet he kept? I need to know if paleo actually survived his own experiments.
Finally, an evolutionary biologist checking these diets instead of influencers. I trust his approach to evidence-based nutrition.
I tried keto and felt awful. Is intermittent fasting actually any better scientifically, or just another trend?