What I Wish I Knew About Nutrition in My 20s

Nutrition review thirties to twenties

In my twenties, I tried to figure out how to get thin and did whatever diet culture was suggesting at the time. Now that I’m well into my thirties, I’ve learned some things about nutrition (backed by science!) that I wish I knew a decade ago.

Here are my top five:

1. Embrace butter, egg yolks,beef and higher fat poultry. Meat and poultry has essential amino acids in significant quantities that you can’t get from plant sources. Fat doesn’t make you fat. Eating in excess, especially of ultra processed foods will cause weight gain.
   

2. Ultra processed protein bars, cereals and snacks are only going to make you hungrier and crave the foods that they’re trying to mimick. When did a donut flavored protein bar actually satisfy your donut craving?

3. Fat free probably means they’re adding tons of artificial sweeteners or sugar and fillers. Your body needs fat.

4. Big corporations hire food scientists to engineer foods that are highly addictive so you buy more. They don’t care about your health. It’s your job to get informed and figure out what works for you.

5. You don’t have to follow the newest diet trend. If it’s trendy, it’ll probably be short term.

What have you learned about nutrition in the last couple of years that you wish you would have known a decade ago?