“Our grandmothers were right”: Common sense eating works, says top nutritionist. But what does that mean?
"The simple things they told us, like eating your vegetables first, have always been good advice, and now science is backing it up.”
by Mihai Andrei · ZME ScienceIn today’s world of dietary fads, social media influencers, and conflicting nutritional advice, it’s hard to separate fact from fiction. But according to leading nutritionist Federica Amati, the best dietary advice isn’t new, revolutionary, or trendy — it’s rooted in common sense. And, more importantly, it works.
Amati, a registered nutritionist and medical scientist, has dedicated much of her career to studying how diet impacts everything from mental health to longevity. At the Hay Festival and in a subsequent interview, she emphasized that the basics of healthy eating — like consuming more vegetables and whole foods — are still the most reliable foundation for health.
Science-based diet
“Our grandmothers were right,” she said during an interview with ZME Science. “The simple things they told us, like eating your vegetables first, have always been good advice, and now science is backing it up.”
Amati is passionate about connecting people with science-backed dietary approaches. “There is so much noise out there,” she says. And, truly, there are so many modern fad diets that claim to have cracked the code to perfect health. But most of the time, the things that work really well are the simple ones: like eating more fiber.
“The majority of us, about 90% of adults in the UK and up to 95% in the US don’t get the minimum dietary requirement for fiber every day. So, we need about 30 grams of fiber per day, and we’re on average getting 18. We’re really far off the mark. So, start with that fiber first is a really good way to do it.”
“That means eating more foods like whole grains, legumes, beans, vegetables, [leafy greens], but also mushrooms and basically all of the vegetables, all of the nuts and seeds. Add more of those on your plate and make sure you’re getting some fiber with every single meal.”
While fiber should be a priority, it’s not about one single thing, Amati emphasizes. Good or bad, no one thing is going to make or break your diet. In fact, she says a good way to go about eating healthy is simply to use common sense. But what does this mean?
A healthy pattern
Oftentimes, you hear things like “carbs are bad” or “proteins are good” — but we don’t eat individual nutrients, Amati cautions. We eat a diet, which is a pattern of foods, and we should always try to be aware of what that pattern is.
“Instead of focusing on individual foods and individual meals, look across the whole pattern of your diet. Not day to day but week to week, month to month, and over the entire year. Look at things like how often you’re eating, and what are the foods you’re eating, take a step back and observe the overall pattern. Bring more of what foods you want to eat into your home, which will automatically push you into eating these foods.”
One of the most compelling examples of common-sense eating backed by science is the Mediterranean diet.
The Mediterranean diet is not so much a strict menu as it is a general pattern. It’s rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and healthy fats like olive oil, with less dairy and meat. There’s a mountain of research backing this up, Amati mentioned in a panel at the Hay Festival.
“It has evidence across all health outcomes. There’s hundreds of studies. We have the epidemiological data. When we follow people across a long period of time and track what they’re eating, people who follow it tend to live long and have the best health outcomes, it’s really clear now.”
Amati is clear that adopting the Mediterranean diet doesn’t mean making drastic changes overnight. The key is to implement small, sustainable changes. For example, you can start by replacing processed snacks with nuts or adding more leafy greens to your meals. You don’t have to overhaul everything at once.
She also cautions against being too rigid. If you’re at the airport or somewhere where you don’t have Mediterranean diet food, that’s fine. If you want a burger every now and then, that’s not a tragedy. “It’s the long-term pattern of what you eat that matters, not what you ate on any given day.”
Gut bacteria and ultra-processed foods
If there’s one thing you should be wary of, however, it’s ultra-processed foods.
Ultra-processed foods are a growing concern in modern diets. But here’s the thing: it’s pretty hard to even define what they are. Some things, like fizzy soda and potato chips, are obviously ultra-processed foods (UPFs). But other things, like sweetened breakfast cereal or even some deli meats, don’t scream “UPF” and can trick consumers.
Amati told us that a good way to think about it is that ultra-processed foods are “industrially produced convenience foods” that are typically made in factories, heavily packaged, and loaded with marketing messages designed to make them appealing.
The key characteristic of ultra-processed foods, she says, is that they contain ingredients you would never use at home, such as gums, emulsifiers, sweeteners, and colorants. If a food contains additives or extracts you wouldn’t have in your own kitchen, it’s likely to be ultra-processed.
For example, she highlights that even seemingly natural options, like “100% natural chicken breast skewers,” often contain dozens of unnecessary ingredients when you check the label. Instead, she advises preparing whole foods yourself, like buying a simple chicken breast and seasoning it at home.
As Amati explains, the gut microbiome — essentially the ecosystem of bacteria living in your intestines — plays a critical role in your overall health, influencing everything from mental health to immune function.
“We now know that a healthy gut can support better mental health, reduce inflammation, and even impact heart disease,” she said. Amati also points to basic things like eating fiber-rich fruits and veggies, but she also says that fermented foods like sauerkraut, kimchi, and kefir can help our gut microbiome.
“Fermented foods are rich in probiotics, which help support a healthy microbiome,” she says. “Including these foods in your diet, even in small amounts, can make a significant difference.”
Cut through the noise, follow science-backed advice
The message from Federica Amati is clear: common sense eating, supported by scientific evidence, is still the best way to improve and protect your health. While flashy diets and extreme advice may catch attention on social media, they often lack the research to back them up.
“Nutrition doesn’t have to be complicated,” she says. “At the end of the day, what works are the simple things — more vegetables, more whole grains, less processed food. It’s about creating habits that are sustainable for the long term.”
Federica Amati’s new book, “Every Body Should Know This: The Science of Eating for a Lifetime of Health” is available on Amazon.
You can watch our entire interview with Federica Amati on Youtube.