to Die For Food

WRITTEN BY ANTONIA DEPACE

state to target substances like these if enacted. And because of this, it brings some very important questions to light for the rest of America, including Nantucket, where access to groceries relies heavily on the nearest Stop & Shop or Bartlett’s Farm. Why were these ingredients approved for food use from the start? How do you identify them on the back of a food label? A deep dive into these topics can be overwhelming to the healthconscious reader, let alone someone who is trying to make a healthier life change from a beginner’s point of view. Davis approaches educating her patients differently, with a focus on incorporating highly nutritional foods, some of which may contain values that have otherwise been removed due to additives.

She uses fiber as an example. “It’s stripped from our diets,” she explains, “which is why we have all these unhealthy microbiomes, which could be leading to some of these chronic illnesses.”

According to the study, “The Health Benefits of Dietary Fibre,” published in the journal Nutrients in 2020, consuming the recommended daily intake for adults (30-35 grams for men, 25-32 grams for women) could help to improve gut motility, body weight, metabolic health and insulin sensitivity, all while possibly reducing the risk of chronic inflammation, depression, cardiovascular disease, colorectal carcinoma and more.

And this is only one nutritional value that’s been plummeted to the back of the line as haphazard ingredients are pushed to the front. Which brings us back to another question. Is there any way around truly removing harmful additives from the American diet without an enacted bill to prohibit them completely? For many people, it’s hard and not approachable in today’s world. Even then, there are tips that Davis follows and passes to her patients that help to navigate a better and healthier eating system. “My number one rule is if there’s one thing you can eliminate from your day-to-day life, it’s any type of sweetened beverage, whether it’s juice, soda, you name it, just get rid of it,” she explains.

“So I take an approach with people that is setting goals that are attainable.”

Other helpful steps include removing candy, shopping the perimeter of the grocery store where the most nutrient-dense foods live, and buying food that has a label consisting of five ingredients or less. Davis concludes, “Everybody wants a quick fix. It’s hard for people to buy in for the long run. And this is the long run. It’s your body. It’s like putting diesel fuel in a regular car. … If you did that, you’d end up with a problem. It’s a long-term change that needs to be incorporated.”

Eliminate sweetened beverages.

Shop the perimeter of the grocery store first for the most nutrient-dense foods.

Prioritize food that has an ingredient list of five items or less.

Be consistent—this is a long-term change, not a quick fix.