When it comes to ‘healthy’ eating, almost every dietitian, nutritionist and doctor uses the words ‘balanced’ and ‘moderation’.

Nowadays, logos and other schemes promoting plant-based food are springing up everywhere. How can we reconcile our choices with a well-balanced diet?

Goji berries, chia seeds, kale: Reputed for their beneficial effects, these foodstuffs are proving popular, but do they deliver on their promises?

Mediterranean and Okinawan diets have been hailed the best of the best, and interestingly share a key nutritional feature with the increasingly popular vegetarian and vegan diets.

The Mediterranean diet involves not only what people eat, but also how, where and with whom. As such, it refers to the “art of living”, that is to say, the translation of the Greek word "diaita". In the 20th century, when the eating habits of rural labourers in this region were discovered to be beneficial to their health, many of the more affluent began following their example.

Since time immemorial, humans have tried to improve their health through their diet. This has resulted in ironic turnabouts in beliefs about what constitutes healthy, rich or inadequate food: the Middle Ages feared fresh fruit, the 1950s sung the praises of sugar, the early 21st century demonises gluten, while “100% natural” is just part of the cycle, periodically calling us to order.

Despite positive developments in reducing undernutrition over the last decade, today one in nine people – 805 million worldwide – still goes to bed hungry every night (1). At the same time, an estimated two billion people are affected by “hidden hunger”, or micronutrient deficiency, which is the lack of essential vitamins and minerals required in small amounts by the body.