Tips on Nutrition and Dieting

+ Nutrition, a topic that humanity has contemplated the most, loves to talk about, and everyone seems to have an opinion on, is an incredibly strange subject. So, I can't even decide on the first question: "What is more important? What is the right question to ask? Is there a right or wrong?" So, the person I enjoy talking about these things the most is with me. Welcome, Gizem.

-Thank you.

+Are we talking too much about this? Is nutrition this important?

-I think we talk too much about it, and everyone talks about it. Experts talk about it, non-experts talk about it, journalists talk about it, and we can't seem to reach a conclusion. Isn't it interesting?

+Could it be because it's a very personal matter? After all, everyone's digestion and metabolism are different. Can there be a one-size-fits-all diet for all of us?

-It's not possible.

+ Is this a difficult topic?

-It's quite simple, and I honestly don't understand why we complicate it so much. Probably, the increasing number of chronic diseases, the emergence of intestinal problems, and maybe the discomfort people experience are contributing to this. That's why there are constantly new diets and trends emerging, changes in food production, and when a popular Hollywood star becomes a role model and says, "I did this diet," it reaches us, and it confuses people. But in reality, if you don't have any chronic illnesses and you're not an athlete, there are very simple rules to follow regarding nutrition. If you follow them, that's it.

+ Let's get to those simple rules because I'm curious. But before that, I wonder if we want to change something, the first thing we can change about ourselves is probably what we eat.

-You explained it so beautifully. It could not have been explained more beautifully. The only thing we can change is our bodies and our eating behavior. We can't change anything else.

+ So, what are those simple rules? Let's tell our listeners what they should do.

-We have a very simple plate method. Think of a plate, Aslı. Fill half of your plate with fruits and vegetables. If possible, try to choose colorful vegetables because different phytochemicals are present in each color. Once you've filled half of the plate with fruits and vegetables, choose a quarter of it from the protein group, whether it's animal or plant-based protein, it doesn't matter. Choose the other quarter from grains. That's it!

For example, we can also give an example of this: stuffed vegetables. Yogurt is also part of this because it contains vegetables, grains like rice or bulgur, and either meat or it can be meatless, and it's served with yogurt. Stuffed vegetables are actually a very practical approach.

+ Actually, our own cuisine is perfectly suited to this kind of plate.

-Exactly, I've been trying to explain that our Turkish cuisine is developed by implementing all of these principles. Everything in our culture is based on the principles of nutrition.

+ I read an article about bone broths the other day. We are also conducting a study on this. The article said, "We were already cooking our dishes with bone broth," so there was no need to add anything, you were cooking that dish with the nutritious broth that contained vegetables and meat. Now we've gone back to dry dishes and left the broths aside. So, now what? We want the old dish back, so we're adding bone broth from the outside. In fact, originally, both could be cooked together, and it was a complete meal.

-Definitely. For example, my mother still makes bone broth. She makes wonderful soups with it. But when I tried to make bone broth once, it was very difficult. I went to the butcher and said, "I want lamb chops." He said, "Okay," and he cut them. Then he said, "Sister, you can use these bones to make soup." But he didn't say that it would stink up the entire house. It's not practical to make bone broth at home, in my opinion. I can't do it, at least.

+ You're absolutely right, smell is one of the issues. Cooking time is another challenge. In practice, it's not very efficient to make bone broth at home. Luckily, there are professionals who can do these things. It's a good idea to go for that option.