Michiel Cotterink, editor-in-chief of the Dutch TV show Keuringsdienst van Waarde, challenged the audience with a quiz: which product contains the most sugar, baby biscuits or cream pastries? The answer: the baby biscuits. They often contain a lot of sugar without you realising it. Even squeeze fruit pouches can sometimes have more sugar than a can of cola. ‘You think you’re giving something healthy, but in reality, it’s a sugar bomb,’ says Cotterink.
Can you eat yourself healthier? That’s the question posed to university lecturer and nutrition researcher Marjo Campmans-Kuijpers. ‘Food is more than fuel; it can also be medicine,’ she says. Based on extensive research, she has developed an anti-inflammatory diet for people with chronic bowel inflammation but her advice applies to everyone. According to Campmans-Kuijpers, the key lies in small, daily choices. ‘You’re already making a big difference by eating more whole-grain products, adding an extra portion of vegetables, or putting fatty fish on the table. Fibre and healthy fats keep your gut strong and boost your immunity. These are simple steps you can take every day.’
She explains that fibre mainly feeds the good bacteria in your gut. ‘Those bacteria produce compounds that make your body happy. Your gut functions better, your risk of inflammation decreases, and your immune system improves.’ She also warns about our current environment, which she calls ‘obesogenic’. ‘Food is presented as healthy everywhere, even when it often isn’t. It’s no wonder people struggle to see the wood for the trees.’
Neuroscientist Sophie van Zonneveld studies the connection between the gut and the brain. At Lowlands festival, she persuaded attendees to provide stool samples in exchange for a clean toilet for research purposes. Combined with questionnaires, this already revealed some insights: the more diverse someone’s gut bacteria, the better their mental health. People with fewer different bacteria tended to experience more anxiety or low mood.
Van Zonneveld explains: ‘We conduct research with people with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s. Participants receive healthy meal boxes with three main meals a day and nutritious snacks over a period of time. This allows us to study the effect of a healthy diet on them.’ She continues, ‘The full results are not yet in, but we already see that participants often feel mentally more stable and better able to cope with daily life. This shows that nutrition plays an important role in mental health.’ Her advice: feed your brain with unsaturated fats found in walnuts and fatty fish, red fruits such as blueberries, and fermented foods like yoghurt or sauerkraut.
The protein craze is not left unexamined. Cotterink asks: ‘Can you actually eat too much protein? And what happens to your body?’ Campmans-Kuijpers responds: ‘Most people already consume more than enough. A little extra isn’t harmful, but too much can cause fatigue, bloating… and,’ she laughs, ‘eventually you’ll mostly just stink.’
The Nutri-Score label also came under discussion. The traffic-light system seems handy, but the panel finds it often confusing, or even misleading. Van Zonneveld explains: ‘Nutri-Score only compares products within the same category. So, the pizza with the best Nutri-Score of all pizzas doesn’t say anything about how healthy or processed that pizza really is.’ Campmans-Kuijpers adds, ‘Manufacturers sometimes add extra fibre to improve their Nutri-Score. That fibre comes from wood, cellulose, to be precise, which the gut can hardly use. Keuringsdienst van Waarde shows exactly what this looks like in an episode of their programme.’ Cotterink jokes, ‘If you think it looks like my hamster’s sawdust… well, it does. And that’s what we eat.’
Fortunately, there are plenty of practical tips for healthy eating. Campmans-Kuijpers says, ‘If you can count to four, you’re already making great progress with calcium. One glass of milk counts as one, a slice of cheese counts as one. Yoghurt, quark, almonds, and green vegetables also provide calcium. Four portions a day are enough.’ She also recommends taking vitamin D3 supplements, especially for women over 50 (to prevent bone loss), men over 70, people with darker skin, and children under four. She advises regular consumption of fatty fish, which contains the best omega-3s. Van Zonneveld adds: ‘Try to eat as many different vegetables as possibly, ideally thirty types a week. Onions and garlic count too. Remember: it’s never too late to start eating healthily again. Every day is a new opportunity to feed your brain and gut, as your body is constantly creating new brain cells.’
Someone in the audience asked, ‘How quickly does your body recover after a night of steak and beer?’ Campmans-Kuijpers explains, ‘Usually within a few days. The most important thing is what you do afterwards: if you return to a normal, varied diet, there’s nothing to worry about. Enjoyment is part of it too.’
