The best diet for health – downloads and additional information
Additional information about ‘The best diet for health’
Below is a copy of the slides from ‘The best diet for health’ presentation – one slide set covering all four parts.
Update March 2023: We have also attached an article detailing the issue with oils. In part two of the presentation, Dr Kassam refers to the Plant Based Dietary Index (PDI). It was put together by researchers in 2014 and was used in the PREDIMED study to look at mortality rates and the level of intake of healthy plant-based foods.
In this video, Dr Kassam presents the tool researchers have used to show the benefits of a diet high in healthy plant foods however, this does not necessarily represent the position of Dr Kassam or Doctors For Nutrition.
This PDI does not fully align with the nutrition research. There were two key foods in categories that do not align – that is, they had potatoes listed as unhealthy, and vegetable oils listed as healthy.
To clarify, potatoes belong in the category of healthy plant foods, they are a staple food in many societies. The problems arise when potatoes are consumed with high fat products, e.g. butter and cheese. Potatoes are highly satiating with the long chain carbohydrates that are broken down over a long period of time. They are low in fat, high in vitamin C, potassium and fibre among other nutrients.
All vegetable oils are processed and belong in the unhealthy plant foods category. They are the highest calorie-dense food that exists, with 100% of the calories coming from fat, and have no nutrient content of significance. EVOO also falls into this category, with still 14% of calories coming from saturated fat. Please refer to the attached article for more information.