This week I got really angry. Like, “write a super-long, frothing-at-the-mouth Facebook rant and then delete it” angry. Like “go for a run to shake the anger and come back still feeling angry” angry. And it all had to do with what passes for “health” in this day and age.

As a freelance health writer, though I’ve been getting plenty of great work lately, I continue to stay open to new publications and previously unexplored avenues. So a couple weeks ago I responded to a call for new contributors from the health editor of a major women’s magazine. (One you’ve definitely heard of.) It seemed like a really exciting opportunity to even be considered for creating content for this magazine. I felt like if this came through for me, I really would have hit the big time.

And, in a way, the opportunity did come through: I received an email from the editor with an invitation to pitch her some story ideas. But when I read the description of what she (and the magazine) want to cover in their newly revamped Health section, that’s when my anger–and, underneath it, my sadness–began. Because every. single. item. on her list was something that stands in direct opposition to my integrity as a licensed nutritionist, or just as a thinking person who cares about the truth.

When I chose nutrition as a career, I never expected that one of the challenges I’d face would be frequent tests of my personal and professional ethics. Sure, maybe I would have predicted that some wacky supplement company might occasionally want me to sell their bogus product or that I might encounter some nutritional charlatans here and there. But to see the opinions presented as facts, the controversies for controversy’s sake, and the outright lies that major publications want to pass of as “health journalism” really grinds my gears, and it’s happening ALL the time. There is so much bad, biased, faddish, and nonsensical advice going around–and since my mission is to share evidence-based, trustworthy health information, that makes me mad.

So here’s a bit of a manifesto about what I personally (and this blog) stand for when it comes to nutrition and health. Here are 7 topics you won’t find me writing about–here or anywhere else–and why.

1. Foods to remove from your diet. These days we love to hate certain specific foods. I believe many people want an edible scapegoat to point to as the culprit behind their health problems. It’s the gluten! It’s the dairy! It’s the lectins! While it’s true that there are some things most of us probably shouldn’t be eating much of, if ever (like Flaming Hot Cheetos, let’s say), we’re all products of our overall diet and our entire environment. As a nutritionist, I find it more valuable to focus on general patterns that to demonize individual foods. Unless you have an allergy or disease that’s actually aggravated by a certain food, I don’t believe in totally ousting one thing or another.

2. Detoxes and/or cleanses. I’ve said it on this blog before, and I’ll say it again: Your body is already equipped with its own detox system. It’s called your liver and kidneys. Yep, believe it or not, your body does a pretty awesome job of filtering out toxins on a daily basis. So you really don’t need to do anything special to help it do so harder or more efficiently. If you’d like to change your diet to be healthier, that’s fantastic! (If you want to do it in the long-term, even better!) But slow and steady usually wins the race, not of a blitz of über-health followed by a return to poor nutrition.

3. Fad diets. The only time I’m interested in writing about fad diets is when I get to expose them. (Which I’m all too happy to do!) Though I don’t believe in a one-size-fits-all approach, I myself subscribe to a mostly Mediterranean diet and feel confident that a lot of basic nutrition advice can be applied to most people. Eat vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meats, and not too much sugar. Is it exciting? Nope. Is it good for you? I believe it is.

4. Nutrition buzzwords: Mmm…adaptogens. Yes, they’re a real thing, and no, I don’t care to focus on them. See “fad diets” above.

5. Celebrity trends. Just because someone’s butt looks amazing on TV or they have a million Twitter followers doesn’t mean their health habits are something we should emulate. So what if Kim Kardashian dropped 20 pounds by eating baby seahorse heads? That doesn’t make it a good idea. Reliable health information comes from professional, (and usually credentialed) sources.

6. Fat positivity. I absolutely think that practicing compassion toward ourselves and our journeys of health is a wonderful thing. But I see the body positivity/anti-fat-shaming movement often crossing a line into celebrating actually unhealthy behaviors. Healthy weight leads to better health outcomes. As a nutrition professional, I cannot, and will not, deny this.

7. Pointless complaints. I’ve literally seen a health publication asking for articles about how, because the media has given so much attention to unhealthy thinness and obesity, medium-sized women are being marginalized. Real issues of health inequality exist, I am 100% sure, but my personal mission around nutrition and health has far more to do with highlighting what we can do for our wellness than stirring up pointless unrest. Aren’t we all angry enough already?

To see some health topics I DO love to talk about, check out my Nutrition page!

Of the three macronutrients the human body needs to survive, you could make a pretty strong case for protein being the trendiest these days. After all, you don’t see products like “fat powder” and “carb shakes” flying off the shelves, but replace that first word with “protein” and people go nuts. (I feel like I’m missing a pun opportunity here–please feel free to jump in.)

The reason behind protein’s popularity as a supplement seems to be its ability to build muscle–as well as the body’s disinclination to store it as extra weight. While it’s known for bulking up muscles, protein actually does a whole lot more than just pump…you up.

Let’s revisit A Love Letter to Food’s “10 Things You Didn’t Know About” series to uncover some fascinating facts about this critical component of human nutrition.

10 Things You Didn’t Know About Protein

1. It’s not hard to get enough. The recommended intake of protein for adults is 50 grams per day. Surprisingly, you can get this much in two 3-ounce servings of chicken or two cups of soybeans. And yet, as of 2013, 50% of Americans reported wanting to increase protein in their diets. But you totally don’t need to do so because…

2. Protein deficiency is rare. (At least in the U.S.) Most Americans get too much, rather than too little protein–and that’s not really a good thing. A high-protein diet has been linked to kidney problems and heart disease. I was once at a conference with about 600 medical and nutrition professionals when the speaker asked the audience to raise their hands if they had ever seen a patient with a diet-related protein deficiency. One person raised her hand.

3. Several grains, vegetables, and even fruits provide protein. While most of us think of meat and other animal products as the protein powerhouses, other foods also serve as sources. Grains like quinoa, whole wheat pasta, and couscous pack a notable punch, and don’t discount fruits and veggies, either, as they can also contribute protein to your diet.

4. The difference between essential and non-essential amino acids: All on its own, the human body is able to synthesize some amino acids (the building blocks of protein), but not others. Those that the body can create are called non-essential, while those that must be supplied by food are deemed “essential.”

5. High quality versus low quality protein: This terminology doesn’t refer to whether you bought your steak at Whole Foods or the carniceria where it *might* have been cat meat. Also known as “complete protein,” high quality protein provides all nine essential amino acids, while low-quality, or “incomplete protein,” does not.

6. After water, protein is the most prevalent substance in the body. Yep. Since many enzymes and hormones are proteins, and protein is essential to the integrity of cells, you have a whole lot of it in your body.

7. Protein helps you feel fuller longer. I was recently in the grocery store when an ad came through on the speakers. “Product X is packed with protein, keeping you fuller longer.”

*record scratch*

Wait, what? For a moment, I was tempted to call up the producers of this ad and tell them off. “It’s not protein that makes you feel full, it’s fiber and fat!” Then I went home and did some research. Oops. Yes, protein does promote satiety. (For the record, so do fiber and fat.)

8. Protein promotes wound healing. When you’ve suffered a wound, your body needs all the help it can get to repair it. Extra protein in the diet rebuilds the tissue damage caused by wounds.

9. One gram of protein contains four calories. All proteins, regardless of their quality or what food that supplies them, provide four calories. So if you look on the Nutrition Facts label, you can determine how many calories come from protein in a serving of that food. (For example, 10 grams of protein means 40 calories.)

10. Protein digestion begins in the…: It’s a bit of a trick question to ask where protein digestion begins. Of course the teeth get things started by mechanically breaking down food (including its proteins), but the real digestive party happens in the stomach. Hydrochloric acid swirling through your gut uncoils the structure of proteins, preparing them for the rest of their transit through the digestive tract.

So…what questions do you have about protein? Ask me in the comments!

It seems like it should be so simple. Flour, yeast, water. What more do you need to make bread? A lot, if ingredient labels are to be believed. 

If you purchase commercially prepared bread, as most Americans do, perhaps it’s time to explore what actually goes into this everyday staple. Reading the ingredient list on many store-bought breads can leave you wondering what in the world certain ingredients are, and what purpose they serve. Though sometimes it feels like you need a chemistry degree to make sense of unheard-of substances (calcium propionate? sodium stearoyl lactate?), you really don’t have to be an expert to make informed choices when it comes to your daily bread. A little education goes a long way.

Here’s a closer look to clarify several mystery ingredients that commonly appear in store-bought breads, and settle the score on whether they’re nefarious, harmless, or just…okay.

L-cysteine: Let’s start with the worst and get it out of the way. L-cysteine happens to be my favorite food additive to pick on because it’s just so quintessentially disgusting. An amino acid used to extend the shelf life of baked goods, it sounds fine until you realize that it’s made of–ready for this?–HUMAN HAIR and DUCK FEATHERS.

I get that it works to keep bread fresher longer, but frankly I can do without the feathers of water fowl in my diet. L-cysteine tops my list of weird bread ingredients to avoid.

DATEM: “Datem has a natural ring to it…like dates,” you might think. “But why did you capitalize it?” Well, DATEM isn’t exactly natural, and capitalized because it’s an acronym of diacetyl tartaric acid ester of mono- and diglycerides…which, according to my calculations, works out to “DTAEMAD,” but apparently DATEM is easier to say. This ingredient serves as an emulsifier that creates a chewy texture in bread. For my part, I prefer a bread with as few additives as possible, but the FDA lists it as “generally recognized as safe,” and the Center for Science in the Public Interest concurs.

Sodium stearoyl lactylate: On to another emulsifier/dough strengthener: sodium stearoyl lactylate. The science behind how this additive works is a bit vague, with one analysis stating, “little is known about the underlying mechanism” of its function. We do know it’s made of a combination of stearic acid and lactic acid, and typically derived from vegetable oil. Again, recognized as safe (but again, if you’re like me, you might prefer to skip it if you dislike unnecessary additives).

Monoglycerides: From your high school chemistry class, you might recognize the suffix “-glyceride” as meaning “fat.” Monoglycerides are a type of fatty acid also used to improve texture in bread. Though they’re typically only added in small quantities to bread, they do contain trace amounts of trans fat. Probably not going to kill you in small doses…and yet there is that pesky association with heart disease and stroke.

Cellulose gum: Ewwww, gum in your bread? Just kidding, not that kind of gum. Cellulose gum is derived from cell walls of plants like wood pulp or cotton (wait, maybe that’s worse?) and is used as a filler or thickener. It hasn’t been proven to be harmful, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest lists it as an ingredient to consume with caution, since a 2015 study found that it negatively affected gut bacteria. Plus, it might strike you as a little gross to eat something made of wood or cotton–or lint. Did I mention lint?

Modified wheat starch: Who knew bread needed so much thickening? Modified wheat starch is another bread thickener. Since it’s basically just added as filler, it’s not an especially desirable ingredient, but it is recognized as safe.

Wheat gluten: Contrary to popular belief, gluten isn’t some poisonous bogeyman. It’s actually just a protein that helps bread stay nice and elastic. If you have a problem digesting gluten, you’d want to avoid it, but in that case, I don’t know what you’d be doing eating bread in the first place. Added wheat gluten poses no other known problems for consumption.

For my money, bread doesn’t require much (if anything) beyond a handful of basic, familiar ingredients. A good rule of thumb is to look for as short an ingredient label as possible. Anything else can help shelf life and texture, but do we really need it? Nah. If you have concerns about bread going bad, you can always store it in the freezer and take it out piece by piece. Trader Joe’s offers several varieties with less than five ingredients, I’m happy to recommend Dave’s Killer Bread and Ezekiel 4:9 Bread as well. Also, whenever you can, for the healthiest choice, reach for 100% whole wheat.

What’s your favorite bread? Have you taken a look at what’s in it? What did you discover?