On World Food Day, let’s move beyond food fears and embrace evidence-based nutrition for healthier, more sustainable lives

By Dr Dharini Krishnan

Modern diets have undergone significant change due to globalisation, urban living and the fast food industry, which thrives on convenience. Unfortunately, this shift has also brought on mass consumption of calorie-dense, nutrient-poor foods that negatively affect health. Fast foods, processed snacks and refined food items dominate food choices in both developed and developing nations. These foods are rich in sugars, trans fatty acids, sodium and preservatives, but poor in micronutrients, proteins, fibre and vitamins. Their overconsumption has led to the rise of obesity, type-2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, arthritis, and even certain cancers in many populations. Too often, these conditions are wrongly attributed solely to fats, rather than to overall poor dietary quality.

Know Your Food and Nutrients

Scientific research underscores that the problem is not simply the presence of fat in our diet, but rather the type and balance of nutrients consumed. Public health campaigns in the West in the 1980s and 1990s promoted low-fat diets to reduce cardiovascular risk. While these initiatives reduced mortality in some contexts, they also encouraged overconsumption of refined carbohydrates, fuelling today’s obesity epidemic. A more nuanced understanding has since emerged: fats are not uniformly harmful, and some, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, play critical roles in reducing inflammation, regulating metabolism and supporting cardiovascular and neurological health. For example, omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oils are known to reduce cardiac mortality and improve mental health; groundnut oil has resveratrol which reduces inflammation; gingelly oil has antioxidants like sesamol and sesaminol, which are anti-oxidants and help to reduce cardiac disease and chronic diseases, while tocotrienols found in palm oil play an active role in inflammation and chronic diseases.

Palm oil, the world’s most consumed edible oil, must be re-evaluated in this regard for its full spectrum of nutrients and health benefits. This tropical oil is frequently dismissed as “unhealthy” or “cheap,” largely due to its status as the world’s most productive and cost-efficient edible oil crop. However, palm oil is a natural source of important nutrients, including tocotrienols (a form of vitamin E with antioxidant properties), beta-carotene (a precursor of vitamin A), and balanced fatty acids which contribute to energy and overall metabolism. In fact, its composition makes it comparable, and in some cases superior, to other commonly consumed oils. Demonising palm oil without recognising its nutritional value risks oversimplifying the broader issue of modern dietary patterns.

Choose Balanced Nutrition

Health outcomes of an individual depend less on one ingredient and more on overall dietary structure and lifestyle. Overnutrition, characterised by excessive intake of high-calorie foods, has become a critical challenge, leading to imbalances in the body’s nutrient-sensing and energy-regulating systems. Disruption in these systems contributes to metabolic diseases, appetite disorders and even immune dysfunction. On the other hand, undernutrition remains a pressing issue in many parts of the world, particularly in low-income populations where diets lack micronutrients essential for growth, immunity and cognitive development.

This double burden of malnutrition underlines the critical need to move away from fear-driven narratives about individual foods and towards evidence-based approaches which prioritise balance, dietary diversity and the avoidance of genuinely harmful fats such as trans fats and repeatedly reheated oils. When consumed responsibly and as part of a varied diet, palm oil can serve as an affordable and accessible source of energy and essential nutrients. Its inclusion in diets, particularly in developing countries, can help combat micronutrient deficiencies while providing a reliable source of energy.

Nutrition is more than just the absence of disease; it is a foundation for long-term health, vitality and quality of life. Modern diets must evolve to address both the risks of overconsumption and the dangers of nutrient deficiencies. This requires making food choices not through stigmatisation, but through a science-based understanding of how foods, including oils like palm oil, can contribute to sustainable, health-boosting meals.