Why learning the science of eating well should be at the top of your menu

The noise around nutrition can feel deafening in 2025.

- Hayley Spencer

For, as much as sound advice, there’s everything from fad foods to extreme diets being pushed by influencers or purported health professionals, who have no background in the science of nutrition. Then there are weight-loss jabs, which have made any other “old school” diets seem like a waste of time. Meanwhile, biohacking enthusiasts are singing the praises of IV drips and extensive supplement routines to supercharge nutritional intake beyond food.

So how do people know who to trust and what's worthwhile? It’s a question that troubles nutritionist and medical scientist Dr Federica Amati, head nutritionist at Zoe and nutrition lead at Imperial College London, and is the reason she has launched an “evidence-based course” at the university. She believes the wellness industry's obsession with longevity means people are failing to care about the day-to-day health which can actually change your life. “It’s more fundamental than whether you can live to 120,” she explains.