Intro

     This article examines the underlying logic behind why soda and other criticized foods are unhealthy, identifying and addressing individual reasons, and possibly even shows how to achieve an overall net health gain while still consuming them in many cases. This isn't an effort to promote these foods or imply that anyone should eat them. But if someone wants to or is going to anyway, there are countless ways to ameliorate the inverse placebo. This article makes a case for a potential path to contradicting general sentiment, which would effectively make most any kind of food healthy.

     The foods discussed in this article can inhibit sugar metabolism, address a widespread culprit of disease in the form of inflammation, protect against carcinogens, restore depleted nutrients (e.g. Mg, Ca, K), address microplastic-related concerns, balance pH, etc. Any example may be helpful, but in combination may act more comprehensively. Not limited to prevention, there is evidence that purposeful dietary inclusion of healthy plant-based foods can reverse inflammation.

Categorical topics:

•Allulose
•Blueberry
•Additional nutraceutical research
•Exercise

Allulose (great evidence of negating effects from excess sugar)

     Probably the most prevalent criticism has to do with sugar (e.g. cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup). Allulose—itself a natural sugar found in some plants—directly addresses this concern. When consumed simultaneously it helps prevent sugar metabolism and a subsequent rise in serum sugar levels. Rather than using the allulose to simply take the place of sugar as an alternative, there's also research purporting benefits concerning diabetes and obesity, and longevity perks.

     There is much corroborating evidence. Some was published in 2022 of its effect on sugar levels in the blood. There is evidence of inhibited oxidative effects from sugar. In a 2024 paper, researchers determined that allulose was effective at countering other attributes of criticized diets, and they also link it to numerous other health benefits worth pursuing. There are some examples cited at allulose.org. And a 2024 meta-analysis review adds credibility to efficacy claims.

     Despite its status as a sweetener, you don't have to directly add allulose to a sugary drink or food. It can even just be easily dissolved in water. In research it was demonstrated to still be effective an hour after consumption. There are a couple similar, decent-looking brands on Amazon. I bought one by NOW brand because it's inexpensive & organic. The taste is nice; I find it subtle and not very noticable when mixed with others flavors.

     Other relevant ideas when it comes to sugar & insulin include vinegar and molasses, even if maybe not as impressive as allulose. Plant-derived phenolic compounds, not simply the fiber, have also received recognition on this subject. Yet another concept involves time of day considerations.


Blueberry (well-documented evidence in diverse criteria, sharing properties with some of various other fruits)

     Any nutritious plant-based foods generally contribute to health in ways fit to play a counterbalancing role. Most will also come with the relevant addition of vitamin C. Blueberry is just one great example, which has demonstrated diverse benefits. While I view allulose as a more direct solution to excess sugar, blueberry appears to be more comprehensive. Just like allulose, it can attenuate a reduced serum antioxidant effect of sugar, however this biomarker in the study was actually better after eating the sugary food than not eating it but skipping the blueberries.

     When it comes to circulation, a related topic of interest for researchers, blueberry had impressive results as well, although "cocoa" and green/black tea were noticably better at this. Here is additional info about dark chocolate. Not limited to an unhealthy diet, blueberry may counteract negative effects of smoking. It has also achieved great results when testing its ability to reduce inflammation, a metric lacking comparable results for many other plant-based foods. One good example though is avocado.


Various Nutraceuticals (noteworthy examples include garlic, broccoli, and walnuts)

     One major aspect of unhealthy foods has to do with synthetic chemicals that may appear in the "ingredients" list, or ones associated with the processing they undergo. Brassica (aka cruciferous) vegetables like broccoli are understood to help clear chemicals like carcinogens from the body. Similarly, foods like garlic, other ones containing quercetin & rutin, and matcha have appeared in studies where they demonstrated an ability to block carcinogenic effects on DNA.

     Interestingly, there is 2025 research that provides evidence that inulin (a type of fiber) consumption can alter how fructose sugar is digested, even causing the fructose to be utilized for health-promoting purposes rather than increasing liver fat or exerting a negative influence on the microbiome. Natural sugar & alternatives are criticized for how thay may affect the microbiome, and fermented foods or others probiotics could also potentially address that issue.

     There are also countless possibilities for ingredient synergies, and here is an example of where researchers used this concept to achieve a significantly better result. Dr. Dominic Brandy, a nutrition-related author with a book on Amazon, in a fascinating video, discusses this and provides examples. If the other evidence cited throughout this article of prophylactic biomarkers is not convincing, there is opportunity for improvement.

Exercise (among other lifestyle habits, there are numerous ways to implement and influence health)

     The relevance of exercise to this topic presents another motivation for learning & implementation. Exercising before & walking following a meal are generally understood to be the best approach. Exercises that utilize the soleus muscle are a convenient (can be performed while seated) option that have a lot of supporting research and anecdotal accounts. Dr. Marc Hamilton (soleusmetabolism.org) has videos about the benefits and how to do them. Arm-focused exercises may also be relevant to to this topic.

Further (thoughts and summary)

     A TL;DR summary: we learned that in addition to other healthy plants, garlic (also a source of inulin) can protect against genotoxic concerns. Broccoli can enhance the breakdown & clearance of synthetic compounds in the liver. Blueberry can powerfully downregulate inflammation. Allulose can inhibit causes for criticism of consuming sugar. And exercise can spend excess energy that is attributed to various health consequences. There may be a wider landscape for the positives you can do, than perceived drawbacks associated with some food regarded as unhealthy.

     Ideally, a convenient tonic containing many purposeful ingredients could ameliorate perceived diet-culpable insults. Biomedicine is, however, immeasurably complex, and much is simply not known about how food affects each person differently, epigenetics, microbiome, or interactions with other food. The takeaway: the evidence that allulose, various plant-based foods, and timely exercise can ameliorate diet-related health concerns is impressive. There are even ways to get fasting/autophagy benefits while still eating food.

     There are countless possibilities for what the right dietary engineering & lifestyle habits can do. If interested in my picks for the best ways to implement many of the dietary topics discussed in this article, here are affiliate links to Amazon for the following (organic & relatively inexpensive): allulose (NOW) or allulose (Pyure), blueberry (Jungle Powders), garlic (Spice World), and broccoli (Micro Ingredients).


This article prepares you to now be able to win an optional companion quiz game (in development) to test your knowledge.