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A food can contribute to a balanced diet and still be unsuitable in a particular situation. The useful question is why: unsafe storage, an allergy and a medical diet are different issues. Potatoes, broccoli, bananas, spinach and chicken illustrate how a specific precaution can become a misleading general warning. Broccoli, photographed on 20 February 2019. Photo: Laisha np, Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 4.0 ; no crop. A thyroid diagnosis does not automatically make an ordinary portion unsafe. Potatoes: condition and storage matter The UK Food Standards Agency explains that potatoes contain natural glycoalkaloids, normally at low levels. Concentrations can be higher in green, damaged or sprouted parts. High levels can cause digestive symptoms, although poisoning is extremely rare. Store potatoes in a cool, dark, dry place, and remove green, rotten and sprouting parts before use. The agency's natural-toxins factsheet advises not eating potatoes that remain bitter after green par...

Feeling tired, losing weight unexpectedly or noticing changes in your hair can prompt a useful question: am I getting enough nourishment? These symptoms can occur with undernutrition, but they do not identify a particular deficiency on their own. Illness, medicines, stress and sleep problems can also play a part. Improving meals and getting the cause checked can belong in the same plan. Fruit on a market stall, October 2011. Photo: Emeraldhorticulture, Wikimedia Commons , used under CC BY-SA 3.0 ; no crop. Food variety can support a balanced diet, but a photograph or symptom checklist cannot diagnose a nutritional problem. Weight loss and a falling appetite deserve attention The NHS lists unintended weight loss , reduced appetite, weakness, poor concentration and slow wound healing among possible signs of undernutrition. A person can be malnourished even at a weight considered healthy or while overweight. Appearance alone is not a reliable nutritional assessment. If you keep losing...

A warm glass of milk with a little honey can be a pleasant drink if you enjoy it and tolerate its ingredients. Milk supplies nutrients; honey adds sweetness. Claims that the combination prevents ageing, boosts endurance or treats bacterial infections need much stronger evidence than a familiar household recipe. A glass of milk, photographed on 30 March 2017. Photo: NIAID; cropped on Wikimedia Commons by Netha Hussain and Koavf. Source and history , CC BY 2.0 . No further crop. The photograph shows plain milk, with no honey, and does not demonstrate a treatment effect. What the ingredients provide Milk is a source of protein and calcium and can fit into a balanced diet. The NHS dairy guide also lists unsweetened, calcium-fortified plant alternatives. Check labels because products differ in nutrients and sugar content. Honey contributes sugar: adding more does not make the drink a more effective health treatment. Honey may soothe some coughs NICE guidance on acute cough says there...