I spent over 1,000 hours looking into these questions to improve my health.

• Does red meat increase cancer risks?
• Should I avoid high lectin plant foods because they can cause a leaky gut?
• Are nightshade plants bad for arthritis?
• Is vegetarianism the healthiest diet?
• Should I stop cold showers because it kills muscle gains?

Did I find a conclusive answer? No.

Would the answer matter had I found one? No.

Here are 3 reasons why these little details are less important than you think.

Little things don’t change the long-term outcome

Optimising small decisions has little impact on your long-term health outcome.

For example, cutting out highly refined carbohydrates has a more significant impact on lowering cancer risk than avoiding red meat. Many little things including whether to avoid red meat only determine 20% of your health. The remaining 80% comes from fundamentals like eating more whole foods, daily exercise, and quality sleep. Social media likes your attention on these little things because fear sells. But your energy is better spent on doing things you already know.

What’s obvious is also the decision that removes 100 decisions. When you cut out refined sugar from your diet by going whole foods, this big decision removes all the subsequent small decisions you have to make like managing insulin resistance, joint inflammation medication, and sleep apnea.

Make smart choices instead of minimising risk

There is always something bad associated with each healthy choice. Lectin in legumes can trigger inflammation, phytates in nuts reduce mineral absorption, oxalates in spinach increase kidney problems, and goitrogens in cruciferous vegetables affect thyroid function.

A few years ago, I wondered if I should stop eating nightshade plants. Several studies show plants like tomatoes, eggplants, or potatoes contain alkaloids that trigger inflammation, potentially aggravating my autoimmune condition.

I can choose to avoid these foods. However, no food is 100% safe. Even a decision to drink more water and less sugary drink exposes you to microplastic risk. If we were to minimise every possible risk, we would be eating air.

Instead of asking “Should I avoid this because of the negative effect?”, a better way to think is “Does the benefit of doing this outweighs the risk that comes with it?”

Smart choice is about making a good tradeoff between risk and reward. Just as we accept driving risks for convenience, we balance risks and benefits in our health decisions.

I choose to eat these nightshade foods occasionally because the long-term benefits likely outweigh the inflammation risk.

You can’t build a habit around them

Little things change with every discovery. As soon as you picked up a new health routine, another study warns you of its potential risks. For example, a study shows that cold baths, despite their health benefits, can raise cortisol levels - our body's stress hormone.

The biggest obstacle to building healthy habits isn't a lack of knowledge, but the constant stream of new health ideas or risks that wants your attention.

You're far more likely to hear conflicting advice about specific diets or workout trends than to ever be told that eating whole foods, exercising regularly, or getting sufficient sleep is harmful.

Get the big things right, and the small things will take care of themselves.