A small notebook on food, nutrition, and the slow business of eating well.
The Pantry Notesreads the literature so you don't have to — and writes about it without overselling, hedging, or trying to flog you a stack of supplements at the end.
Featured reading
The notebookThe Mediterranean Diet: Why It's the Most Studied Eating Pattern
The evidence base behind the Mediterranean diet, what 'Mediterranean' actually means in trials, and how to follow it without overcomplicating it.
Protein Requirements for Active Adults: What the Research Actually Says
From the RDA to the higher end of the literature, here is a clear walk-through of how much protein active adults actually need, and how to hit it.
Hydration Beyond Water: What Actually Counts
Coffee, tea, milk, fruit, soup — what counts toward hydration and what does not. A practical guide informed by the Beverage Hydration Index.
Magnesium 101: The Quiet Mineral
Magnesium is involved in hundreds of enzymatic reactions and is one of the most commonly low minerals in modern diets. A grounded guide to forms, food, and supplementation.
Latest
Browse the archive →How AI Food Recognition Works: From Pixel to Plate
A plain-English walkthrough of how a phone photograph becomes a calorie estimate — segmentation, portion estimation, depth, and the database lookup behind it.
Vitamin D: Why It Matters and How to Get Enough
A grounded guide to vitamin D — what it does, who is at risk of deficiency, how testing works, and what supplementation actually looks like in 2026.
Understanding Carbohydrates: Simple, Complex, and Beyond
A clear walkthrough of dietary carbohydrates — what they are, how the body handles them, and why fibre and food matrix matter more than the simple/complex split.
Pre-Workout Nutrition: Timing, Composition, and What Actually Helps
What to eat before training, when to eat it, and which pre-workout claims survive contact with the evidence.
Sustainable Weight Loss: What the Research Actually Shows
Calorie deficits work; the question is which deficit you can actually live with. A research-grounded look at adherence, rate of loss, and what predicts maintenance.
Is Tracking Macros Actually Worth It? An Evidence-Based Look
Macro tracking has fans and critics. The honest answer about who benefits, who does not, and how to track without it taking over your life.
Iron-Rich Foods for Plant-Based Eaters
Plant-based iron is real but absorbed differently than meat iron. A practical guide to sources, pairings, and when to test.
Dietary Fats Explained: From Saturated to Omega-3
Saturated, monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, omega-3, omega-6, trans — what each one does in the body and how the research has evolved on each.
Keto vs Low-Carb: The Differences That Actually Matter
'Low carb' covers a wide range of approaches. Strict ketogenic eating is one specific corner of it. Here is what differs and who each is for.
Plain words. Cited sources. Slow tempo.
The Pantry Notes summarises mainstream dietary guidelines, society position statements, Cochrane reviews, and primary trials in plain language. We say so when the evidence is mixed, and we link to original sources. See our editorial principles.