We often talk about food as though we know exactly what we are eating. Whole grains are healthy, sugar is unhealthy, sourdough is better than regular bread, and certain foods supposedly cause inflammation. But the more I have studied food, the more I have realized how much these simple descriptions leave out.
Did you know that two loaves of bread made from the same type of wheat can have different nutritional properties? Or that the microorganisms involved in fermentation can influence how certain components of the flour behave during digestion?
This is the kind of research that made me fall in love with food science. I have an academic background in both human nutrition and food science. Although these disciplines overlap, they approach food from different perspectives. Human nutrition focuses on what happens when we eat, including digestion, metabolism, nutrient absorption and the relationship between diet and health. Food science looks more closely at the food itself. What does it contain? How do its components interact? What happens when we ferment, cook or process it?
A master’s thesis published in 2026 at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU), where I completed my own master’s degree in Food Science, provides a fascinating example. The research comes from the same academic environment, involving researchers and professors I worked with during my studies.
The subject is something many people have probably encountered in discussions about healthy eating, although often without much explanation.
