Nutrition experts add traffic light health labels to famous food paintings

Release time：2024-05-19 18:50:49 Source：Stellar Stories news portal

Whether it's an overflowing basket of apples, a giant mound of butter or several cans of tomato soup: the art world has given us some of the most iconic and memorable depictions of food ever. 

However, artists like Cézanne and Manet painted their still life masterpieces long before nutritional science enabled consumers to make fully informed choices about their diets and  portion sizes.

Today, nutritional experts at Voy have applied standard supermarket nutritional information traffic light labels to some of the most iconic still life artworks.

Art lovers and foodies alike can now admire Antoine Vollon's Mound of Butter or Paul Cézanne's Basket of Apples while also understanding the quantities of fat, saturates, proteins, sugars and calories these world famous canvases depict.

Here, FEMAIL lists all of the masterpieces and what the expert nutritionists have to say about them...

Paul Cézanne - Basket of Apples: 1294 Kcal / Carbohydrates 283g / Protein 14.3g / Fats 11.5g / Saturates 2.9g. Nutritionist's advice: 'Perfect for a light snack, an apple is a great way to add fibre to your diet. Pair with nut butters or a handful of mixed unsalted nuts to stay fuller for longer'

Edouard Manet: Fish: 465 Kcal / Carbohydrates 4.1g / Protein 90g / Fats 10g / Saturates 3.6g. Nutritionist's advice: 'Rich in omega 3s (DHA and LHA) and great at supporting your heart, blood vessels, lungs and your immune and hormone systems, fish provides your body with vitamins A and D and adds a delicious protein option to a balanced diet'

Emily Wood, a nutritionist from Voy commented, 'We know that on the face of it, it seems madness to 'reduce' masterpieces to a series of coloured boxes and numbers when there is so much more going on in these paintings. 

'Art is all about context and just as there are an abundance of factors and subtleties at play in every painting, so too when we are choosing what to eat and how these foods will bring us joy, nourishment or both.

'We wanted to use some of the world's most iconic depictions of food to remind people that no food is simply 'good' or 'bad'. Just because a food item has red traffic lights doesn't mean it's off limits. 

'Likewise, only eating foods with green traffic light labels isn't necessarily a good thing for the body or the mind. 

'It's all about balance and giving people the information and the context they need to make balanced food choices which work for them.'

11167 Kcal / Carbohydrates 8.6g / Protein 9g / Fats 1233g / Saturates 781g. Nutritionist's advice: 'Generally, when portioning butter we wouldn't consume a 1.5kg portion. However, a knife's spread portion on toast or cooked up with a few button mushrooms or topped on our potatoes, can make most things taste creamy and delicious, especially when paired with some pepper and salt'

Pieter de Ring - Golden Goblet: 1749 Kcal / Carbohydrates 350g / Protein 66g / Fats 9.6g / Saturates 1.7g.  Nutritionist's advice: 'Fruits can add real variety to the fibre and nutrients of any dish and should always be considered alongside our choices of vegetables, proteins, fats and carbohydrates. Adding a portion of fruit to your plate like a bit of melon, a slice of orange or a plum could be a delicious finish to a fish-based main course'

Paul Cezanne - Bread and Eggs: 467 Kcal / Carbohydrates 77g / Protein 21.2g / Fats 8.3g / Saturates 2.g. Nutritionist's advice: 'A staple for many of us, combining eggs with bread can provide a great protein-rich option to your diet. Pairing the recommended portion of ½ a baton and a couple of eggs alongside with some roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and spinach, can help to bulk your fibre and phytonutrient intake and help you feel fuller for longer'

Related articles