Food for Joy

What it is

"Eda dlya radosti" (Food for Joy) is the Telegram channel of Elena Motova, a physician-dietitian and author of books on digestion and eating. It's written in Russian. Her description names two principles: evidence-based medicine and a non-anxious approach to food. In practice that means no sugar scare stories and no miracle diets. Instead you get calm breakdowns: what's actually known about phytates and whether you need to soak nuts, what energy drinks contain and how much sugar and caffeine that adds up to, and why offers to advertise supplements never stop arriving but won't be accepted on the channel.

Why we picked it

Nutrition online is full of fear, challenges and detoxes. Motova writes like a doctor who remembers that food is also a pleasure. Next to the explainers come simple seasonal recipes: an Asian-accented salad of garden vegetables, a galette with goat cheese, herbs and courgette, pasta with chanterelles. There's a wry advice column and very relatable observations, like high-protein cola-flavoured sausages with half a page of ingredients in tiny print. She does sell webinars and consultations, but they aren't the heart of the feed.

Where to start

• Find the post on phytates and soaking nuts: a clean example of myth-busting.
• Read the energy drinks review from her series on popular drinks.
• Try one of the seasonal recipes, such as the courgette galette.
• Browse her ironic "dietitian's consultation" posts.

Who it's for

Russian speakers tired of food anxiety and contradictory advice. People who want to know what science says about eating without a lecture. And anyone who likes cooking simple seasonal food.

Quick answers

Who runs it? Elena Motova, a physician-dietitian and author of books on nutrition.

Does it sell diets? No. The author offers webinars and consultations, but the channel is mostly explainers and recipes.

What language is it in? Russian.