Being a contrarian in many respects, I have abandoned the idea of losing any weight. My new goal is to grow a few inches taller.
+1Packaged and highly processed foods have not been around for 2,500 years. Our global diet has significantly changed in a very short period of time. Mass produced packaged foods did not exist 200 years ago. OTOH, neither did the germ theory of disease. People figured out how to create foods that were spoilage resistant, by salting, drying, curing, and other methods such as making pemmican and cheese.
I'm not sure most medical people were scientists, either. We like to think we are. Unfortunately, the primary focus of many medical practitioners (and now the huge medical industry) is, and has been through history, profits, not healing.
This is one of many articles that discuss medical fallacies:
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/history03.htm
Even as late as the 1980s (after I finished medical school!) there were places that performed major surgery on infants with only paralytics, not anesthesia. The physiologic stress alone killed infants undergoing surgery.
Don't give us doctors more credit than we are due.
What has happened, IMO, is that the low fat diet believers worked the food companies and with the governments and pushed one particular agenda. Eating fat makes you fat is their motto. George McGovern spearheaded this in Congress and held hearings on the American diet in the 60s and 70s. Remember the four food groups? The food pyramid? All of that is gub'mint created.
This is a lengthy paper, and College honors thesis out of U. Conn. It is very well written, and pretty interesting if you're into this subject.
https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1482&context=srhonors_theses
There is still a lot to learn. I'm glad that many are still trying to learn. I think lower carbs and moderate protein helps a lot. Higher fat, especially MCT and healthy oils like olive oil, helps with satiety, in my case especially. Tracking total intake is important as well. I'm not the best at tracking constantly, unfortunately.
Packaged and highly processed foods have not been around for 2,500 years. Our global diet has significantly changed in a very short period of time. Mass produced packaged foods did not exist 200 years ago. OTOH, neither did the germ theory of disease. People figured out how to create foods that were spoilage resistant, by salting, drying, curing, and other methods such as making pemmican and cheese.
I'm not sure most medical people were scientists, either. We like to think we are. Unfortunately, the primary focus of many medical practitioners (and now the huge medical industry) is, and has been through history, profits, not healing.
This is one of many articles that discuss medical fallacies:
http://www.mnwelldir.org/docs/history/history03.htm
Even as late as the 1980s (after I finished medical school!) there were places that performed major surgery on infants with only paralytics, not anesthesia. The physiologic stress alone killed infants undergoing surgery.
Don't give us doctors more credit than we are due.
What has happened, IMO, is that the low fat diet believers worked the food companies and with the governments and pushed one particular agenda. Eating fat makes you fat is their motto. George McGovern spearheaded this in Congress and held hearings on the American diet in the 60s and 70s. Remember the four food groups? The food pyramid? All of that is gub'mint created.
This is a lengthy paper, and College honors thesis out of U. Conn. It is very well written, and pretty interesting if you're into this subject.
https://opencommons.uconn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1482&context=srhonors_theses
There is still a lot to learn. I'm glad that many are still trying to learn. I think lower carbs and moderate protein helps a lot. Higher fat, especially MCT and healthy oils like olive oil, helps with satiety, in my case especially. Tracking total intake is important as well. I'm not the best at tracking constantly, unfortunately.
Thanks for the articles, especially the History of Medicine one). Be glad you (we) were not a child or woman in the 1800's!!
A short history of medicine.
I have an earache:
2000 BC Here, eat this root.
1000 AD That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 AD That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 AD That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 AD That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2010 AD That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.
Here's the executive summary of the history of medicine:
What has happened, IMO, is that the low fat diet believers worked the food companies and with the governments and pushed one particular agenda. Eating fat makes you fat is their motto. George McGovern spearheaded this in Congress and held hearings on the American diet in the 60s and 70s. Remember the four food groups? The food pyramid? All of that is gub'mint created.
Where we, the USDA nutritionists, called for a base of 5-9 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables a day, it was replaced with a paltry 2-3 servings
You can't make this stuff up.Moreover, my nutritionist group had placed baked goods made with white flour — including crackers, sweets and other low-nutrient foods laden with sugars and fats — at the peak of the pyramid, recommending that they be eaten sparingly. To our alarm, in the “revised” Food Guide, they were now made part of the Pyramid’s base. And, in yet one more assault on dietary logic, changes were made to the wording of the dietary guidelines from “eat less” to “avoid too much,” giving a nod to the processed-food industry interests by not limiting highly profitable “fun foods” (junk foods by any other name) that might affect the bottom line of food companies.
LOL! (I think you forgot the parts about pouring mercury in your ear to kill the demons.......and if that didn't work, just cut off the aching ear.
We had a miracle "black salve" from the 1940s. Have no idea what was in it, but if you were cut, burned, irritated it would fix you.When I was a kid in the 1950s, my parents had a highly-effective brand of ear drops that would stop earache pain almost immediately. Years later I mentioned the name (Tympagesic) to a doctor. "Oh, yes", she said. "That had a cocaine derivative in it."
I understand eating processed carbohydrates is unhealthy. But it seems to me, it was man's ability to grow and store grains is what made civilization possible.
Also, before processed foods became so ubiquitous, most of the world lived mainly on carbohydrates. And there didn't seem to be an obesity problem then. I can't imagine the whole world eating a high protein (ie eating meat) diet.
It's true that different diet approaches can work for different people. However, I think it's fairly obvious that the rapid rise in consumption of highly-processed foods (sugary snack and dessert foods, soda, chips, crackers, etc) over the last 40-50 years tracks pretty well with the rise in obesity over that same time period. Before all that stuff was widely available, obesity (and all the diseases that come with it, including diabetes) were not near the problems that they are today. So, for virtually everyone, I think, if you can just minimize your consumption of those things, and try to eat mainly "real food" (veggies, meat, fish, eggs, healthy fats), your weight will probably be okay, and your health okay also.
I'm 5 7 and a half and have osteopenia, so I keep my weight as high as possible without causing joint issues. At 134 lbs I am a lean but not skinny size 4. 37-27-36.5, for the older ones who remember when women's measurements were a common topic of public discussion
It's funny how our weights can be all over the place and still be lean.
One of the challenges facing folks is finding basic nutrition information that's not selling something or pushing an agenda. Three years ago we started researching the subject and the amount of plain bs that's available is sad.Our daughter is a diabetes nurse who consults would agree with the "real food" approach. Part of the problem is the marketing of products from the headline on the front to the package to many people not really understanding the ingredient label on the back of a package. When people think they are making a good decision (buy the low fat products or similar labeling claim), they end up with no better result . One of the craziest ones is diet soda drinks results in higher calorie consumption.
The focusing on veggies, meat, fish, etc is the approach that I believe most 'food coaches' take. But, this also must be combined into lifestyle in terms of time to shop, time to cook, income, understanding a label, and more . In my conversations with my daughter, I have learned the change to better diet is tied to many factors. Not as easy as I originally thought since many life factors impact choice. Having said that, not impossible just many factors that go beyond food consumption/calorie count.
I understand eating processed carbohydrates is unhealthy. But it seems to me, it was man's ability to grow and store grains is what made civilization possible.
Also, before processed foods became so ubiquitous, most of the world lived mainly on carbohydrates. And there didn't seem to be an obesity problem then. I can't imagine the whole world eating a high protein (ie eating meat) diet.
Also, it seems to me carbohydrates are easier to process, carbon and water (hydrate). I may be wrong, but if one's kidneys or liver is in its last stages, isn't a low protein diet recommended because it's harder on the body to process protein?
One of the challenges facing folks is finding basic nutrition information that's not selling something or pushing an agenda. Three years ago we started researching the subject and the amount of plain bs that's available is sad.
Our daughter is a diabetes nurse would agree with the "real food" approach. Part of the problem is the marketing of products. Headlines on the front of the package (low fat) makes many people feel they are making a healthy choice. And their is lack of understanding of the ingredient label on the back of a package. When people think they are making a good decision (buy the low fat products or similar labeling claim), they end up with a poor choice for better health or weight loss.. One of the craziest choices is diet soda drinks results in higher calorie consumption.
The focusing on veggies, meat, fish, etc is the approach that I believe many 'food coaches' take. But, this also must be combined into lifestyle in terms of time to shop, time to cook, income, understanding a label, and more . In my conversations with my daughter, I have learned the change to better diet is tied to many factors. Not as easy as I originally thought since many life factors impact choice. Having said that, not impossible just many factors that go beyond food consumption/calorie count.
RAE;2078637 It is true that it takes more time to prepare whole foods said:Before my in-depth conversations with my daughter, I would have agreed with you. We follow a similar approach as you do for food consumption. But, learning more of the details, (to be clear nothing personal), there are many hurdles for people. I guess for many they could get over it but the changes have so many moving parts. To me, even your description of meeting your food consumption plan takes more than a little time for many people. I know it does for us.
When I think that people can't even save for retirement which seems like one moving part; putting money in the bank. It does not surprise me that meeting healthy eating habits is hard for many in knowledge, planning and time.
Before my in-depth conversations with my daughter, I would have agreed with you. We follow a similar approach as you do for food consumption. But, learning more of the details, (to be clear nothing personal), there are many hurdles for people. I guess for many they could get over it but the changes have so many moving parts. To me, even your description of meeting your food consumption plan takes more than a little time for many people. I know it does for us.
When I think that people can't even save for retirement which seems like one moving part; putting money in the bank. It does not surprise me that meeting healthy eating habits is hard for many in knowledge, planning and time.
One of my favorite meals, microwave frozen veggies ( 30 calories, no additives) add to a few scrambled eggs ( very inexpensive ), throw in some cheese. Butter some toast. You've got protein, veggies, carbs and a little fat. I might add some fresh fruit to that.
Anyone here doing this Keto Diet ... 5% Carbs, 70% Fat, 25% Protein ....