Posted on 02/23/2024 1:02:35 PM PST by fwdude
I find the popular serving recommendations for a healthy diet both unrealistic and vague to the point of uselessness.
For instance, the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet recommends 'four to five servings each of fruits and vegetables, six servings of whole grains, and two or three servings of low-fat dairy per day.' Other dietary recommendations push seven to eight 'servings' of fruits and vegetables per day.
So, what in the HELL is a "serving?" We're almost never told. Regardless, how can anyone fit that much food, much less just fruits and vegetables into their belly in a day? That's untenable in my book.
Even if you had a fruit for breakfast, two veggies for lunch, and 3 for supper (including a salad), that would still put you two behind for the day. And that's on a GOOD DAY.
Diets this extreme aren't sustainable. In other words, they'll fail.
Any thoughts?
My blood pressure didn’t like the sodium...I switched to the low sodium - forced myself to drink it and finally did get used to it - now the regular tastes as “off” as the low sodium once did. It is possible to “reprogram” the taste buds.
For over 30 years I thrived on fast food at McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Zantigos, In ‘n Out, Canes, Chick-Fil-A, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Papa Johns, and more that are just as “bad for your health”. I didn't have time to cook, so I took the easy way, which I knew better than to do, but price and expediency ruled the day. I should have died long ago.
What really hurt was drinking a 2 liter of Cherry Coke every day, which was horrific for my weight and health. Cut that out and health improved. Went Keto for a while to get my weight back to normal. Now I can enjoy that nasty fast food at my pleasure when I can afford it, and cook the same at home when I can't.
It still comes down to moderation and exercise, IMO.
I could not agree more about all these diets and associated lingo. It’s all a matter of opinion and all will change with the times and/or the source.
To me it’s simple. Maintain a weight within a given limit by limiting food intake and doing plenty of daily exercise.
The number of servings or what you eat is not as important as how much you eat. Don’t snack between meals.
It’s still possible to enjoy the foods you like, just don’t be a pig. Salt? I eat tons of it, can’t get enough and it does not affect any of my blood test results or heart related data.
I’ve never had blood-pressure problems, sodium or no, but I use less salt now than I used to, simply as a matter of taste. When I was young, I’d always salt a plate of food before even starting to eat. Now a lot of things just taste saltier than I like. I’ll still use some table salt during the summer when I sweat more.
The “food pyramid” is not junk science; it is a Crime Against Humanity.
No, I ignore them.
“I’m getting tired of food labels trying to make their foods sound less fattening by listing the calories per serving, then defining a ‘serving’ as an unrealistically small portion.”
Serving size: 2 chips
Absofrickinglutely! 😆
2 Fig Newtons = 1 serving
Figs are fruit.
10 Fig Newtons gets me to the recommended 5 servings of fruits / vegetables for the day.
It was made by the people who told you that
1) Margarine was better for you than butter
2) Grain fed beef is better than grass fed
3) Vitamins make for expensive pee, and are of no use.
4) All that matters is calories
5) Never mind the 47 varieties of pesticide we are spraying on everything
6) Genetically modified food is no big deal
7) Modern “Vaccines” are safe and effective, and oh, BTW we changed he definition of Vaccine.
8) A man can be a woman and vice versa
9) Climate change is caused by man
10) The Population bomb (1960’s) - the earth cannot support more than 3 billion
11) A new Ice age has started (1970’s)
12) Global Warming (1980s)
13) The end of the Mayan Calendar
14) Y2K - we are all going to die!
I actually think you could do it with McDonalds.
You might end up with a breakfast burrito, orange juice, and oatmeal and fruit for breakfast, but it looks do-able.
Fig Newtons (I love them) are not healthy.
NGREDIENTS: FIGS, WHOLE GRAIN WHEAT FLOUR, SUGAR, UNBLEACHED ENRICHED FLOUR (WHEAT FLOUR, NIACIN, REDUCED IRON, THIAMINE MONONITRATE {VITAMIN B1}, RIBOFLAVIN …
The wheat flow and sugar, and more flour are PROCESSED foods.
Correct! Veggies better than fruits since they have less sugar.
I switched to V8 Black cherry energy drink 65 mg sodium (8 oz). It’s a great tasty drink.
Keto causes EVERYONE to eat fewer calories after the first week or so.
It’s likely the benefit you experienced is the result of weight loss.
who eats just 3 oreos. for me.. A tube of oreos is 1 serving, a pint of good ice cream is 4 servings! 2 tablespoons of nuts is 1 serving, 2 table spoons hot fudge is one serving
when was the last time you ate 2/3 of a cup of cereal with 1/2 cup of milk?
I eat almost all single-ingredient foods now but I remember when the Fig Newtons had a serving size of “two cookies” and there were 24 cookes in a sleeve. I never ate less than a sleeve when I was eating junk food and sometimes I ate a whole box (two sleeves so 48 cookies!)
“Seems there are a JUDAS GOATS in here, distracting us from the vital conversation re. HOW DO WE HALT THE ONGOING LEFTIST DESTRUCTION OF AMERICA, the place and the IDEA!”
Seems like we have a thread hijacker!
Congratulations for having the time to fret about something so trivial.
Their idea of a “serving” is about a half cup of cooked or a cup of raw.
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