Posted on 12/05/2009 8:52:59 AM PST by mattstat
I suppose it was inevitable. People have been watching their ‘carbs’ for years, or ‘carbo loading’ before running a race. When I was a kid, only chemists knew what a carbohydrate was; now, everybody does.
But we have yet to see Italian restaurants boast of Seven Blends of Complex Carbohydrates in Vodka Sauce on their menus. They still—so far—proudly speak of ‘pasta.’
Still, specialized food lingo is part of popular culture. We have TV chefs running around chattering about ‘molecular gastronomy’ (which mostly consists of freezing things with liquid nitrogen) and ‘balancing proteins.’
This is natural enough. Every profession develops an argot to separate the hip from the outsiders. But since our culture is driven by the terminally hip, foodies from all over the place have rush to adopt the buzz word ‘protein.’
By ‘protein’, of course, they mean meat. Good, old fashioned meat—flesh cut or biological matter produced from some form of scaled, or feathered, or hair-covered beastie.
I don’t want to sit down to a sizzling plate of fried protein. I want a steak. The idea of a lightly battered piece of protein does nothing for me. I want to eat fish. And who wants to wake up to a fluffy pile of scrambled protein when they can have eggs?
This protein trend would have been harmless enough had it stayed in the kitchen or on the pages of the New York Times. But it has seeped out into the streets and is now among us.
I have here an ad for a Walnut Creek,...
(Excerpt) Read more at wmbriggs.com ...
As a hardcore weightlifter, I am a protein junkie. It usually takes the form of dead animals, although post workout protein shakes make their way into the diet as well.
Never, ever, will I refer to my giant turkey sandwich or the two cans of dry tuna on wheat as a “protein sandwich”.
Last year, my husband turned into a vegan when his cholesterol was high. I am not. I like meat and dairy products.
A few weeks ago, he wanted to surprise me for dinner. He took me to one of his favorite new restaurants.
I can handle not eating meat, but I don’t like tofu.
I ordered a salad from this restaurant, but it had some sort of strange salad dressing on it.
Then my husband got us Kung Pao Fake Chicken dish. Ughhh. I like regular Kung Pao Chicken. After we ate at this restuarant, my stomach was upset all night long.
I’m not overweight, and I don’t have high cholesterol, so I can eat meat.
I noticed in an article in the Readers’ Digest on saving money while entertaining. One hint was to buy your “protein” on the days the butcher discounts that particular item. I thought it sounded pretty silly. Is a new term for butcher now “protein processor”?
Has your husbands cholesterol dropped after going vegan?
Reason I ask is that my cholesterol DROPPED 80 points (from 220 - 153, no meds) when I went low carb (which includes eating meat, cheese, eggs, etc).
For some people (and I’m one of them) it’s the high insulin levels caused by too many carbs that cause the high cholesterol (high insulin causes inflammation and damage which the body then produces cholesterol as “spackle” to repair).
Reducing the carbs reduces the inflammation and thus the cholesterol levels.
If your husband still has problems even after going vegan he may want to rethink what he’s doing.
My DH went strictly very low-fat and low-meat when his cholesterol was high and all it did was go up. After what happened with me he went low-carb and now doesn’t need statins anymore.
It’s counterintuitive and counter to conventional medical dogma but it does work for many of us.
Just my experience,
LQ
“As a hardcore weightlifter....”
This isn’t really germane to this thread, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to write about an old friend of mine who was the ‘ultimate’ hardcore weightlifter. In addition to standard weightlifting he would actually push cars up hills for a workout, and would also go running with his wife on his shoulders. One of the toughest, and at the same time most gentle people I’ve ever known.
“Johny, shut up and eat your sphingomyelin!!!”
I'm 51 and lift weights regularly.....
At 6’ and 210 I eat meat and protein shakes every day....
My cholesterol, heart rate and BP are that of a 20 year old....
Plus I feel great....
No tofu for me....
When I was young, I was happy to leave knowledge of carbohydrates, protein and fats up to chemists. I couldn’t have gained weight to save my life. After thirty, when the fat started coming, I started the long, arduous task of learning about what I should and shouldn’t eat. Now my blood sugar, once the domain of doctors, determines my diet, and a good portion of that diet is protein.
Part of it, and I sincerely believe this is true, is that if you eat alot of carbs and veggies, you can literally be in a state where you are hungry all the time. Your body can be starving for proteins. But your mind and mouth don’t know the difference, so you eat more veggies and carbs. You know, the way it is an hour after eating chinese food.
It’s well known that proteins sate the appetite far more than carbs - carbs make you sleepy, but protein does a better job of making you not hungry.
I am a strong believer that a person should eat at least one of these per day: (a few ounces, not pounds of the stuff)
one egg, fish, or cheese
I almost always have some hard-boiled eggs in the fridge, every week or so I buy a dozen, cook them up, and stick them in the fridge. Great snack for a quick munch, an HB egg and slice of toast or whatever.
His cholesterol has dropped a ton, so that is good.
I wonder if his cholesterol would stay low by eating low fat things like chicken.
Tofu is like the “F” word. It even sounds nasty. “Tofu you!” hey that sounds like a new vernacular phrase that won’t get my wife up set. “Tofu that! “What the Tofu IS that.” “What the Tofu?” and like my grandfather taught me, some people use language that is so dirty it isn’t fit to be held in hands. So therfore ...”Tofu will never touch my fingers” or ... Lips that touch Tofu will never touch mine!
I am another 55 year old weightlifter ... 325 lbs, 6’5”, 7% body fat. Experts say a gram of protein for every pound ... I have a hard time hitting that. Steers, chickens, fish, and hogs get nervous when I walk among them. Our butcher loves me .... pure predigested whey protein works as a supplement.
Damn .... I just made an enviro-vegan-weeni-whacko-commie-bag-fastard “Tofuing angry” “Tofuing bad”
I love a day that I can smile!
I’m gonna hit 30 this coming year. I’m in the best shape of my life by far. I go to the dentist/doctor/blood donation place, and they freak out when they take my pulse and blood pressure. I’m in such good shape that I actually set off alarms. :-)
I thank God every day that I’m in the military. Everyone takes their food allowance and goes off base, whereas I am always going to the chow hall. If I actually had to pay full price for the two or three chicken breasts I ate each meal, I’d be in debtor’s prison.
Well...this is liable to unleash a firestorm, but here goes:
For over two years, I have been on a ZERO carb diet...meat (some eggs) and fat only. No vegetables, no pasta, no bread...not even any “artifically sweetened” drinks. The only carbs I get are the minuscule amounts naturally occurring in meats or eggs.
My only “cheats” on this diet have been coffee and alcohol. When I do those, weight loss stalls and I don’t feel as well.
All based on the “carbs aren’t the problem; insulin’s the problem” theory.
Guess what? Weight’s dropped from 235 to 180; blood chemistry is terrific; cholesterol way down; blood pressure way down...
Easy, easy, easy to do. Just takes getting over the “acculturation”...the idea that the food pyramid’s right; or that I’ve got to eat my veggies for vitamins; or whatever else is the latest, greatest way to eat.
BTW...before there were any diabetes meds, a zero carb (or close to it) diet was a primary treatment.
It’s amazing how much this has done for me.
6’5”, 325lbs and 7% body fat!!!!
LOL, just change your screen name to “Sir”....
Glad you lost the weight. Make certain you watch for Gall Bladder problems. I used a high protein diet and ended up with a real problem. Gall stones are a big problem with Atkins diets.
Try a sweetener called xylitol. Metabolized without insulin. Doesn’t have the problems of artificial sweetners. Also protects your teeth from cavities. Nice.
lol .. no, I am just a big teddy bear. You can call my dad “sir”, just call me hiram. ...., but whatever you do, don’t call me late to eat.
Thank you for your service
.. my advice, keep working out and eating “clean”. If you must take a break, do it in no longer duration than 2 week increments.
I made the mistake, excuse, lied to myself, all the irrational decision processes that a busy time career wise got in the way, and I stopped eating right and lifting for 2 years. At 45 it took me 2 years just to recover and another 2 years to get back where I left off.
At 55 I am not going to ever be able to compete, but I can still run a mile in under 5 minutes and 5 mile weekly runs are still a reality.
Church basketball keeps me somewhat agile and keeps the eye hand coodination intact, but in all honesty it is my bulk that even allows me to perform adequately with all the 20 year old jocks. Old white men ... CANNOT jump. And, full court for over a half ain’t gonna happen any more.
My only vices are coffee in copious amounts (a hold over from Navy days) and a premium cigare 3 - 5 times a week. A good cigar is medicine to celebrate a success.
Keep it up and God bless.
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