Everything you thought you knew about food is WRONG...

Daily Mail ^ | 1st November 2010 | Alice Hart-Davis

[the scotsman]

Fibre's bad for you. Fat's healthy. And five-a-day is a gimmick to make fruit and veg firms rich. Or so claims a remarkable new book

'We think we know what to eat: less red meat and more fibre, less saturated fat and more fruit and veg, right? Wrong, according to a controversial new book by obesity researcher and nutritionist Zoe Harcombe.

In The Obesity Epidemic: What Caused It? How Can We Stop It? Harcombe charts her meticulous journey of research into studies that underpin dietary advice — and her myth-busting conclusions are startling.'

[Sacajaweau]

No soda. No chips....

But I can still remember dumping 2 cups of sugar into the pitcher to make koolaid. AND WE DRANK IT ALL SUMMER LONG.

And I can still remember huge bowls of popcorn....with lotsa margarine....3,4,5 times a week.

It's the dinner that was the control. It filled you up. Desert?? Rarely...Canned peaches maybe...

3 full Meals is too much and these schools that are dishing out breakfast should cut the food in half....except the milk. These school kids weren't fat before we started supplying these meals. We made a mistake.

[Marty62]

You just describe the rollercoaster I have been on.

I want off and now. The connective tissue issue really resonates.
Thanks, I needed the independent opinion.

[cynwoody]

One show I saw recently pointed out that a jump in human IQ was associated with humans (1) starting to eat meat, and (2) cooking food.

What's cause and what's effect?

Cooking requires a degree of smarts found in only one species. So, it must have been the jump in IQ that caused cooking, not the other way around. Cooking also requires fire (unless you are way smart and have figured out alternative energy sources).

I wonder which came first, language or cooking? Being able to discuss how much better that forest-fire roasted deer tasted than the normally hunted venison might marshal a cooperative effort to harness those flames!

[mbynack]

I’m on the cardiologist’s diet. There’s only one rule to remember, “If it tastes good, spit it out.”

[dangerdoc]

“But I can still remember dumping 2 cups of sugar into the pitcher to make koolaid. AND WE DRANK IT ALL SUMMER LONG.”

The secret to good Kool Aid was only 3/4 cup of sugar and only a little more than one quart of water. Tangy! My poor kids have never tasted Kool Aid. I feel bad for them.

[Cloverfarm]

Big gut, small brain ... describes our cows.

I started working at a factory and lost about 20 pounds while drinking pop and eating junk food daily.

My other numbers are way down, too.

I feel best when I eat meals based on the four basic food groups. Anybody remember those?

[Sergio]

Hmmm...thanks for the information, I will look into the “under 50 carbs”, you mention. Sounds interesting.

[aruanan]

If you cut way back on proteins and concentrate on carbs, it will have two effects: You will go on an insulin rollercoaster, and no matter what, you will ALWAYS be hungry. You will be hungry for proteins, but you will eat more carbs, which won’t satisfy your protein hunger.

Two things: 1. whereas a high fat diet will depress hunger signals longer and a high carb meal can lead to you feeling hungry again more quickly, you don't experience hunger for a particular macronutrient. 2. The typical American diet far exceeds daily protein needs.

Because of this, almost no one, except for an alcoholic or someone with a small bowel disease, will fail to have all the amino acids needed for protein synthesis. Amino acids from remodeling of tissue are recycled and all but the ten essential amino acids can by synthesized. If you eat even a relatively small amount of meat each week, you'll have all the essential aa you need.

[esquirette]

Please post the cheesecake recipe. Seriously.

[fanfan]

Minus the bun. Well, and probably minus the fake cheese.

Exactly! If you must have a bun use a very small one, and cheese sliced from a brick of cheddar, a slice of tomato and onions, and you have a very healthy meal.

If you use a big bun, processed cheese, etc, you might as well eat plastic with your dinner.

[Marty62]

Would haveing your gall bladder removed ( had 1 cm gallstone), talk about fetal position pain.
Anyway, I notice that since then I have had this problem. It seems I am not processing food properly.

I have tried everything. All I get from my Doc is it more fish. Now I love fish but Doc, give me a break.

The reason I am leaning towards the protein diet is for muscle health and connective tissue health. when nothing seems to fit the situation, people are left their own devices.

[Will88]

Exactly! If you must have a bun use a very small one

I cut down on carbs by learning to use a bread knife to slice one slice of bread into two, or one half of a hamburger bun into two pieces. And someone can bake bread or buy unsliced bread and slice it very thinly, 1/8" or less.

That cuts out carbs and works well for most sandwiches.

[ZirconEncrustedTweezers]

On those occasions when I make myself a cheeseburger, I slice the cheese off a block. And it is almost always a block of sharp cheddar.

[Moonmad27]

What a great encouraging post yours is — on a very motivating thread! I had thought about going veggie for health - when I know Atkins and Sugarbusters work even better with little deprivation!

[Marty62]

That’s right NO PROCESSED cheeze.

[SeeSac]

I've known a lot of people who were careful about diet and exercise. A lot of them died young. And the ones who are still around have a lot of health problems. I've known a lot of lazy, fat people who smoked and drank as they pleased. In general, these people have been happy and have lived a long time. Example: My parents had dear friends who were fat smokers who had to stop going to museums (walking that much tired them out). My parents pitied them and used them as an object lesson for me. But, my parents died 10 and 20 years ago and of their two friends, one died this past August (age 84) and the other is still alive.

Are you saying it is better to be fat, lazy and a smoker than to be a fit, trim non-smoker?

[brytlea]

Well, one thing I discovered, recently is I have an issue with wheat (maybe gluten, maybe not) and I have been eating other things instead. I have lost a lot of weight this year, but not thru diet, because of a medication I have had to take for something else. If I stay away from wheat (and I stay away from sugar anyway and try to not eat refined things as a rule) and I feel much better when I do that. Occasionally I find it creeping back into my diet (since it is the BASE of the American diet) and find I start having problems again.
Hang in there. Skinny people say, Oh, you’re just fat because you eat too much and are lazy. Well, it’s not really that simple, but you will never convince them, because I guess for them it is. My answer to them is....whatever. Chin up.

[SeeSac]

SETTING: The Framingham Heart Study with follow-up from 1948 to 1990.

PARTICIPANTS: 3457 Framingham Heart Study participants who were 30 to 49 years of age at baseline.

MEASUREMENTS: Mortality rates specific for age and body mass index group (normal weight, overweight, or obese at baseline) were derived within sex and smoking status strata. Life expectancy and the probability of death before 70 years of age were analyzed by using life tables.

RESULTS: Large decreases in life expectancy were associated with overweight and obesity. Forty-year-old female nonsmokers lost 3.3 years and 40-year-old male nonsmokers lost 3.1 years of life expectancy because of overweight. Forty-year-old female nonsmokers lost 7.1 years and 40-year-old male nonsmokers lost 5.8 years because of obesity. Obese female smokers lost 7.2 years and obese male smokers lost 6.7 years of life expectancy compared with normal-weight smokers. Obese female smokers lost 13.3 years and obese male smokers lost 13.7 years compared with normal-weight nonsmokers. Body mass index at ages 30 to 49 years predicted mortality after ages 50 to 69 years, even after adjustment for body mass index at age 50 to 69 years.

CONCLUSIONS: Obesity and overweight in adulthood are associated with large decreases in life expectancy and increases in early mortality. These decreases are similar to those seen with smoking. Obesity in adulthood is a powerful predictor of death at older ages. Because of the increasing prevalence of obesity, more efficient prevention and treatment should become high priorities in public health.

PMID: 12513041 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]Free Article

[vladimir998]

The “proper diet” meme seems to change every week nowadays.

[SeeSac]

I would have to agree with you on this.

You agree with him that fat, lazy smokers outlive trim, fit non-smokers?