13 Nutrition Myths

[Mr. Desmond]

Eat what you want, I've been through it already. Don't tell me I didn't warn you when you have to see your cardiologist on a frequent basis when you get older

[misty_mountainhop]

Actually, while we're at it, why is, for example, GI cancer almost unheard of in India but a big killer in the 'West'? If I was a betting man, I would put money on that cancer going up in India as more people are able to afford to eat plenty of meat.

Truth is, we've screwed up our relationship with food. There's no reason why it should be so complicated. It's laughable. It's not like we're trying to ascertain if that nice-looking berry on that shrub is toxic as our ancestors had to do at some point. How has our relationship with food got so fubar'd? We have a generation now who, in general, can't cook - what are they going to pass on to their kids? My parents' and grandparents' generations were far more savvy, in many respects, with regard to nutrition and yet they had no idea what DNA even was let alone what its structure is. How is it we know so much more re. biochemistry etc and yet we can't cook and our eyes light up when we hear about the latest 'superfood' that some company is peddling? As I said, laughable.

[misty_mountainhop]

Eat what you want, I've been through it already.

Don't tell me I didn't warn you when you have to see your cardiologist on a frequent basis when you get older

Thanks. Don't mind if I do. You're obviously doing sensible things re. what you've been through. I'm not trying to belittle any of that.

[Dave2512]

The biggest nutrition crime I see people committing is not understanding what they eat. People tend to judge food by portion size and food group without much thought. Fads play a huge part in this because they tell you what to eat but not how much or in combination with what. It's all about knowledge. Know what your health markers are and how many calories you should eat daily.  Understand what you should avoid if you have problems and make informed choices and it's easy. Some people are lucky and don't have to worry about it because they won the genetic lottery. Others have to work at it.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvmac

Advice I was given by a golf pro who is also a health nut

Quote:

Calories are, by definition, calories. Its like saying water is water. But different types of calories can have different effect on the body composition.

The main argument comes against the 'calories in vs calories out' debate - but this has been demonstrated in science to be accurate time and time again.

In terms of weight loss, the vast majority of it can be predicted purely on calories in vs out - regardless of sugar content, food processing etc. The majority of studies which show a benefit to consuming more carbs/less carbs/higher fat etc can usually be nullified by understanding water losses.

Regardless, Even if one diet is demonstrated to be slightly more superior, people forget that ALL caloric controlled diets worked in the study. there has never been a case of someone gaining weight whilst on a caloric controlled diet. regarding the composition of the weight loss - the only real thing to really benefit is an increase in protein. Protein takes more energy to digest, therefore it increases the 'energy out' side of the equation. It also tends to promote more lean body mass retention - so more of the weight loss will come from fat stores as a result.

Regarding the Carbs/fat debate (which one is better) - both work. Low fat diets have been shown to create weight loss, as have low carb. Low carb usually promotes greater weight loss, but this is simply down to excess water loss. This will come all back on (and more) when you resume a carbohydrate diet, so it is really pointless (but it doesn't matter either way, but people will go through wilder swings in weight when doing low carb approaches). There has only been one study that I know of which showed a clear link between people with insulin sensitivity or insensitivity getting greater weight loss from low carb or low fat. But, the results just showed that it is different for everyone - and the differences were not big enough to write home about. So even if there is a slight metabolic advantage to a low carb or low fat diet, it is wrong to say that one approach is 'better' - it just depends on who you are speaking to. But regardless, both low carb and low fat promoted weight loss - no one gained weight.

So, ultimately, it is the diet which you can maintain yourself on for longer which will produce the best results. hence why I promote an approach where you can eat pretty much what you want as long as protein is high and calories are kept in check.

Even with protein though, you can have too much. It is not harmful, but after a certain level it is not shown to be any more beneficial. Your muscles can only assimilate so much protein before the rest gets converted to sugar and goes through a normal storage process (fat or glycogen) - the process being called gluconeogenesis. usually, the number we would pull out would be between 0.8 and 1.2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. The higher your body fat %, the less protein you will need. if you are single digits fat, you may need more protein to maximize muscle retention. So, in summary, keep protein relatively high, but around 1 gram per pound of body weight. Split the rest of the calories as you see fit. Include carbs and Fats (do not actively cut out fats, they are good for hormonal health) It doesn't matter to body composition what form those carbs and fats come in, but try to make healthier choices on the whole - more foods with vitamins and minerals.

Yeah, that's what I meant to say.  When they write these articles, they really seem to want to be the guy who had that cool little bit of info, that alternate theory, that makes him really clever. But they end up stressing a less effective part of the scenario.

I actually took a couple of nutrition classes in college (a while back!).  And my degree is in Exercise Physiology.  And I learned a lot about the body, food, exercise, anatomy/physiology, biomechanics, kinesiology, etc, etc.  But the overwhelming summary to come out of it all for the average guy?  Eat right and exercise.  My grandfather spent $30k or something so I could learn this.  Now I've just given it to you for free.  You're welcome.

Getting caught up in glycolytic processes and thees other little bits of minutia can distract from the methods we are actually willing to employ.  Some of these things might matter more to a professional athlete or a bodybuilder who adhere to a very strict diet.  But generally, you can't even get people to simply cut calories.

I remember once a buddy of mine was telling me at a party about how some certain food (I forget what) might end up being a factor in colon cancer.  I told him I wasn't that worried about it. He seemed put off.  He was also drinking a Solo cup full of bourbon and Coke, smoking a cigarette, and eating nachos and cheese dip.  I told him when we quit some key habits, quit eating out, started getting a bunch of raw veggies, and started exercising, etc. - we'd talk about the possible colon cancer causer.

[Meltdwhiskey]

Hey. Get this. Eat a balanced diet and, if you can, do some exercise. End of story. Eat burgers, pizza etc and drink beer. Just don't make it all you do. For most of us it really is that simple. Don't take supplements (unless you're pregnant or in some other group that specifically needs certain vitamins etc) as they're a waste of space.

Nah, that doesn't work as what would the nutrition and supplement industry do????? One big elephant in the room is the decreasing abilities of people to cook their own meals from raw ingredients these days - if you do that, you have a much better chance of actually understanding foods and therefore less chance of being hoodwinked by the nutrition/supplement/food industry.

As an aside re. calories themselves, I'm not sure what it is in the U.S. but in the U.K. the recommended daily calorific intake for an adult man is 2500 calories and that's generous - many citations suggest 2000. By way of illustration, I had a burger (a 1955 burger they're doing as a special here just now), medium shake and regular fries at a MacDonalds the other night - those three things together were ~1400 calories and that was just one meal in the evening.

Agree with a bunch of this. Regarding the last paragraph, I once had a rough guideline: eat 10 calories for every pound of body weight to maintain your weight (for a non-exerciser).  If you exercise regularly, more like 15.  It is pretty hard to stick to.  People don't.  America is a pretty heavy place these days.  In my casual observation, almost everyone I meet that is over the age of 33 or so could really stand to lose a few.

[mvmac]

I don't like being the one to tell you this, guys, but eating all beef, chicken, bacon, sausage, while doing exercise doesn't do away with all the harmful effects you've pounded on your body

Even organic meat?

Agree with a bunch of this. Regarding the last paragraph, I once had a rough guideline: eat 10 calories for every pound of body weight to maintain your weight (for a non-exerciser).  If you exercise regularly, more like 15.  It is pretty hard to stick to.  People don't.  America is a pretty heavy place these days.  In my casual observation, almost everyone I meet that is over the age of 33 or so could really stand to lose a few.

Yeah and a lot of people are really bad at estimating their calorie intake.

[saevel25]

my biggest problem is the cooking meat too much, at least on the outside.  i love those charred tasty bits...

Slow cooker, with meat that has a lot of fat ;)

Quote:

Originally Posted by mvmac

From some of the stuff I've been reading.  Basically simple carbohydrates and refined sugars are more to blame. Eating too many high-carb, low-fat foods jacks up blood sugar and can cause insulin resistance, which eventually leads to obesity and possibly heart attack or stroke.  This is what I was doing the previous 2-3 years, consuming about 300-500 grams of carbs a day through soda, grains and sugar.  This type of eating will lower my good cholesterol  and raise my bad cholesterol.  Can even change the LDL (bad) to becoming dense instead of buoyant.

Eating an entire is fine every once in a while but understand it's very hard to "work off" an entire pizza.

For me I'll eat more potatoes and sweet potatoes over pasta and rice. I'll still occasionally have some pasta and rice, but it is never the main part of the dish.

100% agree on the egg part. It was the similar thinking on fats. They just assumed that Saturated Fats are to blame because they thought eating fat makes you fat. Saturated fats were predominant in meat products. There was little information on other type of fats at the time. So similarly, they just assumed that Cholesterol raises your Cholesterol. Which it doesn't. Eggs actually help counter act the bad cholesterol. So does soluble fiber found in green leafy vegetables like spinach.

Basically if you want to get healthy, eat a lot of vegetables with protein. You don't need to eat carbs, they are not a required nutrient. I recommend sticking to things in the squash and tuber families.

[Dave2512]

But generally, you can't even get people to simply cut calories.

Usually because the ignorant equate it to eating less.

[mvmac]

For me I'll eat more potatoes and sweet potatoes over pasta and rice. I'll still occasionally have some pasta and rice, but it is never the main part of the dish.

100% agree on the egg part. It was the similar thinking on fats. They just assumed that Saturated Fats are to blame because they thought eating fat makes you fat. Saturated fats were predominant in meat products. There was little information on other type of fats at the time. So similarly, they just assumed that Cholesterol raises your Cholesterol. Which it doesn't. Eggs actually help counter act the bad cholesterol. So does soluble fiber found in green leafy vegetables like spinach.

Basically if you want to get healthy, eat a lot of vegetables with protein. You don't need to eat carbs, they are not a required nutrient. I recommend sticking to things in the squash and tuber families.

Yeah sweet potatoes are great.

Regarding the fat talk, just came across this

http://www.businessinsider.com/our-war-on-fat-was-a-huge-mistake-graphs-2013-11

[saevel25]

Yeah sweet potatoes are great.

Regarding the fat talk, just came across this

http://www.businessinsider.com/our-war-on-fat-was-a-huge-mistake-graphs-2013-11

Here is a good blog by a guy who is a researcher on nutrition, and specifically how our bodies react to food.

http://wholehealthsource.blogspot.com

Basically he did a good article on why we eat, it is summarized in this diagram.

So what does this all mean. Well, basically in the modern lifestyle it is summarized as following,

1) We do not eat because we are hungry. Food is readily available, it is easy to obtain.

2) Food is designed to taste good and activate our reward sectors in our brain. The guy on the blog did a study were he looked at the brain activity of a person who was addicted to cocaine, and a guy who ate sugar. Sugar activates the same regions in the brain as cocaine does. You can see this in food. Look at a box of food that says "low fat" and compared it to a box of food that is the regular kind. The low fat will have a ton of added sugar.

3) We are eating very calorie dense foods, so we get little filling effect per calorie. Try to eat the same amount of calories in a Snickers bar as you do with lets say Spinach. You'd have to eat 35 cups of spinach to match the number of calories in snickers. Believe me, you will get full way before that point.

4) Social activity, going out to eat, going to parties, peer pressure. Do you eat food at a party because other people eat to. Humans like to interact, we are drawn to being in pacts. So when everyone else does something, you tend to follow as well.

Basically the modern lifestyle that we live in has created a system were everything is against us to stay healthy.

So how do you stay healthy, that is up to you. For me, since I love to cook, I got the ultimate quality control, myself. Basically I do not eat processed foods.

[Mr. Desmond]

My opinion is there is a difference between good nutrition and heart disease.

You can have great nutrition, based on the "normal" definition,  and still have heart disease.

Here is Dr. Esselstyn, to whom President Clinton listened to about his diet to reverse heart disease

Of course, Esselstyn's diet is extreme and for those suffering from heart disease. But if you believe he has credibility, one might want to adjust their present diet based on his research.

Here are the rules of my program in their simplest form:

• You may not eat anything with a mother or a face (no meat, poultry, or fish).
• You cannot eat dairy products.
• You must not consume oil of any kind—not a drop. (Yes, you devotees of the Mediterranean Diet, that includes olive oil, as I’ll explain in Chapter 10.)
• Generally, you cannot eat nuts or avocados.

You can eat a wonderful variety of delicious, nutrient-dense foods:

• All vegetables except avocado. Leafy green vegetables, root vegetables, veggies that are red, green, purple, orange, and yellowand everything in between
• All legumes—beans, peas, and lentils of all varieties.
• All whole grains and products, such as bread and pasta, that are made from them—as long as they do not contain added fats.
• All fruits.

[Stretch]

All interesting stuff. Here's another perspective for the data bank.