The "Clean Eating" Myth

[mvmac]

Short and simple blog post by @Adam Young. He turned me on to flexible dieting and it's what I've been doing for the past year and a half. I love it because I can fit in a lot of "treats" but still lose weight or maintain my weight.

http://theflexiblediet.com/the-clean-eating-myth/

Quote

Now, I am not saying that what you eat doesn’t matter. Some foods have a higher thermic effect (such as protein), some foods are more likely to get partitioned towards muscle rather than fat (protein and carbs), and some foods have a lower bioavailability (such as almonds, for example).

However, when all is said and done, if you eat too many calories – from any source – you will gain weight.

That’s right, it doesn’t matter how paleo, gluten free, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian you eat, if you eat to much of it, the scales will show. I should know, I have gained weight on almost all of the diets (when I am not watching caloric amounts).

 

[mdl]

 Sounds like a sensible approach to me.  One thing I think isn't talked about enough is the diet things that contribute to the diabetes pipeline so many people are on (even if they don't know it yet).  Sugar (of any sort, even "healthy" ones with lower glycemic indices like honey or maple syrup) and refined grains are identical once you swallow them.  They both cause insulin spikes, internal inflammation, stress response, all of it.  Those directly contribute to development of diabetes and cancer growth, among other niceties.  Basically almost all of your calories should come from plants (including seeds, nuts, beans, etc.) and whole grains.

One other piece of info I don't think enough people know is that if you're trying to cut down on or replace meat in your diet, a lot of people turn to eggs and dairy to make up the calories and protein, like when you don't want quinoa and beans every single meal   Grass fed dairy cows and naturally fed chickens produce milk, cheese, and eggs that have about a 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids.  Grain fed cows and chickens produce milk and eggs that have ratios in the 1:10 to 1:100+ range.  Omega 6s promote inflammation and misregulation of insulin and the like as well, so you can undo a lot of the metabolic gains from eating mostly plants and whole grains by eating a ton of industrial dairy and eggs.

So it's more expensive, but if you really want to get on the clean eating train and don't want to go egg/dairy free you've gotta pay up for grass-fed milk and cheese and (more) naturally fed eggs (usually marketed as Omega 3 eggs).  

[No Mulligans]

Quote

That’s right, it doesn’t matter how paleo, gluten free, low carb, vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian you eat, if you eat to much of it, the scales will show. I should know, I have gained weight on almost all of the diets (when I am not watching caloric amounts).

Basing his conclusions on a sample size of one?  Not exactly a scientific conclusion, more of a hypothesis. 

[Gator Hazard]

1 hour ago, mdl said:

 Sounds like a sensible approach to me.  One thing I think isn't talked about enough is the diet things that contribute to the diabetes pipeline so many people are on (even if they don't know it yet).  Sugar (of any sort, even "healthy" ones with lower glycemic indices like honey or maple syrup) and refined grains are identical once you swallow them.  They both cause insulin spikes, internal inflammation, stress response, all of it.  Those directly contribute to development of diabetes and cancer growth, among other niceties.  Basically almost all of your calories should come from plants (including seeds, nuts, beans, etc.) and whole grains.

One other piece of info I don't think enough people know is that if you're trying to cut down on or replace meat in your diet, a lot of people turn to eggs and dairy to make up the calories and protein, like when you don't want quinoa and beans every single meal   Grass fed dairy cows and naturally fed chickens produce milk, cheese, and eggs that have about a 1:1 ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids.  Grain fed cows and chickens produce milk and eggs that have ratios in the 1:10 to 1:100+ range.  Omega 6s promote inflammation and misregulation of insulin and the like as well, so you can undo a lot of the metabolic gains from eating mostly plants and whole grains by eating a ton of industrial dairy and eggs.

So it's more expensive, but if you really want to get on the clean eating train and don't want to go egg/dairy free you've gotta pay up for grass-fed milk and cheese and (more) naturally fed eggs (usually marketed as Omega 3 eggs).  

True on honey, however if you are going to have a sugar, raw, unfiltered honey is a good one to go with as it has anti-bacterial properties as well.  Some things in it are supposed to be anti-inflammatory but I don't think enough so to counteract just the sugar itself.  I had read that organic milk may not be worth the bang for the buck, just to make sure it wwas rGBA free.  Maybe I need to go back and look into at that again, I don't drink a lot of milk but my little ones do.  I do eat a lot of eggs, and in general we get free range, no antibiotic and hormone free chicken eggs.  

[Mr. Desmond]

I am not worried as much about calories,  as I am judicious, but I do worry about the quality of the calories and what my blood and other tests tell me.

[GolfLug]

1 hour ago, No Mulligans said:

Basing his conclusions on a sample size of one?  Not exactly a scientific conclusion, more of a hypothesis. 

Well, make it two.

Anyway, I think just common sense. The point is following a type of diet is not a free ride to eating as much as you want to. Eventually it catches up.

Not that we can shovel any kind of junk any time into our bodies but how much plays a much bigger role than what as far as weight control. If you are mindful of calories you are also somewhat likely to be a little more judicious in the type of food anyway.

 

[mvmac]

2 hours ago, No Mulligans said:

Basing his conclusions on a sample size of one?  Not exactly a scientific conclusion, more of a hypothesis. 

From Adam's book.

Quote

Noakes et al (2006) studied the effects of an 8 week diet, everyone ingesting the same calories (1400/day) with 83 subjects participating.

The subjects were placed on 3 different meal plans;

High carb/low fat, Mixed or Very low carb/high fat diet.

The findings were not astonishing. Basically, the low carbohydrate group lost the same amount of fat as the high carbohydrate diet and the mixed diet. This makes perfect sense as energy balance was equal via controlling calories to 1400 per day. Interestingly both the high and low carbohydrate diets lost more lean body mass (not a good thing) than the mixed diet.

 

[TN94z]

I just ordered this book to give it a read. I've got to start losing some weight.

Edited December 14, 2015 by TN94z

[minitour]

Any suggestions on where to find raw honey and how to use it as a sugar replacement in basic cooking/recipes?  I've lost >40 pounds since August 24th, and I'd like to lose another 50-80, but the same old grilled chicken breast or eggs and bacon is getting boring.  I like some variety in my diet.

 

Right now, I'm not so much into the "grass fed" yadda yadda, but I am keeping a close eye on calories.  Oddly enough, at my heaviest, my blood work was great!  Doctor kept saying, "you're very healthy!"  I just didn't like the way I looked, performed athletically (I think it's why I took basically 4 years away from golf), and felt physically...not to mention the number on the scale.

 

Yeah, exercise has been a big part of the reduction (we ride our bikes 20-60 miles 3-6 times per week, or run 2.5-6 miles, then there's lifting, etc.) but I've learned I can't outrun my diet.  Counting the calories has been a major part of it when I got sick and wasn't able to exercise, and when the weather prohibited a good solid run/ride.

 

I guess what I'm saying is...any suggestions are appreciated, but especially on the raw honey.  Always looking for a sugar replacement.  I've got quite the sweet tooth.

[saevel25]

2 hours ago, minitour said:

Any suggestions on where to find raw honey and how to use it as a sugar replacement in basic cooking/recipes?  I've lost >40 pounds since August 24th, and I'd like to lose another 50-80, but the same old grilled chicken breast or eggs and bacon is getting boring.  I like some variety in my diet.

A local grocery store that is more tailored towards natural and organic foods. I would check online to see if you have a local bee keeper near you. 

Good job on the weight loss!

[minitour]

10 hours ago, saevel25 said:

A local grocery store that is more tailored towards natural and organic foods. I would check online to see if you have a local bee keeper near you. 

Good job on the weight loss!

Unfortunately, such store doesn't really exist within an hour drive.  I did check with the local keepers, but they either just have the hives for their own use, or sell commercially.  If I'm going to buy processed, commercial honey, I might as well just run to Sparkle.  

Going to check some online vendors but I thought maybe someone would have a recommendation where to look for the best price/taste.

And thanks.  Been a long road, and I've still got quite a bit more to lose, but we're hitting it hard!