[JohnR]

So, plenty of health-conscious audiophiles here? Great I have a question, which has been bothering me for awhile: if your diet is deficient in something, then, surely, you are going to notice, right? I mean, how can your diet be deficient in this or that if you feel not just fine but better than you have in years?

Otherwise, it feels like we are condemned to measuring and analysing our intake in terms of grams of this and that for the rest of our lives

[ctviggen]

Supposedly, there are indications.  For instance, if you have white spots under your nails, you're deficient in something (I forget what). 

The problem is that it's unclear even to scientists when one is "deficient" in something.  Take Vitamin D for example. This site says it's recommended that adults take 5k IU per day:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/

I believe they also recommend having your blood tested and reaching a certain blood level.

If you look at the "official" guidelines from the NIH, on the other hand, they only call for 600 IU per day for adults:

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/vitamind.asp

That's a large disparity (833 %). 

Who is right?  It's not clear.

[JohnR]

Looks like "move to Queensland" (or Florida in your case).

It does seem to be a highly complicated thing. I did read one of the articles you posted a link to recently, and it seems almost that we're fighting ourselves, in that we have an affluent lifestyle and since we can do or eat almost anything we like we have to do all this research to figure out what we should and shouldn't do, when (the phrase went) our parents (grandparents) knew naturally what was good for us. Although, they didn't have, by and large, the chemicals in the foodstream and environment that we have.

[ctviggen]

There's a theory that we should eat as paleo people did.  In that instance, you eat as a forager would:  meat when you can find it; fresh fruits and vegetables when they're available; etc. 

See, eg:

http://www.nerdheaven.dk/~jevk/paleo_intro.php

The problem is that no one really knows what paleo people ate. 

Also, if you look at something like scurvy, which is a Vitamin C deficiency, it turns out that one can eat basically a 100% meat diet and not get scurvy.  Why is that?  It's because eating certain items, such as grains, causes a need for Vitamin C, and therefore you can develop scurvy.  If you don't eat grains (or whatever else causes a need for additional Vitamin C), you don't get scurvy. 

[Folsom]

There's a theory that we should eat as paleo people did.  In that instance, you eat as a forager would:  meat when you can find it; fresh fruits and vegetables when they're available; etc. 

See, eg:

http://www.nerdheaven.dk/~jevk/paleo_intro.php

The problem is that no one really knows what paleo people ate. 

Also, if you look at something like scurvy, which is a Vitamin C deficiency, it turns out that one can eat basically a 100% meat diet and not get scurvy.  Why is that?  It's because eating certain items, such as grains, causes a need for Vitamin C, and therefore you can develop scurvy.  If you don't eat grains (or whatever else causes a need for additional Vitamin C), you don't get scurvy.

Yeah but then there are people like me that develop serious problems from having not grains. My skin gets weaker, I lose muscle, have bad bowl movement, etc...

It is all in genetics because for some people the paleo diet is the best thing they have ever done and not just from a stand point of moral/intellectual stimulation but a genetic one.

[jazzcourier]

Sounds like you need to change your diet for a month and see how you feel.
Try this diet,the easy thing is telling you-the hard thing is sticking to it.Try it for a month and then you need to see a physician if you are not feeling and looking good.
1.Eat NOTHING you can get out of the front window of your car!
2.No Fast food
3.lots of water,more water and then more water for 5 days you drink water until you are floating,this will release all the garbage your body is housing now and oh yeah-you and your little jimmy are going to be spending quite a bit of time together.Get a stack of magazines because you will be doing some sitting on the porcelain throne.You will be shocked and amazed at what the water is pumping out of you.You will lose 5 pounds in 48 hours and you are on the way to a clean system.Don't stop drinking all the water at any point in this 5 days because you will have to start over.Not my rules it is the way the body deals with it.
4.Clean system- now you can start the healthy food process revitalization for your body.
Here are the NO's for the month- No Salt-sugar-butter-beer-one slice of bread a day.This is by far the toughest part of the process.
5.You are replacing all this garbage with fresh vegetables -anything green-fresh fruit-Non fat milk-fresh fish or skinless chicken.Special K or Bran cereal with very little sugar content.Stay away from red meat.Nothing fried,think baked or broiled.Very low starch and carbs for the month
6.one month-30 days of this and you will be restoring all the positive elements for good health and you will be in a great place to determine any deficiencies.
7.Exercise-walking is great,running is better,cycling is also good.
8.A little red wine is o.k.
       Good Luck and good health and good listening! 

[BobM]

Supposedly, there are indications.  For instance, if you have white spots under your nails, you're deficient in something (I forget what). 

Actually that means you have an excess of Calcium, not a deficiency.

[TF1216]

Anyone ever have this done?

http://www.nuskin.com/en_US/products/pharmanex/scanner.html

[Big Red Machine]

Anyone ever have this done?

http://www.nuskin.com/en_US/products/pharmanex/scanner.html

We used to lease one.  Mixed results but very cool to use.

[Folsom]

Sounds like you need to change your diet for a month and see how you feel.
Try this diet,the easy thing is telling you-the hard thing is sticking to it.Try it for a month and then you need to see a physician if you are not feeling and looking good.
1.Eat NOTHING you can get out of the front window of your car!
2.No Fast food
3.lots of water,more water and then more water for 5 days you drink water until you are floating,this will release all the garbage your body is housing now and oh yeah-you and your little jimmy are going to be spending quite a bit of time together.Get a stack of magazines because you will be doing some sitting on the porcelain throne.You will be shocked and amazed at what the water is pumping out of you.You will lose 5 pounds in 48 hours and you are on the way to a clean system.Don't stop drinking all the water at any point in this 5 days because you will have to start over.Not my rules it is the way the body deals with it.
4.Clean system- now you can start the healthy food process revitalization for your body.
Here are the NO's for the month- No Salt-sugar-butter-beer-one slice of bread a day.This is by far the toughest part of the process.
5.You are replacing all this garbage with fresh vegetables -anything green-fresh fruit-Non fat milk-fresh fish or skinless chicken.Special K or Bran cereal with very little sugar content.Stay away from red meat.Nothing fried,think baked or broiled.Very low starch and carbs for the month
6.one month-30 days of this and you will be restoring all the positive elements for good health and you will be in a great place to determine any deficiencies.
7.Exercise-walking is great,running is better,cycling is also good.
8.A little red wine is o.k.
       Good Luck and good health and good listening!

OR.... you could figure out your genetic markers and eat whatever will work for you instead of having to limit yourself so much.

[nonoise]

Its been touched on here but going to a blood chemist can do some real good.
Your blood make up points out imbalances that tend to point to the troubles you're having. Most hospitals don't like them because they tend to cut to the chase. Unfortunately, they aren't usually covered so its out of pocket if you want to know.
On another note, when it comes to detoxifying, what was mentioned by jazzcourier is pretty much it. There are variations on the theme but at least try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. We're only talking a month's worth of discipline to get your life back.
And one more thing. I tried going the vegan route for 2 1/2 years about 12 years ago and never felt better. I dropped about 30 pounds of fat and got to within 5# of my high school weight. Everything improved. When I turned 44, I went off that diet and it all went to hell. Gradually. I'm now 40# heavier and not working out as much but any day now I'm going back on that boring diet again. At 56, I'll never achieve that goal again as I'm not that active anymore but I can get it down to around 155-160#. The hardest part is the first two weeks (getting over the mental addiction) and then its all downhill.

[Tyson]

Veggies aren't boring, I love good veggies, as long as they have enough salt, spice, and olive oil.

[ctviggen]

Sounds like you need to change your diet for a month and see how you feel.
Try this diet,the easy thing is telling you-the hard thing is sticking to it.Try it for a month and then you need to see a physician if you are not feeling and looking good.
1.Eat NOTHING you can get out of the front window of your car!
2.No Fast food
3.lots of water,more water and then more water for 5 days you drink water until you are floating,this will release all the garbage your body is housing now and oh yeah-you and your little jimmy are going to be spending quite a bit of time together.Get a stack of magazines because you will be doing some sitting on the porcelain throne.You will be shocked and amazed at what the water is pumping out of you.You will lose 5 pounds in 48 hours and you are on the way to a clean system.Don't stop drinking all the water at any point in this 5 days because you will have to start over.Not my rules it is the way the body deals with it.
4.Clean system- now you can start the healthy food process revitalization for your body.
Here are the NO's for the month- No Salt-sugar-butter-beer-one slice of bread a day.This is by far the toughest part of the process.
5.You are replacing all this garbage with fresh vegetables -anything green-fresh fruit-Non fat milk-fresh fish or skinless chicken.Special K or Bran cereal with very little sugar content.Stay away from red meat.Nothing fried,think baked or broiled.Very low starch and carbs for the month
6.one month-30 days of this and you will be restoring all the positive elements for good health and you will be in a great place to determine any deficiencies.
7.Exercise-walking is great,running is better,cycling is also good.
8.A little red wine is o.k.
       Good Luck and good health and good listening!

There is no scientific evidence for your diet.  For instance, here's a meta-analysis of studies regarding saturated fat and heart disease:

http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/ajcn.2009.27725v1

The conclusion:

"Conclusions: A meta-analysis of prospective epidemiologic studies showed that there is no significant evidence for concluding that dietary saturated fat is associated with an increased risk of CHD or CVD. More data are needed to elucidate whether CVD risks are likely to be influenced by the specific nutrients used to replace saturated fat."

Personally, I think meta-analyses are crap.  But to the extent this was performed correctly, this is evidence that saturated fat has little to nothing to do with CHD (coronary heart disease).

And this is the tip of the iceberg.  There are many, many, many studies indicating that saturated fat has no relationship with CHD. 

If you want a hard-to-read but excellent synopsis of how we got to the "low fat" paradigm, see:

http://www.amazon.com/Good-Calories-Bad-Gary-Taubes/dp/1400040787

If you want a much more accessible, easy to read, though not nearly as comprehensive book, read the following:

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Cholesterol-Con-Really-Disease/dp/1844546101/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1276258460&sr=1-1

To repeat, your diet has no scientific evidence behind it. 

[nunhgrader]

I like jazzcourier's reply - I am prone (genetically) to have high blood pressure but, I was also pushing it with smoking and over-eating - bad diet - only thing I did semi-correct was exercise - I love weight training and ridding my mountain bike.

My blood sugar and cholesterol looked bad - main culprit - overeating and a bad diet.

I wonder if a good doctor / dietician combination would work for you.

Here's what I did (and I am still doing forever - steady but, surely):

Drop all fast food possible - maybe Subways. Try it and if you have to eat out - try chicken and vegetables.
Drop the salt period.
Cardio - walk every day at least 30 minutes - shoot for 45 minutes.
Active - stay active - do things - drop the remote control and get up and change the valume manually
Fish oil - omega 3s - vitamins - try a combination that works with your diet.
Get the right amount of rest (I am still fighing this one).

[nonoise]

Here's a nice monkey wrench to throw in:
The Amish have a not too desirable diet compared to what the conventional wisdom dictates. What they do do compared to us, is they gets lots of daily exercise. I forget the actual numbers but they walk a few thousands steps more than the average American every day. Remember, they do things the old fashioned way, they work. And their diet is very high in fats yet they don't suffer from obesity. Makes you think, huh?

[bummrush]

1.Everything in moderation,start with food portions ,9out of 10 eat like gluttons and have no idea what a correct portion of food should be.

[JimJ]

I know my diet's deficient in beer...because I don't have one in front of me right now.

[nonoise]

"Portions' are a big part of one's diet. A portion of meat half the size of the palm of your hand, 3-4 times a week, is all the meat you really need. We now eat like its one of the major holidays 3 times a day. Before your body has the time to assimilate and rid itself of excess cholesterol, you're bombarding it again with more. You end up riding that big cholesterol high all day long. Those big, sickly white looking plugs that they pull out of your aortas during bypass surgery is what you've eaten. Nothing more. It can accumulate anywhere in your body. If its near the heart, then it heart attack time. If its near your brain, then everything becomes foggy and stroke is your uncle. If its near your groin, then Cialis is the answer.

[Folsom]

There is no scientific evidence for your diet.  For instance, here's a meta-analysis of studies regarding saturated fat and heart disease:

To repeat, your diet has no scientific evidence behind it.

Yeah but if it works for him there is no reason he should not work with it or refine it.

On the flip side it does not take a scientist to see obese people eating poorly and stay obese even when they exercise, and make a mental note that maybe there is a connection of some kind no matter what it is.

[bunnyma357]

To repeat, your diet has no scientific evidence behind it.

So are you saying that there is no evidence that avoiding fast food, salt, sugar, beer, butter, fried foods is beneficial? Or that eating fruits & vegetables instead of the above has no benefit? That exercise and staying hydrated hasn't been shown to have any benefit?

I would think purely from a caloric intake & expenditure there would be a demonstrable improvement, but maybe scientific evidence is pointing for me to head to KFC and DoubleDown then plop down on the sofa and down a six pack to wash down all the grease.

Jim C