[sts9fan]

So glad we have so many scientists and doctors on this board. 

[Ericus Rex]

All tribes that were coastal or river based and ate a lot of fish were always leaner than those farther inland. At least when food was plentiful. 

Tyson, sometimes adopting high red meat diets are just as lethal for heart disease. For some it is a blessing for others they can not digest it properly.

There was a very interesting article in Discover magazine a few years ago that studied Canada's Inuit population and their diets.  Turns out, they mostly eat seals and whale blubber (both extremely high in saturated fat) and eat nearly no grains, fruits or veggies and they had a heart disease rate of nearly 0%.  And they had not evolved any body processes to allow for this; IOW, they were normal humans.  I guess this means that we have a lot to learn about our own bodies.

I've always taken diet recommendations with a grain of salt as doctors and scientists seem to always change their minds about what's healthy and not.

[michaelhigh]

There was a very interesting article in Discover magazine a few years ago that studied Canada's Inuit population and their diets.  Turns out, they mostly eat seals and whale blubber (both extremely high in saturated fat) and eat nearly no grains, fruits or veggies and they had a heart disease rate of nearly 0%.  And they had not evolved any body processes to allow for this; IOW, they were normal humans.  I guess this means that we have a lot to learn about our own bodies.

I've always taken diet recommendations with a grain of salt as doctors and scientists seem to always change their minds about what's healthy and not.

This is my concern, that the prevailing opinion is in constant flux. I have no plan, eat conservatively, try to stay away from carbonated drinks and only eat when I'm really hungry, then avoiding gorging is my hardest thing. I lost 35 pounds when I first installed high speed internet! I spent more time in front of my computer than I did in front of the refrigerator. Just think if I had a high-end stereo!

[xr2]

This is my concern, that the prevailing opinion is in constant flux. I have no plan, eat conservatively, try to stay away from carbonated drinks and only eat when I'm really hungry, then avoiding gorging is my hardest thing. I lost 35 pounds when I first installed high speed internet! I spent more time in front of my computer than I did in front of the refrigerator. Just think if I had a high-end stereo!

That's science for you.

After reading a lot on nutrition and taking a course on it this semester, it seems like there is some disagreement about the underlying causes of certain maladies, but there is a lot that is known and that we do understand.  It's a few disagreements peppered by different influences and philosophies that lead to the great many recommendations you'll find about what to eat and what not to eat.  Of course, it's also complicated by the fact that every body is different and reacts to food in different ways.

I figure that perfection in diet isn't even desirable even if it were possible.  So my goal is good enough.  Right now, good enough for me involves preparing most of my meals myself, usually out of nothing but meats, veggies, seasonings, a little cheese (I do live in WI), and maybe a little bit of some kind of sauce. 

I try to avoid anything that is already prepared or packaged.  This means no bread, cereals, frozen dinners, bars, soda, juice, chips, etc...

[timind]

My dad is 85 and he eats everything on that list (excepting #2) regularly. He's very active, takes care of my mom, and still drives. Go figure.

[Diamond Dog]

Question, does this qualify as 'bad for you'?

Eat only the stick and/or the box and you'll be fine.

D.D.

[geezer]

There was a very interesting article in Discover magazine a few years ago that studied Canada's Inuit population and their diets.  Turns out, they mostly eat seals and whale blubber (both extremely high in saturated fat) and eat nearly no grains, fruits or veggies and they had a heart disease rate of nearly 0%.  And they had not evolved any body processes to allow for this; IOW, they were normal humans.  I guess this means that we have a lot to learn about our own bodies.

I've always taken diet recommendations with a grain of salt as doctors and scientists seem to always change their minds about what's healthy and not.

Did the article mention the average life span of the Inuit?

[geezer]

"No vice is worth giving up for a couple of extra years on a geriatrics ward". Rumpole of the Bailey.

Doc

Yes, it's good for a laugh. But don't forget it's fiction. Conversely, the whole point of living a healthy life is to extend the good healthy years and avoid the debilitating conditions that lead to the geriatrics ward.

[TheChairGuy]

Eat only the stick and/or the box and you'll be fine.

D.D.

Ahhhhhh, that's where the term 'shit on a stick' came from 

[Æ]

4º place: Hot Dogs.
The villain here is the sausage, a processed meat rich in sodium nitrite - carcinogenic substance that "may increase the risk of cancer of the pancreas and the intestine." In addition to hypertension.

5º place: Bacon.
Consumption "increases the risk of heart disease by 42%, and diabetes in 19%." Columbia University study found further that can cause lung diseases.

Darn it, I love a good all beef foot long. I get more hypertension from reading this thread than from eating a hotdog. My blood pressure is like 120/70 or better.

Lung disease from bacon? You're supposed to eat it, not smoke it. Ha!

[Æ]

Ahhhhhh, that's where the term 'shit on a stick' came from 

I believe the original term you are referring to, is "shit on a shingle."

[Ericus Rex]

Did the article mention the average life span of the Inuit?

It probably did, but I don't remember what that age is.  The point is that they weren't dying of what they should have given their diets and modern-food/health thinking.

[Johnny2Bad]

No mention of Coffee yet????????

I'm under doctor's orders to drink two cups coffee every day to help raise my blood pressure; low blood pressure is my only real health issue though, and now that I'm older, it's in a healthy-for-an-18-year-old range.


I don't eat any of those foods on that list, really. I will eat anything though ... just not often. Ice cream perhaps 8 times a year, that kind of thing (and with meals, as dessert ... it plays whacko with your blood sugar and insulin levels if eaten alone).


Alcohol every day, a drink or two; usually beer, occasionally wine.


Men should be loading up on purple/blue/red fruits and vegetables ... they contain the stuff that kills ball cancer ... sorry ... prostrate cancer.


Also, I read a study once that said if you live long enough and are male, you're probably going to have some prostrate issue. They did autopsies on a large number of elderly who died from other causes, and found enlargement in pretty much all of 'em.


Ideally it's benign enough to not require treatment, so just let it sit there (the cure can be worse than the disease for mild cases), but don't ignore the annual, because it can kill you unchecked.


Trans Fats are killers ... another study I read showed the body reacts to even tiny amounts for a few hours after eating. It's really hard to avoid with baked goods, so read those labels and choose accordingly. (When I say "read a study" I mean I read the whole peer-reviewed publication's goddamn study ... no 24-year-old intern's hash of the health news in a 30-second "news update", taken from a company issued press release or reuters summary, thank you).


I try to have two different colour vegetables with every meal.


I eat freshwater fish (not farmed) about 100 times a year. I don't drink milk but have cheeze and other calcium sources daily. There's butter on my table and in my meals ... no margarine allowed ... but I eat less than a pound of butter a month. I probably eat too much meat but a meal for me is more like 2~6 ounces than 4~12. Some meals contain no meat at all; breakfast occasionally, lunch and supper regularly.


It's not hard to eat right, but it takes an effort. It's relatively easy if you cook meals at home, though. If you're eating out or prepared meals, all bets are off. You should avoid carbs before bed (3~4 hours); breakfast and lunch is perfectly fine though, because it provides quick energy to do your work.


I eat whatever I want, including some "bad" foods, but not very often. I usually won't eat the same food twice in a week (aside from yogurt, bread, cheeze. Oh, and the beer) and for a lot of foods, it's once or four times a year. I think the best thing about eating well is you don't have to say no to something if it's a less-than-once-a-month indulgence.

[FullRangeMan]

I'm under doctor's orders to drink two cups coffee every day to help raise my blood pressure;

I'm under doctor's orders to drink two cups coffee every day to help raise my blood pressure;
I do not drink coffee since the early 90 years, cause it made all the blood alcaline, and it not good to all the body components where the blood arrive.   To raise pressure I use a bit of salt, if need.
Cheers

[django11]

The aspartame thing is a myth.  I can't handle much sugar and cannot (sanely) drink alcoholic beverages so I drink diet sodas.  Once in a while people make me nervous with all these claims against aspartame and I look it up:

"Aspartame has been approved as safe for the general public - including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women, and children - by more than 90 nations worldwide and by regulatory bodies such as the United Nations' Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA) and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."  The list of governmental and non governmental organizations and agencies that have given aspartame the thumbs up goes on and on...

[Johnny2Bad]

I'm under doctor's orders to drink two cups coffee every day to help raise my blood pressure;
I do not drink coffee since the early 90 years, cause it made all the blood alcaline, and it not good to all the body components where the blood arrive.   To raise pressure I use a bit of salt, if need.
Cheers

It's really difficult to keep salt levels below the 2,000 mg a day level in our modern world. I don't shy away from the salt shaker ... it's near impossible to get a teaspoon of salt* on your food in a meal ... but reality is one can of soup a day is probably at your RDA, and there is plenty of salt in unprocessed vegetables, meat, dairy, etc already.


My doctor doesn't tell me to eat a low sodium diet, but broadly speaking even the RDAs are high for good health ... they're trying to wean us, and the RDA will fall in the future, guaranteed.


* Table salt is Sodium Chloride ... a bit less than half sodium and a bit more than half chloride. The chloride has no health issues or daily maximum, 5,000 mg of table salt (1 teaspoon) is about 2,000 mg of sodium (the sodium/chloride ratio isn't precise; some say up to 2,400 mg sodium/tsp).

[Johnny2Bad]

The aspartame thing is a myth.  I can't handle much sugar and cannot (sanely) drink alcoholic beverages so I drink diet sodas.  Once in a while people make me nervous with all these claims against aspartame and I look it up:


"Aspartame has been approved as safe for the general public - including diabetics, pregnant and nursing women, and children - by more than 90 nations worldwide and by regulatory bodies such as the United Nations' Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JEFCA) and the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA)."  The list of governmental and non governmental organizations and agencies that have given aspartame the thumbs up goes on and on...

You have to realize that everything is dose-related. When a body like the FDA says aspartamine is fine, they mean moderate use.


It was invented in Canada by Labatt's Breweries, kind of by accident, and the patent sold to food producers.


You can read the current literature yourself (and go to the peer-reviewed journals bodies like the FDA review themselves to get the original safety studies) ... they found some neurological damage,  at high ingestion levels ... at about 40 oz a day for one month. A can of diet pepsi is safe; a couple of 1-litre bottles a day is not.

[twitch54]

Oh my.........and I thought those foods were the staple of life !!

Actually the thought of NEVER enjoying some those 'treats of life' has no intrest to me, an occasional sampling will do no harm, hell life is damn short anyways !

[SteveFord]

Is tobacco a food group?
Probably better for me than Twinkies (the Official State Food of New Jersey), ha, ha.

[django11]

You have to realize that everything is dose-related. When a body like the FDA says aspartamine is fine, they mean moderate use.


You can read the current literature yourself (and go to the peer-reviewed journals bodies like the FDA review themselves to get the original safety studies) ... they found some neurological damage,  at high ingestion levels ... at about 40 oz a day for one month. A can of diet pepsi is safe; a couple of 1-litre bottles a day is not.

I do.

"An adult would have to drink about 14 cans of a sugar-free drink every day of his/her life before reaching the ADI(acceptable daily dose)"..."Additionally, an ADI provides a large margin of safety. Authorities set a maximum level of an additive that has no demonstrable toxic effect, scale this level by a safety factor of around 100 (to account for the difference between animals and humans and the different sensitivities between humans), and then calculate the 'Acceptable Daily Intake'."

And

"The two amino acids (aspartic acid and phenylalanine)[the two amino acids make up aspartame] are building blocks of protein and are found naturally in all protein-containing foods, including meats, grains and dairy products. Methanol is also found naturally in many foods such as fruits and vegetables, and their juices and is part of the normal diet.

These components are used in the body in exactly the same ways as when they are also derived, in much greater amounts, from common foods and beverages (e.g. eggs, milk, cheese, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables). For example, a serving of non-fat milk provides about 6 times more phenylalanine and 13 times more aspartic acid than the same amount of beverage sweetened with aspartame; a serving of tomato juice provides about 6 times more methanol than the same amount of aspartame-sweetened beverage. Neither aspartame nor its components accumulates in the body over time."

Quoted from the European Food Council (EUFIC)