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Nutrition. Do you trust the experts? What do you believe to be true about health & nutrition?

I have difficulty trusting the experts about certain health-related topics. The reason is, there seems to always be disagreement and flip-flopping on things. I really don't think the human body and digestive system are all that well understood.

Controversies like
Are eggs good or bad...
Is a vegetarian diet healthier...
Should we drink wine regularly...
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day...
Or, things that totally get reversed like the idea of milk being beneficial...

and there are, so, so many more. That's only eating. There are also controversies about running vs. walking and certain exercises. I won't get into all the things that have been asserted to cause cancer, because it's a super long list.

My friend and I recently had a lively debate about this very topic. He mentioned that hot liquids have a strong connection to cancer. I understand the logic BUT the connection is inconclusive-- and I think they're going to find out they are wrong about that. After all, some of our healthiest people alive drink hot soups and teas.

So, in this world of mixed signals, what do you believe to be true as far as health goes? Personally, I listen to the cues my body gives me heavily. And, I do believe that the closer a food is to it's natural form... most of the time it is better.

silvereyes 8 Jan 28
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20 comments

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14

I think that you are 100% right when you say the closer a food is to it's natural state the better it is for you.

LEPeff Level 8 Jan 28, 2018
11

The Doctrine of DNA (biology as ideology) by Richard Lewontin is worth reading because it provides a clear insight into the thrust and direction of scientific enterprises. The supermarket giants have their vested interests (profits) and their thinking is based on the shortest route to the accumulation of profits. The vitamin industry is a multi-billion dollar enterprise. Most of the supplements that people take are a waste of money and are not absorbed by the body only to be pissed out later.
We are continually bombarded with advertisements that suggest that we are lacking in some way either internally or externally.

6

I think a good place to start looking at what the "experts" say is if they have a financial stake in what they're saying.
Oprah's pals Dr. Oz and Dr. Phil come to mind. They both got famous from her show and are now making a ton of money from book sales and Oz sells "snake oil" too.

6

it is a minefield out there. I'm trying for simple. more unprocessed, less grease, salad, hummus, etc. and yoga.

5

While back, Willard Scott would interview people over 100 years old. One lady I remember was like 101 he asked her how did you get to be such a good looking lady at 101. Her reply I have a non filtered camel cigarette and a shot of whiskey. Just goes to show age is a state of mind. Enjoy your life do not overindulge keep an alert mind and the rest follows.

5

First off you need to see who gains. The industry loves to throw confusion into the mix so no one takes things seriously. Again, who gains? The cattle and dairy industries have a big steak (pun intended) in this and lobby to criminalize information and yet put out their own misinformation. They gain. This applies across the board and it is up to the individual to figure out what is right and what is wrong. To me anything that contains lots of chemicals is automatically wrong. Stay away as much as possible, processed food. As for hot liquids, many countries believe ice cold drinks are bad for you. So it depends which culture you live in.

@silvereyes Do you love it enough to eat it? (I couldn't resist).

4

It depends on which "expert" you listen to. There are so many people out there just trying to make money that they would try to convince us that eating shards of glass is good for preventing artery clogging. There is tons of propaganda from the drug and food manufacturers out there including their "disciples" that pose as health experts.

I think I have been lucky doctor wise. I get a good vibe from doctors who try to get me to correct some ills regularly with diet and exercise instead of handfuls of pills. I also try to read up wherever I can and navigate information and make the best decisions.

From what I understand, we would do best to keep our bodies in an alkaline state and not acidic. More fruits and vegetables, less refined sugar, less alcohol and cigarettes. Pretty much stay away from anything that's processed. It's easy, but it's not easy at the same time. Oh and exercise.

4

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day and, if wine is good for you... drink wine for breakfast!

I don't follow this advice but, raw foods are healthier. Particularly if you have cholesterol issues. Damaged cholesterol is the stuff that's bad for you. Cholesterol gets damaged from heat. Therefore, cooking your food damages it's cholesterol content.

Duke Level 8 Jan 28, 2018
3

Yes, silvereyes, I'm absolutely with you on that one. if I notice that consuming dairy products not only stuffs up my sinuses, but also gives me a horrible headache, why would I keep listening to the "experts" who praise the benefits of cow-baby food? as a cheese fan I might still curse my bodily reaction, but I'll heed it.
apart from that, I think that peoples' organisms may have very different requirements when it comes to food, workout, rest, whatever. the nutrition "experts" I mistrust most are the dogmatic ones ... but, hey, that almost goes without saying & applies to all matters of life 😉

same here, @silvereyes!

3

I think moderation is the key, but what freaks me out are the GMO, PESTICIDES, ETC ETC.

Nothing wrong with GMOs, though. Can't understand how there are still so many people who fear it, especially on this site.

3

Science is a self-evaluating machine. The reason certain messages seem to flip-flop is because scientists are constantly reevaluating hypotheses. They are still gaining knowledge about things they only thought they understood. Science is willing to admit when it's wrong and alter it's conclusion based on the evidence.

3

I like to eat as close to nature as possible. I avoid sugar, fried foods, meat, oils other than Evoo & coconut oil, white flour products, GMO's, processed, and most dairy, as a general rule. However, if I go out, or visit friends, I will make exceptions.

3

It's been proven that I have fallen for propheticism before, so....????

3

Geeze... just mixed nuts for nutrition. Im not going for all the other correct foods to eat... not yet.

2

Oh, I'm very interesting in this convo. As far as I understand it, there is no ubiquitous scientific consensus on diet (or exercise for that matter), so we need to be careful not to conflate the suggestions of one organization with a consensus by all experts (if someone is aware of a legitimate scientific consensus, link please as I am highly interested). This is why I don't get into the Vegan VS vegetarian VS Ketogenic VS "standard" VS GMO VS fasting ETC. debates. My guess is our genetics and our own personal goals dictate what we should eat, which is why there is a lot of confusion and contradictory data on nutrition. I create my own measurements based on what I want. I take advice, but this isn't physics, so much of it is just going to have to be personal experimentation. I would like to work with a dietitian one day though and see what information I might get that way.

So yes, I trust the experts, but I don't think there is an agreement among experts to trust anyway.

2

Keep it simple, keep it natural keep it fresh, has worked for millions of years.

1

Which experts and at what time of day because these experts change every few hours.

1

I guess I'm a mixed bag. I eat whatever I want to eat - in moderation. I keep an eye on healthy foods, but I do allow myself to eat whatever I want to eat. If eating a doughnut or a steak every now and then shortens my life by a few weeks or months, so be it. But, I do limit things like steak because it's not good for MY kidneys and it contains more calories for less food than say chicken or fish.

I don't believe in the notion of "clean" eating. All the food I eat is clean. And, if my baked potato has a little earth on it, I think of it as food for my immune system.

I used to buy into the "organic" craze. Not after a bit of research. I'll still eat organic food -- but I don't believe it is a BETTER food.

I used to buy into tons of supplements -- figuratively and literally. They cost a fortune and never truly did ANYTHING. I don't take vitamin supplements except for D prescribed by my doctor. Whatever vitamins my body needs, I get from food.

I prefer food without added hormones, dyes, antibiotics, etc. But, I drink Diet Coke every day of my life -- and I'm still a good person. 😉

I believe industries have a vested interest in creating/financing/providing certain "studies," so I give them zero weight in my decisions.

I think detoxing is nothing short of a scam. Our bodies are perfect detoxing machines.

I think fad diets (paleo, Atkins, etc.) are silly and don't work for MOST people in the long run. I DO believe in the simple math of when you take in fewer calories than your body burns, you will lose weight. And, of course, I know that that is easier said than done and other factors may influence, but the math is still the math.

1

Our ancient ancestors relied heavily on meat, and animal fat. They ate berries, and what grain they could gather or grow. If they lived in a part of the world where fruit was abundant then they ate a lot of fruit. If there was an abundant fish resource the they exploited fish for food. They ate bugs, snake, possum, raccoon, crustaceans of all sorts, and any animal you could think of. They ate various roots, nuts, acorns, and any plant that could be eaten. They weren't picky, and they would basically eat anything that would fill the hole.

One thing they didn't have was refined sugar, or plant based oils. Much of the food the masses eat is
fried, and sugar is abundant in many foods. Processed food is the big culprit in the American diet. That includes the flour from which our bread is made, snack foods, all boxed easy to fix foods, and you get the idea.

If we we cook our meals from basic ingredients roots, grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, berries, meat, eggs, and fish we will be on the right track. It take much more effort to prepare the food, but it would improve our health as a nation by a significant amount.

if you look at an animals teeth you can pretty much tell what type of diet they eat. I do belie should eat about 75% vegetable ( fruit ) material and 25% meat judging by the shape of our teeth. The food manufacturers are putting ingredients in our food without labeling it. They are using words like cultured cream, concentrate, cellulose gum and the list goes on. Cellulose gum is the lubricant for oil drilling did you know. I have been buying this brand of sardines in tomato sauce for years and last time I bought it I got heartburn so I looked at the ingredients and they had added cellulose gum to the tomato sauce so I don't buy that brand anymore. It's a shame these companies are lying to the public, consumer.

0

Food from nature

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