Comments on: Diet vs. Diets

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[...]Diet vs. Diets[...]…

By: John Wilkerson

John Wilkerson — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 01:46:38 +0000

I’ll be the first to say it: vegetables suck, especially the green ones! I hate vegetables. I’ve tried them steamed, boiled, fresh, covered in cheese or chocolate sauce and I still can’t stomach them. Many of them taste horrible to me. My parents tried for years to get me to eat them. My wife has been trying for 11 years to get me to eat them. I know I need to eat more but it’s tough for me.

Being 1/2 German, I made enemies really quickly because I didn’t eat sauerkraut. Yeah, I was the black sheep. Hand me a broetchen and some bratwurst and I’m there all day, just hold the kraut.

By: Bob

Bob — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:09:17 +0000

Joe, I think what you’re talking about here is another word for “sugar”. Anything that has gluten also has sugar (which is why when people switch to gluten-free diets they lose weight, cutting out a ton of the sugar they normally eat or drink). And, you’re right, sugar is addictive.

When I talk about processed foods, these are basically different forms of sugars. Our ancestors didn’t survive solely on sugars, they ate mostly meats and plants (eating WHOLE plants such as wheat and rice, not refined versions like our society does).

Overall, I think anytime we focus on one element of a diet too heavily (“never eat this, always eat this…”) I think we’ve gone wrong (I know you disagree, so let’s leave it at at that :) ). We can eat anything as long as we don’t eat too much and it’s actually food (ie. not processed crap). So, I think sugars are fine as long as they’re eaten in their natural forms (as part of a whole food) and in moderation. Meats and vegetables are the same…eat meat, but not too much…eat fruit, but not too much…eat veggies but…well…wait. You can’t eat too many of those.

In the end, I’d argue that it’s safe to assume most of us can eat all whole foods: vegetables, fruits, high quality meats, unrefined grains. There’s some exceptions, but I’d say you start with the assumption you can eat anything ‘real’, then if you (or your child) has problems then investigate.

By: Joe Burnham

Joe Burnham — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 15:01:11 +0000

For the most part, I agree with you, however, I’d suggest that our ancestors literal diet isn’t necessarily one we should follow. For example, I’m 1/4 German, a country known for bread and beer diets, but one where the population tends to have an exceptionally high intolerance for gluten.

So, why, if their bodies don’t like gluten, do they consume so much of it? They’re addicted. One of the responses the body has to food it doesn’t process well (typically due to an absence of the bacteria necessary to initiate digestion) is to release opiates. The result is people end up getting addicted to foods that can do things like stress the body out or prompt weight gain.

I think, in addition to eating stuff that’s fresh, do what you do with a baby when it’s young and test out how your body responds to different foods.

Thoughts?