Thoughts on diet and health

[Pablo]

We have to also remember, as an Italian, where carbs are everywhere, it's also from cucina povera. Pasta and potatoes were staples in impoverished communities.

They don't eat as much combined with fat and they walk a LOT more.

 

[Pablo]

Results: The prevalence of obesity increased from 11.9% to 33.4% in men and from 16.6% to 36.5% in women. The percentage of energy from carbohydrates increased from 44.0% to 48.7%, the percentage of energy from fat decreased from 36.6% to 33.7%, and the percentage of energy from protein decreased from 16.5% to 15.7%. Trends were identical across normal-weight, overweight, and obese groups. Energy intake increased substantially in all 3 BMI groups. In NHANES 2005–2006, a 1% increase in the percentage of energy from protein was associated with a decrease in energy intake of 32 kcal (substituted for carbohydrates) or 51 kcal (substituted for fat). Similar findings were seen across all BMI categories, in men and women, and in NHANES I.
Conclusions: Energy intake and the prevalence of obesity have increased dramatically. Dietary interventions should focus on decreasing energy intake and potentially by substituting protein for fat or carbohydrates.

https://ajcn.nutrition.org/article/S0002-9165(23)02164-0/fulltext

 

[Tom NJ]

Big Mac nutrition: 25g protein, 45g carbs, 34g fat.
4 calories per gram protein, 4 calories per gram carbs, 9 calories per gram fat.

Big Mac nutrition: 406 calories of fat and protein, 180 calories carbs. The standard American diet, fat and protein.

Now add in the large fries and large soda that goes with that Big Mac, and maybe a nice slice of apple pie for dessert.

 

[spasm3]

Big Mac nutrition: 25g protein, 45g carbs, 34g fat.
4 calories per gram protein, 4 calories per gram carbs, 9 calories per gram fat.

Big Mac nutrition: 406 calories of fat and protein, 180 calories carbs. The standard American diet, fat and protein.

The big mac has 44g of carbs. Add to that, the fact that most customers are going to consume that with fries and wash it down with sugar soda.

That meal will have 158grams of carbs.

https://www.mcdonalds.com/us/en-us/meal/big-mac-meal.html#accordion-c921f9207b-item-842cb18782

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I generally have two reasons I avoid 99.9% of fast food thru out the year. Probably 99.9% of what they serve is not the best for human beings in the first place. The other reason is what I used to see going on behind the counters... I may eat from a fast food place no more than 2-3 times in a year. Usually as a last resort. Another reason American waste lines are bursting was in a report I have seen put out more than once by more than one health expert about high fructose corn syrup.

Many health professional say (I have no proof other than their words) the switch from real sugar to that high fructose corn syrup around the late 1980s is a big cause according to them. They have said that the human body does not digest or react to the HFCS nearly as well as just about any other sweetener from real sugar to a host of those artificial ones.

Claims are that it also slows metabolism. Something else they are making great progress in learning about many products, especially HFCS and a host of condiments we American gulp down and that many of us drown our foods with.

So their theory is the HFCS has contributed to the advancing waste lines sizes and those bigger rear ends one can see even in children.

Of course none of it matters when you see so many walking around with their suitcase sized bags of fast food products. Lets face it... All of those fast food franchises could not be posting record sales and profits nearly every quarter if Americans are not marching in line like zombies to their counters and drive thru lines.

I am sure I consume a lot of the wrong or just not the best stuff but fast food is one I can control and I avoid on purpose.
What helps keep me on the wagon from the usual "cajun/italian suicide by fork and spoon" is the wife. Yep. My personal house food police. I am glad (probably still alive because of her) she had a career as a hospital dietitian before she became a school teacher. She uses that knowledge to at least not give up every day trying to get me to eat and drink the right stuff. At my age I can admit, she has her hands full trying to keep me on the straight and narrow.

 

[alarmguy]

Rural Polish and Russian peasants around the turn of the twentieth century ate a diet that consisted entirely of potatoes and brown bread. They worked very hard, under very harsh conditions, and were very healthy.

...

Life expectancy at that time for that population ^^^ was roughly 30 years. So a bit of a misnomer calling them healthy.
We all have to remember that when posting about diets and also look at the life expectancy of the time period.

 

[goblin]

Rural Polish and Russian peasants around the turn of the twentieth century ate a diet that consisted entirely of potatoes and brown bread. They worked very hard, under very harsh conditions, and were very healthy.
...

For all of the 45 years of average lifespan they had.
Joke aside - it's very difficult to overbinge on carbs from foods that require real energy to get processed by the body.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Most of my grandparents and great grandparents were farmers or cattle ranchers. Real hard work every day. They ate hearty too. I am sure they were not diet conscious. They ate a lots of things grown and raised on those farms/ranches. Most smoked strong tobacco all their lives too. Some grew and sold tobacco at times. Somehow most of them lived over 90 yrs and a few of them hit the age of 100+. One grandmother was 107. Many say it is genetics first followed by what we do to ourselves as well.

 

[goblin]

... Real hard work every day. They ate hearty too. I am sure they were not diet conscious...

They didn't have to be diet conscious.
Real hard work covers most of it. Add the fact that they didn't nibble all day long, but ate one, two or three times a day - whatever they did. There was a clear start to the eating process, and a clear stop.

A major number of the people with obesity problems in the industrialized world can not say that much. Even if they do real hard work (hm) - they have a continuous, almost uninterrupted nibble intake. Little things. All the time. Non stop. And it's not brocolli they nibble.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

They didn't have to be diet conscious.
Real hard work covers most of it. Add the fact that they didn't nibble all day long, but ate one, two or three times a day - whatever they did. There was a clear start to the eating process, and a clear stop.

A major number of the people with obesity problems in the industrialized world can not say that much. Even if they do real hard work (hm) - they have a continuous, almost uninterrupted nibble intake. Little things. All the time. Non stop. And it's not brocolli they nibble.

 

[wavinwayne]

Glad to finally see a topic where everyone can agree on the basic facts!

 

[53' Stude]

Follow the money is my first rule of thumb with most studies.
I love salt many don't nearly eat enough.

Your a trip. Saying your blood results great but never any proof or facts. Keep lying to yourself man. If salts so great and “we don’t get enough” then why you eat Whats you eat daily?!


Indont buy a word you say. You preach false all day and night. How bout eat Whats you want and stop criticizing everyone and bad mouthing others. Have a good life

 

[alarmguy]

Most of my grandparents and great grandparents were farmers or cattle ranchers. Real hard work every day. They ate hearty too. I am sure they were not diet conscious. They ate a lots of things grown and raised on those farms/ranches. Most smoked strong tobacco all their lives too. Some grew and sold tobacco at times. Somehow most of them lived over 90 yrs and a few of them hit the age of 100+. One grandmother was 107. Many say it is genetics first followed by what we do to ourselves as well.

I would say genetics play a part and at the same time eating hardy, and not eating ultra processed foods is another significant factor.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I would see genetics play a part and at the same time eating hardy, and not eating ultra processed foods is another significant factor.

I often wonder what us "modern folks" are doing to ourselves with a thing we never needed before. The biggest money grab ever "Bottled water!" that we all over time got conditioned that we can not live without!? How much plastic are we ingesting thru that one?

 

[53' Stude]

Bottom line is we should all listen to 18FAN. Eat any and everything salty. Please don’t do this as it’s fake info. But we won’t ever see his results or any factual info.


I’ve lost 29lbs and I don’t drink 18FAN cool-aid so I must be doing something right. No creatine, no fake beers and no chemicals

 

[JunkdrawerDog]

Junk science in the 50s and 60s told people they should avoid fats, which caused a mass switch to high carbs. This has caused a devastating effect on the population's health.

I remember when fats became the so called enemy. People switched from bacon and eggs for breakfast and substituted a banana nut muffin or something similar. Instead of beef, poultry or pork at dinner, it became pasta and all you can eat bread sticks. People seemed to swell up overnight.

 

[Pablo]

I remember when fats became the so called enemy. People switched from bacon and eggs for breakfast and substituted a banana nut muffin or something similar. Instead of beef, poultry or pork at dinner, it became pasta and all you can eat bread sticks. People seemed to swell up overnight.

It’s almost like it was planned or something

 

[JunkdrawerDog]

If you ever watch "My 600 lb. Life", Dr. Nowzaradan constantly reminds his patients, "You shouldn't be putting anything in your mouth but protein and vegetables." If you look back at classic American lunch and dinner fare, that's pretty much what it was. Protein and vegetables. A blue plate special at the local diner or café was usually meat and two vegetables. If you went home to home cooked meal for supper, it was usually meat and two vegetables. You can even see this on reruns of Leave it to Beaver, lol. Look at what June Cleaver serves her family at the evening meal. It's almost invariably, meat and two vegetables. Of course June always served up something for dessert. Anyway, we pretty much had nutrition dialed in a long time ago but we became blinded by (junk) science.

 

[Pew]

Junkfood, cheap calories, chemicals, excessive medicine, fad diets, snake oil remedies, and one-size-fits-all expectations.

I can't wait to see what the Ozempic damage looks like in 30 years.

 

[mr_boring]

What was the life expectancy of those places?

I thought a lot of the massive increase in cancer in Western nations coincided with longer life expectancy. My mother was diagnosed with cancer at 65. Beat it - still here at 85. Life expectancy in the US only passed 65 after WW2.

Of course you would also argue my mother ate a lot of vegetables we grew ourselves, she never drank or smoked, and worked hard her entire life. So in reality I doubt her cancer was caused by her diet either.

That was my first thought also.

Cavemen ate pretty healthy, lived to be 23 or so.

Most peasants in the 12th century ate a lot of bread and taters, lived to about 48 or so.