Thoughts on diet and health

[SubLGT]

Some scientists are expressing doubts about the quality of research reports on microplastics in the human body.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

 

[Pablo]

Some scientists are expressing doubts about the quality of research reports on microplastics in the human body.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

Call me shocked. Grain of salt. Constantly.

 

[Donald]

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.

Rural Africans in the mid twentieth century (and today) ate a traditional starch based diet. Cardiovascular disease, type 2, breast cancer, colon cancer, prostate cancer, Crohn's disease, IBD, Lupus, MS, rheumatiod arthritus, etc, all of the common western diseases were unheard of in all of rural Africa. Not rare, unheard of. Same with other rural populations eating starch based diets.

So no, a wide variety of foods is not necessary or helpful.

I read some research on various groups of people around the world who claim to live very long lives. In many cases the people were illiterate and/or no birth records and did not really know when they were born and some made up a number to get government benefits. So many were not as old as they claimed.

But certainly diabetes was non existent (or rare) in countries before refined sugar hit the food markets.

 

[hemioiler]

But certainly diabetes was non existent (or rare) in countries before refined sugar hit the food markets.

They used to call it something else, but was diagnosed by a doctor/patient tasting your urine if it was sweet. At least that's what I learned on the Netflix documentary "Outlander"

 

[NibbanaBanana]

I read some research on various groups of people around the world who claim to live very long lives. In many cases the people were illiterate and/or no birth records and did not really know when they were born and some made up a number to get government benefits. So many were not as old as they claimed.

But certainly diabetes was non existent (or rare) in countries before refined sugar hit the food markets.

Well, exact terminal age isn't necessarily indicative of health. (And it would be surprising to me if any individual, literate or not, didn't know how old they were.)

But absolute absence of chronic disease plaguing western counties is. And here's the testimony of a western medical doctor who witnessed the difference.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I just started the modified Ramadan diet. One boiled egg and a glass of apple juice in the morning. A protein shake for lunch. No snacking. A normal portion of whatever you usually eat for supper. A true Ramadan diet would be no food at all during the day, then after sundown ( too long for me) you can eat whatever you want.

When I was a young man I was travelling through Turkey during Ramadan. The restaurant owners were busy cooking, getting ready for Iftar, the post-sundown feast. Me, being a heathen, they were happy to serve me the same food at lunch. It was great!

 

[alarmguy]

Some scientists are expressing doubts about the quality of research reports on microplastics in the human body.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/jan/13/microplastics-human-body-doubt

That was a long report.
Deflection by the oil and plastic industry?
Probably not, but I’m sure a little bit of a push to discredit whatever they can, which is in their self interest. They do this by funding studies to create doubt.

But forget all that above. Everybody agrees, even in that article there are micro plastics in our bodies.
As far as the health effects it should be up to the consumer to see if they want to gamble or do what they can to limit the amount of micro plastics they take in. The scientific community agrees in that article that our body still have micro plastics throughout, it’s just a matter of how much and it’s affect if any.

We don’t know the impact and I would suggest we won’t know during the lifecycle of many people. Kind of sounds like any possible product affecting human health even the debate about cigarettes many decades back.

Since everybody in a scientific community agrees, there are micro plastics that we take in on a daily basis. Some people may wish to avoid that since the scientific community cannot and does not have the technology right now to give it a pass or non-pass, but the fact is, it’s a man-made product circulating within our bodies. Made out of petroleum no less.

So people can pick and choose, and at the least eliminate many common every day plastics out of their lives. Such plastic bottle AND CANS, (yes cans are lines with a very thin layer of plastic to prevent corrosion of the aluminum can into the liquid) storing food in plastic containers, simple common sense stuff. Theoretically glass is the only safe substance if you want to avoid contamination.

 

[Al]

One of the most imporrtant things you can do is drink lots of water. Staying well hydrated can actually help ward off clotting strokes.

 

[alarmguy]

One of the most imporrtant things you can do is drink lots of water. Staying well hydrated can actually help ward off clotting strokes.

Yup, just about every other liquid with a few exceptions is junk food to the American consumer

 

[Pablo]

Americans snack too much. We are told this is normal

Americans are rushed to food too much. Strange personal observation for what it is worth: We never buy frozen prepared anything. I know being retired has a lot to do with that and I get it with kids and both working. Anyway I just never go down the frozen aisles anymore. And by aisles I mean THREE aisles. There used to be one then maybe just barely two now three! Frozen pizza alone almost a full half aisle. Amazing array of completely over processed food. Mind boggling imho

 

[#18FAN]

Americans snack too much. We are told this is normal

Americans are rushed to food too much. Strange personal observation for what it is worth: We never buy frozen prepared anything. I know being retired has a lot to do with that and I get it with kids and both working. Anyway I just never go down the frozen aisles anymore. And by aisles I mean THREE aisles. There used to be one then maybe just barely two now three! Frozen pizza alone almost a full half aisle. Amazing array of completely over processed food. Mind boggling imho

Icecream has its own aisle and seems to be growing every year.

 

[buster]

Snacking is a bad habit.

 

[Patman]

Snacking is a bad habit.

Unless it’s fruit

 

[Legs4Arms]

Waiting with baited breath lol.

 

[Legs4Arms]

Americans snack too much. We are told this is normal

Americans are rushed to food too much. Strange personal observation for what it is worth: We never buy frozen prepared anything. I know being retired has a lot to do with that and I get it with kids and both working. Anyway I just never go down the frozen aisles anymore. And by aisles I mean THREE aisles. There used to be one then maybe just barely two now three! Frozen pizza alone almost a full half aisle. Amazing array of completely over processed food. Mind boggling imho

I buy frozen blueberries for my wife.
Frozen mirepoix for me for those lazy days I just don't feel like pulling a knife outta the block.

Pretty much it though. Our freezer is full of meat I got a good deal on, and meals in containers that I've made for convenience at a later date.

 

[Pablo]

I buy frozen blueberries for my wife.
Frozen mirepoix for me for those lazy days I just don't feel like pulling a knife outta the block.

Pretty much it though. Our freezer is full of meat I got a good deal on, and meals in containers that I've made for convenience at a later date.

Can you bring blueberries over the border? (always contradictory info). I'm guessing NOT because plant.bio - anyway find growers on your side and pick and freeze your own! You are a busy guy, I realize.......anyway my wife picks a ton, I will help some (boring dough) - so we have buckets and boxes full. We have two chest freezers and plenty of baking trays which means individually frozen berries. We still have supplies from last season (getting down there finally) Even dogs get a few!!

 

[Legs4Arms]

Can you bring blueberries over the border? (always contradictory info). I'm guessing NOT because plant.bio - anyway find growers on your side and pick and freeze your own! You are a busy guy, I realize.......anyway my wife picks a ton, I will help some (boring dough) - so we have buckets and boxes full. We have two chest freezers and plenty of baking trays which means individually frozen berries. We still have supplies from last season (getting down there finally) Even dogs get a few!!

Too busy for berry picking for the most part, yes.
Krause in Langley is a fun day when time allows.

 

[Pablo]

Too busy for berry picking for the most part, yes.
Krause in Langley is a fun day when time allows.

Sad fact it’s easier to grow and tend blueberries so the cane berries are less and less

 

[Legs4Arms]

The seeds in canes are too much for me. They wedge between my molars in the same annoying way mussels and clams do.
Although I love all of them, I don't eat them anymore just for that reason

 

[bunnspecial]

But certainly diabetes was non existent (or rare) in countries before refined sugar hit the food markets.

I generally avoid threads like this because I can't stand all the holier-than-thou pontificating of some posters(not directed at you) who can't help but "alarm" about things they know little about...

With that said, I often read statements about X,Y, or Z disease being "more common" now than in the past.

I really don't think that's a statement that can really be taken as true without really looking into the details, and especially of modern diagnostics verses the past. I have no medical training but am a trained, degreed scientist who does actually know how to read peer reviewed literature critically(and recognize where I don't understand it). I'd welcome an actual MD/Physician or other degreed medical provider to comment on these statements, but I think we can make the following statements about diseases-in general-in today's world

1. 100+ years ago, particularly in rural and/or impoverished areas, people could go their entire life without receiving any kind of medical care. Now, an annual physical is considered bare minimum care for everyone. We are more like now to catch a disease now that wouldn't have been diagnosed in the past because the average person has FAR more contact with healthcare providers(and more routine preventative screening) than in the past

2. Our ability to detect conditions is unmatched compared to even 20 years ago. Within my field-analytical chemistry-detections of some molecules at the part per trillion level ins considered routine and reliable now, where at best detections at that level were either very iffy(I can see some molecules at that level on my late 1990s mass spectrometer, but the data gets REALLY difficult to tease out from background noise and I won't quantitate at that level). That's one small area where I'm familiar, but quite literally EVERYTHING is better now-test sensitivity, imaging, etc.

3. On the whole, we are living longer and develop conditions that people just didn't live long enough to develop in the past

4. In some cases, diagnostic critera has changed and broadened to the point where, even if all of the above were true in the past, a person may not have been diagnosed 50 years ago under older criteria, but are now...