Mind Blown

dubird

So, here's a question. I know a lot of people say no carbs, no proccessed fats, etc. as things not to eat. But do any of them have actual hard scientific data to share to support it? Not an article you've read in some journal or newspaper, but the actual scientific study data that supports it. All I've ever seen is random reports, and they're constantly changing, which tells me there's little to no actual data or proper studies made. A lot of them are based on either old studies that may not have been done correctly, or something one scientist said somewhere with a poor study or his/her opinion based on passive observation.

ahamm002

aqsylvester wrote: »

Yes, inflammation is healing, but it is also often deadly. It is an underlying cause of debilitating chronic illnesses like asthma, Crohn's, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer; and it can also kill someone in a matter of hours from an allergen, bodily insult, or infection that turns into sepsis or acute respiratory distress syndrome. The doctor literally can't save the patient from drowning in their own inflammatory mediators. On the whole, nobody ever has a problem not having enough inflammation (unless they on are immunosuppressants, of course), but more than likely almost everyone in the U.S., following a standard diet and lifestyle, has too much inflammation.

Answers are never simple. I completely agree. I'm not seeking a simple answer. If the answer was as simple as processed foods, then someone could come along and say, "Any time you alter food it is processed," and feel like they've added something meaningful to the conversation by knocking down the premise.... oh, wait...

All I'm saying is that I see myself as an educated, health-conscious, open-minded person, and I've lived for the last 5-10 yrs thinking I was making the right choices, but now realizing how far off course I was. It is frustrating, and I wonder if anyone else is in the same boat. If you're not in the same place as me, that's totally fine! If you are accepting of mainstream nutritional data that we've all heard and believed for years, I totally get it. I'm not judging you.

Well when the data that exonerated saturated fat (and fats in general) came out several years ago a lot of people's minds were blown. A lot of us were just down right angry too. How many years did I spend drinking skim milk, eating low fat cheese, etc?

In regard to inflammation: if you had less "inflammation" then you would be susceptible to infections and heal slowly. In this day and age those issues wouldn't be fatal but 100 years ago they would have been. Of course, there are issues with processed foods and processed oils possibly causing excess inflammation which is probably bad. But I don't think the answer is going to be that simple. We're probably exposed to pollutants as adults, not exposed to enough germs as children, too obese, not active enough, etc. There are many possible causes of dysfunctional levels of inflammation.

aqsylvester wrote: »

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On a side note, I really don't understand the hostility that believing anything different brings out in certain people. I embrace differences, and it has brought me increased perspective, compassion, and connection to others. It makes life all the more fascinating to stay open to perceiving new concepts and paradigms. My MBTI says I am strong P, and I understand those J's need things a little more exact and concrete, so maybe it's just personality... and hopefully not character.

I think the hostility is present b/c everyone is sick of one particular thing being blamed. We already got burned with saturated fats, then it was carbs, then processed foods (which can be hard to define, but there are some good definitions).

BTW, I strongly agree that we should minimize highly processed foods, added sugar, and highly processed oils. It would probably reduce athersclerosis, but it wouldn't completely stop it.

Crisseyda

dubird wrote: »

So, here's a question. I know a lot of people say no carbs, no proccessed fats, etc. as things not to eat. But do any of them have actual hard scientific data to share to support it? Not an article you've read in some journal or newspaper, but the actual scientific study data that supports it. All I've ever seen is random reports, and they're constantly changing, which tells me there's little to no actual data or proper studies made. A lot of them are based on either old studies that may not have been done correctly, or something one scientist said somewhere with a poor study or his/her opinion based on passive observation.

Yes, I agree. The information out there is circuitous and tangled. One thing, however--there is enough evidence to support processed fats as detrimental for the FDA to attempt to reduce industrially produced trans fats in our foods.

Here's another starter talk, if you are interested in hearing different perspectives on saturated fat:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1CHGiid6N9Q