I shouldn't have read that book!

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beth0277
beth0277 Posts: 217 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have "analysis paralysis". I have read too much and now I'm just totally confused. I know that to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat. Simple (but hard). But I read a book (backed by a lot of medical research) that talked about how badly animal products contribute to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, etc., even when individuals are at a healthy weight. There are a lot of similar books/documentaries, such as "Forks over Knives" that talk about the benefits of eating a plant based diet. Now, the problem. I like meat. I don't want to give it up. I can cut back, sure, but I feel like now that I "know" this stuff, I shouldn't do it. I've been reading about the Mediterranean diet and how they limit meats and sweets and have been considered following it, loosely, but it has me so stressed out. I have a 6 year old and I want him to be healthy but radically changing his diet will not happen. Moreover, if I cut meat from all but maybe dinner each day, I don't know a lot of non-meat options. I like some veggies but not a ton. So, MFP'ers, how do you deal with learning this type of info? I wish I never read that book, to be honest. It was so on point with the studies showing how much diseases are related to meat products that it has me overwhelmed.
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Replies

  • jaga13
    jaga13 Posts: 1,149 Member
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    I often eat meat just at dinner time. Or small amounts of meat at lunch and dinner. Like 150 calories worth of meat at a time. I surround the meat with veggies. I'm really into sweet potatoes right now (lots of fiber). I cut it up and it takes up almost
    The whole
    Plate and then I add in a small amount of meat.

    Do you count eggs as meat? If not, that's often a good lunch idea. Beans too.
  • beth0277
    beth0277 Posts: 217 Member
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    jaga13 wrote: »
    I often eat meat just at dinner time. Or small amounts of meat at lunch and dinner. Like 150 calories worth of meat at a time. I surround the meat with veggies. I'm really into sweet potatoes right now (lots of fiber). I cut it up and it takes up almost
    The whole
    Plate and then I add in a small amount of meat.

    Do you count eggs as meat? If not, that's often a good lunch idea. Beans too.

    I'm not a huge egg eater but the book details all animal products (eggs, dairy, meat).
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    What book?
  • beth0277
    beth0277 Posts: 217 Member
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    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    What book?

    This particular book was called "How Not to Die" which I was hoping would teach me some foods to ADD to help stave off disease, which it did, but it also really detailed the dangers of animal products.
  • JackieMarie1989jgw
    JackieMarie1989jgw Posts: 230 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Any one can write a book full of scare tactics, check the sources. Foods high in saturated fat can contribute to disease, yes, but it is only one of many factors. If you also eat plenty of good fats, think nuts and fish, it helps balance that out. Some of the longest living cultures in the world (Japanese, Scandanavian, Mediterranean) eat animal products, just in moderation and with a lot of fish too.
    Activity level and genetics are also extremely important factors.
    I am immediately skeptical of any book that says any food group is evil.
  • QuietBloom
    QuietBloom Posts: 5,413 Member
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    Analysis paralisis is hard. But don't let someone else's opinion (which is all that book is) sway you too much. Doctors do recommend a plant based diet, but they also recommend lean proteins like fish and chicken with limited amounts of red meat. Humans are omnivores, which means we need to eat some animal based products to get all of the nutrients we need. Vitamin B12 is something that is ONLY available from animal products (for instance).
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    beth0277 wrote: »
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    What book?

    This particular book was called "How Not to Die" which I was hoping would teach me some foods to ADD to help stave off disease, which it did, but it also really detailed the dangers of animal products.

    Lol. I hope the book told you that you are going to die anyway. Sorry, not trying to be snarky - I agree with ninerbuff - read peer reviewed articles in respected medical journals if you want to educate yourself. Books and documentaries are slanted towards the bias of the author/creators. Eating meat is not unhealthy, in and of itself. And the only "studies" I've seen connecting meat to poor health outcomes were observational or epidemiological in nature. Those kinds of studies are good starting points for a hypothesis, but they aren't real science. Look for RCTs, especially following large groups over long periods of time.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Everything causes cancer.

    I favour Middle Eastern food- great warning spices, focuses on vegetables and grains such as rice and bulgur wheat. Meat factors in a limited way but often the main event is the salad or what we might traditionally have as the side. I have Mona Hamedeh's a Lebanese Feast cookbook, which is meat-free, and the flavours are great (the photos don't do the food justice).

    If you want to go down the Mediterranean route it's all about freshness and vegetables. I still eat meat, but it's high quality and generally not 'processed' - sausages and cured meats are said to be more of the bad guys according to research.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    beth0277 wrote: »
    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    What book?

    This particular book was called "How Not to Die" which I was hoping would teach me some foods to ADD to help stave off disease, which it did, but it also really detailed the dangers of animal products.

    According to one of the reviews the author is hating on olive oil. Olive oil?!?

    http://www.amazon.com/How-Not-Die-Discover-Scientifically-ebook/product-reviews/B00Y7USB14/ref=undefined_1?ie=UTF8&filterByStar=one_star&showViewpoints=0&pageNumber=1
  • cukierq
    cukierq Posts: 1 Member
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    http://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/
    maybe that will help :)
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    beth0277 wrote: »
    I have "analysis paralysis". I have read too much and now I'm just totally confused. I know that to lose weight you need to burn more calories than you eat. Simple (but hard). But I read a book (backed by a lot of medical research) that talked about how badly animal products contribute to diseases such as heart disease, cancer, dementia, etc., even when individuals are at a healthy weight. There are a lot of similar books/documentaries, such as "Forks over Knives" that talk about the benefits of eating a plant based diet. Now, the problem. I like meat. I don't want to give it up. I can cut back, sure, but I feel like now that I "know" this stuff, I shouldn't do it. I've been reading about the Mediterranean diet and how they limit meats and sweets and have been considered following it, loosely, but it has me so stressed out. I have a 6 year old and I want him to be healthy but radically changing his diet will not happen. Moreover, if I cut meat from all but maybe dinner each day, I don't know a lot of non-meat options. I like some veggies but not a ton. So, MFP'ers, how do you deal with learning this type of info? I wish I never read that book, to be honest. It was so on point with the studies showing how much diseases are related to meat products that it has me overwhelmed.

    What type of meat products? Did the studies differentiate between bologna and chicken breast or did the author just claim all meat is awful? In these studies, were the people who had adverse health outcomes eating green leafy vegetables? For some studies, it's not clear if it's meat that is the problem or the absence of veggies.

  • capaul42
    capaul42 Posts: 1,390 Member
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    One thing to keep in mind anytime you read something that has lots of statistics to back up their "facts" . Statistics lie. First thing my prof told me in statistics class in college was that. Depending on what you want to say, you can make the numbers back you up.
    Meat doesn't kill people or cause cancer. At least not anymore than anything else you want to eat.
  • veganbaum
    veganbaum Posts: 1,865 Member
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    QuietBloom wrote: »
    Analysis paralisis is hard. But don't let someone else's opinion (which is all that book is) sway you too much. Doctors do recommend a plant based diet, but they also recommend lean proteins like fish and chicken with limited amounts of red meat. Humans are omnivores, which means we need to eat some animal based products to get all of the nutrients we need. Vitamin B12 is something that is ONLY available from animal products (for instance).

    Yes, we are omnivores, which in and of itself does not mean we have to eat animals to get all of our nutrients. It means that we are a highly adaptable species and can live, and thrive, on a variety of diets. B12 is absorbed by animals through the plants and soil they eat, which in turn is absorbed by humans who eat those animals. There are some propositions that the reason veg*ns have a difficult time getting adequate B12 from plant food sources is because our current soils are so depleted through mismanagement (such as monoculture crop cultivation) that there isn't enough for us to absorb just by eating plant foods. I haven't read the science on that in quite a long time, so I'm not sure if there's anything new about that. And yes, a vegan or strict vegetarian should supplement B12, or eat fortified foods, to make sure they don't ever get to a point where they are deficient as it is very important not to be. But, with access to everything we in industrialized nations have, there is no need to eat animals if one does not want to.

    Whether you choose to eat animals or not, it would be great if people wouldn't use scare tactics on either side.
  • tlflag1620
    tlflag1620 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    When someone is selling you something (like a book for instance) and making grandiose claims (like eat this and you won't die) it pays to investigate who they are and what their agenda actually is. I'll just leave this here about the author:

    http://www.humanewatch.org/hsus_doc_exposed_as_schlock/
  • SugarySweetheart
    SugarySweetheart Posts: 154 Member
    edited April 2016
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    Because of "Forks over Knives" and similar information and videos, (besides having a sister that's vegan and another that's vegetarian and both are completely healthy and thin) I was told meat is "BAD" and I should try to get healthy by eating their way.

    I tried it for 6 months and I was GAINING weight. When you don't eat meat you must eat carbs. Well I'm obese and diabetic and it's hard for me to exercise ~ So, all the carbs I was eating was turning into sugar and then stored as fat. It was terrible.

    Then I saw a nutritionist for obese people and was told to eat a protein based diet with simple carbs like vegetables and limit sugar and processed foods. I have begun to lose weight again. I'm thankful I took off the weight I gained previously. I also learned that animal fat, which those books and videos claim is making us fatter and unhealthy, is NOT TRUE.

    Information, including Expert Advice from doctors and dieticians, is always conflicting! You have to eat what is good for your own body. I wish you much success!
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    I think following a loose Mediterranean diet is a great idea, with your protein and fats from eggs, cheese, olive oil, and a little fish. Lots of fruits and vegetables. Rice stuffed in grape leaves. One day a week can be steak day. Sounds lovely.

    Consider how long people have been surviving and thriving on this planet without following any diet plan at all.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,910 Member
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    tlflag1620 wrote: »
    When someone is selling you something (like a book for instance) and making grandiose claims (like eat this and you won't die) it pays to investigate who they are and what their agenda actually is. I'll just leave this here about the author:

    http://www.humanewatch.org/hsus_doc_exposed_as_schlock/

    From there we get some point by point critiques of the author's claims: https://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/death-as-a-foodborne-illness-curable-by-veganism/

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