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What are your unpopular opinions about health / fitness?
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I disagree that what you eat doesn't matter. Sure you'll lose weight eating at a deficit, but HEALTH should be the ultimate goal. Natural is better and I'm sticking to it!
With whom do you think you are disagreeing?
I don't recall anyone saying that what you eat overall does not matter for health. Do people misread this badly or what?
Yes, to some extent just losing weight will improve health, but I don't think anyone has been arguing that nutrition should be ignored.
Not sure what "natural is better" means. How do we define what is natural?2 -
Not a believer: The only way to lose weight is to eat boring.
Ugh. If I ate boring then I'd gain all my weight back and then some. Just eat healthy whole foods, watch your macros, get the right amount of exercise. Go ahead and eat boring to kill some vanity pounds, sure. But to eat the same thing all the time or a bland diet of lean meat and steamed veggies? Kill me now.
Not a believer: Okay, and the same for clean eating (or the "true" clean eating).
Sorry, I'm going to spiral my zucchini, I'm going to make my own tomato sauce and salsa, and I'm going to mash my potatoes. I will avoid processed packaged foods or at least the ones with every unintelligible preservative and additive known to man. But, when I'm are busy and hungry, grabbing a Kind Bar keeps me from biting my co-workers in a fit of the hangries.
Not a believer: Slowing metabolism makes and keeps you fat.
Cop out excuse. I know, I used to use it. It is what got me to go from overweight to obese. I could pull of 5 lbs in less than a week in my 20s. In my forties, it took a lot more to just get a pound down in the same time. After 40, yes, things slow down. But, there are enough examples, mine included that if you manage calories in and calories out with a 300 - 500 calorie in deficiency, you will lose weight. Just be honest when tracking what you eat and the amount of calories burned during activity/exercise.
My belief: Date and Coconut bites are better than cookies and cookie dough.
Can you substitute healthy food or imposter foods for the real thing/sugary thing? Oh yeah! I saw these little date and coconut nuggets at Whole Foods (67 calories per piece) and grabbed them on a whim. I'd seen similar recipes for these bites on MFP but didn't really want to make them myself. Well, I love cookies. In fact, I'm more fond of scraping the mixing bowl and eating the raw cookie dough (NO, YOU WON'T GET SICK). So, when I popped one of these in my mouth, I was immediately reminded of all my mixing bowl heists. So yummy! As a test, I had my son, who we call Cookie Monster because he eats them all before anyone gets to them, try them. He likes them too! So, yes, there are some imposter foods that are better than the real thing.
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This is how Organic eaters get a bad reputation. I get eye rolls still after 13 years eating that way because people assume I'm anti-GMO (I'm not), anti-vaxxer (pro vax), and think maple syrup can cure medical problems (I don't). I like to avoid refined sugars, antibiotics in food and particularly limit unnecessary hormones mostly. That's it.
And it's because of these people with the "can't pronounce it, don't eat it" and paranoia over GMO stuff. People think anything that sounds too much like "Science" doesn't belong in food and it's woefully misunderstood and turned into a woo-lapalooza of ignorance.15 -
It's a hot topic, clearly. But I, for one, do not think it's a good idea to put chemicals with little testing of long term effects into my body. Especially when lobbyists work hard to get them approved. I used the inability to pronounce some of the chemicals as an example, not as a rule. Plenty of natural ingredients have scientific names. I didn't write a long diatribe originally, I merely stated my pet peeve. Stuff made in a lab and created with the sole intent to make food look like candy (dyes), last forever, (preservatives), and kill bugs (pesticides) and other highly industrialized food production methods, is not for me. It bothers me that people think they are the picture of health just because they lost weight eating twinkies and don't consider the other potential risk factors associated with such foods. To me health is more than CICO, it's limiting the intake or questionable substances on a daily basis. Eat whatever you want, I just disagree.11
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It's my unpopular opinion. That's the thread. I get flack from lots of people. I didn't call anyone out. I just stated my unpopular opinion. And I'm not anti-vaccination, nor do I think science is a bad thing. I just don't trust current regulations to provide adequate testing and protection about what goes in and on my food.8
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I think any diet CAN work. The one that works the best is simply the one that you can stick with. I don't care if you do low carb, low fat, paleo, high protein, calorie counting, WLS, diet pills or eat just cat food. If you can stick with it long term then you will be successful.
(Also, I drink diet soda....so sue me.)8 -
It's a hot topic, clearly. But I, for one, do not think it's a good idea to put chemicals with little testing of long term effects into my body. Especially when lobbyists work hard to get them approved. I used the inability to pronounce some of the chemicals as an example, not as a rule. Plenty of natural ingredients have scientific names. I didn't write a long diatribe originally, I merely stated my pet peeve. Stuff made in a lab and created with the sole intent to make food look like candy (dyes), last forever, (preservatives), and kill bugs (pesticides) and other highly industrialized food production methods, is not for me. It bothers me that people think they are the picture of health just because they lost weight eating twinkies and don't consider the other potential risk factors associated with such foods. To me health is more than CICO, it's limiting the intake or questionable substances on a daily basis. Eat whatever you want, I just disagree.
Like what? Which chemicals do you believe need more testing?4 -
The link between sodium nitrites and cancer
CTCA
May 31, 2013
A study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of Southern California suggests a link between eating processed meats and cancer risk. The study followed 190,000 people, ages 45-75, for seven years and found that people who ate the most processed meats had a 67% higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount.
Did you know that celery, cabbage, beets, carrots, radishes, and spinach are all naturally high in sodium nitrate? I found a University of Minnesota study when I googled to check my recollection of this that stated that the average person consumes 90% of their intake of nitrite from vegetables and 10% from processed meats.
Welp, I'm dead. I eat cabbage and carrots just about every day.
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janejellyroll wrote: »The link between sodium nitrites and cancer
CTCA
May 31, 2013
A study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of Southern California suggests a link between eating processed meats and cancer risk. The study followed 190,000 people, ages 45-75, for seven years and found that people who ate the most processed meats had a 67% higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount.
Did you know that celery, cabbage, beets, carrots, radishes, and spinach are all naturally high in sodium nitrate? I found a University of Minnesota study when I googled to check my recollection of this that stated that the average person consumes 90% of their intake of nitrite from vegetables and 10% from processed meats.
Welp, I'm dead. I eat cabbage and carrots just about every day.
I keep telling people to avoid those vitamin/mineral contaminated vegetables, but does anyone listen? How many children do we have to lose before broccoli is banned once and for all?!11 -
It's my unpopular opinion. That's the thread. I get flack from lots of people. I didn't call anyone out. I just stated my unpopular opinion. And I'm not anti-vaccination, nor do I think science is a bad thing. I just don't trust current regulations to provide adequate testing and protection about what goes in and on my food.
You pretended like something everyone agrees with (it matters what you eat) was an unpopular opinion.
As for the natural thing, that's current trendiness that means little, as you haven't defined what's natural. (I understand, though, I took "eating only natural" to a major extreme for a while and still mostly eat that way, I've just stopped pretending "natural" has a clear meaning or that it has anything much to do with health.)4 -
It's my unpopular opinion. That's the thread. I get flack from lots of people. I didn't call anyone out. I just stated my unpopular opinion. And I'm not anti-vaccination, nor do I think science is a bad thing. I just don't trust current regulations to provide adequate testing and protection about what goes in and on my food.
I wasn't referring to you. I was speaking of my own *personal* experience with eating mostly organic and people's assumptions. There IS a lot of people who are outrageously ignorant to Science in the Organic and/or "clean eating" population, though. And the regular eaters think we all subscribe to their nonsense.
My mother still doesn't understand why I buy organic milk. I'm like "PCOS mom. I have enough hormonal issues... it's worth trying to avoid the extras".
For the record, I eat regular ice cream *frequently* and indulge in Diet Cherry Pepsi, too. For me... it's the hormones thing. For you... it seems to be needless additives/dyes you avoid. Everyone is different and I wasn't implying that you're some crazed anti-vaxxing hipster.3 -
The "natural" thing, though. Lots of terribly unhealthy foods and diets are natural. I mean, swallowing tapeworms to lose weight was all the rage back in the olden days. It's natural, but definitely not healthy.2
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janejellyroll wrote: »The link between sodium nitrites and cancer
CTCA
May 31, 2013
A study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of Southern California suggests a link between eating processed meats and cancer risk. The study followed 190,000 people, ages 45-75, for seven years and found that people who ate the most processed meats had a 67% higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount.
Did you know that celery, cabbage, beets, carrots, radishes, and spinach are all naturally high in sodium nitrate? I found a University of Minnesota study when I googled to check my recollection of this that stated that the average person consumes 90% of their intake of nitrite from vegetables and 10% from processed meats.
Welp, I'm dead. I eat cabbage and carrots just about every day.
Surely you don't eat types of brassica oleracea and daucus carota. Many people would find those words intimidating to pronounce. Always a bad sign!5 -
Unpopular in some circles: "All-Natural", "Paleo" and "Clean Eating" are all nonsense terms.3
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Christine_72 wrote: »-
- I unequivocally do not support the HAES movement.
I am so late to this thread but this is mine. I am so completely against this but cannot say that out loud to many people.
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Yeah, people around here would be "what's the HAES movement?"3
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The point was eating for overall health. Eating a tapeworm is not healthy. And I have already stated many natural foods have scientific names, I was over-simplifying to make a point, not vilify everything with multiple syllables.
For the record: science is good. Natural, non-injected, sustainable, organic FOOD is what I feel is best for me. I also believe in moderation. I eat ice cream too, but I'll pick the one with less dye and preservatives over the imitation-flavored, chemically created sugar-free option. I'll pick the cereal without red dye #2, blue dye # 5 and bht because I like to eat food less chemically altered. I choose organic produce not just for me, but to save the poor souls spraying the pesticides and the water sources of those living nearby. I like to support local farmers when possible - it makes sense and is more natural to me than buying from another country. Given the choice between canned peaches and an organic peach, I'll choose the latter. A Twinkie or a cookie I made myself using whole ingredients, easy choice Milk from a sick cow treated with antibiotics and injected with hormones to increase production or milk from a healthy cow? No brainer. Chickens crammed in coops is unnatural - free-range? That's for me.
Keep arguing. I knew it was unpopular. That's why I posted it in this exact thread.7 -
I'm not arguing, I'm asking for a definition of natural.
I'm into home cooking and always think that a homemade baked good is delicious and difficult to resist (well, if made well and something I personally like). I don't care for most packaged cookies or candies and haven't had a Twinkie since I was around 10, when I did not like them and wondered what the fuss was.
However, if I make a cookie of, say, flour, baking soda, butter, sugar, vanilla, a bit of salt, eggs, chocolate chips (pretty basic chocolate chip cookie recipe I took from my recipe box), it still has 200 calories per cookie and is really easy to overeat, so I don't know why it would be more "healthy" than one I'd buy at, say, Potbelly's (although the one at Potbelly's has twice as many calories, because they are huge) or some supermarket one.
Also, I'm puzzled why the cookie is "natural" -- it takes a lot of human involvement to get flour, refined sugar, butter, etc.
As for canned vs. plain peaches -- I'm not convinced that canned peaches are the reason for obesity (Al Swearingen was always serving them in Deadwood, and I don't think the obesity rate was all that high there!), but canned vs. "fresh" vs. frozen is kind of misleading when it comes to natural. After all, I could grow peaches at my house (well, not really, I don't have room, but in theory, if I didn't live in a condo in the city), and then can them. I grow tomatoes and always mean to can those, after all. And even with storebought many canned foods (tomatoes, say) have little added ingredients. (Most canned vegetables and fruits I dislike, but tomatoes and beans are exceptions.) Frozen peaches are probably more nutrient dense than out of season peaches. Canned and frozen are no less natural than being able to buy a peach in the supermarket in January, also.
I think treating animals well is good for ethical reasons, and support that, but is farming "natural"? (Typing on a computer sure isn't.)
I don't believe milk comes from sick cows, anyway, but certainly there's an argument upthread that dairy is not "natural."
The natural thing (which again I have a soft spot for myself, which is why I'm trying to be strict in how it's used) seems like mixing up what's actually healthy with words that just sound good.
Also, like I said, I used to be obsessive leaning and was interested in stuff like locavorism, but if I ate a "natural" diet as in what's fresh and available here at any particular time (even ignoring that it might not have been here 300 years ago or more), I'd have a great diet now, but a horrible diet in the winter. That we have a food industry means that we have a lot more healthful foods available year-round (and also starving is not healthful). What's naturally here in January is pretty poor when it comes to vegetables and fruit, period.7 -
The point was eating for overall health. Eating a tapeworm is not healthy. And I have already stated many natural foods have scientific names, I was over-simplifying to make a point, not vilify everything with multiple syllables.
For the record: science is good. Natural, non-injected, sustainable, organic FOOD is what I feel is best for me. I also believe in moderation. I eat ice cream too, but I'll pick the one with less dye and preservatives over the imitation-flavored, chemically created sugar-free option. I'll pick the cereal without red dye #2, blue dye # 5 and bht because I like to eat food less chemically altered. I choose organic produce not just for me, but to save the poor souls spraying the pesticides and the water sources of those living nearby. I like to support local farmers when possible - it makes sense and is more natural to me than buying from another country. Given the choice between canned peaches and an organic peach, I'll choose the latter. A Twinkie or a cookie I made myself using whole ingredients, easy choice Milk from a sick cow treated with antibiotics and injected with hormones to increase production or milk from a healthy cow? No brainer. Chickens crammed in coops is unnatural - free-range? That's for me.
Keep arguing. I knew it was unpopular. That's why I posted it in this exact thread.
You're very fortunate to be able to purchase organic, non-preserved, and local produce, as well as meat, dairy, and eggs from free-range animals. People with advantages (sometimes financial, sometimes leisure time, sometimes location) can make these choices. Others cannot, so I don't quite get the level of moral virtue dripping off your posts.
As for me, I have a grocery budget and I live in a place with very cold winters, so I think I'll continue to sometimes choose preserved food, food that comes from other places, or food produced via conventional agricultural techniques.21 -
janejellyroll wrote: »The link between sodium nitrites and cancer
CTCA
May 31, 2013
A study by the Cancer Research Center of Hawaii and the University of Southern California suggests a link between eating processed meats and cancer risk. The study followed 190,000 people, ages 45-75, for seven years and found that people who ate the most processed meats had a 67% higher risk of pancreatic cancer than those who ate the least amount.
Did you know that celery, cabbage, beets, carrots, radishes, and spinach are all naturally high in sodium nitrate? I found a University of Minnesota study when I googled to check my recollection of this that stated that the average person consumes 90% of their intake of nitrite from vegetables and 10% from processed meats.
Welp, I'm dead. I eat cabbage and carrots just about every day.
Broccoli kills, yo.
The nitrates thing is my pet peeve because my husband insists on the "all-natural" bacon...cured with celery seed extract instead of "nitrates" Can't talk any sense into him though so I spend $17 on a Costco two-pack of the stuff every time. 1
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