Paleo vs Plant based vs low calorie?
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Lauren, your meals sound delicious. I tend to eat veggie once or twice a week and don't always include cheese or eggs, but that's normally just for one meal. I need to work towards totally meatless days, if I could get to 2 days meatless, 1 fish only and the rest I could have seafood or meat that would be a good start I think.
I think that would be a great start too! No need to do an entire overhaul on your diet, but if you want to change things up and try one or two meatless meals a week I think it can be a great thing! We originally started to save money on our grocery bill when there was only one of us working, the meatless meal was always cheaper!0 -
laurenebargar wrote: »Lauren, your meals sound delicious. I tend to eat veggie once or twice a week and don't always include cheese or eggs, but that's normally just for one meal. I need to work towards totally meatless days, if I could get to 2 days meatless, 1 fish only and the rest I could have seafood or meat that would be a good start I think.
I think that would be a great start too! No need to do an entire overhaul on your diet, but if you want to change things up and try one or two meatless meals a week I think it can be a great thing! We originally started to save money on our grocery bill when there was only one of us working, the meatless meal was always cheaper!
This is such a great point. If people are interested in any dietary change -- eating more vegetables, eating less processed meat, reducing dairy, whatever -- they can make these changes without having to completely eliminate anything, place a label on how they eat, or decide it's what they have to do for the rest of their lives. They can just pick some meals, start experimenting, and see how they like it.4 -
OliveGirl128 wrote: »That documentary has been discussed quite a bit already here, with numerous other threads going. It was made by extreme animal rights activists and the information is purposely distorted, to push an agenda.
Op-if you want a more balanced approach the DASH diet is a fantastic outline for a healthy diet- https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/dash/followdash
Or look into the Blue Zones, and how the longest living groups of people eat. You'll quickly see that they still include animal products into their diets, in small amounts.
There are no reputable studies/research that shows that a vegan woe is any healthier than a diet that includes animal products. Even hard core plant based advocates like Dr. Fuhrman admit to this. Focus on a diet that helps you achieve your calorie goals, and then gives you a good balances of macros and micros.
The DASH diets (there are several) and the original (not the new) south beach diet all make reasonable blueprints for building a healthy diet. Though I'd personally eat fewer grains than any of them suggest.
For me: any diet that's based around delicious nutrient dense foods, and that is easy to adhere to, is a good one.2 -
SusieSunshine, I've been thinking about changing my diet for a while now, mostly due to seeing a lot of people die of horrible diseases in the last few years. I live in an area where there are a lot of British expats in Spain and many of my British neighbours have died of diet or smoking related diseases. In the last 4-5 years, around 10 of my neighbours have died prematurely and they, sometimes after long illnesses and also suddely. The common link was that all of them drank alcohol daily, overate, didn't pay much if any attention to diet or exercise and mostly all smoked. It has been upsetting to see when I've known these people personally for a long time, but that, added to my own father who died over 10 years ago from emphysema (due to being a heavy smoker) has made me cut down on drinking so now I drink a lot less often than I used to. I've never been a smoker either because I saw how it affected my dad but seeing the poor diet of many British expats too (carb heavy meals, lots of high fat/high calorie/high sugar foods etc. has really put me off.0
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OliveGirl, I think the principles of the DASH diet are excellent, though in practice I don't think I could follow a plan like that, so would prefer to use it more as a guide to they way I should aim to try and eat most of the time. I don't feel like I want to cut out any particular food groups, but conflicting advice makes it hard to think it's ok to eat a bit of anything and everything. That and my waistline!! I'm definitely going to read more on the Blue Zone and disease prevention though, I know nothing is guaranteed but I do think we should try and do the best we can for our health.
Meatless days can't be so bad so I'm definitely going to aim for that, the money saving aspect is definitely another plus. When I read about diets like Paleo, I always think about the fact that in the past it wasn't always possible to eat meat or fish every day, so meatless days were probably a normal part of life for our ancestors.
I just wish I could crack the weight loss aspect. I know that if I was more active throughout the day I probably wouldn't have such an issue but as that's not going to change any time soon I'll need to find a way to lose and manage my weight using diet alone.
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Sabine_Stroehm, I would probably agree with you. I have an old copy of the South Beach diet somewhere so will try and dig it out. I find I get pretty bloated if I eat a lot of grains anyway.0
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My grandfather and his three siblings all lived into their late eighties, early nineties. One was diagnosed with cancer in her eighties the others were cancer and diabetes free. All of them drank alcohol daily, salted anything that came near their plate, ate lots of pasta and buttered bread and meatballs and a fair amount of desserts and snack foods, and were slightly overweight but never obese.
After doing a ton of my own research, I'm a firm believer that longevity with decent health comes from genetics, being active, eating a balanced and varied diet, maintaining a reasonably healthy weight, and enjoying the people around you. I just don't see any consistent evidence that eating/drinking specific foods greatly affects your chances - whether we are talking about meat or grains or processed food or alcohol or superfoods or whatever. Your body needs the right amount of fuel, basic nutrition, and to keep moving. Outside of that you can find people who are either blessed with a long, healthy life or developing chronic conditions that cause them to die young eating just about any way you can think of.9 -
I agree with you to an extent Kimny, my grandfather on my mum's side was 94 when he died and ate good home cooked food (but not so much processed) and also drank alcohol daily along with his cigar! He had good genes I guess, but wasn't overweight and ate in moderation, never overate etc.
My grandma on my dad's side lived in Jamaica and mainly ate fresh fruit, vegetables, rice, beans and very rarely ate anything processed. She used to bake her own desserts and cooked with a lot of spices, swore by rum used internally or externally to cure anything and drank alcohol in moderation most days. She lived to almost 104!
Looking at articles about Blue Zone countries it does appear that eating a natural/non-processed diet primarily is the answer, and small quantities of alcohol doesn't do too much harm. I think portion sizes play a large part in health, and my problem has never (up to this point) that I've been unhealthy as such, but carrying such a high level of body fat does worry me. My mum is now in her 70s and suffers from high blood pressure linked to Kidney disease. I've never had any symptoms myself but my blood pressure isn't on the low side unless my weight goes down. The same for my heart rate. When I am at a healthier weight, my resting heart rate is much lower and I notice the same if I go more than a week without alcohol. My resting heart rate can vary by 10-20 points.
What shocked me so much about the British expats here is that those who have died young (in their 50s or early 60s on the whole) have been those people who were 'visibly' unhealthy looking ie. overweight, smokers, big drinkers, ate an unbalanced diet etc. The general reluctance to exercise probably also played a large part.2 -
A plant based diet has been shown to be the healthiest. People might not like it. People will argue it, but the research is in.
https://youtu.be/lXXXygDRyBU (1 and a half hours of research based evidence on how to prevent and in some cased reverse the top 15 causes of death in the US)
I'm not going to debate it with anyone on here, in fact I'll likely never look at this post again. I know the diet that is health for every body (spacing between words intentional). And it is plant based. The video above could save your life. do it or don't, everyone has a choice.
There are people that smoke every day and don't die of lung cancer, sure, but they are a statistical anomaly. There are people that don't eat plant based that don't get the top 15 diseases, but statistics are NOT on ones side if one is eating meat, dairy and processed junk.28 -
@jat74 I'll be honest - and this is just my layman's opinion - but I don't think "processed" is the problem. There are plenty of processed foods with good nutrition in them. There are other processed foods that are calorie dense but have very little nutrition. My diet is probably 50% whole foods and 50% processed. I get plenty of fiber and protein and my bloodwork and vitals are all excellent.
So I would kind of agree with you, just being picky in terms
. I think eating a nutritious diet and staying active and social are the common threads in the Blue Zones.
Best of luck, I hope you find the right path for you!2 -
CarlaEnsink wrote: »A plant based diet has been shown to be the healthiest. People might not like it. People will argue it, but the research is in. <snip video>
I'm not going to debate it with anyone on here, in fact I'll likely never look at this post again. I know the diet that is health for every body (spacing between words intentional). And it is plant based. The video above could save your life. do it or don't, everyone has a choice.
There are people that smoke every day and don't die of lung cancer, sure, but they are a statistical anomaly. There are people that don't eat plant based that don't get the top 15 diseases, but statistics are NOT on ones side if one is eating meat, dairy and processed junk.
There are centuries of humans eating animal products and not developing chronic disease. That doesn't sound like a "statistical anomaly" to me. Look at the Blue zones we've mentioned, where people routinely live to be active centenarians - most of them eat animal products.
I do think many people would be healthier if they ate more produce and less meat and dairy. But it's a question of proportion.
But you just wanted to hit and run this thread with your two cents without joining the conversation, so carry on
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Yeah, I guess you're right, when I say processed, I don't mean everyday foods that I haven't grown/prepared myself (like wholegrain bread for example), I mean ready meals, cakes/biscuits, junk food, that kind of thing. I occasionally buy fresh pasta sauces with a few days shelf life for example, if they contain quality ingredients, but wouldn't cook a curry out of a jar etc. due to some of the ingredients used, the high salt content and other reasons.
I can't see myself going for a wholly plant based diet and don't believe it's the answer, or cutting out dairy or sugar completely, but will make a conscious effort to buy less 'convenience' foods and cook more from scratch, like I was doing when I followed the SCD diet. I felt like I was doing my body good, rather than feeding it with additives and preservatives.
I will also make an effort to eat more fish, less meat/chicken and more vegetables in place of larger portions of said meat/fish. As a child I hated vegetables but have grown to like them so should cook/eat them more!
I love cheese and yogurt and also eggs and don't want to give those up, but recognise that sheep/goats milk is better than cows, so will try to make substitutions where I can and eat less eggs etc.
One of my favourite meals in Spain is 'tapas' and often that will be a meat, cheese or fish dish with fewer vegetable options, served with bread and ali oli mayonaisse. I will try and add vegetables when eating that in future and reduce the number of protein based dishes.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »laurenebargar wrote: »Lauren, your meals sound delicious. I tend to eat veggie once or twice a week and don't always include cheese or eggs, but that's normally just for one meal. I need to work towards totally meatless days, if I could get to 2 days meatless, 1 fish only and the rest I could have seafood or meat that would be a good start I think.
I think that would be a great start too! No need to do an entire overhaul on your diet, but if you want to change things up and try one or two meatless meals a week I think it can be a great thing! We originally started to save money on our grocery bill when there was only one of us working, the meatless meal was always cheaper!
This is such a great point. If people are interested in any dietary change -- eating more vegetables, eating less processed meat, reducing dairy, whatever -- they can make these changes without having to completely eliminate anything, place a label on how they eat, or decide it's what they have to do for the rest of their lives. They can just pick some meals, start experimenting, and see how they like it.
Thank you for putting my thoughts into words, monday is not treating my brain very well today 1 -
CarlaEnsink wrote: »A plant based diet has been shown to be the healthiest. People might not like it. People will argue it, but the research is in.https://youtu.be/lXXXygDRyBU (1 and a half hours of research based evidence on how to prevent and in some cased reverse the top 15 causes of death in the US)
I'm not going to debate it with anyone on here, in fact I'll likely never look at this post again. I know the diet that is health for every body (spacing between words intentional). And it is plant based. The video above could save your life. do it or don't, everyone has a choice.
There are people that smoke every day and don't die of lung cancer, sure, but they are a statistical anomaly. There are people that don't eat plant based that don't get the top 15 diseases, but statistics are NOT on ones side if one is eating meat, dairy and processed junk.
It wouldn't be healthy for me with a disease that requires low residue (low fiber). I'd be very very ill if I ate a plant based diet.8 -
CarlaEnsink wrote: »A plant based diet has been shown to be the healthiest. People might not like it. People will argue it, but the research is in. <snip video>
I'm not going to debate it with anyone on here, in fact I'll likely never look at this post again. I know the diet that is health for every body (spacing between words intentional). And it is plant based. The video above could save your life. do it or don't, everyone has a choice.
There are people that smoke every day and don't die of lung cancer, sure, but they are a statistical anomaly. There are people that don't eat plant based that don't get the top 15 diseases, but statistics are NOT on ones side if one is eating meat, dairy and processed junk.
There are centuries of humans eating animal products and not developing chronic disease. That doesn't sound like a "statistical anomaly" to me. Look at the Blue zones we've mentioned, where people routinely live to be active centenarians - most of them eat animal products.
I do think many people would be healthier if they ate more produce and less meat and dairy. But it's a question of proportion.
But you just wanted to hit and run this thread with your two cents without joining the conversation, so carry on
I don't know how to effectively communicate with people who have adopted this theory. The long history of people eating animal products doesn't matter to them, actual evidence from blue zone research doesn't matter to them, pointing out that even people who don't eat animal products get the top 15 diseases won't change their mind.11 -
laurenebargar wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »laurenebargar wrote: »Lauren, your meals sound delicious. I tend to eat veggie once or twice a week and don't always include cheese or eggs, but that's normally just for one meal. I need to work towards totally meatless days, if I could get to 2 days meatless, 1 fish only and the rest I could have seafood or meat that would be a good start I think.
I think that would be a great start too! No need to do an entire overhaul on your diet, but if you want to change things up and try one or two meatless meals a week I think it can be a great thing! We originally started to save money on our grocery bill when there was only one of us working, the meatless meal was always cheaper!
This is such a great point. If people are interested in any dietary change -- eating more vegetables, eating less processed meat, reducing dairy, whatever -- they can make these changes without having to completely eliminate anything, place a label on how they eat, or decide it's what they have to do for the rest of their lives. They can just pick some meals, start experimenting, and see how they like it.
Thank you for putting my thoughts into words, monday is not treating my brain very well today
You said it great! I was just piggybacking off your thoughts.1 -
I think it's a myth to believe that 1200 calories is the minimum anyone should eat and that if you 'think' you're eating less then you really aren't.
Concentration camp rations were around 800 calories a day. Not too many people came out of them looking plump...
Very very very few people are small/light enough to not lose weight on 1200.
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CarlaEnsink wrote: »A plant based diet has been shown to be the healthiest. People might not like it. People will argue it, but the research is in.https://youtu.be/lXXXygDRyBU (1 and a half hours of research based evidence on how to prevent and in some cased reverse the top 15 causes of death in the US)
I'm not going to debate it with anyone on here, in fact I'll likely never look at this post again. I know the diet that is health for every body (spacing between words intentional). And it is plant based. The video above could save your life. do it or don't, everyone has a choice.
There are people that smoke every day and don't die of lung cancer, sure, but they are a statistical anomaly. There are people that don't eat plant based that don't get the top 15 diseases, but statistics are NOT on ones side if one is eating meat, dairy and processed junk.
You obviously have not heard of the Blue Zones then...2 -
Everything in moderation. Sure, have moderate amounts of disease. I never said people who eat milk and meat and junk WILL get one of those diseases. I said statistics are NOT on the side of people eating that way. Whole food plant based eaters live longer on average (that doesn't mean every one of them!!!) and have fewer of those diseases. Statistics show that it isn't just a little bit of difference, it make a very large difference.
I presented the video which includes evidence to back it up.
I don't care if 1000 people hate on my comments, but if just 1 person saves their own life or makes changes for the better, then it is worth it. What do I get out of it personally? Nothing, other than I would feel bad if someone asks for help on which diet to chose if I don't at least point to the research that isn't funded by the meat or dairy industry.18 -
CarlaEnsink wrote: »Everything in moderation. Sure, have moderate amounts of disease. I never said people who eat milk and meat and junk WILL get one of those diseases. I said statistics are NOT on the side of people eating that way. Whole food plant based eaters live longer on average (that doesn't mean every one of them!!!) and have fewer of those diseases. Statistics show that it isn't just a little bit of difference, it make a very large difference.
I presented the video which includes evidence to back it up.
I don't care if 1000 people hate on my comments, but if just 1 person saves their own life or makes changes for the better, then it is worth it. What do I get out of it personally? Nothing, other than I would feel bad if someone asks for help on which diet to chose if I don't at least point to the research that isn't funded by the meat or dairy industry.
What studies are you referring to? I don't like research via youtube, I like to look at the actual studies for myself.8
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