Sugar and processed food good or bad?
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Here's my take from doing lots of research from documentaries, the interwebs, and reading. Of course, there can always be bias in anything you read or watch, but you can follow up and do your own research.
I stay away from processed foods as much as possible, but I still eat them occasionally. Most processed foods are so changed, that the essential vitamins and minerals that are in the original version of the basic ingredients get removed. In addition, remember that food companies are in the business to make money. Therefore a lot of what they add to these foods, such as food coloring, sweeteners, etc. are unnecessary. Some additives are put in with the express purpose of making you want more - basically addicting you to their product.
If you think government regulations and the FDA test these additives and foods to make sure they aren't cancer causing or in any way bad for you, you are incorrect. The FDA is generally staffed by former and future employees and execs of Monsanto and Cargill and other chemical and food companies. The FDA does almost no testing because of no budget, and instead relies on the food companies to test their own products and submit the results to the FDA. So just like cigarette companies had studies that said that smoking has no ill effects, food and chemical companies have their own studies that say these additives are just fine. And the FDA has no choice but to believe them.
The history of why this has happened over the decades is interesting, but not surprising, if you ever want to research it. But bottom line is it is cheaper for the food corps to take real food, process it, add stuff to it, package it, and sell it to you, than it is to sell you "real" food. In addition, with economies of scale, they can pump out more food to feed more people, though the food isn't as healthy. So there is a tradeoff. Subsidies from our tax dollars go to corporations that make processed foods, and you will not see those subsidies going to farmers that sell the real stuff, hence you can buy lots more processed food than real food.
Can you eat processed foods and lose weight? Yes. Can you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonalds and still lose weight? Yes. But to me, being healthy isn't only about a goal weight. It is feeding my body with the appropriate number of calories, vitamins, and minerals to keep me alive and feeling energetic, while staving off colds, diseases, etc.
I'm not one of those tin-foil hat people who is looking for conspiracies, but the more research I do into today's food policies in the US, the more I see that I need to stay away from the cheap mass-produced processed stuff.
If you are interested in doing your own research, I started out with watching various food documentaries on Netflix (streaming). Some were blatantly biased, but some were fairly reasonable. From there, I got enough information to be able to cross reference what they were saying with reports, studies, etc. all available for free in the public domain.
Eating real foods is sometimes more expensive, but not that much more. But it does take a lot of time and effort to educate yourself, choose healthy alternatives, and of course takes time to do the extra cooking. But for me it has been worth it.
Some people never touch restaurant or eat pre-packaged foods - always home cooked - but still don't get the nutrients they need because the foods they cook and eat are not nutrient dense.
Most of those people would be better off eating canned fruits and vegetables, frozen processed meals, etc. than they are eating their own home-cooked meals. Many would probably have better control of their waistlines, too.
It's this sort of ridiculous I'm talking about --- which I've seen a lot on MFP.
Sure, people can home cook all their meals and still end up malnourished. But, as a general premise, no one recommends eating canned fruits and veggies, frozen processed meals and restaurant food over home cooked meals -- because the original premise is so incredibly unlikely, even if possible.
And if that was the case, then you'd tell the person to learn about basic nutrients and incorporate them in to their home cooking -- not to eat canned fruits/veggies, frozen processed meals and restaurant foods instead.
It's so ridiculous it's hard to believe that such posters aren't paid food corp. reps. Because, really, can people be this intentionally obtuse and still survive in society?
There are plenty of home cooked meals that are loaded with calories.
Instant oatmeal, cereal, and canned veggies are processed, yet can help people lose weight and consume nutrients.
I agree that there are real foods that are loaded with calories. And I agree that some foods are only minimally processed, and are still fairly healthy. But my definition of processed doesn't mean grabbing real food and chopping or blending it up.
I am not concerned with reaching any goal weight. I already did that by counting calories and working out. I am concerned with the additives they put in. One day, take a look at the ingredients in your favorite mini tacos or M&Ms or Mio Energy drink liquid or any other highly processed food that you love. Take each one of the ingredients and Google it. Especially the ones you can't pronounce. I even made a fun game out of Googling the phrase: "Is XXXX good for you". It's amazing the number of additives that have been banned in other countries that I see in many of our foods each day, and reading scientific studies performed in Europe or elsewhere linking them to various diseases. It's amazing the number of additives that, when you research them, have a maximum recommended allowance for pregnant women or the elderly or small children. You won't see that listed on the labels, but you can find it if you research it online.
Bottom line for me is that Over the last 5 decades there have been tons of stuff that we have used that was supposedly safe, which we now know is harmful. I am not a scientist, but if I have to question it, why not stay on the safe side and avoid them? Remember, smoking doesn't cause cancer. Nicotine and tar has no negative health effects. DDT is safe to spray on your kids to keep them safe from bugs. Asbestos is totally safe, and a good fire retardant. The list goes on and on.
For anyone who wants to eat highly processed foods, awesome! You can do that and still lose weight, if that is your only goal. But 20 years down the road when they prove that aspartame or red dye #4 or chemical XYZ is highly cancer-causing and people laugh at how people used to think it was safe, I will sleep better knowing that by eating real unprocessed food, I was able to stay away from it.
So what you're saying is, you hope people get cancer so you can be smug about it.
No. Sharpen your reading skills. I'm saying that if they find out the stuff is bad, I'll be glad I didn't feed it to myself and my wife and kids. I said nothing about being happy that others suffer. But since that is the conclusion you jumped to, I guess that is how you would feel. I do, however, consult for a number of companies that deal with chemotherapy radiation, so it would be good for my job security with those clients. But I would gladly give up that job security at the chance to get my mother back after she died of lung cancer from second hand smoke 8 years ago.
My reading skills are fine. Those types of comments are condescending and completely inconsiderate to people who have had cancer in their own lives or lost someone to cancer. Not to mention they've studied those chemicals already and found no links to cancer.
Speaking as someone that lost someone to cancer, I didn't find it condescending nor inconsiderate. Please don't presume to speak for all of us.
If you can, I can.0 -
Sigh.
Lindsey, if you think eating that NO fruits and / or vegetables is better than eating processed fruits and vegetables, then best of luck with those doctor bills..
I HAVE TRIED to explain basic nutrition to the people of whom I speak. Some people simply choose differently.
While we're at it, I have TRIED to explain to you how condescending and ignorant your posts are, but that hasn't worked either. Perhaps I need to get a raise from "BIG FOOD CORP" so that I can take persuasive speaking lessons.
Just make reasonable suggestions instead of taking the wild exception and trying to extrapolate that out into a reasonable perspective. You may not agree with my opinions, but they certainly aren't ignorant.
As for the tone, I don't disagree with you. But, you don't seem to lack the ability to be terribly condescending yourself. Oh, the irony.
But see, in MY experience, which is obviously not yours (although, as you have argued so often before... you have all the knowledge and are so much more enlightened than I am), my "wild" examples are not at all wild. They are, in fact, the "rule" as opposed to the exception in many places.
Where I live, many pockets of the population don't have access to grocery stores with fresh produce or other markets. Many, many are illiterate and immersed in a culture resistant to change.
And I've been around the block enough to observe this not just in my community and local culture, but in others also. There are food deserts everywhere.
Read what I've actually written. Not what you THINK I've written. That's a skill you need to work on.
Where do you live?
Notice that my ticker is a New Orleans Saints football helmet?
Hint: Ever watch Swamp People?0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
LOLwut? (been doing this a lot today)0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
Yeah no. I had a cupcake, actually 2 on Sunday and 2 on Monday...Haven't craved one since, no plans on going back and getting anything sweet either. So I don't believe having cheesecake on the regular will make you crave it more. You can actually eat those things AND lose weight and not be diabetic. Crazy concept, I'm sure, but it's true.0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
LOL.
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/baked-products/4925/2
If you eat them "as long as they fit your goals", you will look and feel awesome because you will be eating the nutrients you need at appropriate levels AND getting cheesecake regularly.0 -
My reading skills are fine. Those types of comments are condescending and completely inconsiderate to people who have had cancer in their own lives or lost someone to cancer. Not to mention they've studied those chemicals already and found no links to cancer.
Speaking as someone that lost someone to cancer, I didn't find it condescending nor inconsiderate. Please don't presume to speak for all of us.
If you can, I can.
When have I ever presumed to speak for a whole group of people? I think I've been pretty careful to use qualifiers like "some" and avoid superlatives as a general rule.0 -
Here's my take from doing lots of research from documentaries, the interwebs, and reading. Of course, there can always be bias in anything you read or watch, but you can follow up and do your own research.
I stay away from processed foods as much as possible, but I still eat them occasionally. Most processed foods are so changed, that the essential vitamins and minerals that are in the original version of the basic ingredients get removed. In addition, remember that food companies are in the business to make money. Therefore a lot of what they add to these foods, such as food coloring, sweeteners, etc. are unnecessary. Some additives are put in with the express purpose of making you want more - basically addicting you to their product.
If you think government regulations and the FDA test these additives and foods to make sure they aren't cancer causing or in any way bad for you, you are incorrect. The FDA is generally staffed by former and future employees and execs of Monsanto and Cargill and other chemical and food companies. The FDA does almost no testing because of no budget, and instead relies on the food companies to test their own products and submit the results to the FDA. So just like cigarette companies had studies that said that smoking has no ill effects, food and chemical companies have their own studies that say these additives are just fine. And the FDA has no choice but to believe them.
The history of why this has happened over the decades is interesting, but not surprising, if you ever want to research it. But bottom line is it is cheaper for the food corps to take real food, process it, add stuff to it, package it, and sell it to you, than it is to sell you "real" food. In addition, with economies of scale, they can pump out more food to feed more people, though the food isn't as healthy. So there is a tradeoff. Subsidies from our tax dollars go to corporations that make processed foods, and you will not see those subsidies going to farmers that sell the real stuff, hence you can buy lots more processed food than real food.
Can you eat processed foods and lose weight? Yes. Can you eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at McDonalds and still lose weight? Yes. But to me, being healthy isn't only about a goal weight. It is feeding my body with the appropriate number of calories, vitamins, and minerals to keep me alive and feeling energetic, while staving off colds, diseases, etc.
I'm not one of those tin-foil hat people who is looking for conspiracies, but the more research I do into today's food policies in the US, the more I see that I need to stay away from the cheap mass-produced processed stuff.
If you are interested in doing your own research, I started out with watching various food documentaries on Netflix (streaming). Some were blatantly biased, but some were fairly reasonable. From there, I got enough information to be able to cross reference what they were saying with reports, studies, etc. all available for free in the public domain.
Eating real foods is sometimes more expensive, but not that much more. But it does take a lot of time and effort to educate yourself, choose healthy alternatives, and of course takes time to do the extra cooking. But for me it has been worth it.
Some people never touch restaurant or eat pre-packaged foods - always home cooked - but still don't get the nutrients they need because the foods they cook and eat are not nutrient dense.
Most of those people would be better off eating canned fruits and vegetables, frozen processed meals, etc. than they are eating their own home-cooked meals. Many would probably have better control of their waistlines, too.
It's this sort of ridiculous I'm talking about --- which I've seen a lot on MFP.
Sure, people can home cook all their meals and still end up malnourished. But, as a general premise, no one recommends eating canned fruits and veggies, frozen processed meals and restaurant food over home cooked meals -- because the original premise is so incredibly unlikely, even if possible.
And if that was the case, then you'd tell the person to learn about basic nutrients and incorporate them in to their home cooking -- not to eat canned fruits/veggies, frozen processed meals and restaurant foods instead.
It's so ridiculous it's hard to believe that such posters aren't paid food corp. reps. Because, really, can people be this intentionally obtuse and still survive in society?
There are plenty of home cooked meals that are loaded with calories.
Instant oatmeal, cereal, and canned veggies are processed, yet can help people lose weight and consume nutrients.
I agree that there are real foods that are loaded with calories. And I agree that some foods are only minimally processed, and are still fairly healthy. But my definition of processed doesn't mean grabbing real food and chopping or blending it up.
I am not concerned with reaching any goal weight. I already did that by counting calories and working out. I am concerned with the additives they put in. One day, take a look at the ingredients in your favorite mini tacos or M&Ms or Mio Energy drink liquid or any other highly processed food that you love. Take each one of the ingredients and Google it. Especially the ones you can't pronounce. I even made a fun game out of Googling the phrase: "Is XXXX good for you". It's amazing the number of additives that have been banned in other countries that I see in many of our foods each day, and reading scientific studies performed in Europe or elsewhere linking them to various diseases. It's amazing the number of additives that, when you research them, have a maximum recommended allowance for pregnant women or the elderly or small children. You won't see that listed on the labels, but you can find it if you research it online.
Bottom line for me is that Over the last 5 decades there have been tons of stuff that we have used that was supposedly safe, which we now know is harmful. I am not a scientist, but if I have to question it, why not stay on the safe side and avoid them? Remember, smoking doesn't cause cancer. Nicotine and tar has no negative health effects. DDT is safe to spray on your kids to keep them safe from bugs. Asbestos is totally safe, and a good fire retardant. The list goes on and on.
For anyone who wants to eat highly processed foods, awesome! You can do that and still lose weight, if that is your only goal. But 20 years down the road when they prove that aspartame or red dye #4 or chemical XYZ is highly cancer-causing and people laugh at how people used to think it was safe, I will sleep better knowing that by eating real unprocessed food, I was able to stay away from it.
So what you're saying is, you hope people get cancer so you can be smug about it.
No. Sharpen your reading skills. I'm saying that if they find out the stuff is bad, I'll be glad I didn't feed it to myself and my wife and kids. I said nothing about being happy that others suffer. But since that is the conclusion you jumped to, I guess that is how you would feel. I do, however, consult for a number of companies that deal with chemotherapy radiation, so it would be good for my job security with those clients. But I would gladly give up that job security at the chance to get my mother back after she died of lung cancer from second hand smoke 8 years ago.
My reading skills are fine. Those types of comments are condescending and completely inconsiderate to people who have had cancer in their own lives or lost someone to cancer. Not to mention they've studied those chemicals already and found no links to cancer.
Speaking as someone that lost someone to cancer, I didn't find it condescending nor inconsiderate. Please don't presume to speak for all of us.
If you can, I can.
You...I like you.0 -
The less processed foods in your diet, the healthier you will be. Eat your food as close to the way God made it as possible. When food is cut up, nutrients at the surface deteriorate. The more it's processed, the more nutrients you lose, making foods that have been pulverized (like flour and sugar) pretty dead, especially if it's been sitting in a warehouse, a truck and then a store for who knows how long before you actually eat it. To counteract this, companies replace the nutrients that were lost with synthetic versions that your body does not know what to do with because they're not real food.
So I guess mastication is out, right?0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
Riddle me this then.
What are you thoughts on me consuming a pint of ice cream every night before bed over a period of 30 days, whilst still hitting all of my micro nutrient goals everyday; maintaining only a mild calorie surplus, which resulted in about 3 lbs gain total (an intended goal since I'm bulking currently).
Last I checked I'm still lean, I'm not crying about having fallen victim sugar addition, I'm not diabetic, and my health markers are above average.
Sure - a 30 day period isn't exactly long-term... but long enough to prove that your point is utterly USELESS.0 -
Sigh.
Lindsey, if you think eating that NO fruits and / or vegetables is better than eating processed fruits and vegetables, then best of luck with those doctor bills..
I HAVE TRIED to explain basic nutrition to the people of whom I speak. Some people simply choose differently.
While we're at it, I have TRIED to explain to you how condescending and ignorant your posts are, but that hasn't worked either. Perhaps I need to get a raise from "BIG FOOD CORP" so that I can take persuasive speaking lessons.
Just make reasonable suggestions instead of taking the wild exception and trying to extrapolate that out into a reasonable perspective. You may not agree with my opinions, but they certainly aren't ignorant.
As for the tone, I don't disagree with you. But, you don't seem to lack the ability to be terribly condescending yourself. Oh, the irony.
But see, in MY experience, which is obviously not yours (although, as you have argued so often before... you have all the knowledge and are so much more enlightened than I am), my "wild" examples are not at all wild. They are, in fact, the "rule" as opposed to the exception in many places.
Where I live, many pockets of the population don't have access to grocery stores with fresh produce or other markets. Many, many are illiterate and immersed in a culture resistant to change.
And I've been around the block enough to observe this not just in my community and local culture, but in others also. There are food deserts everywhere.
Read what I've actually written. Not what you THINK I've written. That's a skill you need to work on.
Where do you live?
Notice that my ticker is a New Orleans Saints football helmet?
Hint: Ever watch Swamp People?
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
Riddle me this Batman.
What are you thoughts on me consuming a pint of ice cream every night before bed over a period of 30 days, whilst still hitting all of my micro nutrient goals everyday; maintaining only a mild calorie surplus, which resulted in about 3 lbs gain total (an intended goal since I'm bulking currently).
Last I checked I'm still lean, I'm not crying about having fallen victim sugar addition, I'm not diabetic, and my health markers are above average.
Sure - a 30 day period isn't exactly long-term... but long enough to prove that your point is utterly USELESS.
FIFY0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
You present a false dichotomy. The point is to get the right nutrients, not choose better ingredients in home cooked meals vs eating more processed foods.0 -
Cheesecake is tasty.
Sure, a slice of cheesecake once with a blue moon won't kill you and might be a tasty pairing.
FIFY :flowerforyou:
Now I want a Blue Moon and cheesecake.0 -
I say there is no good or bad.I just ask because it seems like quite a few people say that there is no good or bad, but then they'll follow up with some comment about good/bad for them, better/worse for weight loss, nutrition, etc.? Or how it's linked to some value judgment?
I follow that up with - there is then making it fit your macro and micronutrient goals.
I get irked when people try and describe food as healthy or unhealthy.
Sure, said cheese cake I described earlier would be 'unhealthy' for an overweight person with insulin issues and so on.
For an underweight person recovery from ED, eating a load of cheesecake might be 'healthy' for their body.
Again; does it meet your aims/goals. Then go for it good/healthy etc for you in this place.
If it can't fit in, then bad/unhealthy.
Before doing an ultramarathon I did a load of resarch on carb loading.
I needed to eat over 800g of carbs in one day.
Avoid foods high in fibre. Avoid fructose.
For most people, that would be considered a very 'unhealthy' day - for me that day, it was an ideal 'healthy' preperation and choosing foods like salads and high fibre vegetables would be a terrible idea.
Cheesecake isn't healthy for an underweight, normal weight, or overweight person. Point period blank. It's extremely fattening and full of sugar.
You are what you eat. Sure, a slice of cheesecake once in a blue moon won't kill you but the more you eat these foods, the more you want them. Continue with this theory of yours that it's okay to eat these foods on the regular as long as they fit your goals, and before you know it, you'll be overweight and diabetic one day.
I've eaten cheesecake almost every night for the past week, just had my latest blood work done all improved and far from diabetic and no longer obese.
What's so wrong with cheesecake it's cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, typically 2 eggs, and vanilla extract and the crust.0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
You present a false dichotomy. The point is to get the right nutrients, not choose better ingredients in home cooked meals vs eating more processed foods.
Thank you, Johnny. I couldn't have said it better.
I suggest that people get their necessary nutrients from whatever source works best for them.0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
I would recommend my mom eat canned veggies, frozen if it meant she'd make better choices. My mom doesn't cook much, if at all. She was pre-diabetic, mainly because she was barely eating at all, and when she did it was at work - she works in a bakery/deli. She's now eating better, lost 23 lbs and is no longer pre-diabetic, but yeah, I'd suggest those to my mom and her husband, if it got her to eat and it got her all the nutrients she needs, rather than when she was eating 1 meal a day and snacking on crap at work. My mom was never got many if any nutrients at all. I'm shocked her system made it as long as it did.0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
You present a false dichotomy. The point is to get the right nutrients, not choose better ingredients in home cooked meals vs eating more processed foods.
Why not? Why wouldn't you want to choose better ingredients in home cooked meals (for those that already have the time and inclination to cook) rather than supplementing with more processed foods?0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
You present a false dichotomy. The point is to get the right nutrients, not choose better ingredients in home cooked meals vs eating more processed foods.
Why not? Why wouldn't you want to choose better ingredients in home cooked meals (for those that already have the time and inclination to cook) rather than supplementing with more processed foods?
I didn't say either of these choices are good or bad.
I said you presented a false dichotomy. That means that you presented two options as if one had to choose one or the other when the reality is that there are other options. This is a type of logical fallacy.0 -
No foods are inherently good or bad. Why would they be?
The idea that any individual food can be inherently good or bad is ludicrous, and represents an unhealthy way to think about food.
It is an overall diet that is either good or bad for an individual.0 -
I'm afraid I've never watched Swamp People. But, you're saying that were you live, you actually recommend that people increase their intake of processed foods, eating at restaurants, frozen meals rather than making better nutritional choices in ingredients for their home cooked meals?
You present a false dichotomy. The point is to get the right nutrients, not choose better ingredients in home cooked meals vs eating more processed foods.
Why not? Why wouldn't you want to choose better ingredients in home cooked meals (for those that already have the time and inclination to cook) rather than supplementing with more processed foods?
Why? Because not everyone has the time to cook. I realize you said for those that have the time...) however, where I live, there are lots of parent's working full time jobs, kids to soccer or whatever practice, this, that and the other, that when they get home they don't have the time to prep all the fresh stuff they might have bought (yes they could do it on the weekend, provided they didn't have to work then also, or have other obligations).
There are tons of single parents who work two jobs. Or single homeowners for that matter. I work one job, but I get up early to lift all the heavy things, I work until 6, I walk my dogs for an hour, by the time I get home, the LAST thing I want to do is take an hour to cook. I want something, quick, that will hit my macros/micros and call it a day.0
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