What's healthy and what's not?

itsme_timd

OK, nutritional wisdom confuses the hell out of me. I'm sure I can't be the only one.

I'm 40 years old so I was raised in the era of the traditional food pyramid and "3 squares a day". Beef was good for you, so was Wonder bread and white rice. Anyone else remember the old Schoolhouse Rock cartoon "Beans & Rice is nice."? Eggs and pork were OK... and milk, lots and lots of milk - it does a body good. And Juice! I just remembered that one, fruit juice was good for you, too. You had to eat breakfast as it was the most important meal of the day. And don't eat too much sugar or fat.

Then we were told eggs were bad... too much cholesterol. Movie theaters quit using coconut oil in their popcorn because it was deemed too unhealthy. And fruit juice is no better for you than soda. Wonder Bread and white rice are no-no's, and you have to limit your beef and pork. Eggs are good again, I think so anyhow, not sure the official word this week. And if you ask a Keto fan you can eat all the fat you want. I'm not even sure what the hell the Paleo diet is about but I do not I'm not sure about a diet based on people whose life span was 33.

Personally I just try to eat a balanced diet with lots of vegetables, lean meats and some healthy carbs. I just can't get behind a ketogenic diet, it just seems wrong to me, all that fat can't be good for you - at least not based on everything I was taught for 35 or so years. I'm not trying to argue keto here, I know you people are like a cult when it comes to defending a ketogenic diet. (I kid, I kid... sort of.) I'm just saying to me it doesn't feel right. My body doesn't feel right when I eat that much fat and anyone starting a ketogenic diet usually goes through a sickness. I realize a body can get used to a new diet but that doesn't necessarily mean it's good for you long term. I know reports are mixed, even among the "professionals", but there are definitely pros and cons to a keto diet that people need to be aware of.

However I see where trying to eat healthy can be very confusing for some people because the rules keep changing. Also, you see people losing weight on a diet like keto or Paleo and they start preaching it like gospel, like they are nutritional experts. I saw a post on another forum where someone said they were trying to watch their fat intake and someone replied that they didn't need to do that because fat was good and they didn't need to watch it. The original person said, "Oh, OK... I didn't know that." They had nowhere near enough information to base their decision on but they just said OK. In another discussion a person was told not to eat breakfast as that wasn't important but in another discussion someone was told to eat 5X or more a day, even waking up at night to have a shake to keep the metabolism going.

OK, I've rambled long enough and this has definitely became a TL;DR post. However if you do read it what are your thoughts on this?

kikimommy

Yes, it's enormously confusing, conflicting and confounding and even the so called experts can't agree. If you really want to sort it out, I recommend reading Good Calorie Bad Calorie. He does a pretty extensive review of all of the research over the last century. My logic is to eat as close to the earth as possible, avoid sugar and anything processed, try to up my protein and dont' worry about fat except for the evil trans fats.

itsme_timd

Yes, it's enormously confusing, conflicting and confounding and even the so called experts can't agree. If you really want to sort it out, I recommend reading Good Calorie Bad Calorie. He does a pretty extensive review of all of the research over the last century. My logic is to eat as close to the earth as possible, avoid sugar and anything processed, try to up my protein and dont' worry about fat except for the evil trans fats.

Thanks, I'll check that out. Your logic sounds pretty solid. I do try to watch my fat but pretty much do the same. Someone once told me to do 80% of your grocery shopping on the perimeter of the grocery store - produce, meats and dairy. I think I'm actually above 80% now and feeling better every day.

macx2mommy

I totally hear what you are saying. With the help of my nutritionist, endocrinologist, and some specialists, here's what I have formulated in my own mind.

Pick what works for you and pick something that you can sustain for life.
If you have a lot of weight to lose, this has come over time, and will take time to lose.
Everyone has gained weight for different reasons or causes, therefore, the solution will be different depending why you gained weight.
Old habits die hard, so whatever you choose, it must be to replace your old habits that got you there in there.
Sooner or later, there will be a new fad, so i think moderation is a good guide.