How critcal of a thinker are you????

walldancer
walldancer Posts: 910
in Food and Nutrition
In regards to exercise and nutrition? We all hear 'buzz words". We hear that "Dr. Oz says don't eat (insert trendy "bad" food here). So..when you hear that a food is bad for you, how much investigation do you do, if any. When you do research(if you do), what resources to you go to?
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Replies

  • cherbapp
    cherbapp Posts: 322
    I pretty much ignore it all. Until CNN reports a death by white bagel, I'm gonna eat it.
  • LittleMissDover
    LittleMissDover Posts: 820 Member
    ISo..when you hear that a food is bad for you, how much investigation do you do

    1. Do I like the food?
    2. Would I miss it if I didn't eat it?

    If the answer to the above is yes, I still eat it, if no, I don't.

    We all have to die from something.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I pretty much ignore it all. Until CNN reports a death by white bagel, I'm gonna eat it.

    Even then I would question CNN's sources! :laugh:

    I tend to be skeptical by nature, the questions I always ask (and this applies to other areas too) are; what's the author's agenda? who benefits?

    Just a thought......the plural of anecdote is not data.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    At the very least before I comment with anything, I've read the wikipedia article on the subject (sorry, it's a quick source that's usually surprisingly decent) a recent peer reviewed "review" article, and at least 2-3 of the individual references from the review from opposing sides (if possible).

    Basically the news media/blogs/general articles gives the idea, a quick wikipedia search usually gives a good summary, and peer review is the ultimate judgement.
  • Ainar
    Ainar Posts: 858 Member
    I have heard a lot of those scientific researches in TV and even did my own researches. And I have came to conclusion that there is no food what is indeed bad for you... in moderation.

    There was research that said that people who ate hamburgers die younger. Well, probably. But I'm 100% sure that it is not because they ate hamburgers... it's because they ate them (or any junk food) in big amounts. If you have a one or two burgers once in a week and you make sure they fall into your macros and everything, it won't make any harm...
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I work in healthcare research so medical journals and studies are all over the place. I read a lot of it. I've read enough of it to know that most studies are significant and few prove anything. They are all just pieces of the scientific puzzle, and there are few subjects for which more research is not needed before the puzzle will be complete.

    I rarely watch or read anything by people like Dr. Oz, which could be an unfair statement since all I know of the great and powerful Oz is from commercials and MFP. But he seems way to sensational to take seriously.

    I look to recommendations from nutrition researchers for advice. My favorite is the Harvard School of Public Health (link below) as they seem to give the best advice based on the science available. They refuse to jump on the latest bandwagon if there is no evidence to back up and are not afraid to talk about the mistakes they've made in their recommendations over the years. That's important to me. Anyone that says they have nutrition all figured out is not credible. I don't care how popular their blog is or how many books they sell. There is still a lot to be learned.

    http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I have heard a lot of those scientific researches in TV and even did my own researches. And I have came to conclusion that there is no food what is indeed bad for you... in moderation.

    What research did you find that said man made trans fat is not harmful?
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    I have heard a lot of those scientific researches in TV and even did my own researches. And I have came to conclusion that there is no food what is indeed bad for you... in moderation.

    What research did you find that said man made trans fat is not harmful?

    I'd ask anyone to define harmful before they proceeded there...
  • Zomoniac
    Zomoniac Posts: 1,169 Member
    If it's not largely made of trans/hydrogenated fats then I don't really care. IIFYM and all that. According to the Daily Mail everything in my diet both causes and cures cancer anyway, so I've either got ten minutes to live or am immune from death depending on what day it is.
  • RosscoBoscko
    RosscoBoscko Posts: 632 Member
    To me, no food is bad for you, as long as eaten in moderation, just some foods have higher scores on some things then others. Balance your diet and go from there is the way I look at it. If you eat some "bad" food one day, work that little bit harder/longer in the gym next time or have a lower calorie/sodium etc day the next day.
  • wellbert
    wellbert Posts: 3,924 Member
    I investigate everything. That's why I know aspartame is only dangerous to people who believe everything they read on the internet. That's how I know diet soda isn't dehydrating. It's how I know that saturated fat can lead to increased testosterone.
    I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't fact-check everything they hear.
  • jvdx
    jvdx Posts: 57
    i just eat whatever i want, if it fits my calories. there are no real clean or unclean foods.
  • hiker359
    hiker359 Posts: 577 Member
    Science is crap, they keep changing their mind. Eggs are good...eggs are bad...eggs are good...eggs are bad.

    Dr. Oz is a highly endorsed quack...I don't listen to anything he says.

    My ideal is, eat well, play hard, live long. We all have to go sometime, so enjoy every moment you possibly can.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    I have pretty good intuition when it comes to foods. I might research something specifically, but for the most part, relying on prior knowledge of other foods when it comes to a particular item will help me with a general idea of whether or not I should eat said item. I pay attention to studies of food, but take them all with a grain of salt since things like eggs are healthy/unhealthy depending on the day.
  • johnny059qn
    johnny059qn Posts: 163 Member
    I don't do much research on an item someone says don't eat, BUT I do a lot of research on foods experts recommend. I have added many "Super foods" to my meals and am better for it.
  • bufger
    bufger Posts: 763 Member
    Marie Lloyd would sing:

    "I always hold in having it if you fancy it
    If you fancy it that’s understood
    And suppose it makes you fat? I don’t worry over that
    ‘Cos a little of what you fancy does you good."

    Everything in moderation. I'll have an ice cold can of diet coke on a hot summers day even if everyone else believes there are dangerous poisons lurking in the sweetener. I dont listen to most of the garbage. I'll research a new product but if its long established then its only really long term affects that are partly unknown and if im taking things in moderation i'd hope i'd avoid being the worst affected :)
  • IronDame
    IronDame Posts: 275
    If Dr. Oz said it then it MUST be true.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I have heard a lot of those scientific researches in TV and even did my own researches. And I have came to conclusion that there is no food what is indeed bad for you... in moderation.

    What research did you find that said man made trans fat is not harmful?

    I'd ask anyone to define harmful before they proceeded there...

    Has been shown to have a negative impact on health.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Science is crap, they keep changing their mind. Eggs are good...eggs are bad...eggs are good...eggs are bad.

    Science is not crap and is not a "they". If you rely on TV or the general media for nutrition advice then yes you will get a lot of conflicting advice, because the media tends to sensationalize everything and present each study as Earth shattering proof of something, when in fact each study is just a piece of a very large puzzle. The puzzle is rarely finished, but each new piece brings a clearer picture. Some aspects of nutrition are a lot clearer than others. This is how that science crap works and why recommendations sometimes change.
  • RushBabe214
    RushBabe214 Posts: 469 Member
    Science is crap, they keep changing their mind. Eggs are good...eggs are bad...eggs are good...eggs are bad.

    Dr. Oz is a highly endorsed quack...I don't listen to anything he says.

    My ideal is, eat well, play hard, live long. We all have to go sometime, so enjoy every moment you possibly can.

    I agree, especially the part about Dr. Oz! LOL

    I would also add that a lot of these food scare stories are pseudoscience. The self-appointed Food Police are always looking for something to ban, regulate, or tax. Ahem.....The Center for Science in the Public Interest....I'm looking at you!
  • RunsOnEspresso
    RunsOnEspresso Posts: 3,218 Member
    I always think of the egg when I hear new "studies". The poor egg has been through a lot.

    It seems every few years there is a new "bad" or "super" food. And what is bad for you one day, is good the next or vice versa.

    You just have to take everything with a grain of salt and/or do your own research.
  • SafioraLinnea
    SafioraLinnea Posts: 628 Member
    I basically ignore anything unless I personally read peer-reviewed studies in acceptable professional journals on the topic at hand. Also, I pay close attention to wording because 'improves' 'decreases' 'satisfies' etc doesn't really mean anything. How much improvement was there? Give me numbers that can be reproduced, give me a solid study with accurate and reliable results. If it isn't possible for me to reproduce the study, then it isn't a solid study.
  • sarahharmintx
    sarahharmintx Posts: 868 Member
    If its something that people have eaten for 100s of years, I tend to think that in moderation, its ok. Eating 2 slices of pizza a week wont kill you but its not going to be my only source of calories. Anything with buzz words like "extract" or "cleanse" or even "organic" tends to make me wonder. I mean, dirt is natural and organic but I dont really want to eat it.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    Science is crap, they keep changing their mind.

    Changing conclusions based on new observations is the very nature of science and is what makes it superior to pseudo-science inasmuch as "true believers" can not be swayed no matter what the evidence is and are dogmatic despite nothing but anecdotal evidence supporting conclusions.
  • Mom2QJandT
    Mom2QJandT Posts: 23 Member

    Just a thought......the plural of anecdote is not data.

    I love this so, so, so much. I can't even express how much I love that statement.
  • michelleindeed
    michelleindeed Posts: 117 Member
    I just don't watch television.
  • namluv
    namluv Posts: 194 Member
    To me, no food is bad for you, as long as eaten in moderation, just some foods have higher scores on some things then others. Balance your diet and go from there is the way I look at it. If you eat some "bad" food one day, work that little bit harder/longer in the gym next time or have a lower calorie/sodium etc day the next day.

    ^^^^^ THAT^^^^^
  • disasterman
    disasterman Posts: 746 Member
    I have pretty good intuition when it comes to foods. I might research something specifically, but for the most part, relying on prior knowledge of other foods when it comes to a particular item will help me with a general idea of whether or not I should eat said item. I pay attention to studies of food, but take them all with a grain of salt since things like eggs are healthy/unhealthy depending on the day.

    I try taking everything with a grain of salt too but it puts me over on my daily sodium goal.
  • ravengirl1611
    ravengirl1611 Posts: 285 Member
    If it's not largely made of trans/hydrogenated fats then I don't really care. IIFYM and all that. According to the Daily Mail everything in my diet both causes and cures cancer anyway, so I've either got ten minutes to live or am immune from death depending on what day it is.


    exactly!!!
  • lachesissss
    lachesissss Posts: 1,298 Member
    I do a lot of research. Especially with celebrity or talk show host endorsement. There is always a bottom line that has nothing to do with making you a more healthful person, and that's money. Especially with Dr. Oz. He sold out in a grand fashion and the fact that anybody would take his medical advice seriously without doing research about it suggests an inability to think critically and objectively.

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