Wits end about Carbs

sniffles

Yikes.

This thread made my head hurt. Heh.

P Jilly - this is off topic but you look amazing.

PJilly

:blushing: Thank you, sniffles. It's sweet of you to say that.

shariguymon

Bump to read later

Barneystinson

Order a copy of the Primal Blue Print and read it cover to cover. it is not on the fringe of being extreme or anything...........In fact, giving up grains is becoming more mainstream practice with doctors I am starting to hear and see from other people.

no thank you. I've read all I want to read about the primal blueprint. More power to you. Look, there are some good parts to it, but it stumbles in a few places as well. The biggest is grain in my opinion. But I also don't buy the concept of living like our ancestors. Those guys only lived 25 to 40 years, I'm pretty sure I want to live into my 80's or 90's thank you.

I'm not here to parrot any pseudo-science, I'm not here to parrot Sisson, Cordain, Taubes, or ANYONE in strict advocacy of a grain-free diet, but I REALLY would like to clear something up about lifespan (I posted this somewhere else here and I really think it applies better to this discussion).

Consider in ancient times the highest rates of disease weren't from the popular neolithic death agents of diabetes, heart disease, and elevated cancer rates. That didn't really come into play until the rise of modern agriculture and affluence in ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. We're just now finding the ancient Egyptians (of affluence, anyway) suffered from quite a malady of diseases, maybe tied to their indulgent diets: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/851/eg11.htm.

You'd be much more likely to die at a young age of the following in ancient times (before the rise of modern agriculture, modern medicine, and modern society as we know it): being mauled to a bloody pulp by a predator, hypothermia, famine, eating something poisonous, tribal war, getting clubbed in the head, or injury (which, without care was most likely fatal in those days). John Locke's Social Contract didn't fully exist in those days, so if you wanted to nail your brother's wife, he was basically entitled to beat your head with a rock and kill you. Sure, there were nomadic societies, but there was not a lot of protection from the elements, an angry opposing tribe, or predators.

So, what's my point here? Modern medicine is a beautiful thing and I don't think we can contribute a caveman's death solely to his propensity to dine on bone marrow and raw, freshly killed meat. The death rate in the middle ages was even higher thanks to lack of sanitation and widespread disease. Grok the caveman probably had a higher quality of life than someone living in modern Europe during the time of the Black Plague.

And...I'm not saying grains are to blame here, NO. But, overindulgence of anything - especially foods of empty nutrition, the ever-increasing amount of "sweetness" in our food supply, lack of movement...those are some pretty negative things that have accompanied the growth of modern society. And if we look at the basis of more traditional societies - modern day tribes in Brazil - we don't see them dropping dead at age 30. They may have a higher propensity to be killed by a predator like an anaconda, but their diet is in a more natural state than the remainder of the modern world, and no doubt they're not plagued by so many of our modern-day "lifestyle" maladies. And other societies of long lifespan DO eat grains (think Okinawa, Japan which has a concentration of centurians) or Mediterraneans, or the French. BUT, they also don't shun dietary fat, meat, and/or fish. They simply eat in moderation, have less stress, and move much more (even at an older age) than the majority of Americans.

What DO grains offer as a positive? Essentially a widespread, easily grown food source through modern agriculture that's capable of providing a readily available, semi non-perishable food source. Unfortunately we've done a nice job of mucking them up by over-processing them and adding them (namely in the form of thickeners and starches) to many processed foods. We also subsidize their growth through government and heavily modify their seed structure (thank ya Monsanto!), which are also both negative...but again, I digress. Grain avoidance, at this point, is mostly a personal choice. If someone is eating lower carb to control their weight, well, limiting grains and upping vegetable intake is generally a good choice. But certainly NOT a choice for everyone, as everyone is different.

So, to be clear here, I agree to an extent with your criticisms, but I don't agree that cavemen dropped dead at the age of 30 based on dietary factors. In the modern world, "natural" only goes so far, and I don't think ANYONE is giving a broad recommendation we drop all modern medicine and act completely like a caveman. I agree that's absolutely ridiculous, and I too, would be skeptic of anyone giving that advice.

I think other elements of primal life, be it modern tribal or paleolithic are highly applicable to the endless mire of dietary advice we're all fed - eat whole foods, get up off your butt and move, sprint occasionally, lift heavy things, don't eat poison (i.e. twinkies), and experience nature more often. I DO NOT choose to shun modern medical advancements or refuse to read scientific or medical publications. Most of which would agree with me that our modern lifestyle of stress, traffic, processed foods, germaphobia, and other phobias is making that 80 year lifespan far less enjoyable...

So uh, can we all get along? :flowerforyou:

TheMaidOfAstolat

So uh, can we all get along? :flowerforyou:

I'm all for getting along (and I'm sure Banks is as well) but I believe that as both of us were stating that there are benefits of grains, which you also have noted. I do not like having people try to shove it down my throat that eating primal/paleo/atkins is the 'only' way to go. I'm a vegetarian...I don't get on the threads about eating meat because that's not something I am interested in, nor do I want to shove my ideologies onto someone else. I've been attacked numerous times because I'm a vegetarian (all I can do is shrug it off). I'm also often attacked by the same two people on the boards. I try not to force my opinion onto anyone else and I avoid those two people like the plague. I also try to lead a natural life (granted soy can be heavily processed), I move often, eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and vegetarian sources of protein/iron/omegas. My lifestyle while different from yours still has the same basic principles.

Barneystinson

So uh, can we all get along? :flowerforyou:

I'm all for getting along (and I'm sure Banks is as well) but I believe that as both of us were stating that there are benefits of grains, which you also have noted. I do not like having people try to shove it down my throat that eating primal/paleo/atkins is the 'only' way to go. I'm a vegetarian...I don't get on the threads about eating meat because that's not something I am interested in, nor do I want to shove my ideologies onto someone else. I've been attacked numerous times because I'm a vegetarian (all I can do is shrug it off). I'm also often attacked by the same two people on the boards. I try not to force my opinion onto anyone else and I avoid those two people like the plague. I also try to lead a natural life (granted soy can be heavily processed), I move often, eat whole grains, fruits, veggies, healthy fats, and vegetarian sources of protein/iron/omegas. My lifestyle while different from yours still has the same basic principles.

Yes, exactly. I think arguing semantics because "well so and so said this..." and "you absolutely shouldn't eat this..." is getting most of us nowhere. There's many pathways to a healthy life that have basically the same main goals. Just as much as I don't like eating something doesn't mean that someone else can't have it. It's their choice, and I'm cool with that. I'm not going to bust into a vegan forum and tell them to eat more bacon. LOL.

I've been responding to low carb threads just because I've eaten low carb for some time and I've always remained quite close to goal weight and active. But everyone's mileage varies like I've stated earlier...

And Banks, I think you offer great advice on here, but hey, I call this like I see it - I think we've gotten off on some rotten tangent on this thread (obviously I'm not helping it) - I think a simple statement that implies there's nothing positive in the way our ancestors lived is a bit off base, as I stated in the ridiculously wordy reply above. Maybe I took the comment in the wrong way if that's not what you meant.

I mean no harm, I'm just a history nerd.

SHBoss1673

And Banks, I think you offer great advice on here, but hey, I call this like I see it - I think we've gotten off on some rotten tangent on this thread (obviously I'm not helping it) - I think a simple statement that implies there's nothing positive in the way our ancestors lived is a bit off base, as I stated in the ridiculously wordy reply above. Maybe I took the comment in the wrong way if that's not what you meant.

I mean no harm, I'm just a history nerd.

Not sure how my statement of wanting to live past 40 was warped into implying that there's nothing positive in the way our ancestors lived. In fact in a previous post I did say that the primal blue print had positives and negatives IMHO. Things get so twisted in these forums sometimes.

For the record, I have no problem with low carb, as long as it's entered into with full knowledge. Also, I don't equate low carb to a ketogenic diet, they are separate things. I feel that going ketogenic is an extreme way towards weight loss and if you ARE going to do it, you should be fully aware of the implications involved. It's a dangerous method that can have severe consequences. If you understand those consequences and still choose to do it, then I applaud your determination, but it's neither a diet nor is it a whim, it's serious business that requires constant monitoring and a high level of lifestyle customization to be successful.

my issue with low carb is people doing it for the wrong reasons. If you have a medical need to be low carb, fine, if you are trying to break a carb or sugar addiction, good stuff, but if you're doing it because you feel it's a superior way to lose weight, IMHO you're dead wrong. Low carb doesn't mean faster weight loss, or more weight loss, or keeping weight off easier.

jovigal1959

DAGGONE! I had NO idea this topic was such a hot-bead of ideas.

I printed off my reports of the past three weeks. My carbs have been hovering around 185gm per day. I faxed the reports to my doctor, who believes the carbs were a tad high. So, since Sunday, I have made a diligent effort to eat good protein, with some good good carbs, but reducing the carb intake (not the calories). I have also upped my water intake.

I have now lost 1.5 pounds.

I just want about 6 more off.

I continue to exercise..with no feeling of low energy...thus far.

No candy, no sugar, no alcohol, no sodas of any sort (I never have liked liquor or sodas of any kind). Weird..I don't miss the sugar at all. Bizarre.

I went clothes shopping today and noticed how much flatter my stomach is..My skirt fits much looser than last week.

Okay. I will be everybody's guinea pig, and keep you posted on how this is panning out.

chairdr

go to www.marksdailyapple.com read the book "primal blueprint" it will address your issues & possibly give you the info you need. a real easy read

July24Lioness

go to www.marksdailyapple.com read the book "primal blueprint" it will address your issues & possibly give you the info you need. a real easy read

Ha ha ChairDr. I already mentioned that and was told they don't want to read it................

PJilly

"They"? It seems like a fair number of people agreed with you, and a fair number didn't. It's pretty evident that you're passionate about your views, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some have different views, and I think that's OK too.

July24Lioness

"They"? It seems like a fair number of people agreed with you, and a fair number didn't. It's pretty evident that you're passionate about your views, and there's nothing wrong with that. Some have different views, and I think that's OK too.

Yes, there were several people that said they didn't want to read it, so without calling each person out, I generalized and said They.

Yes, i am very passionate about my views and the more I learn the more passionate I become to the point I had gotten accepted in Washington to go to school to become a naturopathic doctor, but that fell through.

I am looking at applying to Naturopathic programs here in the St Louis area to still become a Naturopathic Doctor supporting self healing through whole nutrition.

PJilly

I wish you much luck in your endeavors!

Ripgirl

Not having read the Primal thing I have a question...

Do you exercise much? Does this plan include a significant amount of exercise?

I get from reading this thread that it suggests we weren't meant to eat grains. I'm thinking that we also weren't meant to ride in cars or sit on our butts watching TV either, or sit at desk jobs all the live long day. Send an email instead of walking to deliver a message.
Since our ancestors lived a totally different life than we do now - walking/running EVERWHERE - having to quite literally, physically work for their food - eating this way supported a completely different lifestyle.

In order for your lifestyle to line up with this eating plan, you would need to exercise to this equivalent or somewhere close.... wouldn't you?

Curious to know if exercise is called out in this plan...

July24Lioness

Not having read the Primal thing I have a question...

Do you exercise much? Does this plan include a significant amount of exercise?

I get from reading this thread that it suggests we weren't meant to eat grains. I'm thinking that we also weren't meant to ride in cars or sit on our butts watching TV either, or sit at desk jobs all the live long day. Send an email instead of walking to deliver a message.
Since our ancestors lived a totally different life than we do now - walking/running EVERWHERE - having to quite literally, physically work for their food - eating this way supported a completely different lifestyle.

In order for your lifestyle to line up with this eating plan, you would need to exercise to this equivalent or somewhere close.... wouldn't you?

Curious to know if exercise is called out in this plan...

Yes, I move at the gym in the form of cardio and I life heavy things meaning weight lifting..............

chairdr

yes. if you are a gym junkie, his theories wil be as hard to swallow as the eating fat thing. I had to re read it, & ask my trainers advise (he follows it to) I actually walked over 10 miles this week. it is a nice departure from killing myself everyday

chairdr

if you were hunted by T rex, you wouldnt make it past 25 either. knowledge is power. read it with an open mind. wether you follow it or not is up to you. It is actually pretty cool theory. BTW GO Phillies!

July24Lioness

if you were hunted by T rex, you wouldnt make it past 25 either. knowledge is power. read it with an open mind. wether you follow it or not is up to you. It is actually pretty cool theory. BTW GO Phillies!

LOl, I liked everything you said in this statement except for the end............Go Cards!!!

lilmissy2

I don't trust books about nutrition written by 'health and fitness' professionals (it says so on the cover of the book), no offence at all to fitness professionals but sometimes you need to recognise your limitations and leave people's specialities to them. Sure I would give basic fitness advice such as 'it would be good for your health if you increased your exercise, perhaps you could try walking? swimming? resistance training? and I have no problem with fitness professionals providing the basic level of nutrition advice that they have been trained in. I would however consider it a giant breach of ethics to give hundreds of people a stringent fitness plan just because I believe in it...

Of course people will always be free to make up their own minds about things but I would be careful. As you have said, it is a theory 'pretty cool theory' and I just hope you don't pay for it with your health later in life.

HealthyChanges2010

bump