How can opinion vary so wildly about what is healthy?

JamLillywhite
JamLillywhite Posts: 5
in Food and Nutrition
I get so confused by just how drastically different people's opinions are on what will help you lose weight.

I've been reading about the Keto diet where they encourage full-fat everything, lots of cheese, cooking with bacon fat etc

As opposed to other diets that suggest keeping fats down to a minimum and keeping protein as the most important food group.



My question is why don't we know for 100% at this stage? SURELY there is a right answer? There must just be some basic science behind this?
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Replies

  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    First step is to realize when people mean "healthy" they often don't mean help you lose weight.

    It is instead an esoteric concept where certain foods may increase your healthfulness (measureable and unmeasurable) above and beyond that which can be achieved with basic weight control and/or exercise. For the most part, despite a lot of attempts chasing this dragon, science has never conclusively proven that some foods are superior to others when nutrients are controlled (usually the opposite is shown, that there is no difference).

    Losing weight is easy. Eat less calories than you burn. This works whether you eat "healthy" or not.
  • maryjay52
    maryjay52 Posts: 557 Member
    u have to find what works for you. i try to find a balance of everything and when it comes to fats i eat healthy fats ..unless im cheating and cant take it anymore...other than that its olive oil , nuts and coconut oil
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    Easy. Dr. Oz. He's clearly the answer for everything health related.
  • AnninStPaul
    AnninStPaul Posts: 1,372 Member
    wishful thinking.
  • Pandorian
    Pandorian Posts: 2,055 MFP Moderator
    Look at who is "pushing" the item you're reading... the milk commercials here are "pushed by the Dairy foundation"... eggs by the egg farmers association, hmmm little bit of self promoting interests? Not to vilify either as I consume both, and even raise chickens for the eggs where I know most of what the chickens ate (I don't see every bug that they eat but I know what kitchen scraps etc they are given) But very often when something (otherwise considered a food) is "bad" it's someone with an agenda, just have to see what it is.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    Because (1) people are stubborn and don't want to have an open mind, and (2) everything works to some degree.
  • n0ob
    n0ob Posts: 2,390 Member
    Because (1) people are stubborn and don't want to have an open mind, and (2) everything works to some degree.

    and 3) we are all individuals...

    except greeks in college...those people are just annoyingly weird.
  • MoreBean13
    MoreBean13 Posts: 8,701 Member
    BECAUSE novel ideas sell books, prepackaged diets, DVDs, supplements, shakes, membership fees, and advertising.


    Moderation and good sense sell exactly nothing.
  • cinblog1965
    cinblog1965 Posts: 133 Member
    If it sounds too good to be true, then it is. Eat sensibly. Figure out how many calories your average burn is and eat 200-300 calories less per day. Eat from all food groups. Remember that starchy carbs raise insulin which makes your body store fat. Don't avoid them but don't choose them for most of your diet either. All food is good in moderation.

    And of course, if possible, avoid eating too much processed food (frozen dinners, snack cakes, chips, store bought cookies).

    My theory is to do most of my grocery shopping around the outside walls of the store.
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    I don't think anyone will disagree that (in general) whole, natural, unprocessed foods are typically healthy.

    That said, I think 'healthy' will vary greatly depending on a person's goals, exercise preferences, allergies, metabolism, illnesses, etc.

    For example, I am mildly allergic to soy and most nuts, but they are probably super-healthy for lots of other people.

    Also, for some reason I am metabolically unable to absorb iron from plant sources. I was a very sick (anemic) vegetarian for several years. I saw countless doctors, had innumerable tests, and tried OTC and prescription iron supplements before it was determined that I needed a heme source of iron. So, being a vegetarian was unhealthy for me, but is probably ideal for many other people.

    Finally, I have a health condition that makes high protein diets not a good idea for me. 40/30/30 is probably fantastic for most people, but for me - it would simply be too much protein for the calorie level I need to maintain my weight. 10-15% is where I need to stay.

    Healthy will always be subjective. :smile:
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    Nutritional science is still very new in the grand scheme of things, and there's still a lot we don't know. On top of that, major institutions are slow to change accepted doctrine when new information becomes available, the RDA for protein is a good example.

    There is objective truth if you know where to look for it, but unfortunately the large amount of disinformation crowds out the good information.

    Edit: On top of that, you have thousands of shady characters trying to make a quick buck that have a financial interest in getting people to believe nonsense.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    My question is why don't we know for 100% at this stage? SURELY there is a right answer? There must just be some basic science behind this?

    Well for one there is no one single right answer. Disease, genetics, environment and just basic individuality can make what is healthy for one, unhealthy for another.
  • JamLillywhite
    JamLillywhite Posts: 5
    I'm really not looking at doing any kind of gimmicky diet, and just trying to change my lifestyle a bit. I feel like that is the right move.

    I'm just confused as to how people can sell directly contradicting methods and not have someone stand up and be like 'you're an idiot'. I don't know who to trust!
  • slkehl
    slkehl Posts: 3,801 Member
    Losing weight is just about creating a caloric deficit-pretty straight forward. However, there are ways to do it that are easier for some people than others. It's all about what fits in with your lifestyle and meets your needs. There's definitely more than one way to eat to lose weight. But people tend to get very opinionated and take the "my way or the highway" approach. Probably out of ignorance.
  • hendinerik
    hendinerik Posts: 287 Member
    Good point - I think a lot of people and companies are in bed with sponsors who pay them to advertise certain foods, etc..

    Also I don't know of anyone who says vegetables are unhealthy (sure some may get into carbs or acid reflux with things like tomatoes), but I think there are some things which are safe to assume are healthy.

    The truth to me is that different peoples bodies function well with different things. For instance I can't handle more than only minute doses of caffeine, but certainly I am the exception on that front. I have bad acid reflux so I have to watch things like tomatoes, caffeine, chocolate, grapefruits/oranges etc..

    I have a had time believing that tons of bacon is good for you - though it probably tastes GREAT.
  • waldo56
    waldo56 Posts: 1,861 Member
    I'm just confused as to how people can sell directly contradicting methods and not have someone stand up and be like 'you're an idiot'. I don't know who to trust!
    Hmmm, you must be new to this whole chatting about dieting thing on the internet.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    I'm really not looking at doing any kind of gimmicky diet, and just trying to change my lifestyle a bit. I feel like that is the right move.

    I'm just confused as to how people can sell directly contradicting methods and not have someone stand up and be like 'you're an idiot'. I don't know who to trust!

    Trust your common sense. If someone says they've know the truth and the entire rest of the medical and nutrition science community is on some grand conspiracy, they are lying.. If you are told to restrict foods that other healthy people eat without being given a medical diagnosis from a qualified professional the requires it, it's just a gimmick, even if it's a healthy gimmick. If it sounds to good to be true, it usually is.

    Fall back on what you (hopefully) learned as a child. Eat your veggies. No dessert if you don't eat your dinner. Stop stealing cookies from the cookie jar. Go out and play.
  • JesterMFP
    JesterMFP Posts: 3,596 Member
    Also, "health" is quite a vague term. What exactly are you talking about? Things that lead to heart disease? Things that contribute to a healthy brain? Things that keep blood sugar levels balanced? People care about different things, depending on their own experiences. There are so many different aspects to "health", and for each of those aspects, there is conflicting information from scientific studies. Apart from the issues of conflicts of interest and corporate sponsorship, there is the fact that the human body is very complicated, and the diseases that affect the human body are very complicated. It takes time for science to work this stuff out.
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    Nutritional science is still very new in the grand scheme of things, and there's still a lot we don't know. On top of that, major institutions are slow to change accepted doctrine when new information becomes available, the RDA for protein is a good example.

    There is objective truth if you know where to look for it, but unfortunately the large amount of disinformation crowds out the good information.

    Edit: On top of that, you have thousands of shady characters trying to make a quick buck that have a financial interest in getting people to believe nonsense.

    See? I told ya Dr. Oz was the answer to it all! :noway:
  • maricash
    maricash Posts: 280 Member
    My question is why don't we know for 100% at this stage? SURELY there is a right answer? There must just be some basic science behind this?

    There is science and then there is "science reporting". Unfortunately, they are two very different things. There are some good science reporters out there, but most of the reporting on science is terrible. For example, a scientist will show that a certain chemical that happens to be found in eggs had a very specific effect on the brains of mice. The paper will report this as "Eggs make you smarter!" Then another scientist will show that some other chemical in eggs raised the cholesterol level of mice and a reporter will write "Eggs are killing you!" It's terrible in that it leads to people having no idea what is and isn't good for them and leads them to distrust science in general and gives them a terrible idea of how science is done.

    Anyway, I have lost plenty of weight without cutting out any foods or food groups. I was joking the other day that I should write a diet book, but, since my actual advice would fit on an index card, I'd have to come up with a gimmick: "the all pizza diet", "the no protein diet", "the astrology diet", because that is what sells.

    As for who to believe, Michael Pollan and Marion Nestle are good writers on this topic. Nestle has a book called "What to Eat", which I read part of a while back. And Pollan has a short one called "Food Rules". I sometimes say I am on the "Pollan Diet", because I try to follow his advice of "Eat Food, Not Too Much, Mostly Plants". I've been slacking off on the plants lately though. Winter just seems like the wrong time to eat spinach!

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