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Is anything really good for you anymore?
greg_87
Posts: 8 Member
in Debate Club
Let me begin with some background. I'm completely new to "eating healthy", and have decided to try meal prepping. I started with some ground rules. Not to list them all, but some rules were 1. Food had to be relatively cheap, easy to get. 2. I had to like it. I'm not a huge fan of seafood. Mostly because I don't like the fishy taste. So decided to go with Tilapia. I heard so many great benefits. "it's the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the sea". Never tried it before, so I only bought a few to try. I Made it along with some rice, and really loved it. No fishy taste. Thinking "ok, I can do this". Cheap, and easy to get.
My wife is doing the same diet as me. She takes some to work for lunch. A co-worker sees her eating the fish, and that's when it begins. "are you eating Tilapia"? "you know they are raised on poop"? "your better off eating a pound of bacon, then eating that". "Tilapia causes cancer". You get it. She comes home, and tells me all of this. Now normally. I wouldn't pay it much attention. However. The guys she works with are physically fit. Some of them live in the gym, and have great eating habits. Great group of people. The kind of people you'd want advice from when it comes to diet and fitness. So it was a huge buzz kill for me.
So like anyone that's new to this would do. I consulted with google. There are tons of articles about how unhealthy Tilapia is. Almost equal to the amount of articles on how healthy it is. So I began digging into other things. Almost everything I look up, be it tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, whatever. It all has at least some articles explaining how its bad for you. So....
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
My wife is doing the same diet as me. She takes some to work for lunch. A co-worker sees her eating the fish, and that's when it begins. "are you eating Tilapia"? "you know they are raised on poop"? "your better off eating a pound of bacon, then eating that". "Tilapia causes cancer". You get it. She comes home, and tells me all of this. Now normally. I wouldn't pay it much attention. However. The guys she works with are physically fit. Some of them live in the gym, and have great eating habits. Great group of people. The kind of people you'd want advice from when it comes to diet and fitness. So it was a huge buzz kill for me.
So like anyone that's new to this would do. I consulted with google. There are tons of articles about how unhealthy Tilapia is. Almost equal to the amount of articles on how healthy it is. So I began digging into other things. Almost everything I look up, be it tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, whatever. It all has at least some articles explaining how its bad for you. So....
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
12
Replies
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Eat a variety of foods. No food on its own is inherently healthy/unhealthy. It's about context and dosage. Too much of anything is bad for you.
If you aren't on any medical restrictions and don't have food allergies, I'd say that the only thing you probably want to put in an effort to avoid is transfats (and most food manufacturers are reducing those anyway).19 -
1 Is anything good for you anymore?
2 Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
3 How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
4 Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
1. I think water is still supposed to be good for you. And current trends indicate protein is the most amazeballs macro that ever did exist! (sarcasm, hopefully you got that)
2. yeah, I just ignore most of what people are saying
3. if I can find science that backs it up, then I roll with it. If it is from a source that is designed to sell (magazines, products/coaches) or rack up views (youtube channels, IG, blogs) then I largely discount it.
4. That's up to you? Sometimes I look and think, sometimes I don't.8 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »Eat a variety of foods. No food on its own is inherently healthy/unhealthy. It's about context and dosage. Too much of anything is bad for you.
If you aren't on any medical restrictions and don't have food allergies, I'd say that the only thing you probably want to put in an effort to avoid is transfats (and most food manufacturers are reducing those anyway).
This!7 -
Her coworkers don't sound like people I would take diet advice from. Get your information from peer-reviewed science, and credible organizations and individuals that fairly and objectively interpret the science. Not from Internet blogs and Dr. Diet Guru books that are selling an agenda and cherry-pick scientific references while ignoring facts that don't fit their talking points.
https://www.fda.gov/newsevents/newsroom/pressannouncements/ucm537362.htm
https://www.epa.gov/fish-tech/2017-epa-fda-advice-about-eating-fish-and-shellfish
https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/tilapia-consumption/
10 -
Everything in moderation in my opinion. :-) I have never heard this about Tilapia before?! And I am a real foodie! Try and experiment with some different fish, not all have a fishy taste or smell and lots have different textures similar to that of meat. Go with the flow, do what works for you, not what works for someone else. I applaud you for taking the steps towards a healthier lifestyle change!7
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There is one thing I found to be good for me: smiling and nodding then doing my own thing.
- X causes Y is almost never accurate, and is completely wrong in the case of tilapia.
- "Raised on poop" is clearly said for shock value, like "pus in milk". If you think about it logically, sausage is stuffed into where poop used to be, birds eat insect sometimes (does that mean you're eating insects?), and I'm sure you realize where eggs come out of. While some Asian tilapia farms have questionable practices, even if you don't take care to buy non-imported tilapia and even if you happen to purchase one that was raised in these conditions (although very unlikely since there are many import rejections), "raised on poop" means little as a specific condition, just that it's more likely to be contaminated with unpleasant germs, which many things that are poorly handled can be but we don't immediately go "poop" and "eww" when we hear "lettuce".
- Just because someone looks a certain way does not mean everything they say or believe is true. There is no relation between being able to pick up a barbell and being able to provide scientifically sound comments.
ETA: in case it isn't clear, enjoy your tilapia, but it's better if you know the source.
22 -
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
For me, it's all about considering the source. When I hear someone say this, that, or the other thing is good/bad/healthy/whatever, I consider who is saying it. Specifically, I consider why I think they know it. Is it likely they read it on FB? Did they hear it on daytime TV or see it on a magazine cover? Is it likely they did some research or are well-read on the topic? Is it coming from first hand experience?
That is how I decide how much credence to give to any advice I receive. Whether it's in the break room at work or here on MFP or anywhere else.5 -
Thank you all!! Great advice. and interesting points.0
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I think anything can be bad for you if you look hard enough. A healthy diet includes a variety of things. Eating only broccoli would be bad for you too.7
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Don’t eat anything that hasn’t passed FDA approval. Take a healthy dose of skepticism daily. Buy relatively cheap foods that you like.
Happily eat your Tilapia.
Opinions are cheap these days. Skepticism is the cure.10 -
I remember when green smoothies first became the "it" thing, and people were shoving whole bins of spinach into the blender twice a day. Then they started getting stones, and someone published a shocking expose that spinach has oxalates, and if you drink 100 metric tons of pulverized spinach every day, it can be bad for you. Which led to a lot of people misunderstanding and deciding that spinach wasn't really good for you and should be avoided. They moved on to kale. I think they are eating spinach again, and have moved on to other evils.
If you believe everything you read, then yes, everything is bad for you. If you use common sense, eat a varied diet, and learn how to vet sources, taking care of yourself gets a heck of a lot easier! The average person on the street isn't critically thinking, they are just hearing and parroting the headlines and sound bytes. Ignore the noise
20 -
I remember when green smoothies first became the "it" thing, and people were shoving whole bins of spinach into the blender twice a day. Then they started getting stones, and someone published a shocking expose that spinach has oxalates, and if you drink 100 metric tons of pulverized spinach every day, it can be bad for you. Which led to a lot of people misunderstanding and deciding that spinach wasn't really good for you and should be avoided. They moved on to kale. I think they are eating spinach again, and have moved on to other evils.
If you believe everything you read, then yes, everything is bad for you. If you use common sense, eat a varied diet, and learn how to vet sources, taking care of yourself gets a heck of a lot easier! The average person on the street isn't critically thinking, they are just hearing and parroting the headlines and sound bytes. Ignore the noise
Omg my mother (who smokes a pack a day along with probably 8 shots of rye) told me I shouldn't eat so much spinach because she "read" it had something bad in it. I eat a lot of spinach. I think I will survive.
(I also heard the talapia "poop" thing though. I get easily grossed out so I can't eat talapia now. It is visceral not logical.)5 -
estherdragonbat wrote: »Eat a variety of foods. No food on its own is inherently healthy/unhealthy. It's about context and dosage. Too much of anything is bad for you.
If you aren't on any medical restrictions and don't have food allergies, I'd say that the only thing you probably want to put in an effort to avoid is transfats (and most food manufacturers are reducing those anyway).
Nailed it.
Everything in moderation. Anyone stating otherwise is selling you something you don't need.4 -
Just because someone is physically fit doesn't mean they know anything about nutrition. There are tons of gym bros who just spout off the latest bro science without actually knowing anything.
IMO, nutrition is pretty straight forward common sense...eat a varied and balanced diet consisting of lots of whole foods.
As far as tilapia goes, I'm personally not a fan...something with the texture, and I'm not a fan of farmed fish anyways. Tilapia also doesn't offer much in the way of Omega 3 which is what people are really getting at when they talk about the benefits of eating more fish. It is a lean source of protein and relatively low calorie though.
I eat mostly salmon and mahi and tuna and cod if I want a flaky white fish.5 -
cwolfman13 wrote: »Just because someone is physically fit doesn't mean they know anything about nutrition. There are tons of gym bros who just spout off the latest bro science without actually knowing anything.
IMO, nutrition is pretty straight forward common sense...eat a varied and balanced diet consisting of lots of whole foods.
As far as tilapia goes, I'm personally not a fan...something with the texture, and I'm not a fan of farmed fish anyways. Tilapia also doesn't offer much in the way of Omega 3 which is what people are really getting at when they talk about the benefits of eating more fish. It is a lean source of protein and relatively low calorie though.
I eat mostly salmon and mahi and tuna and cod if I want a flaky white fish.
I've had Mahi at a restaurant before. It was very good. Never cooked it myself. I'm going to have to give that a try.0 -
Some words of wisdom about moderation:
"Poison is in everything, and no thing is without poison. The dosage makes it either a poison or a remedy."
-Paracelsus
I think most people have a liver & kidneys for transformation ("detox" - hate this word) & elimination9 -
One thing about food is that it's made of biological substances, and almost any biological substance can be gross is you choose to look at it that way.Let me begin with some background. I'm completely new to "eating healthy", and have decided to try meal prepping. I started with some ground rules. Not to list them all, but some rules were 1. Food had to be relatively cheap, easy to get. 2. I had to like it. I'm not a huge fan of seafood. Mostly because I don't like the fishy taste. So decided to go with Tilapia. I heard so many great benefits. "it's the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the sea". Never tried it before, so I only bought a few to try. I Made it along with some rice, and really loved it. No fishy taste. Thinking "ok, I can do this". Cheap, and easy to get.
My wife is doing the same diet as me. She takes some to work for lunch. A co-worker sees her eating the fish, and that's when it begins. "are you eating Tilapia"? "you know they are raised on poop"? "your better off eating a pound of bacon, then eating that". "Tilapia causes cancer". You get it. She comes home, and tells me all of this. Now normally. I wouldn't pay it much attention. However. The guys she works with are physically fit. Some of them live in the gym, and have great eating habits. Great group of people. The kind of people you'd want advice from when it comes to diet and fitness. So it was a huge buzz kill for me.
So like anyone that's new to this would do. I consulted with google. There are tons of articles about how unhealthy Tilapia is. Almost equal to the amount of articles on how healthy it is. So I began digging into other things. Almost everything I look up, be it tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, whatever. It all has at least some articles explaining how its bad for you. So....
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
- Honey is bee vomit
- Yogurt is what bacteria leave behind after digesting milk
- Milk is a mammalian glandular secretion
- Meat is, well, you know where meat comes from
- Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that feed on decaying matter
- Eggs are the unfertilized ova of chickens (unless you pay extra for the fertilized ones)
- Fruits are the fertilized ova of trees and bushes
- Grains are the fertilized ova of grasses
- Leafy vegetables are effectively the stomachs of the plants
(fwiw, I cheerfully eat all of the above)
And almost everything grows in poop (and other decaying organic matter), feeds on something that grows in poop, or feeds on something that feeds on something that grows in poop. If you're not going to eat anything capable of grossing you out when viewed from the right perspective, you'll likely starve.
26 -
Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
One thing about food is that it's made of biological substances, and almost any biological substance can be gross is you choose to look at it that way.Let me begin with some background. I'm completely new to "eating healthy", and have decided to try meal prepping. I started with some ground rules. Not to list them all, but some rules were 1. Food had to be relatively cheap, easy to get. 2. I had to like it. I'm not a huge fan of seafood. Mostly because I don't like the fishy taste. So decided to go with Tilapia. I heard so many great benefits. "it's the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the sea". Never tried it before, so I only bought a few to try. I Made it along with some rice, and really loved it. No fishy taste. Thinking "ok, I can do this". Cheap, and easy to get.
My wife is doing the same diet as me. She takes some to work for lunch. A co-worker sees her eating the fish, and that's when it begins. "are you eating Tilapia"? "you know they are raised on poop"? "your better off eating a pound of bacon, then eating that". "Tilapia causes cancer". You get it. She comes home, and tells me all of this. Now normally. I wouldn't pay it much attention. However. The guys she works with are physically fit. Some of them live in the gym, and have great eating habits. Great group of people. The kind of people you'd want advice from when it comes to diet and fitness. So it was a huge buzz kill for me.
So like anyone that's new to this would do. I consulted with google. There are tons of articles about how unhealthy Tilapia is. Almost equal to the amount of articles on how healthy it is. So I began digging into other things. Almost everything I look up, be it tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, whatever. It all has at least some articles explaining how its bad for you. So....
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
- Honey is bee vomit
- Yogurt is what bacteria leave behind after digesting milk
- Milk is a mammalian glandular secretion
- Meat is, well, you know where meat comes from
- Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that feed on decaying matter
- Eggs are the unfertilized ova of chickens (unless you pay extra for the fertilized ones)
- Fruits are the fertilized ova of trees and bushes
- Grains are the fertilized ova of grasses
- Leafy vegetables are effectively the stomachs of the plants
(fwiw, I cheerfully eat all of the above)
And almost everything grows in poop (and other decaying organic matter), feeds on something that grows in poop, or feeds on something that feeds on something that grows in poop. If you're not going to eat anything capable of grossing you out when viewed from the right perspective, you'll likely starve.
Well said. Your post put me in mind of this:
26 -
My husbands friends told him the same exact thing about the tilapia,now he avoids it yet eats catfish which is another with a bad reputation but I guess that doesn't bother him,,interesting thread thanks for all the great posts 2
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A line stolen from a long-ago sitcom referred to meat as "the flesh of murdered animals." That's what I always want to say when asked about my dietary preferences re vegetarianism and veganism: "I like to eat the flesh of murdered animals."Evelyn_Gorfram wrote: »
One thing about food is that it's made of biological substances, and almost any biological substance can be gross is you choose to look at it that way.Let me begin with some background. I'm completely new to "eating healthy", and have decided to try meal prepping. I started with some ground rules. Not to list them all, but some rules were 1. Food had to be relatively cheap, easy to get. 2. I had to like it. I'm not a huge fan of seafood. Mostly because I don't like the fishy taste. So decided to go with Tilapia. I heard so many great benefits. "it's the boneless, skinless chicken breast of the sea". Never tried it before, so I only bought a few to try. I Made it along with some rice, and really loved it. No fishy taste. Thinking "ok, I can do this". Cheap, and easy to get.
My wife is doing the same diet as me. She takes some to work for lunch. A co-worker sees her eating the fish, and that's when it begins. "are you eating Tilapia"? "you know they are raised on poop"? "your better off eating a pound of bacon, then eating that". "Tilapia causes cancer". You get it. She comes home, and tells me all of this. Now normally. I wouldn't pay it much attention. However. The guys she works with are physically fit. Some of them live in the gym, and have great eating habits. Great group of people. The kind of people you'd want advice from when it comes to diet and fitness. So it was a huge buzz kill for me.
So like anyone that's new to this would do. I consulted with google. There are tons of articles about how unhealthy Tilapia is. Almost equal to the amount of articles on how healthy it is. So I began digging into other things. Almost everything I look up, be it tomatoes, lettuce, chicken, whatever. It all has at least some articles explaining how its bad for you. So....
Is anything good for you anymore?
Do I just ignore what some people are saying?
How do you filter out facts about food, from all the other nonsense?
Do I have to perform an in depth investigation before I eat anything?
- Honey is bee vomit
- Yogurt is what bacteria leave behind after digesting milk
- Milk is a mammalian glandular secretion
- Meat is, well, you know where meat comes from
- Mushrooms are the fruiting bodies of fungi that feed on decaying matter
- Eggs are the unfertilized ova of chickens (unless you pay extra for the fertilized ones)
- Fruits are the fertilized ova of trees and bushes
- Grains are the fertilized ova of grasses
- Leafy vegetables are effectively the stomachs of the plants
(fwiw, I cheerfully eat all of the above)
And almost everything grows in poop (and other decaying organic matter), feeds on something that grows in poop, or feeds on something that feeds on something that grows in poop. If you're not going to eat anything capable of grossing you out when viewed from the right perspective, you'll likely starve.
Well said. Your post put me in mind of this:
9 -
I figure if I mostly eat a well-rounded assortment of evolution-tested foods humans have eaten for centuries/millennia and thrived (long enough to breed, at least), I'm probably gonna be OK. The human organism is very adaptable, food-wise: It's part of our success story.
Much beyond that, I figure I'm overthinking it, and creating unnecessary stress. Sometimes overthinking is fun, but too much stress is unhealthful.
Yup, it's still about balance. 8 -
Between weird fads, scare tactics, and people that don't know that correlational studies are not proof, and just complete BS... So far I've narrowed down things that don't cause cancer or heart disease to the following:
18 -
I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄4
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Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
There really isn't much meat on a red squirrel (the North American ones). Gray squirrels and even fox squirrels are better for eating. (Really.) See, I can squirrel-shame with the best of them!8 -
Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
There really isn't much meat on a red squirrel (the North American ones). Gray squirrels and even fox squirrels are better for eating. (Really.) See, I can squirrel-shame with the best of them!
Grey squirrel was my staple meat going to college in the fall. Pretty sure I got accepted into medical school by swapping recipes with one of my interviewers. Has a wonderful taste if you cure the meat days in advance in brine.
I concur - the reds have a much gamier taste. Grey privilege is real.8 -
Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
Nothing wrong with red meat; it's green meat that should be avoided.13 -
Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
Nothing wrong with red meat; it's green meat that should be avoided.
Even in a house, with a mouse?8 -
amusedmonkey wrote: »Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
Nothing wrong with red meat; it's green meat that should be avoided.
Even in a house, with a mouse?
That was eggs. 1 -
The ham was also green, though.2
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amusedmonkey wrote: »Millicent3015 wrote: »I think the people who've eaten tilapia for countless generations are the best people to speak to about tilapia. It's a fine fish, very popular where I live. Your OH's coworkers are probably paying too much attention to the latest foodshaming fad. Next week it'll be "don't eat any red squirrels! Red meat is bad!" 🙄
Nothing wrong with red meat; it's green meat that should be avoided.
Even in a house, with a mouse?
That was eggs.
I always found it ambiguous. As a kid, I spent hours wondering about this.clicketykeys wrote: »The ham was also green, though.
4
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