Are unhealthy diets making the pandemic worse?

emgracewrites wrote: »

I feel like all of the studies you posted as proof don’t really prove anything. There are just too many other factors. Case in point: I don’t have the best diet in the world, but I wear a mask / wash hands frequently / got vaccinated and have not gotten the virus in the two years this pandemic has been going on (knock on wood).

That's a personal anecdote, not data. You also didn't mention your weight. If you're thin and under age 50 (and have no other serious illnesses), you have a very low risk of dying of COVID, whether you eat a super healthy diet or not. I love how some people are like "FOLLOW THE SCIENCE!" but then when the science tells them something they don't want to hear they say "I FEEL the studies don't prove anything." Oh ok it must be true because you FEEL it, because that's how research works.

Also, not everyone can afford the time/money needed to maintain a super healthy diet. Example: I know buying fresh vegetables all the time would be healthier, but if my plans change and I don’t end up cooking them when I think I’m going to, I end up throwing them out because they go bad. Frozen or canned vegetables are better for me because of the shelf life and I’m more likely to eat them because it’s less effort to prepare.

Frozen vegetables are actually more nutritious than fresh because they are flash frozen right after harvesting. There's so many free resources online about how to eat healthy and fast meals on a budget. And even if someone can't eat a super clean diet of all healthy foods (which realistically, even most thin and fit people don't do that all the time), they can still eat LESS if they need to lose weight. I think anyone who says they can't afford to eat healthy and not overeat, is making excuses.

emgracewrites wrote: »

siberiantarragon wrote: »

emgracewrites wrote: »

I feel like all of the studies you posted as proof don’t really prove anything. There are just too many other factors. Case in point: I don’t have the best diet in the world, but I wear a mask / wash hands frequently / got vaccinated and have not gotten the virus in the two years this pandemic has been going on (knock on wood).

That's a personal anecdote, not data. You also didn't mention your weight. If you're thin and under age 50 (and have no other serious illnesses), you have a very low risk of dying of COVID, whether you eat a super healthy diet or not. I love how some people are like "FOLLOW THE SCIENCE!" but then when the science tells them something they don't want to hear they say "I FEEL the studies don't prove anything." Oh ok it must be true because you FEEL it, because that's how research works.

Also, not everyone can afford the time/money needed to maintain a super healthy diet. Example: I know buying fresh vegetables all the time would be healthier, but if my plans change and I don’t end up cooking them when I think I’m going to, I end up throwing them out because they go bad. Frozen or canned vegetables are better for me because of the shelf life and I’m more likely to eat them because it’s less effort to prepare.

Frozen vegetables are actually more nutritious than fresh because they are flash frozen right after harvesting. There's so many free resources online about how to eat healthy and fast meals on a budget. And even if someone can't eat a super clean diet of all healthy foods (which realistically, even most thin and fit people don't do that all the time), they can still eat LESS if they need to lose weight. I think anyone who says they can't afford to eat healthy and not overeat, is making excuses.

At least I feel better about not eating fresh veggies now. And just by the way, I’m underweight as opposed to overweight. I don’t know what effect that has on my COVID risk because - as previously stated -the studies quoted are not scientifically sound, at least not from my interpretation of the articles. Maybe I’m wrong though 🤷‍♀️

And I’m not making excuses by saying healthy food is generally more expensive than unhealthy, processed food - I’m on this app because I’m trying to make changes and improve my eating habits. If you could point me in the direction of some of those resources you mentioned that would be great.

MFP has started this discussion recently:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10867163/share-your-tips-for-staying-healthy-on-a-budget#latest

You'll also find many other threads in the Food and Nutrition section from the past, where people ask about healthy eating on a budget, or in Recipes about budget-friendly healthy foods. Here's one example:

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10863108/eating-on-a-budget/p1

There are also relevant articles in MFP's blogs:

https://blog.myfitnesspal.com/search/?keyword=budget

Web search or Pinterest search will get you various web sites that focus on that topic, too. Some of the threads here will recommend specific sites on the web, sometimes, too.

peggy_polenta wrote: »

OP, all your posts are pretty sus to me . they are all about the same thing and a bit obsessive. then you never come back to follow up or comment on peoples responses...just keep posting the same thing in new threads using different words. you are also pretty new here and have indicated that you don't use this app as intended and use a different app. sometimes stating that you won'd name that app..then creating new posts talking about that app. are you a BOT? or what is your motivation behind all your suspect posts if you are not?

S/he did mention the app here, said s/he had been dinged by MFP for mentioning an MFP competitor.

It's an app that quite a few other people here have mentioned in the past (including me, even though I don't use it). It's more detailed about tracking micros, but I believe the database is less extensive (not crowd-sourced). I don't think this user is flogging it, I think just using it, liking it, and thinking (as part of an obvious overall thought pattern) that it's good to be very, very nutrition conscious.

Doesn't matter, though, s/he seems to have deleted their MFP account (or at least renamed it). I agree that s/he kept repeating the same themes in multiple threads. I guess people do when they're passionate about something? 🤷‍♀️