08-18-2013, 04:25 AM
mattkime, don't misunderstand, I'm not looking for some food fad to follow.
My questions are legitimate. I used to weight 220, now I weight 180, I like being thinner, so this stuff interests me.
You're right, people do get a lot of weird ideas about food and diet. Like drinking lots of orange juice, eating a lot of grains, exercising, and wondering why they are still overweight. Some of these weird ideas were actively promoted by the FDA, for years.
Pushing grain (the now-debunked food pyramid) in what we later learned are unbalanced amounts. Some of the weirdest and most unhealthy ideas came from trusted officials and food experts. Overestimating the risks of oils and fats, and underestimating the risks associated with carbohydrates and sugars.
And even though it's been discredited as a useful way to measure, 'calories' are still how many experts and dieters continue to evaluate food.
As if the human body is a test tube (burning food and measuring 'energy output" with a calorimeter, an early industrial-age measuring concept) or a steam-powered engine that observes the laws of thermodynamics. Instead of biological creatures, responding organically, programmed by evolution and survival to store body fat in anticipation of scarcity.
Endocrinologists, biologists, and immunologists have learned a lot more about diet and health since then, particularly the role of insulin, blood sugar levels, obesity, and diabetes. Some of us are heavy simply because we overeat. Abundance is something we're not that well designed for. Others, by what, and how they eat.
Yet the old "calories in, calories out" food 'burning' calorimeter concept is still an enduring idea that's simple, elegant, and--as our understanding improves--incorrect.
One doesn't need to embrace specific diet techniques or food fads to get the general idea "too much wheat" (or refined grains and sugars in general) are known contributors to obesity. And health problems, for some people.
There are books out there about gluten, one is called "Wheat Belly", I think. I'm not sure I'm keen enough to read it, but I'm hoping someone here has explored the subject more than I have, and has some insights to share.
My questions are legitimate. I used to weight 220, now I weight 180, I like being thinner, so this stuff interests me.
You're right, people do get a lot of weird ideas about food and diet. Like drinking lots of orange juice, eating a lot of grains, exercising, and wondering why they are still overweight. Some of these weird ideas were actively promoted by the FDA, for years.
Pushing grain (the now-debunked food pyramid) in what we later learned are unbalanced amounts. Some of the weirdest and most unhealthy ideas came from trusted officials and food experts. Overestimating the risks of oils and fats, and underestimating the risks associated with carbohydrates and sugars.
And even though it's been discredited as a useful way to measure, 'calories' are still how many experts and dieters continue to evaluate food.
As if the human body is a test tube (burning food and measuring 'energy output" with a calorimeter, an early industrial-age measuring concept) or a steam-powered engine that observes the laws of thermodynamics. Instead of biological creatures, responding organically, programmed by evolution and survival to store body fat in anticipation of scarcity.
Endocrinologists, biologists, and immunologists have learned a lot more about diet and health since then, particularly the role of insulin, blood sugar levels, obesity, and diabetes. Some of us are heavy simply because we overeat. Abundance is something we're not that well designed for. Others, by what, and how they eat.
Yet the old "calories in, calories out" food 'burning' calorimeter concept is still an enduring idea that's simple, elegant, and--as our understanding improves--incorrect.
One doesn't need to embrace specific diet techniques or food fads to get the general idea "too much wheat" (or refined grains and sugars in general) are known contributors to obesity. And health problems, for some people.
There are books out there about gluten, one is called "Wheat Belly", I think. I'm not sure I'm keen enough to read it, but I'm hoping someone here has explored the subject more than I have, and has some insights to share.