lapis
22nd June 2010, 11:56 PM
I'm glad there's a :puke icon for this one:
What should Americans eat? Experts announce 8 new food “rulesâ€
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/what-should-americans-eat-experts-announce-8-new-food-rules-1792205/
[snip]
We’ve summarized some of the experts’ main points here:
1. Eat fewer calories.
Do you have any idea how many calories you are eating? No, we guessed not. For most people it’s somewhere around 2,000 calories—to maintain their current weight. [Someday I hope the "experts" will read Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories, which shows that what kind of calories you eat (i.e., starches and grains) can cause you to gain weight even if you eat very little of them and exercise.]
2. Get more of your food from plants.
This report emphasizes eating more vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Eating vegetarian isn’t so hard, we think, when you can make delicious Black Bean Croquettes and 20 more must-try vegetarian recipes here. [Not so hard, except that it feels like I'm eating a really large side dish, which leaves me yearning for the main dish!]
3. Eat more fish.
For a while now, most health experts have been recommending that people eat two servings of fish a week to get the heart-healthy omega-3 fats they provide, but this is the first time that the advice to increase intake of seafood has been made for the population as a whole. The previous recommendation in 2005 to eat more fish was specific for the population at risk—people with heart disease to reduce their risk of mortality. [Pretty much the only good tip in whole article.]
4. Switch to low-fat dairy.
Full-fat dairy products are high in saturated fat, which has been linked with health problems, including heart disease. Choose low- or nonfat dairy to limit intake of saturated fat. Including dairy in your diet is a great way to get calcium—a bone-strengthening mineral that most of us don’t get enough of. Plus, new research suggests that replacing full-fat dairy with low-fat dairy may also help lower blood pressure. [Sounds great, except for the fact that your body NEEDS the fat in order to utilize the nutrients. In addition, Big Dairy manufacturers often add non-fat dry milk to low- and non-fat milk to give it the body that used to comes from the missing butterfat. Non-fat dry milk has traces of cholesterol that get oxidized during processing.]
5. Eat only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs.
Notice the focus on moderate amounts of lean meats—this is new. Previously the recommendation was to make choices that were lean, low-fat or fat-free. Now the recommendation takes it a step further and suggests cutting back on quantity. [Huh, isn't it weird that Americans are already eating less meat, less fat, and low-fat dairy, yet still are getting fatter and sicker? I wonder when they will wake up and realize this advice is a crock of sh$t?]
6. Reduce intake of added sugars and solid fats.
Eat fewer foods containing added sugars and solid fats (e.g., butter), which contribute calories and few, if any, nutrients. [Butter?! BUTTER?! Has no nutrients?! :imskerd: Yet not one word about trans-fats or processed vegetable oils? Words fail me.]
7. Reduce sodium and refined grains.
Their advice is to lower your consumption of sodium and refined grains (such as white breads, pasta, etc.), especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fats and sodium. [How about eliminate sodium in the form of processed salt and add good salt like Celtic Sea Salt? And how about practically eliminating refined grains, which are often combined with HFCS and one of the biggest causes of weight gain?]
8. Exercise!
Are you meeting the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which encourage all adults to do 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate-intensity or 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity or an equivalent combination? If not, the experts suggest you do. These guidelines also recommend muscle-strengthening exercises that are moderate or high intensity, and involve all major muscle groups, 2 or more days a week. [Wasn't there a news story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37736331/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/)just last week that showed that more and more Americans are exercising, and yet are STILL FAT? But never mind that, "experts."]
Sounds simple, right? Of course, Michael Pollan may have said it even more simply. His main food rule? “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.â€
This is my answer to Pollan: "I ate food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. Was still hungry."
What should Americans eat? Experts announce 8 new food “rulesâ€
http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/health/what-should-americans-eat-experts-announce-8-new-food-rules-1792205/
[snip]
We’ve summarized some of the experts’ main points here:
1. Eat fewer calories.
Do you have any idea how many calories you are eating? No, we guessed not. For most people it’s somewhere around 2,000 calories—to maintain their current weight. [Someday I hope the "experts" will read Gary Taubes' Good Calories, Bad Calories, which shows that what kind of calories you eat (i.e., starches and grains) can cause you to gain weight even if you eat very little of them and exercise.]
2. Get more of your food from plants.
This report emphasizes eating more vegetables, cooked dry beans and peas, fruits, whole grains, nuts and seeds. Eating vegetarian isn’t so hard, we think, when you can make delicious Black Bean Croquettes and 20 more must-try vegetarian recipes here. [Not so hard, except that it feels like I'm eating a really large side dish, which leaves me yearning for the main dish!]
3. Eat more fish.
For a while now, most health experts have been recommending that people eat two servings of fish a week to get the heart-healthy omega-3 fats they provide, but this is the first time that the advice to increase intake of seafood has been made for the population as a whole. The previous recommendation in 2005 to eat more fish was specific for the population at risk—people with heart disease to reduce their risk of mortality. [Pretty much the only good tip in whole article.]
4. Switch to low-fat dairy.
Full-fat dairy products are high in saturated fat, which has been linked with health problems, including heart disease. Choose low- or nonfat dairy to limit intake of saturated fat. Including dairy in your diet is a great way to get calcium—a bone-strengthening mineral that most of us don’t get enough of. Plus, new research suggests that replacing full-fat dairy with low-fat dairy may also help lower blood pressure. [Sounds great, except for the fact that your body NEEDS the fat in order to utilize the nutrients. In addition, Big Dairy manufacturers often add non-fat dry milk to low- and non-fat milk to give it the body that used to comes from the missing butterfat. Non-fat dry milk has traces of cholesterol that get oxidized during processing.]
5. Eat only moderate amounts of lean meats, poultry and eggs.
Notice the focus on moderate amounts of lean meats—this is new. Previously the recommendation was to make choices that were lean, low-fat or fat-free. Now the recommendation takes it a step further and suggests cutting back on quantity. [Huh, isn't it weird that Americans are already eating less meat, less fat, and low-fat dairy, yet still are getting fatter and sicker? I wonder when they will wake up and realize this advice is a crock of sh$t?]
6. Reduce intake of added sugars and solid fats.
Eat fewer foods containing added sugars and solid fats (e.g., butter), which contribute calories and few, if any, nutrients. [Butter?! BUTTER?! Has no nutrients?! :imskerd: Yet not one word about trans-fats or processed vegetable oils? Words fail me.]
7. Reduce sodium and refined grains.
Their advice is to lower your consumption of sodium and refined grains (such as white breads, pasta, etc.), especially refined grains that are coupled with added sugar, solid fats and sodium. [How about eliminate sodium in the form of processed salt and add good salt like Celtic Sea Salt? And how about practically eliminating refined grains, which are often combined with HFCS and one of the biggest causes of weight gain?]
8. Exercise!
Are you meeting the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, which encourage all adults to do 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate-intensity or 1 1/4 hours (75 minutes) a week of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity or an equivalent combination? If not, the experts suggest you do. These guidelines also recommend muscle-strengthening exercises that are moderate or high intensity, and involve all major muscle groups, 2 or more days a week. [Wasn't there a news story (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37736331/ns/health-diet_and_nutrition/)just last week that showed that more and more Americans are exercising, and yet are STILL FAT? But never mind that, "experts."]
Sounds simple, right? Of course, Michael Pollan may have said it even more simply. His main food rule? “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.â€
This is my answer to Pollan: "I ate food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. Was still hungry."