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Steve P
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« Reply #15 on: July 10, 2011, 07:29:24 pm » |
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The internet started to go mainstream right around 1995. I don't have any numbers, but it seems like video games and satellite TV have risen greatly in popularity since the mid 1990s.
I think the number one culprit in obesity is soda. Some people even drink it to stay hydrated instead of water.
I think it's great to be careful about the kinds of food we eat. But I think the number of calories consumed, minus the number of calories burned, plays a much bigger role in weight gain than the kinds of food we eat. I recently read a news story about a nutrition professor who ate 1800 calories per day (I think) of junk food and actually lost weight and was healthier (according to BMI and other commonly used health metrics). Just an anectdote, but it was interesting to me.
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Adam R Wende
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« Reply #16 on: July 10, 2011, 07:58:15 pm » |
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If anyone has seen the movie Idiocracy, they will now how far the comment Steve just made about drinking the wrong beverage to stay hydrated could go...
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April G
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« Reply #17 on: July 12, 2011, 06:35:55 am » |
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That's interesting Steve! You are probably right on about the soda. You could easily drink thousands of calories in a day of that stuff. I've also heard that diet soda is somehow just as bad--boosts appetite for junk and people eat more when they drink it.
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Jake Krong
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« Reply #18 on: July 12, 2011, 09:26:39 am » |
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Lots of great responses on this thread.
Steve I think that are right that it kinda does all boil down to calories in vs. calories out. The problem is that most folks have no clue how quickly calories can add up in certain types of foods. It easy to polish off 1000 cals of jelly beans in about 3 minutes. Eat the same amount in fruits & veggies, and you'll be so full that you'll be sick to your stomach! I think that is where getting the balance of "good" foods really comes into play. As it was said on here before, most people tend to eat until they feel "full" and thats why fruits, vegetables, and whole grains are so important. They fill you up w/ less calories.
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Bonnie
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« Reply #19 on: July 12, 2011, 09:35:22 am » |
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Jake, just a little word of caution, you are probably better off filling up on fruit, veggies and nuts (preferably almonds/walnuts) than grains. I am not completely off of grains, but I have cut back (I have not had pasta or rice for almost a year and limit the amount of bread I eat) and I feel better and am 10 lbs lighter. Grains and carbs are just not that necessary or healthy. Grains are new to the human diet and many (read Paleo for Athletes: http://www.trainingbible.com/pdf/Paleo_for_Athletes_Cliff_Notes.pdf) believe that this genetic adaptation is what is causing a lot of autoimmune disorders, especially celiac disease. |
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April G
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« Reply #21 on: July 12, 2011, 12:38:13 pm » |
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I had to look over my shoulder and make sure nobody saw what I was reading, y'all speak blasphemy in the land of grain and cattle(Kansas). I don't think whole grains are a problem at all unless you actually have celiac disease. I think it depends heavily on your own genetics and body. I bought into the whole gluten-free rage for a while. When I tried cutting grains and dairy I gained weight, felt like crap, and got injured. Now, I know that there was a lot more involved with that than diet..but now that I am eating reasonably(1500 calories a day, anything I want but generally a good mix, including bread, red meat, and dairy), I feel phenomenal and have lost 10 pounds. I think it's the processed sugar and flour and otherwise empty calories that really get you into trouble. As best I can tell, beef, oatmeal, milk, cheese, and whole wheat bread are making me skinny...and oranges keep me regular.  |
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #22 on: July 12, 2011, 12:44:51 pm » |
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For the record I DO eat some grains...I had to add them back into my diet because I was losing weight, which for me would be bad. Mostly just oatmeal and rice though at this point. But if I ever needed to lose weight, it would be the first thing I would cut. There are many benefits to dropping wheat, not only just to celiacs. The PaleoDiet stuff goes over this in detail, and again, I'll post the Heart Scan Blog: http://www.trackyourplaque.com/blog/category/wheat |
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Jake Krong
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« Reply #23 on: July 12, 2011, 12:54:31 pm » |
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I opened a new can of worms!  Honestly, I don't really eat all that much in terms of pastas/grains. Mac & cheese is sort of a night before racing staple that I wouldn't want to get rid of, though! You see a lot of people really load up on tons of pasta type dishes. Better to balance by going heavier on veggies and lean meat. Andrea and I have really made that our staple dinner over the past year+... Steamed vegetables and lean protein source. We take the leftovers for lunch the next day. Its worked really well for us both. |
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April G
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« Reply #24 on: July 12, 2011, 02:05:38 pm » |
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Once again, really, moderation is the key. It isn't the grains that are evil, it is the amount and way in which we eat them that is the problem! As far as their "assault" on our pancreas--plenty of studies show they have a higher glycemic index, true, but a lot of this is related to the raw amount and the combination in which we eat them. Whole, unprocessed grains have a lot of nutrional value that need not be discounted. Bean and wheat combined make a complete protein, there's iron in that wheat, and this is cheaper than beef and can be bought in bulk and stored(the money issue again). Eat those grains in combination with lower glycemic index foods and in moderate amounts, and don't eat more calories than you actually need!(create a deficit and go for a run and you might lose some weight) As said earlier in this thread--a lot has to do with calories in and calories out. 300 calories of bread a day isn't going to blast your pancreas like 2000 calories of it will! I see no problem with going wheat-free if that's your cup of tea or you need to for health reasons, but no way do I hold wheat responsible for the obesity epidemic. As also brought up earlier--it has more to do with television, video games, convenience foods, and desk jobs. If we were all out plowing that field and milking them cows all day we wouldn't be so fat.
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April G
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« Reply #25 on: July 12, 2011, 02:08:19 pm » |
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Great, now I'm going to waste part of my day googling to find a website to help me out.... |
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James Moore
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« Reply #26 on: July 12, 2011, 09:45:23 pm » |
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Debating the merits of eating grains is missing the forest for the trees. I know people who just never eat "real" food at all: that is the problem.
Also, the food supply has grown far more than the average American has. If the average American weren't more active than they were 30 years ago the problem would be much worse.
The best way to change people's behaviour is with an economic incentive. End farm subsidies to raise the price of corn based products, impose a tax on the food that is killing us. Finally, allow health insurance companies to discriminate against the obese. Things would change pretty quickly I think.
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Paul Petersen
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« Reply #27 on: July 13, 2011, 06:25:51 am » |
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Debating the merits of eating grains is missing the forest for the trees. I know people who just never eat "real" food at all: that is the problem.
Also, the food supply has grown far more than the average American has. If the average American weren't more active than they were 30 years ago the problem would be much worse.
The best way to change people's behaviour is with an economic incentive. End farm subsidies to raise the price of corn based products, impose a tax on the food that is killing us. Finally, allow health insurance companies to discriminate against the obese. Things would change pretty quickly I think.
Yes, bringing this back to the original sorry (sorry for getting side-tracked on grains...) Agreed on all these comments. |
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Steve P
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« Reply #28 on: July 13, 2011, 08:23:26 am » |
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I might have already posted this on another thread, but I really enjoyed In Defense of Food http://www.amazon.com/Defense-Food-Eaters-Manifesto/dp/1594201455. I feel it is a very balanced view of the origins of the obesity epidemic. He also talks a lot about grains (including omega-3 versus omega-6), etc. |
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« Last Edit: July 13, 2011, 08:43:25 am by Steve P »
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Bonnie
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« Reply #29 on: July 13, 2011, 03:20:18 pm » |
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Yup, Michael Pollan is one smart dude ... and a great writer to boot! One of my favorite quotes from the book, paraphrased (because I dont have the book with me) is, "it is just lucky that the food that is best for us is also the best for the environment".
and amen to the end to farm subsidies ...
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