I watched the documentary "Fat Head" ....

[me&thegals]

it would be nice if other ways of eating were acknowledged and accepted also.

It's called the mainstream media and you already have pretty much all of it. How much more acknowledged do you need to be?

Remember, I lived the other ways for 43 years.

Of course, I'm talking about this forum. I have no say in mainstream media.

Whenever diet comes up in this forum, most of the conversation is pushing for low-carb eating. Other opinions are shot down as unresearched, implausible, unsafe and ill informed.

When I look at my friends, family and acquaintances, what I notice is that people who eat whole foods and exercise are healthy, people who eat processed crap and don't exercise are not. They ALL eat carbs, and way more than are being advocated here.

The other thing I notice is portion size. The unhealthy people tend to have quite large portion sizes. The healthier folks either have large portions to match large energy expenditures or have small portion sizes to match lower expenditures.

I definitely agree with PROCESSED carbs, but there's no way you're going to convince me that a white-bread bun is the same as whole-grain bread. It's like claiming that McDonald's orange drink is no better than a whole orange. I'm just not buying it.

 

[me&thegals]

I also don't like the "you versus us" mentality. It's ridiculous. We're talking about food, people. What--will this be the latest topic banned on SS?

 

[Wifezilla]

Gee..why would I talk about low carb in a thread about a documentary that features low carb information?

 

[Dace]

Me&........ok, I will give you that those of us who are low carbing it do talk a lot on the forum. And we are passionate about our beliefs and in general we do believe that our way of eating is better. Yes, you are correct on all counts! Most people we know in our real lives do not share our views (at least this is my assumption) so to be able to share this common view is fun for us.

The interesting things is that we all thought the same as you. At some point and for different reasons we came to realize that there is something real here. For most of us something that has been a struggle, moods, digestion, illness, whatever....and we have corrected it by eliminating carbs to some degree. Some of us more than others. So when you come to realize that what you have been shown your whole life as being healthy is not really, well, I guess you get excited about it.

I am sorry if we have over run the forum with our low carb chatter. I do respect the views of others and try not to be pushy about my beliefs, but it is hard because I feel a world of difference better and I find it exciting.

I hope that we can continue to share ideas and opinions with out offending opposing views.

 

[me&thegals]

Dace, I always appreciate your efforts to be a peacemaker. I really do. Enthusiasm is great and I totally get excited about things that work for me. OTOH, and this is not aimed at anyone specifically, I also see that I begin to annoy people when I talk so much about it that their way of living may start to feel invalid.

WZ, of COURSE I'm not suggesting you don't talk about low carb on a thread about a low-carb documentary. Did I ever say that? I'm simply suggesting that not every other type of eating get shot down. It doesn't seem to matter WHAT thread food comes up in, if someone posts a recipe for breakfast cereal (whole grain), it's pointed out how it's like eating pure sugar. If someone talks about growing sweet corn, it's pointed out how bad it is for you. And so on....

I guess what I'm suggesting is that as happy as I am for those of you getting better health through low-carb eating, fermenting, or increased fruits and veggies in your diets, you show the same amount of consideration for others choosing different ways of eating.

Personally, I have NEVER said this because I don't want to offend you all, but the thought of so much animal fat and meat is appalling to me on many levels. There: Now I've said it. So, how much would you appreciate it if I continued to say it every single time you posted something referencing a diet that includes a lot of animal fat and meat? I won't. It would be offensive and give the idea that only I know what is best for us all to be eating.

Oh, geez. I'll probably regret this post, but I'm just trying to help you understand how some people on this forum may not be posting about food at all, or frustrated in posting about it, because they feel squashed (low-carb squash, of course ) when they do. Kinda reminds me of the political threads from time to time.

 

[FarmerChick]

great post me&thegals!

 

[Wifezilla]

The real problem with the food threads are the random HEALTH CLAIMS. How many times have people said they are doing xyz because it is healthier? Is it wrong to point out the science that says it isn't?

Ironically, one of the points of the documentary this thread was started about is that what you think is healthy because it was on tv, or in a magazine or newspaper, really isn't.

Tom Naughton documents his sources. So do I.

 

[Dace]

Me&....

 

[me&thegals]

The real problem with the food threads are the random HEALTH CLAIMS. How many times have people said they are doing xyz because it is healthier? Is it wrong to point out the science that says it isn't?

Ironically, one of the points of the documentary this thread was started about is that what you think is healthy because it was on tv, or in a magazine or newspaper, really isn't.

Tom Naughton documents his sources. So do I.

Well, we all know we can find studies and science to document anything we believe.

Maybe it would be helpful if instead of saying "carbs are toxic" or "whole grains are equivalent to white sugar", for example, we kept our statements more low key.

I might say, "I personally believe organic foods to be better for me and the environment" and possibly even footnote that with a study.

For every study you bring up that shows all grains are toxic, I can find one that says they aren't. Of course, we would just get into a battle on whose sources are more accurate. To me, it is a rude, pointless waste of time.

It's all great and fine to bring up ways of eating and the sources that lead you to believe this is the best way of eating. I guess I dove into this argument because I felt badly for FC and just wanted to point out that other people eat other ways that THEY have researched, that make them feel healthy and that they feel are just as valid.

Now I personally plan to cut WAY back on carbs this year. I definitely eat too much sugar and the holiday food is not doing me any good, so processed sugar is in my target for 2010.


Dace, here's one back at you

 

[bibliophile birds]

Yep, it is rare that a person who eats the way we do is overweight. It is the donuts, danish, packaged cereals for breakfast with a big glass of juice and coffee with sugar and those horrid flavored "creamers"......and that is just breakfast! It is downhill from there for the rest of the day.

i'm sure the intention of that statement wasn't to suggest that all people with weight issues gargle with HFCS and raid the donut shop every chance they get, but it was quite reductionist.

i've struggled with weight my entire life. i was on my first "diet" by the time i was 10. i have never in my life been a "typical fat person" if the popular images of fat people are as so many like to believe. i've always been active, i spent my childhood running around a farm, not vegging in front of the tv. i hate chocolate and chips and candy bars. i crave oreos and donuts about once a year and then i remember that they are gross.

i have been through every single diet program my overly-concerned Mother could find. at 12 i was taking a diet course at the local hospital. by 14 i had tried WW and some ridiculous church-based diet program. i had doctors telling me i wasn't loosing weight because i was still eating too much when i was almost starving myself. yes, i even went low carb. i did low carb, low fat and low carb, all meat and low carb, no meat. i was a vegetarian for 4 years.

the point to all this is that weight, or health, is not actually as simple as "eat this and be active." there are so many more things that can, and do, complicate that. i have severe hypothyroidism. unlike most, i produce plenty of hormone but i can't absorb it. this is almost impossible to medicate. i eat less, and better, than almost anyone i know and i'm still heavy.

i eat whole foods, i love vegetables, but i have come to a place in my life where i had to be honest with myself about "dieting." it doesn't work for me. and i am tired of being miserable worrying about how many grams of something i've eaten. i like bread and pasta, i just do. i like sweet tea (with real sugar or honey)... i'm from the South. i eat what i like, which just happens to be whole foods that are good for me (well, obviously the carbs are contentious). my doctors are always amazed that someone my size (5'5" and 240 lbs, technically obese) has perfect blood pressure, perfect cholesterol, no signs of diabetes, and is, in general, healthy as can be (minus the hypothyroid and what comes with that, like my hair falling out). even though i'm healthy, they keep trying to "fix" me, because fat is not acceptable in this society, no matter how many of us there are.

for the first time in my life, i don't feel bad about myself for making the choices that i've known all along are right for me. i'm perhaps not as active as i should be, you aren't going to find me out for a run, because it does take a lot of extra effort to carry around this extra weight. but it didn't stop me from climbing a mountain covered in snow or hiking a glacier or bungee jumping or scuba diving or working this farm.

i know what works for me and what i am willing to go without. i'm also really glad that other people have found something that works for them. if i've learned nothing else through all this, i've at least learned that you can't listen to the "experts," you've got to listen to yourself. but we also have to remember that what works for us might not be the answer for someone else. we can share our information, but to tell others that they are a "ticking time bomb" is to become the people that we all hate: the "experts" who are completely blind to anyone else.