# Nutritionism. It is bad for you?



## Warrigal (Jul 13, 2014)

My auntie always said that the best approach to food was to eat a bit of everything. 
I've always agreed with her on that subject.

IMO we worry too much about what we eat. Read this article and share your thoughts.



> 7 July 2014.
> *Health Check: eat food, not (blockbuster) nutrients*
> 
> Turmeric is said to be the latest “blockbuster nutrient”, helpful for “everything from heart disease to Alzheimers, asthma to arthritis.” But is there any scientific evidence behind this claim, or is it…
> ...


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## Vivjen (Jul 13, 2014)

With you all the away, Warri.....


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## rkunsaw (Jul 13, 2014)

I've always said the more variety the better. I mean a variety of real food though not manmade crap.


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## d0ug (Jul 13, 2014)

Eating a variety of foods sound like a good idea if they had all the minerals a body needed and that are where it gets tricky. If you ate three tomatoes from different farms it would be better than from one location because that one location could be deficient in a certain mineral or more. It has proven since 1934 that the soils are depleted of minerals and it does not take much to realize that now we need fertilizer NPK three minerals to grow or food. For example how much nickel is in the soil? Nickel functions as a co-factor for metalloenzymes and facilitates gastrointestinal absorption of iron and zinc.  That is just one of 60 we need, every one knows that iodine is missing in most soils and takes it for granted they add it to the salt to make up for that. There is a raise of mineral deficiency diseases that they don’t talk about.


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## chic (Jul 14, 2014)

I disagree with your aunt a little. For example I wouldn't touch lard which was a popular food using in meal and dessert preparation in my father's family ( all of whom died in their sixties from heart disease and cancer). I'd stay clear of red meat of every kind and would not eat pork either. Excess fat contributes to a worsening of autoimmune diseases, and doesn't help diabetics either not to mention those with heart problems. It also creates an environment in the body which is receptive to cancer cell production and proliferation.

It does matter what you eat, and a diet rich in whole foods, focusing on fruits and vegetables, legumes, lean organic chicken and wild caught fish is best. Low fat organic dairy is also preferable to the higher fat counterparts.

Snack food and GMOs should be eliminated also as should table sugar.

Food IS medicine and can really help your health to improve whatever your age, but I disagree with the "little bit of everything approach". There's a little bit of arsenic in many foods unless you buy organic. Would you want that inside you?

I don't mean to preach here, but changing diet and lifestyle has helped members of my family including myself to live healthier more fulfilling and active lives. I hope whatever foods you choose to consume, you will do so thoughtfully.


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## Warrigal (Jul 14, 2014)

Lard wasn't used in my childhood but dripping was (sheep fat). We ate red meat three times a day. The old ladies were active and vigorous until arthritis and dementia set in. What they didn't do was drink alcohol or smoke tobacco. All lived into their eighties and my mum died at 91 when she refused to eat any more.

I've had a much healthier diet since growing up but my health is hardly better than the old ladies, but it is better than the menfolk who liked their beer and cigarettes. I've outlived most of them already.

At this stage, if I'm offered an extra day in the nursing home aged 90+ or a fresh scone with jam and cream, I'm going for the scone. Food is a lot more than nutrition and medicine. It is one of the joys of being alive.


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## bulgyone (Jul 14, 2014)

At the end of the day, if you did everything right, and ate all the correct foods, you probably would live a longer life, but would it be an enjoyable one?


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## rkunsaw (Jul 14, 2014)

Lard is much healthier than hydrogenated vegetable oil. Butter is much healthier than margarine (oleo). Fried food has an unwarranted bad image. In many, if not most, cases you get less fat from fried food than other cooking methods. 

Red meat and pork can be an essential part of the diet too.

People need to observe and think for themselves rather than jumping in on the latest "study" put out by this or that group trying to gain fame or fortune.


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## Pappy (Jul 14, 2014)

Lard was always present in my Grandmothers kitchen. God only knows how much we devoured.


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## d0ug (Jul 14, 2014)

The whole story on saturated fats at the beginning of the century there was little heart problems actually the American Heart Association was a group of doctors who had little to do and the association was very poor.

  Along can a soap maker who bought the rights to a process for making a substance out of cotton seed oil that could be used instead of lard for making soap. The substance was also used for machinery grease. 

The company [Proctor & Gamble] having a sales problem got an idea let us get every one eating it. So they went to the AHA and with a 1.7 million dollar donation and having Dr. Ansel Keys do a hand picked seven county studies that was a fraud. He left out all countries that would not fit his theory. They convinced the AHA to endorse their machinery grease [Crisco] as a good replacement for lard. 

Ever since that time the heart rate problems have sky rocketed. The grease and oils which we replaced lard and butter with causes free radical damage to the arteries and than the cholesterol builds up on the walls to save your life and now the band aid is being blamed the problem.  This information is now coming out but only after millions of people have been killed by their lies.


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## Warrigal (Jul 14, 2014)

I decided Auntie was right when I was studying chemistry in my forties. I did a major assignment on the effect of chlorohydrocarbon insecticides (DDT, dieldrin, aldrin etc) on a non target species. For my study I chose hens. These substances are now banned because they have extremely long half lives and when ingested are stored in the animal's fatty tissue.

Because they were used indiscriminately in agriculture and building (to protect against borers) the soil concentration of these chemicals built up, as did the rivers and other waterways after rain. Consequently they entered the food chains of fish and hens. The hens most affected were the free range ones who picked away at soil creatures like worms and grubs. Consequently, the body fat of fish, hens and the yolks of eggs took up the insecticides which then passed on to the humans who consumed them. Oddly enough, the amount of DDT in beef and cattle fat was less than that of fish and chicken. This would be because they ate only plants. The higher up the food chain, the more DDT that was concentrated in the animal. Significantly, humans are high order predators and tend to accumulate whatever has been accumulated in our food.

Further studies showed that health conscious breast feeding mothers who avoided red meat, choosing instead a diet of fish and chicken had the highest concentrations of DDT in their breast milk which they were passing on to their babies. 

I decided then than that rather than (metaphorically) putting all your eggs in one basket, it is better to eat a wide variety of foods, because in every food there are some important nutrients but also potentially something detrimental to health. It's the balance that matters. Our teeth tell us that we are omnivores. We are meant to each anything we can catch, kill or gather.

My idea of balance is to eat mostly fresh fruit and vegetables but occasionally some tinned stuff won't hurt you. When eating meat and fish I try not to add extra fat when cooking but an occasional piece of fried chicken won't kill me either. The secret is to choose sensibly most of the time and enjoy the occasional indulgences when you feel like them. I'm very partial to Portugese tarts but I only eat them at coffee shops. I can make them myself but it is folly to have a dozen of them in the house.

Some might argue that all of the above is a good reason not to eat any fats or oils at all but that would be a means of depriving our bodies of some very essential nutrients, some of which are probably not even recognised yet. Not to mention a lot of very delicious food.


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## Ina (Jul 14, 2014)

Thanks Dame Warrigal, Good information, and it makes feel better, because I can't afford all these fads in diet and supplements. I do take a 1/2 a multi mineral vitamin, and extra collagen for super thin nails, :wave:


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## Denise1952 (Jul 14, 2014)

I agree 100% Warri, I eat a bit of everything.  I do limit the snacky foods, and sugars, but I still have them once in awhile.  I think healthy eating, and exercise are essential, but I know for a fact, being anal about it can defeat my purpose.  I counted calories for a couple of years, kept everything in a "food diary" and looked for some magic formula that would get me to the right weight.  Glad I finally saw the light and dumped "counting", and the fear of having a piece of pie, forget about it, live, eat, and stay active (I mean don't sit on our butts all day).


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## Vivjen (Jul 15, 2014)

The UK has now decided fat ie butter, in moderation, is good, sugar is bad....I never liked coke anyway..


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## SifuPhil (Jul 15, 2014)

I have always followed the ol' Yin/Yang theory of nutrition - a little of everything, in moderation, and enjoy it. Stay away from junk if at all possible and drink lots of water. 

It's the simple stuff that always seems so hard to follow ...


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## rkunsaw (Jul 15, 2014)

> Glad I finally saw the light and dumped "counting", and the fear of having a piece of pie, forget about it, live, eat, and stay active (I mean don't sit on our butts all day).



Good advice, Denise.


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## Denise1952 (Jul 15, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I have always followed the ol' Yin/Yang theory of nutrition - a little of everything, in moderation, and enjoy it. Stay away from junk if at all possible and drink lots of water.
> 
> It's the simple stuff that always seems so hard to follow ...



Oh ditto on the water as well!  I rarely drank water, plain water, until I was in my 40's, freaks me now to think about it.  Now, I shoot for at least 6 glasses.   I believe a lot of my headaches were caused from dehydration as I look back


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## SifuPhil (Jul 15, 2014)

nwlady said:


> Oh ditto on the water as well!  I rarely drank water, plain water, until I was in my 40's, freaks me now to think about it.  Now, I shoot for at least 6 glasses.   I believe a lot of my headaches were caused from dehydration as I look back



I hate to admit it, but I - the Coffee King of the World - am getting a little tired of it. :sour:

I'm currently on a soda binge - I know, it isn't healthy, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it while it lasts. My body calls out for certain things once in a while, they might be healthy or not, but I indulge until my body says "Enough!".

Now I'm leaning toward water - admittedly just tap water, but I suppose you can get used to anything ...


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## Denise1952 (Jul 15, 2014)

rkunsaw said:


> Good advice, Denise.



Thanks Larry, I was taught the "right" way and we were always outside, and active as kids.  So it took a long time to get back on track.  I don't have "food" issues today, except I still have to go to the dang grocery store, LOL!!  Someday, a real garden of my own me hopes!


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## Denise1952 (Jul 15, 2014)

SifuPhil said:


> I hate to admit it, but I - the Coffee King of the World - am getting a little tired of it. :sour:
> 
> I'm currently on a soda binge - I know, it isn't healthy, but I'm enjoying the heck out of it while it lasts. My body calls out for certain things once in a while, they might be healthy or not, but I indulge until my body says "Enough!".
> 
> Now I'm leaning toward water - admittedly just tap water, but I suppose you can get used to anything ...



I can see why some don't want to drink tap water, but I drink only tap water, room temp.  I have 2 cups of coffee in the a.m.  But for me, I had to get to "that" point of wanting the water more then juice or soft-drinks.  I never drank a lot of coffee.  I do know I had some cravings early on, for more snacky foods, salty, sugary, but when I persisted with the healthier stuff the cravings left, for the most part. 

 There are times I am sitting here and pie or ice-cream comes into my mind, but I didn't buy any so I can't have any.  The craving or thought passes pretty quick too.  I think it's just forming the better habits.  But I know how hard it is to quit something cold-turkey, or gag down that week or was it 2 weeks of water before I really wanted to drink it

I do think there is better tasting water for sure, I just can't be buying it.  I've always loved the saying "progress, not perfection"


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