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Is there a correlation between the availability of good information and informed decisions? We know that fast food is bad for us. Even stepping inside one to bu

by fnid2 17y ago

Is there a correlation between the availability of good information and informed decisions? We know that fast food is bad for us. Even stepping inside one to buy something means that you're going to get something not good for you. Availability of information at McDonald's does not help you buy and consume good food, because if you are at McDonald's it's already too late. You are probably an exception because you were motivated to lose the weight in the first place. I suppose I'm one of the lucky skinny types that overweight people hate, but it seems to me that obesity is less about knowing what is in your food and simply eating less of it. If calories consumed are greater than calories burned, you gain weight. While traveling around Europe, I happened to be at the same hostel as a Canadian doctor and he was more than happy to share lots of opinions with me -- especially about the U.S. health care system. So I asked him about weight and food. He said simply: People get fat because they eat too much. He also said, drink a lot of water and eat slower. Later, I read an article that most people can't tell the difference between thirst and hunger. If you drink water when you feel hungry, often the hunger pangs go away. Of course that couldn't be true for me! So I tested it and sure enough, when I got hungry, I'd drink water and I wouldn't be hungry anymore. Food is just like TV or cigarettes. It alleviates boredom. It gives us a good feeling to eat. We eat foods that are too dense with calories. Steak. Chicken. Twinkies. We are emotionally trained to think meat is better. In my rural area, vegetarians are weird. "You don't eat meat?? Why?!? OMG, I could never live without meat. What are you a sissy?" But it isn't like that. Food is mostly emotional -- always has been. The reason all those women in the really old paintings are plump is because it was a sign of wealth. Rich kings could keep their women fat. Turns out they were the ones who could afford to pay painters as well, so we don't see all the skinny people who lived back then, but skinny is the norm, not the rule. In the U.S., people think it is hard to be skinny, when the opposite is true -- it's hard to get fat. Funny that your username is potatolicious and you're commenting on a food thread...

potatolicious 17y ago
> "We know that fast food is bad for us." We intuitively know this, but we do not intuitively know what is good for us. Sure, you can insist that people ought to cook everything from scratch, but given modern lifestyles this is really just a moral high horse, and stands little chance of being realistic advice that will be followed. Not to mention that a lot of home cooking is dangerously unhealthy for you (meatloaf, anyone?). The information that led to my dramatic weight loss wasn't some kind of holy secret grail, it was simply training on what foods I need, how much of it I need, how to read nutritional labels, and the common pitfalls (e.g., trading fat for sodium) that one ought to watch out for. Instead of harping "fries are bad for you!" the program taught me was was good for me, which in the end was infinitely more helpful. We publish a pretty good guide on food groups and recommended servings, but the whole system doesn't account for the world of processed, industrialized food we live in today. How good are those crackers? Unsalted? What does that mean? It can still be an invitation to a coronary unless you are smart about scrutinizing labels. > "obesity is less about knowing what is in your food and simply eating less of it" True and false. Most obese people (including myself) eat too much, but much of it has to do with what is being eaten as well. Trading fat for carbs, trading fat for sodium, etc etc, all contribute to bad health. Also, nutritional education also opened my eyes on how bad certain foods are for you. We intuitively know burgers and fries are bad - but how bad? Even most "normals" don't know this quantitatively, and this knowledge has helped me avoid a lot of foods. There are shades of "bad for you", and it's important to know this. "Stop eating burgers and ice cream" is a moralistic stance to take, and technically correct, but ultimately unhelpful.
Evgeny 17y ago
Food is just like TV or cigarettes. It alleviates boredom. It gives us a good feeling to eat. We eat foods that are too dense with calories. Steak. Chicken. I'm not ready to try it myself, but I assume that it would be damn hard to get obese on a diet of steak and chicken. I made some changes to my diet recently though, not because of the need to lose weight, but rather trying to optimise it for health. I eliminated sugar from my diet, all grains, most of the starch. I try to get 60-70% of my calories from fats, mostly animal fats, 20-30% from proteins, rest from carbs - fresh fruit and vegetables. I eat 3 times a day strict, no snacks. I do not overeat, but I just eat till I'm not hungry. A lot of steak and chicken by the way. :) So far in the first 3 months I lost 6kg without even trying - went from 82kg to 76kg at 178cm height - and 6cm from the waistline.

by fnid2 17y ago

potatolicious 17y ago

> "We know that fast food is bad for us." We intuitively know this, but we do not intuitively know what is good for us. Sure, you can insist that people ought to cook everything from scratch, but given modern lifestyles this is really just a moral high horse, and stands little chance of being realistic advice that will be followed. Not to mention that a lot of home cooking is dangerously unhealthy for you (meatloaf, anyone?). The information that led to my dramatic weight loss wasn't some kind of holy secret grail, it was simply training on what foods I need, how much of it I need, how to read nutritional labels, and the common pitfalls (e.g., trading fat for sodium) that one ought to watch out for. Instead of harping "fries are bad for you!" the program taught me was was good for me, which in the end was infinitely more helpful. We publish a pretty good guide on food groups and recommended servings, but the whole system doesn't account for the world of processed, industrialized food we live in today. How good are those crackers? Unsalted? What does that mean? It can still be an invitation to a coronary unless you are smart about scrutinizing labels. > "obesity is less about knowing what is in your food and simply eating less of it" True and false. Most obese people (including myself) eat too much, but much of it has to do with what is being eaten as well. Trading fat for carbs, trading fat for sodium, etc etc, all contribute to bad health. Also, nutritional education also opened my eyes on how bad certain foods are for you. We intuitively know burgers and fries are bad - but how bad? Even most "normals" don't know this quantitatively, and this knowledge has helped me avoid a lot of foods. There are shades of "bad for you", and it's important to know this. "Stop eating burgers and ice cream" is a moralistic stance to take, and technically correct, but ultimately unhelpful.

Evgeny 17y ago

Food is just like TV or cigarettes. It alleviates boredom. It gives us a good feeling to eat. We eat foods that are too dense with calories. Steak. Chicken. I'm not ready to try it myself, but I assume that it would be damn hard to get obese on a diet of steak and chicken. I made some changes to my diet recently though, not because of the need to lose weight, but rather trying to optimise it for health. I eliminated sugar from my diet, all grains, most of the starch. I try to get 60-70% of my calories from fats, mostly animal fats, 20-30% from proteins, rest from carbs - fresh fruit and vegetables. I eat 3 times a day strict, no snacks. I do not overeat, but I just eat till I'm not hungry. A lot of steak and chicken by the way. :) So far in the first 3 months I lost 6kg without even trying - went from 82kg to 76kg at 178cm height - and 6cm from the waistline.