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Tell HN: If you liked 'our minds can be hijacked,' you'll like Robert Lustig
I missed the discussion of the 'our minds can be hijacked' thread that's on the bottom of the homepage, but I have something that I think people interested in that topic may like.
Robert Lustig has written an excellent book on the topic: "The Hacking of the American Mind."
I found that reading the book gave me good insights into how to be happier in my daily life.
If you're curious, his podcast on FT Alphachat is a good introduction and summary of his ideas: https://overcast.fm/+FaTQX2SRE
- arikr 9y agoClickable: https://overcast.fm/+FaTQX2SRE https://overcast.fm/+FaTQX2SRE
- arkitaip 9y agoMind sharing those insights?
- atomical 9y agoI never understood Lustig on sugar. Any macro nutrient in excess can cause obesity. Often fat is more addictive than sugar. After all, many people have given up sugar so that they can eat almost exclusively fat on the Atkins diet.
- CyberDildonics 9y ago> Any macro nutrient in excess can cause obesity. I would like to see a source for that from a real world experiment. Have you ever tried to eat fat in excess? It isn't too easy. Macro nutrients aren't addictive when you eat because you need food. When you eat far more calories than you need, they are absorbed easily and stored as fat easily then you have a problem. You should watch his presentations.
- atomical 9y agoCheck out Jimmy Moore.
- rthomas6 9y ago> After all, many people have given up sugar so that they can eat almost exclusively fat on the Atkins diet. And when they do so, the overwhelming majority lose weight.
- atomical 9y agoMy point was that people are giving up an addiction because the addiction to fat is actually stronger. Do you think Americans woke up one day, realizing their love of sugar was very strong, but gave it up for something less enjoyable? That did not happen.
- rthomas6 9y ago>Do you think Americans woke up one day, realizing their love of sugar was very strong, but gave it up for something less enjoyable? That did not happen. That's what happened with me. I've done the keto diet before. Your depiction of it does not match my experience. Yes, you crave fat. It's your main source of calories, so of course you'll start to crave it. But it's not an automatic thing; switching takes work, and fat does NOT satiate sugar cravings. It's two separate things. People doing a high-fat low-carb diet are a vastly smaller minority. On the whole, Americans are NOT waking up and giving up sugar. But all this is beside the point. What matters is the health effects of a diet. High-sugar diets correlate with obesity, diabetes, and a boatload of other health problems. High-fat, low-carb diets do not.
- atomical 9y agoI've never met an obese person not on a high fat diet. High fat diets definitely correlate with obesity and diabetes.
- andrei_says_ 9y agoIf you’re genuinely curious here’s a lecture of his with a lot of research. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dBnniua6-oM Most of your statements are addressed in it so hopefully it helps you clear the confusion.
- rpbp84 9y agoDr Lustig is spot on! Basically what he is trying to say is Sugar is Excito-toxin! What that means is sugar hyper-excites neurons therby killing some of the neurons post-excitement. Sugar kills neurons