4 ms·

I'm surprised and disappointed at how many of the recommendations here are pure anecdote, intuition, or folk wisdom. If I wanted to eat based on common sense o

by eavc 16y ago

I'm surprised and disappointed at how many of the recommendations here are pure anecdote, intuition, or folk wisdom. If I wanted to eat based on common sense or a fad diet, I'd do so. I was hoping to be pointed to something more scientific. Walter Willet's book is probably a good recommendation, but Pollan (as well as Taubes) have so impugned the track record of nutritional epidemiology that I think a resource that directly responds to those attacks is necessary. I suppose I can continue the search on my own, but it's kind of amazing that with 74 comments in this thread, even a community as science-minded and educated as this one is relatively in the dark about this stuff.

eavc 16y ago
Why is this getting downvoted? Read my original post, read the responses. It's not that I'm not appreciative that people are trying. I'm genuinely surprised that answers of the sort I was looking for seem to be lacking.
zoomzoom 16y ago
I'm surprised that you are so naive about what being "science-minded" on this issue means. There is so much variation in human physiology and digestive tract composition that a universal "healthy" diet is probably even more backwards of a notion than the USDA recommendations. What will be best for you to eat needs to be determined by your experiments with various different diets and will depend on how much you exercise and many other factors. Until we understand more about the bacteria that live in our body and how we interact with them, "science" is not going to be any better than folk wisdom. There is nothing wrong with eating the foods that have proven to work over 100,000+ years of human society. I see several themes in the advice on this thread - don't eat too much, eat whole foods, and drink water. I have to say that this is probably the most scientific advice you will find.
- eavc 16y ago
  No need to be disingenuous. You don't know me from Adam, so your surprise is just rhetorical. Mine was genuine and aimed at getting additional responses, maybe responses more in line with the intent of the OP. In adjacent sentences, you say that there are no probably no universals, science can tell us nothing, but that we have certain foods that are proven to work. Yes, there are common themes in this thread, and that can be useful sometimes. But there were common themes in popular opinion about flat earth, Adam's ribs, and the four humors as well. Again, without the context provided by an expert, things that are factually incorrect can seem incredibly persuasive.
  - zoomzoom 16y ago
    Look - I think that my sparse history of commenting on HN says more than I can express here about my stance on flame wars. I don't want to start one. But this whole food issue is something that I feel quite strongly about. My surprise is hardly rhetorical, and while I may have treated you as a straw man for a moment, I think that the larger point is still valid. The attempt to get scientific about eating strikes me as the problem, and I think that my post was a response in line with the OP in that sense. What I am trying to tell you is that I have been in your shoes; I have read all the books about diet; and I think that asking for more books is not going to give you the answers that you need. Your anxiety is not caused by a lack of data - it is caused by an unhealthy reliance on outside opinion for your mental stability. Nobody who is writing the books knows enough to give you the answers that you want. Don't rely too much on scientists and experts. The scientists invented the HFCS that is giving us all diabetes and lay people in the 1400's didn't think that the earth was flat - the "experts" did. I am not asking you to rely on common themes or popular opinion - I am asking you to do some experiments and gather data - try eating different foods and see what makes you feel best. Don't ask a scientist what to do - become one.
    - eavc 16y ago
      Your strong feelings are evident. Thanks for taking the time to share your viewpoint. I disagree with much of what you say, but I want to let you know that I did read it. Beyond that, we'll agree to disagree.
      - zoomzoom 16y ago
        Thanks. And while I am still thinking about it - you might be interested in reading about Linus Pauling's take on nutrition and health. Something like this book: http://www.worldcat.org/title/vitamin-c-and-the-common-cold/oclc/000107441 http://www.worldcat.org/title/vitamin-c-and-the-common-cold/....

by eavc 16y ago

eavc 16y ago

Why is this getting downvoted? Read my original post, read the responses. It's not that I'm not appreciative that people are trying. I'm genuinely surprised that answers of the sort I was looking for seem to be lacking.

zoomzoom 16y ago

I'm surprised that you are so naive about what being "science-minded" on this issue means. There is so much variation in human physiology and digestive tract composition that a universal "healthy" diet is probably even more backwards of a notion than the USDA recommendations. What will be best for you to eat needs to be determined by your experiments with various different diets and will depend on how much you exercise and many other factors. Until we understand more about the bacteria that live in our body and how we interact with them, "science" is not going to be any better than folk wisdom. There is nothing wrong with eating the foods that have proven to work over 100,000+ years of human society. I see several themes in the advice on this thread - don't eat too much, eat whole foods, and drink water. I have to say that this is probably the most scientific advice you will find.

eavc 16y ago
No need to be disingenuous. You don't know me from Adam, so your surprise is just rhetorical. Mine was genuine and aimed at getting additional responses, maybe responses more in line with the intent of the OP. In adjacent sentences, you say that there are no probably no universals, science can tell us nothing, but that we have certain foods that are proven to work. Yes, there are common themes in this thread, and that can be useful sometimes. But there were common themes in popular opinion about flat earth, Adam's ribs, and the four humors as well. Again, without the context provided by an expert, things that are factually incorrect can seem incredibly persuasive.
- zoomzoom 16y ago
  Look - I think that my sparse history of commenting on HN says more than I can express here about my stance on flame wars. I don't want to start one. But this whole food issue is something that I feel quite strongly about. My surprise is hardly rhetorical, and while I may have treated you as a straw man for a moment, I think that the larger point is still valid. The attempt to get scientific about eating strikes me as the problem, and I think that my post was a response in line with the OP in that sense. What I am trying to tell you is that I have been in your shoes; I have read all the books about diet; and I think that asking for more books is not going to give you the answers that you need. Your anxiety is not caused by a lack of data - it is caused by an unhealthy reliance on outside opinion for your mental stability. Nobody who is writing the books knows enough to give you the answers that you want. Don't rely too much on scientists and experts. The scientists invented the HFCS that is giving us all diabetes and lay people in the 1400's didn't think that the earth was flat - the "experts" did. I am not asking you to rely on common themes or popular opinion - I am asking you to do some experiments and gather data - try eating different foods and see what makes you feel best. Don't ask a scientist what to do - become one.
  - eavc 16y ago
    Your strong feelings are evident. Thanks for taking the time to share your viewpoint. I disagree with much of what you say, but I want to let you know that I did read it. Beyond that, we'll agree to disagree.
    - zoomzoom 16y ago
      Thanks. And while I am still thinking about it - you might be interested in reading about Linus Pauling's take on nutrition and health. Something like this book: http://www.worldcat.org/title/vitamin-c-and-the-common-cold/oclc/000107441 http://www.worldcat.org/title/vitamin-c-and-the-common-cold/....