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What is good diet? There is no common agreement (see: high carb/high protein/high fat discussions). There's no consensus on what kind of diet is good for losin

by akjj 16y ago

What is good diet? There is no common agreement (see: high carb/high protein/high fat discussions). There's no consensus on what kind of diet is good for losing weight, but there's much more consistent evidence on what a healthy diet is: high in fruits and vegetables, unprocessed grains, low in saturated fat, salt, and refined carbohydrates.

bryanlarsen 16y ago
You're proving the original point, since there are lots who argue that a healthy diet is high in naturally saturated fat and low in unprocessed grains.
- akjj 16y ago
  The Mayo recommends limiting saturated fats [1]. So does the American Heart Association [2]. Also the World Health Organization [3]. According to Wikipedia (I haven't checked the links here), Health Canada, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the UK Food Standards Agency, the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana, and 6 other national agencies recommend consuming less saturated fats [4]. I Googled a little bit for articles challenging this consensus, the most scientific seemed be [5]. It cites studies that show no negative effects of saturated fats. However, the only evidence for a positive impact is cross-country comparisons, which have many uncontrolled variables, and mechanistic explanations without epidemiological backing. So, the argument against saturated fats is not unanimous, but I think it's fair to say that it's a consensus. As for a healthy diet being low in unprocessed grains, we'll have to leave that for another day. [1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262 [2] http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fat... [3] http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/diet/en/ http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/diet/en/ [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat#Dietary_recommendations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat#Dietary_recommend... [5] http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefit... EDIT: fixed linebreaks
  - bryanlarsen 16y ago
    Conversely, the only evidence for a negative impact is cross-country comparisons with many uncontrolled variables. And those studies show a high correlation with trans-fat and/or white sugar/white flour. But those studies are the eventual basis for the recommendations you listed. If you want studies/references, Gary Taubes' work would be a good place to start. Good Calories/Bad Calories seems to be approximately 1/3 bibliography.

by akjj 16y ago

bryanlarsen 16y ago

You're proving the original point, since there are lots who argue that a healthy diet is high in naturally saturated fat and low in unprocessed grains.

akjj 16y ago
The Mayo recommends limiting saturated fats [1]. So does the American Heart Association [2]. Also the World Health Organization [3]. According to Wikipedia (I haven't checked the links here), Health Canada, the US Department of Health and Human Services, the UK Food Standards Agency, the Food and Drugs Board of Ghana, and 6 other national agencies recommend consuming less saturated fats [4]. I Googled a little bit for articles challenging this consensus, the most scientific seemed be [5]. It cites studies that show no negative effects of saturated fats. However, the only evidence for a positive impact is cross-country comparisons, which have many uncontrolled variables, and mechanistic explanations without epidemiological backing. So, the argument against saturated fats is not unanimous, but I think it's fair to say that it's a consensus. As for a healthy diet being low in unprocessed grains, we'll have to leave that for another day. [1] http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262 http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/fat/NU00262 [2] http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fats101/Saturated-Fats_UCM_301110_Article.jsp http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/GettingHealthy/FatsAndOils/Fat... [3] http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/diet/en/ http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/diet/en/ [4] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat#Dietary_recommendations http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturated_fat#Dietary_recommend... [5] http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefits.htm http://www.health-report.co.uk/saturated_fats_health_benefit... EDIT: fixed linebreaks
- bryanlarsen 16y ago
  Conversely, the only evidence for a negative impact is cross-country comparisons with many uncontrolled variables. And those studies show a high correlation with trans-fat and/or white sugar/white flour. But those studies are the eventual basis for the recommendations you listed. If you want studies/references, Gary Taubes' work would be a good place to start. Good Calories/Bad Calories seems to be approximately 1/3 bibliography.