The Truth Behind Five Food Myths

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Thanks for the link Andy.

I had the protein/kidney argument with the dietitian at the vet. She wants Shreddy on a lower protein diet to protect his kidneys, because he's old. His kidneys, according to blood tests, are fine. Low protein for a cat?! Hmmph
 
At the end of the day, no one - not even scientists - knows what foods we should eat more of or steer clear of. I think the best plan is to try and stick with fresh foods and eat things you enjoy, albeit in moderation. I've never believed in that whole "salt causes hypertension" theory. I love well-seasoned foods and my blood pressure has always been at a healthy level. I think genetics are more at play with hypertension.

I still try to avoid overly processed foods, though. And as for HFCS, it might chemically contain the same amount of fructose as cane sugar, but I honestly believe our bodies treat it differently. For example, when I eat something that has "real" sugar, my body tends to tell me when I've had enough. I'm not convinced that's the case with HFCS. But what do I know? ;)
 
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i agree, Steve. Also, listen to your body. Beef liver which is not necessarily good for you - I fried a pound of it up one day, and couldn't stop myself from stuffing my face - not because I was hungry, but because my body seemed desperate for something there.
 
i agree, Steve. Also, listen to your body. Beef liver which is not necessarily good for you - I fried a pound of it up one day, and couldn't stop myself from stuffing my face - not because I was hungry, but because my body seemed desperate for something there.

That's another myth :) I have severe absorption issues from medical conditions, especially iron, but I sure don't crave liver!
 
Me either, GG. That's why it was so surprising. I really believe that my body wanted somthing that was there, so who am I to argue with that. I think cravings should be paid attention when they happen. Your body is boss about these things. Maybe not correctly, but definitely imperative.

Now that I've read up on the badness of liver, I don't want it anymore, either.

I'm also curious about absorption issues. I know my body doesn't absorb calcium like it should. What kind of absorption issues do you have? Maybe your experiences could help me understand myself.
 
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Me either, GG. That's why it was so surprising. I really believe that my body wanted somthing that was there, so who am I to argue with that. I think cravings should be paid attention when they happen. Your body is boss about these things. Maybe not correctly, but definitely imperative.

Now that I've read up on the badness of liver, I don't want it anymore, either.

I'm also curious about absorption issues. I know my body doesn't absorb calcium like it should. What kind of absorption issues do you have? Maybe your experiences could help me understand myself.

Mine are unique, AFAIK, and I'm not being vain ;) It's a complicated intersection of several problems, including necessary but damaging medication and chronic bowel disease. Too much to go into here.
 
I pay zero attention to any of these studies, facts and or myths.

I like food. All kinds of food. If I like it, I eat it. But everything is done in moderation. Just like alcohol.
I find a couple beers each day to cause me no issues other than cost.
In fact I am having one with my lunch right now.

I did listen to them regarding smoking. I have been quit now for 5 years.
 
I think I understand, GG. I'd probably have a hard time describing these kinds of issues myself. I guess I was just hoping for an easy answer, but easy answers are hard to come by, eh?

We can just keep on keeping on I guess and whatever happens... It would be nice if we could find easy answers to medical issues, but every one of us is different.

I am finding with my new medications, my body seems to be changing for the better, but still even more confusing is which meds and why?
 
I pay zero attention to any of these studies, facts and or myths.

I like food. All kinds of food. If I like it, I eat it. But everything is done in moderation. Just like alcohol.
I find a couple beers each day to cause me no issues other than cost.
In fact I am having one with my lunch right now.

I did listen to them regarding smoking. I have been quit now for 5 years.

I tend to agree with your philosophy. I posted this article because it debunked food myths that make people shy away from foods they love.
 
I tend to agree with your philosophy. I posted this article because it debunked food myths that make people shy away from foods they love.

Thanks for the article. I did read it.
Seems what is good for us today, will be bad for us tomorrow. Then it circles back and becomes good or bad again.

It seems everyday, they find something new to scare us with. Then in no time, they say its not true. This is why I put such little faith into these things.

My wifes late grandparents are/were southerners and ate fried everything. Fat back and all kinds of wonderful deserts. They lived into their late 90's.
I think her grandfather smoked his whole life too? Not sure.

I am in the camp of heredity. We can do as much as possible to extend our lives, but in the end, its all about heredity.
I think conditions outside of family traits play little if any part in mortality.
Just my 2¢.
 
Science is always changing because new information and understanding is always coming. And the news media too often make interim information sound definitive, when the conclusion of the study is just, this needs more study ;)

Roll_Bones, I agree that heredity plays a big role, but I bet all those oldsters did much more physical work than many people do today, and I think that has a lot to do with one's metabolism as well. So, like you, I don't worry too much about these things and just try to eat whole foods most often, with a few indulgences.
 
Science is always changing because new information and understanding is always coming. And the news media too often make interim information sound definitive, when the conclusion of the study is just, this needs more study ;)

Roll_Bones, I agree that heredity plays a big role, but I bet all those oldsters did much more physical work than many people do today, and I think that has a lot to do with one's metabolism as well. So, like you, I don't worry too much about these things and just try to eat whole foods most often, with a few indulgences.

Agree. They worked in the fields all day. We don't do what they did. Life was just harder in general back then.
Notice how many fat people now compared to then!

I too try and eat healthy. Lucky for me, most of the food I really enjoy is healthy.
 
...It seems everyday, they find something new to scare us with. Then in no time, they say its not true. This is why I put such little faith into these things...

Someone looking for a little fame makes a premature announcement and the media jumps on it so it's all you hear from every news outlet for weeks. Sometime later, level headed folk debunk the 'discovery'. The media report this on the 3:00AM news in Sri Lanka. You never hear about it again.

With the exception of smoking, I consider health warnings for foods to have no recognizable merit whatsoever.
 
Me either, GG. That's why it was so surprising. I really believe that my body wanted somthing that was there, so who am I to argue with that. I think cravings should be paid attention when they happen. Your body is boss about these things. Maybe not correctly, but definitely imperative.

Now that I've read up on the badness of liver, I don't want it anymore, either.

I'm also curious about absorption issues. I know my body doesn't absorb calcium like it should. What kind of absorption issues do you have? Maybe your experiences could help me understand myself.
I'd be interested to know how much liver a day is bad for you as per the original research results.

Re calcium absorption, Vitamin D is supposed to be essential for the body to properly absorb calcium and vit D is a fat-soluble vitamin so a very low or fat-free diet over a long period can result in poor absorption of calcium (according to my Doctor).

As far as things that are bad for you, I work on the principal that "a little of what you fancy does you good", to quote Marie Lloyd, with the emphasis on "a little".

Quite a lot of these "food will kill you" panics depend on studies where the substance being studied is fed to the test subject to the point of destruction leading to the results of one saccharin study where it was found to cause certain types of cancer in rats. It then turned out that the rats had been fed the saccharin at the equivalent rate of a human drinking 800 bottles of diet coke A DAY!

A similar panic was caused over garlic. Garlic in the correct amount is very good for horses as it is for humans - for blood circulation, respiration, the digestion, coat and it also deters intestinal worms, The result of the study was inaccurately reported in the equine press as proving that garlic caused anaemia in horses and should not be given to them. I queried this with my vet and I was given access to a copy of the report in which it said that, indeed, the horses in the study had contracted anaemia but not until the amount of garlic consumed per day had reached 700grams (approx. one and a half pounds)! To put this into context the recommended dose of 100% garlic powder for my 16.2hh, 1250lb horse is 2 x 5ml spoonsful a day!

The press, which always prefers hysteria to accuracy, can't be relied on to report these sorts of issue accurately. It pays to read them sceptically and if worried, consult your doctor.
 
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