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Why I hate the latest food research

missyinacage

missyinacage

Member
Can I just say I literally hate pretty much all of the food studies that have been done? I find that they take one or two very small details and make a mountain out of a molehill. I'm sure many of you remember back in the day when everything, everywhere was LOW-FAT. A study had been done that determined "fat" was making us fat. So, with little regard to the fact that your body actually needs a certain amount of fats to function, the proceeded to take the fat out of everything. And in it's place added sugars, sodium and refined carbs to improve the taste. And we got even fatter!

Then, it turned out carbs were "bad". And coffee, eggs, meat, nuts, wine .. all bad. Until another study said they were .. Good?!? Yes, good. Coffee can lower your risk of diabetes, wine is great for heart health & eggs can actually lower cholesterol.

Now, we have actual nutritionists telling people chemical laden protein shakes, with THIRTY ingredients!! are good for you but FRUIT is bad. And we get food advice every day that contradicts itself. If you eat too much sugar, fat, carbs, nuts, meat, beans, apples, probably even green beans, long term, it can potentially harm you.

The "western diet" as they call it is horrible for us mostly because we insist on eating processed garbage while pretending that whole, natural foods are somehow bad. If it has less than 5 ingredients and you can easily pronounce all them, it's probably okay to eat it. In moderation. Even carbs. Even sugar. Even fat. Even bacon. Please stop the madness.
 
I should really clarify that this post is NOT about those of you who are new to surgery, trying to figure out what you can and cannot eat. Of course, you do not actually know AND you cannot just eat anything yet. It's more about the ridiculous things all of us still believe about food, even the professionals we come into contact with.
 
It is incredibly frustrating. The government guidelines and FDA guidelines and a lot of research we see in news and advertisements are all influenced by food corporations. One of the reasons I started digging into the latest independent microbiome research is that it is very clearly showing that there is no single diet that is perfect for everyone. Everyone has a unique combination of microbiota that deals with the food we eat quite differently. Other factors also influence how we respond to food.

The "Standard American Diet" is truly SAD in so many ways, and trying to get everyone to eat the same way is folly. A lot of the independent research (not sponsored by food corporations or other conglomerates) is pushing for "individualized nutrition" based on each person's needs. It was one of the things being observed during my nutritional study. For example, I recently saw a list that showed that grapes shouldn't be eaten because of their high glycemic index. That may be true for some, or even most people, but for whatever reason, they hardly make any movement in blood glucose in me at all. One person can get a high glucose response to white rice, and the next person won't. One person may get half the caloric energy of a serving of almonds and the next person may get twice that much.

There are a few things I think hold true for any diet religion though:

Avoid ultra-processed foods
Avoid refined grains (that doesn't mean being keto, paleo, or grain-free)
Avoid foods with added sugar
Avoid artificial sweeteners

I know the last one is somewhat controversial, but I think our addiction to all things sweet is a slippery slope. There's also some evidence that they are harmful to our gut microbiota, and there is evidence that it stimulates hunger in some people. That being said, many people use them and it is probably better than sugar, maybe.

On the flip side, I think a diverse selection of plants to feel the microbiome is important, but that's my take. It doesn't mean you need to be a vegetarian, but diversity seems to provide a full spectrum of nutrients and fibers to our gut and makes it most productive as it produces so many of the beneficial chemicals that our bodies need. I try to consume 30 different plants each week.

Anyway, truly the latest independent research is trending toward individual nutrition and finding what works for each person. However, it will continue to be practically impossible to push this to mainstream because of food corporate interest, lobbying and sponsorships of nutrition/dietician/physician associations and things like that. There will be many who continue to follow the party line that each person just needs to eat a "balanced plate" and "count calories" and exercise more, which is basically all BS.
 
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