so… after re-reading yesterday’s post, I felt that I didn’t really make the point I was wanting to make.
I don’t NOT know what to eat. I know which foods are good choices and which are bad. I know that fresh, whole foods are good and packaged, processed foods are bad. I know that I should eat mostly fruits and vegetables as well as healthy sources of protein. I know that spinach is a better choice of greens than ice berg lettuce, for example. I know that sweet potatoes are a better choice than white potatoes (that doesn’t mean I like them). I know that nuts are a better choice of snack than doritos. I know to avoid artificial colors, flavors, sweeteners, and preservatives. I know all that.
what I want to know is what should I NOT eat in order to be my healthiest?
will cutting out sugar or gluten or grains or dairy or what-have-you, be beneficial? or will consuming good choices in those category be beneficial. there are scientific arguments on both sides that contradict each other. I also realize that every person’s body is different. what would be considered a healthy choice for one person is poison to another. shellfish or nuts, for example. as far as I know, I do not have any food allergies, so that doesn’t really apply to me. I do know that I have had a tendency toward anemia, so getting enough iron is a concern for me. I also know that, as a small-framed female, I am in a higher risk category for osteoporosis, so calcium (and vitamin D) are something I need to consider. I have a tendency toward anxiety and discouragement (I wouldn’t really call it depression), so B vitamins are important. I want to know what I should eat and not eat that will help my body function it’s best.
I’ve never been that into science. I took what I had to in order to graduate from high school and college. but I’m fascinated by the science of nutrition and how the body uses food energy. I want to understand the arguments for and against certain foods in a diet. for the people who say you should eat dairy, I want to know why. not just because it’s high in calcium, because there are plenty of other sources of calcium. I want to know how the body uses it. what happens when you consume dairy, how your body processes it, etc. and for those who say you shouldn’t eat dairy, I want to know why. I want to know what aspects are negative about how the body uses it. same for grains and sugar etc.
I don’t want to make a decision just based on a fad or because someone is telling me to eat one way or another, or because that’s how I was raised to eat or anything else.
I want to know why. scientifically, why.
so… who has good, reliable, non-faddy resources on how the body processes food? pass them along!
you know how much I love a pet research project!
My current favorite scientific study is called "Sugar: The bitter truth". it's a youtube video of a doctor from a children's obesity (sp?) clinic giving a lecture on how your body processes sugar. Very interesting stuff. Also tells you that dietary fat isn't bad for you if it comes from good sources. Worth the 1.5 hours IMHO!
ReplyDeleteOk, so here we go with round 2. I took Mackenzie to a naturalpath after getting no help from regular doctors concerning her asthma. I learned so much about food and how our body breaks it down from him. (which btw, he is also an MD) So, maybe it's time to go to the library and look up books written by nutritionists or naturalpaths (who I think break things down into lay man's terms best) That is if your insurance doesn't cover seeing a nutritionist.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree and have felt just as frustrated as you! We tried a naturopath in Dec. because my daughter kept having stomach problems and our pediatrician kept telling us she probably just needed to poop and wasn't recognizing the signs ....umm, she's 8 yr's old and CERTAINLY knows when she's gotta go. I was so mad that that was their answer!. My neighbor recommended her naturopath as she could see I was frustrated. I loved the naturopath as she did get to the bottom of a lot of her issues - turned out she was intolerent to some milk products after a simple blood test. I feel she explained the science of her specific food issues quite clearly to me however, she was expensive to see. They always try and sell you their remedies which are often expensive but I guess if they work then it's worth it? At this point I'm still totally on the fence about what to believe and who to trust.
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