Hi there again!
I have mentioned on several occasions how interesting I find the topic nutrition and health, as I profoundly believe how closely linked those two concepts are; the extent to which I believe that what we put in our bodies affects in an almost direct cause-effect relationship our physical, mental and emotional health has made me an enthusiast of the matter and an avid reader and listener of any interesting piece of information that can be found online and in books. This very topic might probably not interest you to the same extent as it interests me, but I'll try to make my point, anyway.
I have never really been interested in following a given plan in order to lose weight, nor have I been interested in doing the same to gain weight, either. For the last couple of years I have been primarily interested in following the way to eat that would make me healthier, more physically and mentally capable, more energetic, stronger, more athletic and leaner; in other words, the diet that could unleash the best version in me, in the physical, mental and emotional realms. In doing so, as I mentioned above, I've paid attention and read with great curiosity any new approach on nutrition with a decent scientific basis.
My conclusions?
a) Well, the amount of information out there is ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING: There is way too much information to take in and every new, novel, revolutionary approach to nutrition (aka: "diet") will, of course, contradict the former one: have 5-6 meals a day vs. have only 2 or 3 substantial ones, milk and dairy products are essential vs. the adult human body is not ready to assimilate the nutrients in milk and therefore should not be consumed by adult humans, breakfast is probably the most important meal of the day and should never be skipped vs. "breakfast" is an oxymoron on itself, as we are not really "fasting" when we sleep and as such, we can do with a very light meal during our mornings, watch your dinners and try not to eat anything 2-to-3 hours before going to sleep vs. feast at night- as it is the time when we naturally have time to enjoy that meal with the family after a long day- and don't fear carbohydrates at that time- as they will make you sleep better-, avoid "starchy carbs" vs. eat plenty of them in your diet, and so on and so forth... and all of them eloquently put to words and not devoid of scientific justification, with graphics, charts, tables, numbers, experiments, examples, etc... Quite difficult to make the right choice, isn't it?
b) Every now and then, a new "superfood" will emerge proud: the soy sprouts and sunflower oils and green teas of yesterday are the quinoa and stevia of today and who knows what will happen tomorrow. I am starting to think that there may be some vested interests behind the sudden spotlight on those miraculous products.
c) For every "super aliment", every now and arises a "scapegoat food", a dreaded substance that people should avoid at all costs and which so-called doctors and bullshitters alike warn hapless, ignorant citizens not to dare to consume, as they will give them cancer, cause all types of biological dysfunctions and make them put on 10 kilos in one go. Yeah, you've all been warned of the much-maligned usual suspects: sugar, alcohol, palm oil, red meat, milk (or any dairy product, for that matter), gluten foods, all of which can be so mean to you, your health and your figure in so many different ways. That's complete BULLSHIT if you ask me. Sometimes, the easiest, simplest information is the right one. I have been told all my life that everything in moderation is likely to be good for you and everything done excessively turns out to be harmful. To this day, that makes complete sense to me. I know that most of us need something to believe in and some creed to pledge our allegiance to, and that many feel happy when thinking that if you eat/drink (as much as you want of) these foods and NEVER try those ones, you'll always be healthy and in good shape. Never heard of the principles of energetic balance, huh?
d) Moral issues cannot be shunned; well, I cannot shun them. We all love pets and find those videos with puppies and kitties absolutely cute, yet we are sometimes a little impassive or kind of insensitive to the suffering animals have to go through in factory farms and laboratories in order for us to enjoy our meals and buy medicines and look good and whatnot. For that reason, as I read and heard- just like you I guess- about the wretched conditions livestock and laboratory animals undergo, the idea of becoming a vegetarian- which I was at some point in my life- or even a vegan-in the end, dairy products and egg production are not devoid of suffering inflicted to the animals producing them- crossed my mind. Mike Mahler, a vegan bodybuilder, gives some interesting insights on the matter: "I realized that I did not want to contribute to the unnecessary suffering of other beings and I knew that I needed to make some changes. I started thinking about how animals are abused in labs and further solidified the new direction that I was taking. In addition, to giving up meat, I decided that I would make sure to purchase products such as toothpaste, shampoo, soap etc that were not tested on animals. I gave up meat gradually. I started off by giving up all meat except fish. Then I gave up fish but continued to eat eggs and dairy. I, of course, ended up giving up all animal products. That was 10 years ago and I have never looked back." Super interesting views, for sure, but then he continues "I am an ethical vegan and believe you are not entitled to talk about peace, or even be at peace with yourself, when you have a steak on your plate, as an animal died in agonizing pain to end up there". Well, Mike, slow down, will you? Let's not forget that Hitler was a vegetarian. There may be many moral reasons to consider giving up all meat products, but decrying all meat eaters as vile, vicious savages is too much, I think.
e) As there is not a simple nutritional approach that will work for every single person (as we are different, have different genes, different body shapes and needs, different metabolisms, etc.), you have to find out what works for you: I for example have observed that I feel much more active and energetic early in the morning when I haven't had anything to eat, and can pretty much get by for a couple of hours on an empty stomach (exercising, working, researching...), as I have never been much of a breakfast person; 6-7 hours of good, solid sleep and a large cup of coffee will do the job hehe. I also do not have those many meals a day, like all dieticians (well, mainstream ones) say you should (mostly 2 or 3, but kind of big ones) and I feel really hydrated because- not surprisingly- I drink plenty of water too, something like 5 liters a day. I also like opening the fridge and seeing lots of green and colorful stuff: asparagus, zucchini, pears, mushrooms, bananas, berries, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, spinaches, watermelon, mangoes, avocados, you name it... I just love that stuff, but I eat plenty of fish, meat, eggs, thick carbs like rice, potatoes and all types of nuts as well. I have never had problems feasting at night and going to bed something like 30 minutes after finishing a big meal. The thing is that this diet works for me and makes me feel great, but your ideal meal plan might be different!
f) The concept of "diets/ miracle diets" is, in my opinion, absolutely worthless: a shameful moneymaker at the expense of people unhappy with their own image, desperate for quick changes. Things like the Ketogenic/Atkins/ Duncan diet (pretty similar in their principles), the artichoke diet or whatever stupid next big thing, make no sense in my humble opinion, for many reasons: firstly, because they are impractical (scheduling and planning your meals according to those diets would mean killing your social life- eating out with friends and family, special dates and events, birthdays, Christmas, etc- altogether) and because they make the person following them absolutely deprived and, as a consequence, miserable. That who starves on artichoke or broccoli for a period of time is very likely to feel angry at the world and anxiously pig out and binge on all the "forbidden foods" they crave for, eat back all the calories previously burnt (plus many, many more) and ruin everything and put on twice as much weight as they managed to lose (Why? Because they feel deprived!). In today's world, people want shortcuts for everything and, unfortunately, there are no shortcuts for being healthier and fitter, and no extreme approaches should be taken, either. If one wants to be healthier and fitter (not necessarily "lean", "slim" or "ripped", mind you, though that- a lean, nice-looking body- is, of course, a nice side effect/outcome of a healthy lifestyle), they will have to find the right combination of nutrition, exercise and rest that works for them, that is practical (i.e.: it fits easily in their working, family, leisure life) and that they can sustain for almost the rest of their lives. Extreme measures and shortcuts are bound to fail, miserably.
g) And, on top of that, food is a pleasure, right? Something to be enjoyed with all of our senses, a social activity... and if someone is deliberately (which means that it is not because of some medical prescription, abject poverty or anything like that) missing the delight of a delicious meal with friends, family or partner, well, I feel sorry for them. So, even if you're following a particular meal plan/ diet for a particular purpose, there is no reason why you shouldn't occasionally cheat on it and enjoy that gorgeous pasta dish or that yummy dessert you like so much. That will make you happier and isn't happiness the ultimate goal in everyone's life?
What's your opinion on the issue?
