Category Archives: Conventional Wisdom – How I hate you
Diets around the world – Is the U.S. behind?
We have a fat-phobia here in the U.S. We are so afraid of fat that we would rather eat processed crap food than whole foods with saturated fat. And we think our low-fat diet is healthiest even though we are the most obese country.
So what are other countries doing that we aren’t? How are other nations staying lean?
Yahoo.com had an article about what we could learn from other countries’ diets called “The Secrets of the World’s Healthiest Women.” And while I don’t agree with all of what they wrote, I do think they bring up a great topic for discussion.
And I think the most important thing we can learn from studying other countries, is that eating whole, natural foods is key and that fat…really doesn’t make you fat.
In the article, the author states that French women stay thin because of portion control. And while yes they do use portion control to stay slim while eating butter and cream, I think something more important is being overlooked. It isn’t the small portion that keeps them slim…it is actually the fatty rich foods that do! Butter and cream are minimally processed and low in carbs (check out this article by Mark Sisson about why grass-fed butter is good for you)! And with the full-fat cheese, cream and butter, they consume fresh foods and antioxidant rich wine! Even the baked goods they consume are FRESH…made from FRESH, minimally processed ingredients. And on top of that, they burn the carbs they eat unlike 90% of Americans out there. They walk everywhere!
The article then mentions that “Scandinavians eat farm to table.” This is definitely something we, Americans, don’t do. It is also more proof of how important it is to eat organic, free-range, grass-fed livestock and produce. So shouldn’t we be eating any and all whole foods instead of buying processed low-fat crap? Isn’t a grass-fed steak with some saturated fat better than whole wheat bread which is PROCESSED!?!
Anyway, moving on…The article then highlights the Japanese diet. It states they are so healthy because “they practice hara hachi bu, or eating until 80% full.” And people think I’m crazy when I fast? How is fasting any different from calorie restriction by eating till only 80% full? UHM…IT ISN’T!! Also, again what are these people eating? WHOLE, NATURAL FOODS! They are getting a great ratio of omega-3s to omega-6s unlike 90% of Americans. And yes, they are eating carbs…but NO GLUTEN! AND they have “the highest concentration of centenarians (people aged 100 or older) in the world.”
So now onto the section that both makes me happy and a tad bit angry…the Mediterranean diet.
The article states:
The much-heralded Mediterranean diet has been linked to a longer life and a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer, Parkinson’s, and Alzheimer’s. As we’ve heard before, this diet includes good fats (olive oil, nuts, fish), lean proteins, antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, and a moderate amount of wine.
What people interpret this as…”I can eat chicken and fish ONLY.” EH! WRONG! Grass-fed, naturally raised beef is LEAN! It is way leaner than its grain-fed counterpart. So if you buy naturally raised animals, you will be eating LEAN meat…so you CAN eat steak!!!
Anyway, this is definitely food for thought (pun!). I also actually do like the article’s 7 tips at the bottom – especially “learn to love the foods that love you back.”
What do you think? Are Americans behind in their dietary beliefs? Do we have a lot to learn from other countries?
I told you so….
See the Man Bicep has been important all along!
- See Ellen agrees! “Best Who Cares About the Dress, Look at Her Arms Dress: Viola Davis“
- So if a gluten-free diet alleviates autism symptoms, how can you not think it is healthy?
- LIFT CHALLENGING WEIGHTS! Here is more proof that you should!
- Ok so not exactly how I would word it…But this article proves my point! Exercise does help you lose weight but it can’t make up for poor food choices. Of course, I don’t think you should really eat anything it recommends, but hey, you can’t win them all!
- Research showing grass-fed beef is better. Need more? Here. Oh and here is more.
- Older article by Gary Taubes, but great evidence that FAT is GOOD.
YEP!
And, I’m glad to see the enthusiasm for the Man Bicep diet! Here is one of the “Show Me Yours” photos I received! Thank you Amanda! Keep sending them Man Bicepers!
A lifter and a Paleo/Primal eater, Amanda will be trying the Man Bicep diet and workout program!
Am I sacrificing?
I’ve had numerous people say they could never be as “strict” with their diet as I am because they couldn’t sacrifice so much.
Maybe this is why people assume that eating healthily means sacrifice...
My question back is always, “What am I really sacrificing?”
Here are two of the most common responses I get when I ask what I’m sacrificing….
“You can’t have pizza and such any day when you just “feel like it?”
For one, I do occasionally have pizza if I want it. I just don’t give into temptation very often.
And I don’t think it is a sacrifice to not eat bad food whenever I feel like it! But then again I’m also super happy eating butter, steak, bacon and the bazillion other fatty foods that I can eat every single day that other people avoid as “bad” for them.
I also realize the bigger picture. By avoiding eating the vegetable oils and gluten that comes with a lot of those “cheat” meals on a regular basis, I’m avoiding things that are seriously detrimental to my health. Also, why would I eat those cheats on a regular basis when I can indulge in healthier Primal cheats like dark chocolate, macadamia nuts, bacon and full-fat cheese?
So really who is sacrificing? Me with my delicious healthy foods and occasional cheats? Or you with your blander diet that makes you avoid fatty foods, but gives you the ability to eat bad whenever you want?
“You sometimes don’t go out or over-indulge in alcohol because you are sticking to your diet.”
I won’t argue with this statement, but I also don’t think of staying in occasionally or not “overindulging” as a sacrifice. For one, I’ve never been a HUGE party-er or a huge drinker so that didn’t really change with my “strict” diet.
I don’t go out any less…I just don’t always indulge in the carb-loaded appetizers you order…or the desserts. But unlike many diets I’ve tried, I don’t need to be a recluse on Primal. Very rarely can I not find at least one Primal dish to eat!
So I can still go out and party as much as I’ve always done. So…again, I don’t think my DIET is making me sacrifice.
“What do you mean you can’t try the food I brought in?”
I hate that when food is brought into work everyone always tries to force you to eat it. They try to make you feel like you are missing out because you aren’t trying it.
My theory though is that they envy the fact that you have enough self-control to refrain from eating something that honestly isn’t something you (or even they) really wanted to eat.
Is it really sacrificing to not eat something you weren’t planning to eat? Is it really sacrificing to skip that piece of pizza or brownie that you don’t know is good when you have a delicious meal that you brought with you?
Seriously, why eat something someone brought in when you don’t want it!?!
Now let me ask you, am I really sacrificing? Is being healthier while eating foods that are still satisfying even if they aren’t what I used to consider “cheats” worth not getting to indulge in some of the great “bad” foods I used to love as often?
I think so….
Nutrition Label vs. Ingredients
When I would diet in college, the first thing I would look at on any nutrition label is the calories and fat per serving.
Then the year I did low-fat, low carb, I started paying attention to not only the calories and fat, but also the number of carbs listed.
Since starting Primal, I rarely ever look at nutrition labels. Actually, most of the foods I eat don’t even have nutritional labels on them since they aren’t prepackaged.
And when I do eat a prepackaged food, the first thing I look at isn’t the nutrition label – it’s the ingredients.
If all the ingredients are natural, then I shouldn’t have to worry about what the nutrition label says. Plus, nutrition labels can be extremely misleading.
For example, let’s take two different diet sodas. Both have no calories and no sugar.
Size: 8 fl. oz.
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value * | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total Fat | 0g | 0% | ||
| Sodium | 35mg | 1% | ||
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g | 0% | ||
| Sugars | 0g | 0% | ||
| Protein | 0g | 0% | ||
| Amount Per Serving | % Daily Value * | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Calories | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total Fat | 0g | 0% | ||
| Sodium | 60mg | 3% | ||
| Total Carbohydrates | 0g | 0% | ||
| Sugars | 0g | 0% | ||
| Protein | 0g | 0% | ||
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
Both sodas basically only have a little bit of sodium in them. And because both sodas don’t have calories, most people would pick the Fresca since it is a light soda, which is supposedly a bit better for you.BUT if people looked at the ingredients, they would realize that these sodas are FAR from the same.
Diet Dr. Pepper Ingredients
CARBONATED WATER, CARAMEL COLOR, ASPARTAME, PHOSPHORIC ACID, ARTIFICIAL AND NATURAL FLAVORS, SODIUM BENZOATE (PRESERVATIVE), CAFFEINE. PHENYLKETONURICS CONTAINS: PHENYLALANINE
Fresca Ingredients
Carbonated Water; Citric Acid; Concentrated Grapefruit Juice; Potassium Citrate; Potassium Sorbate; Potassium Benzoate and EDTA (to protect taste); Aspartame; Acesulfame Potassium; Acacia; Natural Flavors; Glycerol Ester of Rosin; Brominated Vegetable Oil;Carob Bean Gum PHENYLKETONURICS: CONTAINS PHENYLALANINE
There is one specific ingredient in Fresca that makes it a bazillion times worse despite the fact that the nutrition labels on both sodas look almost identical. That ingredient is Brominated Vegetable Oil.
Brominated Vegetable Oil (BVO) is composed mainly of bromine, a poisonous chemical whose vapors are considered both corrosive and toxic. BVO has been banned in over 100 countries because it is a potential carcinogen and causes a number of disorders starting from simple headache, fatigue, weight-gain to cancer, heart and kidney diseases.
So what the nutrition label on Fresca doesn’t tell you is that it contains a chemical that is corrosive and toxic and has been banned in OVER 100 countries!
So if you only look at nutrition labels, you may want to start reading the ingredients to find out what you are really consuming.
OR best of all…just eat all whole, natural foods so you don’t even have to worry about it! Check out this week’s Recipe Box Recipe for a great meal with a very simple list of ingredients!
“Fish meat is practically a vegetable”
Sometimes you feel like we are making progress – that Primal/Paleo is finally breaking into mainstream society. That people are losing their fear of fat and realizing just how bad whole grains and vegetable oils are for you.
And then all of a sudden an article comes out that dashes all your hopes.
Military men will now be served a “healthy” low-fat diet full of fruits and vegetables and whole grains.
Why, oh why, couldn’t it just be a healthy whole foods diet even? Why this low-fat crap!?!
Michelle Obama – I love the fact that you promote strength training and aren’t afraid to bust out push ups on the Ellen Show. I love the fact that you are dedicated to promoting health and wellness to children.
But why a low-fat diet?!?
I can’t seem to find the exact diet anywhere. And I can’t find out exactly whose recommendations this supposedly “healthy” military diet is based on.
Is it the USDA’s recommendations? Because I sincerely hope it isn’t. I mean their recommendations are awful.
Just look at this food pyramid for kids!
Ok…of course I hate the fact that grains are even listed on this pyramid, but may I also point out that tomatoes are a fruit, but listed under veggies. Also, corn is not a veggie! It is a grain!
Botanically speaking, corn is a caryopsis, or dry fruit — popularly known as a grain. (NY Times Corn: Vegetable, Fruit or Grain?)
Can I also point out that meat and beans aren’t equal in terms of protein so why are they listed together? Beans aren’t a complete protein. They actually only contain 3 of the essential amino acids that make up a complete protein – lysine, tryptophan, and methionine. Beans need to be eaten with grains to become complete…maybe it would be wiser to list them with grains than with meat…
Also, probably the thing that annoys me most on this chart is the fact that vegetable oil is listed on it!! AND it is listed by milk. This chart says that corn oil, soybean oil, vegetable oil and canola oil are good for you!
UHM HELLO!?! There have just been numerous studies published in mainstream media stating otherwise so how the heck does the USDA still have this on their pyramid? This is an interesting piece about how BAD for you veggie oils are for you! (P.S. I love the fact that this guy likes coconut oil!!!)
Ok I’m sorry…I just can’t believe this pyramid. Processed foods are on this list over things like fatty meats, butter and full fat cheeses.
Can I just ask why the government is so behind in its diet and exercise beliefs? Why is the government pushing antiquated nutritional standards onto our children and our military men and women!?!
(P.S. The title is a quote from my favorite meat-eating TV character Ron Swanson.)
“I thought it was a man writing this…”
I submitted my Primal powerlifting success story to Mark’s Daily Apple because of Ryan’s encouragement. And yesterday the story was posted on Mark’s site.
I honestly wasn’t sure how people would respond and was a bit nervous to have my story somewhere other than Man Bicep. I thought people would think it was cool or a bit different from the usual success story, but I never thought people would assume I was a man.
Actually I am very amused by how many people first assumed it was a man’s story until they saw the pictures.
It made me think about how conditioned we are to believe that men lift heavy weights, but women don’t.
I mean people even just assumed I spelled “fiance” wrong instead of thinking that I was a woman…and honestly I can’t blame them.
We all view life through a lens – a lens which is developed based on our own experiences and the influence of mainstream media.
And let’s face it, most women don’t lift heavy. And most mainstream media tells us that women shouldn’t even want to lift heavy unless they want to bulk up.
Most media sources tell women to avoid super low reps so that they aren’t training for hypertrophy (to make their muscles bigger). Instead they are supposed to stick with higher reps and use “challenging” weights.
While yes, there are some outlets out there that are trying to change this female phobia of heavy weights, things are changing slowly…very slowly.
I still train women who don’t want to lift too heavy because they don’t want to get bulky. Of course I slowly trick them into lifting heavy, but at first they really refuse.
I even had one client tell me she was getting bulky from doing too many push ups…from her knees!!! WHAT!?!
I try telling them that there is no way that they will bulk up. I even tell them that I’ve tried and it just isn’t possible, but they don’t believe me. Too many mainstream media sources telling them something different.
I’m just hoping more women who lift heavy come forward and share their stories and pictures so that people stop assuming that any story about a heavy lifter is about a man!
Join the Man Bicep movement ladies! Flex those biceps. Invade the weight room floor. And look sexy while doing it!
Dieting – Losing weight or being healthy?
So recently there have been a ton of articles about how what you eat isn’t as important as how much you eat. One article specifically states that adherence to any diet is what gets results not the diet itself.
I’m sorry but this is false. Diets aren’t created equal even if you can lose weight on them.
Yes losing weight is about calories in vs. calories out. BUT only if you don’t care if you are skinny fat with a very unhealthy inside.
I mean, I’ve been there and done that. I’ve done other diets (low-fat, higher carb diets specifically) and I’ve “lost weight.” I’ve suffered through the torture of giving up foods that I love.
And I never got real results. I never looked super lean and muscled. Before now, Id always gotten skinny-fat and I wasn’t very healthy.
But who wants to be skinny fat? Who wants to suffer doing a diet that doesn’t make them healthier?
NOT ME! I want great body composition and if I’m sacrificing at all to be on a “healthy” diet, I want the diet to make me healthier! So yea….I’m concerned with more than just simply calories in vs. calories out.
So the bottom line isn’t “All diets work if you stick to them.”
And I mean come on…it isn’t just simply easy to stick to ANY diet!
Studying Studies
I mentioned last week that one of the ways you can pick the best diet for you is by doing some research and looking at studies. I also mentioned that not only should you read the studies, but you also need to analyze them.
Does the study really PROVE what it claims to?
And trust me, you need to ask this question a lot.
I asked that question today when I found an article on Fox News called “Calories count but source doesn’t matter study says.”
UHM? Hello…the source is what matters most! And the crazy thing, is I just wrote a post about the fact that losing weight is about more than calories in vs. calories out!
So of course, I had to read this article because as you know I love a good rant.
But after reading the article, I realized the title was misleading…and now I was confused. Here I was ready to refute all of the article’s evidence saying that it is simply calories in vs. calories out, but that really wasn’t at all what the article was about…
The article was actually more about finding the a diet that you could stick to! I mean yes the article does hint that calories are all that matter, which I don’t agree with, but it makes a great point about the fact that if you don’t choose a diet you can stick to, no matter how well it is SUPPOSED to work, it won’t work for you.
“If you’re happier doing it low-fat, or happier doing it low carb, this paper says it’s OK to do it either way. They were equally successful,” said Christopher Gardner, a Stanford University professor uninvolved in the study.
In the end, he said, people should choose the diet that’s easiest for them to stick with.
See! You have to experiment and find something that works for you! Isn’t that another point that I make in my post about how to find your personal “dieting secret?” Why yes….I think it is!
One of the researchers also had a quote in the article that really made me smirk with satisfaction.
“They did have difficulties with adherence, so that really tempers what you can conclude,” he added.
Who gets paid to write this shit? (Excuse the language)
Seriously who the heck pays stupid people to write stupid articles that only serve to further mislead the public about diet and exercise?
haha
I had another post planned for today, but when Francine posted a link to my wall called “10 Fitness Facts that Everyone Gets Wrong” and said, “OMG WHO WROTE THIS? THEY SHOULD BE JAILED,” I felt the need to read and RANT about it.
I first started reading the article and thought, “Ok I don’t like how this guy words stuff, but I see his point.”
I mean, no you don’t have to train hard to see your abs. You can have the strongest abs in the world, but if you eat too much and store excess fat, you will never see them. Dieting really is key to getting six-pack abs.
I also saw his point about the point of exercising NOT being about burning calories. Exercise should be used to get in better physical shape. Diet is truly at least 80% of the weight loss battle.
But that is where my agreement with him ended and my temper rose exponentially.
He next claims that “weightlifting is an effective fat loss strategy” is false. He says that it pales in comparison to cardio when it comes to calorie burn.
EXCUSE ME!?!
Here is a link (Fat Loss Wars: Cardio vs. Weight Training) about how good weightlifting is for fat loss (this article also disproves a few of his other points). Even his own site refutes him. I found another article on Askmen.com called “Weightlifting for Fat Loss” that states:
Choosing to abandon your weight-lifting program when it’s time to cut fat is one of the biggest mistakes you can make, so be sure you don’t commit this progress-damaging error.
Below are a few points from his article that I would also like to dispute:
- He states that “Weightlifting does burn calories, but when compared to hard aerobic training, it pales.” While that is true if you only consider calories burned while you are working out, it is false when you consider OVERALL calorie burn. Here is a quote from Women’s Health proving that weightlifting is great if you want to burn calories and torch fat: “Though cardio burns more calories than strength training during those 30 sweaty minutes, pumping iron slashes more overall. A study in The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that women who completed an hour-long strength-training workout burned an average of 100 more calories in the 24 hours afterward than they did when they hadn’t lifted weights. At three sessions a week, that’s 15,600 calories a year, or about four and a half pounds of fat—without having to move a muscle.”
- The author of this horrendous article then states later, “as you improve physical fitness, your body begins to operate more efficiently so that you burn fewer calories while at rest and during exercise. While this is true, it is easy to keep challenging yourself so that you keep your body burning more calories. Here is another quote from Women’s Health again explaining how important weights are to burning calories and fat: “What’s more, increasing that afterburn is as easy as upping the weight on your bar. In a study in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, women burned nearly twice as many calories in the two hours after their workout when they lifted 85 percent of their max load for eight reps than when they did more reps (15) at a lower weight (45 percent of their max). (This is also proof that women should lift heavy weights!!!!)
- He also has the audacity to state that low carb diets aren’t an effective weight loss tool. UHM WHAT!?! Has he ever seen Marks Daily Apple? There are about six million success stories on there that prove just how great for you a low carb diet is!
- And then he goes on to state, ” I know that some experience weight-loss success with this approach (low-carb), but I consider this diet as a last resort for the lazy.” WHAT!?! How is someone doing something healthy lazy? Just explain how a low-carb diet is lazy?!?!?!
- And the last point I would like to rant about is his comment that low-carb diets “restrict the good carbs that are essential for exercise performance, the ones that can be quite satiating and contain valuable nutrients.” Uhm no. I’m sorry low-fat diets restrict way more nutrients than low-carb diets. I eat ten bazillion more vegetables and fruits on Primal than I ever did on any other diet. I mean on a diet where you aren’t allowed grains, rice or legumes where else are you going to get calories from but nutritious fruits and vegetables!?!? All low-carb diets do is cut out the crap.
Seepage – Vegetable Oil Isn’t Good for You!
There has been seepage!!! Seepage of Primal into conventional wisdom realms!
YESSSSSSS!
I’m super pumped to see an article on Yahoo! by SELF magazine called “Could this popular supplement be making you fat?” . While the title kind of sucks, the article is wonderful because it says we are consuming too much omega-6 fat!!
Which, guess what…WE ARE!
And guess what is to blame for our excessive consumption of omega-6s? Processed foods AND specifically those vegetable oils that so many people love!!! Yea…and all of you are so afraid of butter and lard! (Which by the way has a great ratio of omega-3 (GOOD!) to omega-6 (BAD!).
Just look at the amounts of omega-6s (n-6) and omega-3s (n-3) in vegetable oils:
Corn Oil
57g LA (n-6)
0.8g ALA (n-3)Cottonseed Oil
48g LA (n-6)
0.4g ALA (n-3)Canola Oil
22g LA (n-6)
11g ALA (n-3)Soybean Oil
53g LA (n-6)
7g ALA (n-3)
Oh and now let’s compare these vegetable oils to those awful animal and full-fat dairy products that so many people shun:
Beef Tallow (grain-fed beef source)
4g LA (n-6)
0.7g ALA (n-3)Chicken Fat
17g LA (n-6)
1.1g ALA (n-3)Lard
10g LA (n-6)
1.4g ALA (n-3)Mutton Fat
5g LA (n-6)
2.9g ALA (n-3)Heavy Cream, conventional, grain-fed cows
0.9g LA (n-6)
0.6g ALA (n-3)
Wow, the ration of omega-6 to omega-3 is way better! AND not only is the ratio better, but these fatty animal products have way fewer omega-6s!
Looks like maybe we Primal and Paleo followers are on to something, huh? I mean even the public health doctor admits that our Stone Age ancestors ate a great ratio of omega-3 to omega-6 so why shouldn’t we eat like them!
What is it about the modern diet that’s leading you to eat too much omega-6? Like omega-3, omega-6 fats occur naturally in small amounts in plants and in the meat of animals that eat plants, while nuts and seeds tend to have more omega-3*. “In the diet of our Stone Age ancestors, there was probably more omega-3 than omega-6,” says Lassek. “The problem for us today is that there is more than 20 times as much omega-6 as omega-3 in the American diet.”
The culprit? Industrially processed vegetable oils, like corn and soybean oils, which according to Lassek, are added to most prepared foods.
(There is a typo in the quote above. *Omega-3 should actually be omega-6.)
Of course the article isn’t perfect… I mean it still is in the conventional wisdom realm. It has a stupid line advertising “Lose two pounds in one week!” and well it does have a line about canola oil being ok (which it isn’t!).
But hey…there is seepage!!
Man Bicep 