Do you have a specific diet for health?

[Jim Oaks]

When I was younger, people went on a diet to lose weight. The word diet was always associated with weight loss.

Over the last few years, I've heard people talk about specific diets to stay healthy, with a concern about diseases and cancer. I've known people that are a specific diet, or avoid certain foods to help prevent cancer.

I have become more and more interested in the topic. Think about all the allergies and intolerance's that people have now. Different illnesses / diseases that weren't heard of years ago.

I recently watched a program on Netflix called 'The Game Changers'. They talk about a plant based diet, and avoiding actual meats. They try to make a point that man was not created to be meat eaters, how unhealthy it is for us, and how we can get our proteins from Vegetables. Numerous athletes and even Arnold Schwarzenegger follow this idea. Arnold didn't start following this until later in life.

Now I'm watching another Netflix program called 'The Magic Pill'. They discuss the ketogenic diet, which is high fat and low carb.

It seems like one contradicts the other.

Still, I do believe that the foods we eat are harming us. And some of our food is not allowed in other countries because they recognize they're harmful:

https://www.eatthis.com/american-foods-products-banned-in-other-countries/

Does anyone here think about this stuff? Do you follow a specific diet for better health?

 

[4.0blue98]

Rough day to start a diet thread.

I'm low carb not really keto and everything in moderation.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I have known people who ate healthy, never smoked, exersized, etc and died at 52 yrs old.

Ive known others who have smoked, chewed, drank, ate every fatty greasy thing in sight, and are still kicking good at 96.

I truely believe it doesnt matter what you do or dont do, your body comes from the factory with a experation date.

 

[Dirtman]

My doctor says my "triglycerides" are dangerously high. I'm not suppose to eat breads, potatoes, pasta, or sugar. But apparently I can shovel as much meat down my throat as I want.... So that's my diet. Meat and the occasional vegetable.

 

[sgtsandman]

I don’t follow a specific plan. I do prefer to eat things as minimally processed as possible. Like food that is made from food instead of a list of chemical and processed animal by products. The shorter the list of ingredients, the better as well.

 

[Uncle Gump]

Since you're in the mood for watching food documentaries... Forks over Knives and Food Inc were both really good.

Our food system is just broken... It is geared for profit. People just can't afford to eat clean healthy food... but the highly processed has something for every families grocery budget. The results are at the epidemic stage already.

If the wife had her way... we would never eat anything that had eyes... or a mother. No dairy either.

The holidays are a tough time... but it seems each year... we get closer to her way.

 

[JohnnyO]

I got diabetes almost 4 years ago and can no longer eat all I want and what I want. Those if you who know me personally know I was never overweight, rather it just runs in my family. General rule of thumb I was given was to mentally divide your plate into fourths. 50% should be veggies, 25% protein (meat), and 25% carbs. Try to keep your carbs to around 60 grams a day and space them out evenly. I'm allowed about double that because I'm very active and was not overweight. So it depends on you. The Atkins diet was originally created for diabetics as a way to keep your blood sugar stable and thus not feel hungry and go on eating binges. I've long said what Uncle Gump did, that it's expensive to eat healthy and cheap to eat badly.

 

[stmitch]

Run your tongue along the teeth inside your mouth. Feel those pointy ones? They're not there to eat plants. Feel those flat teeth? They're not there to eat meat, they're in your mouth to grind up plants and grains. We're equipped with tools to process both meat and plants for a reason. Humans have always been omnivores. Don't fight hundreds of thousands of years of evolution unless you have to for medical reasons. There is no perfect food that can supply everything we need, so you have to eat a little bit of everything.

That being said, moderation and food quality matter a great deal. Avoid processed foods. As a general rule you can do this pretty easily by only shopping on the outside of the grocery store. Center meals around a reasonable lean protein, eat as much fresh produce as you can stand. The rule for meat is that fewer legs is better. So fish is better than poultry which is better than livestock.

To stay healthy, you need vitamins and nutrients. Focus on what's in the food you eat. Celery is green and healthy looking. It actually counts as negative calories which is great if you're trying to lose weight, but its pretty much devoid of valuable nutrition too, so it's not going to provide much nutrition for your body. Starchy veggies like potatoes and corn have more drawbacks than benefits, but they're still better than cookies. Berries and leafy greens are great. In many cases, the brighter the colors, the more nutrients and vitamins.

 

[Grumpaw]

Sorry guys, I'm on the "See" diet.
I "See" food and I eat food.
Guess I'm just lucky. At 70 I eat anything I want. BP is great, cholorestal is low. I'm a meat eater, love breads, eat junk food, and could survive very happily on KFC, Chic Fil A, Big Mac's and Whoppers.
Only meds are for arthritis. Full physical every year so no surprises sneak up on me. Have never been on any kind of diet, and have been the same 180 lbs for 40 years.
Just one of those lucky ones.
Grumpaw

 

[4.0blue98]

I hate you

 

[Grumpaw]

Oh, and my wife is a great cook, loves to bake. She's still at 120 lbs she was when I met her 35 years ago, takes no meds. Not as big a snacker as I am,
but enjoys good food. She's also never been on any kind of diet.
Grumpaw

 

[4.0blue98]

Sorry guys, I'm on the "See" diet.
I "See" food and I eat food.
Guess I'm just lucky. At 70 I eat anything I want. BP is great, cholorestal is low. I'm a meat eater, love breads, eat junk food, and could survive very happily on KFC, Chic Fil A, Big Mac's and Whoppers.
Only meds are for arthritis. Full physical every year so no surprises sneak up on me. Have never been on any kind of diet, and have been the same 180 lbs for 40 years.
Just one of those lucky ones.
Grumpaw

Go ahead, keep rubbing it in. I'll be lucky to make it to 70. My wife is super healthy so she'll be in for a big windfall...

 

[Grumpaw]

As far as man not being a "meat eater"...
At one point we were nothing but scared little primates living on plants and living in trees. We were "pray" and limited in strength and endurance. Did not travel very far.
At some point we started eating "meat" which supplied protein for growth, brain development, muscle. Our intelligence grew, our strength grew, and our endurance grew. We were able to
get down from the trees and developed the ability to walk up right, and for long distances.
From that point, as meat eaters, everything else became "pray", and from there we went on to invent...
The Ranger !!!

But, who knows...in a few hundred thousand years we all may revert back to what was....

Grumpaw

 

[1986RangerXL]

I've been going to the gym for a few years now, I've gotten to the point where my deadlift sets are twice my bodyweight (155) or more. I think the idea of losing weight has become overly complicated. To lose weight you only have to be in a calorie deficit. As for diet, I stay away from fast food, limit sugary drinks, drink plenty of water, keep a decent balance and choose the healthier option. (Wheat instead of white bread.) I think there are a lot more things that could shorten your life than a slightly unhealthy diet

 

[Bill]

As far as man not being a "meat eater"...
At one point we were nothing but scared little primates living on plants and living in trees. We were "pray" and limited in strength and endurance. Did not travel very far.
At some point we started eating "meat" which supplied protein for growth, brain development, muscle. Our intelligence grew, our strength grew, and our endurance grew. We were able to
get down from the trees and developed the ability to walk up right, and for long distances.
From that point, as meat eaters, everything else became "pray", and from there we went on to invent...
The Ranger !!!

But, who knows...in a few hundred thousand years we all may revert back to what was....

Grumpaw

The most prevalent thoughts on this are that we developed larger brains because we started cooking food which is easier to digest than raw food. This made more energy available for larger brains. Walking upright is likely the result of reaching for fruit in the trees. Our ability to see colour is due to the need to recognize ripe fruit.