- 3 days ago
- 6 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
{Channeling the old Andy Rooney segment where he went off on something which irked him in the last few minutes of 60 Minutes...}
Is anyone else out there having a bear of a time figuring out how to eat healthfully? I'm not talking about cutting out (or lowering) processed foods from your diet -- that seems to be something which pretty much everyone agrees is a good idea. I'm talking about the massive amounts of conflicting information out there right now, and, even more so, over the course of my life. Don't get me wrong, I know that science leads to revised guidelines, but SHEESH!
Every morning, I wake up and find myself in a state of confused irritation. Should I eat breakfast whether I am hungry or not? What should I eat? When should I eat it? Do I need to drink a glass of lukewarm water even before my typical morning routine (of coffee before all, which works well for me)? Should I feel guilty having a rice cake with banana and peanut butter? What about eggs and (gasp!) a slice of sourdough toast? And, to complicate things, I detest yogurt (yes, I've tried all the types) and cottage cheese, and I don't do smoothies or make things from powders or mixes... You see my conundrum, right?
In my lifetime, dietary conventional wisdom has flipped and flopped, and flipped back again; and the newest healthy eating guidelines just confuse the issue for those who strive to eat healthfully (and maybe drop some weight)...
Here are just a smattering of the conflicting dietary conventional wisdoms over the course of my life, which has led to my current state of frustration and confusion. I'm sure some of you can relate...
Eggs
One egg a day -- my grandmother's credo
No egg yolks (all that fat and cholesterol!)
Definitely don't have eggs without the yolk (the yolk is where are all the most important nutrients are!)
Eat mostly egg whites with some yolks (it's all about protein and this combination maximizes that while including the nutrients from the yolk but keeps the the fat and cholesterol down)
Oils/fats
Crisco, vegetable oil, and peanut oil are good for frying
Margarine should be used instead of butter
No hydrogenated fats, so lose the Crisco and the margarine
For neutral oils, chose canola -- it's so much better than the old standbys of peanut and vegetable oil!
Olive oil is where it's at, embrace the Mediterranean diet! (Note: except that it's not good for frying (low smoke point) and has a flavor, so it is not a replacement for any neutral oil)
Cook with bacon fat (and now, tallow)
Avoid animal fat -- high cholesterol (not the good kind) and calories
Grapeseed and safflower oils are great!
Only use single-process/expeller oils, regardless
Cook with coconut oil
Coconut oil is bad
Avocado oil is the best -- high smoke point, neutral flavor, the "good" fat (but very expensive)
Cook with ghee (over regular butter)
Only cook with organic oils and fats
Wine and dark chocolate
Flavonoids, baby!
Yeah, actually, even the recently touted one-glass-of red-wine-a-day credo is not good. You really shouldn't drink at all.
Nuts
Nuts are great --lots of protein
Peanuts are terrible for your gut and are fattening
Limit your nut intake as they have lots of fat and calories (now at the bottom of the food pyramid)
Snack (intermittently throughout the day) on nuts (preferably raw or dry roasted)
Fruits & Vegetables
Healthy, BUT fruit is high in carbs (sugar) so avoid if doing keto or Atkins
Don't eat too much fruit
Don't eat too much of the starchy veggies
Snack on fruit/ veggies -- don't worry about the calories because they have lots of nutrients
Don't snack on fruit, they have so much sugar and some are quite starchy
Only eat if you get organic (with exceptions)
An apple a day -- this one seems to have lasted better than most
High in fiber, so good
But also some are high in sugar, so bad
Berries -- high in nutrients, black and blueberries are super-foods in fact
Berries are high in sugar -- avoid
Dark leafy greens all day! (Don't worry that it can wreak havoc on your digestion or that it's bitter -- and don't sauce it too much!)
Bananas
Great for/as/with breakfast
Super high in sugar, avoid
Only eat later in the day
Eat, but best with nutsĀ (something about absorption)
General eating habits, diets
Avoid carbs and all sugars if you want to lose weight, including beans and lentils, and whole grains, etc.
Mediterranean diet (which has carbs) -- is a healthy diet and can lead to weight loss. Avoid red meat.
Keto & Atkins -- Don't worry about cholesterol and fat, and eat anything protein you want (hello, bacon and burgers!), but avoid carbs (including in fruit and starchy veggies).
Eat only when you're hungry
Eat regularly (small portions) throughout the day, even when not hungry
Intermittent fasting is a great way to lose weight
It's all about the calories (keep low), but be sure to take in massive amounts of protein (typically high in calories), so supplement with protein shakes (but don't consume processed foods)
Don't eat processed foods, but a protein shake/bar is the most efficient way to make your nutritional goals (which are processed)
Don't eat less than 3-4 hours before you go to sleep
Have a light snack if you can't sleep
Meat
Standard growing up
Pork was lumped with red meat, but became the "white meat"
Avoid animal proteins
Red meat now at top of new FDA food pyramid, so bring it on!
Milk
Whole milk is good -- the norm when I was young
Drink skim -- don't need the fat
Drink low-fat -- skim takes out important stuff and has higher sugar
Whole-fat dairy is the best for you
Breakfast
Most important meal of the day -- don't skip it!
Jump starts your metabolism
It's a myth that it's important. Eat when hungry and don't worry about skipping breakfast
Eat protein for breakfast -- force yourself; avoid carbs
Have fruit for/with breakfast, you need the nutrients
Cheese
High in fat, avoid
Good source of calcium and protein (top of the food pyramid); snack on it
Certain cheeses should be avoided
Water
Drink a percentage of your body weight to stay hydrated (a LOT!)
Your body will tell you when it needs water -- just listen to it
Drink only warm water
Drink water before meals to lower your appetite
Drink water as soon as you wake up -- with lemon, with vinegar, with mint, etc.
If you wake up hungry, that means your cortisol is working; if you don't, better work on it -- and here's a supplement or 20 to take.
Shall I go on (you know I could!)? Holy crap, every day I feel like a deer in headlights! Do I eat breakfast? Are homemade sourdough crackers with some cheddar cheese a good snack? Or do I need to stick with a variety of nuts so I consume a variety of nutrients? Or are celery sticks and carrots (without hummus or dip) the only healthy snacks?
With the plethora of conflicting advice, how are we supposed to know what to do? (Seriously.) Plus, what works for some absolutely doesn't work for others -- body chemistry, life stage, medical conditions, and genetics all play important roles in determining what works for whom. And so it is my hope that scientists will invent a test which can determine, based on DNA/ body chemistry (?), a diet roadmap for each of us. While there are some devices already on the market which measure your metabolism and when you're burning calories (which dictates when you should eat), we need more than that, because that can't dictate WHAT you should eat. And we need this personalized dietary roadmap to be affordable and accessible.
Until the time comes when each of us knows (based on science) what diet is best suited to our specific bodies, I suggest we continue to follow the paradigm: exercise regularly and everything in moderation. Because for a live-to-eat not eat-to-live kind of person, life is simply not worth living without a good mix of foods and flavors, and occasions over which to share them.
(Rant over. For now.)