I agree, but just want to comment (this is a soap box issue for me).
This has been one of my problems for the Atkins diet; its now such a comercial venture that its books outsell Harry Potter books in the UK!!! In the Higher Ed instiute that I work in in the UK isn't driven by the same motivation, much of the funding is provided by health promoting charities and there are very few links with private companies. Obviously this isn't the same for all institutions.Originally posted by DurangoKid
When some one provides "evidence" one should ask, ‘who paid for it and what are they selling?’ We live in an age when the chartered corporation, which started out as a creature of the state, is now the master of the state. Hence, the profit motives of the corporations outweigh science and tradition when it comes to matters of public policy and education. Even the institutions of higher learning have been co-opted and rendered just another profit center. Research is now driven more by market analysis and patent law than the needs of the people corporations claim to serve.
Fat consumption has also increased particularly with fast food consumption, people eat bigger meals, etc. Refined sugars are bad, but they are not the only story. I think refined foods are the biggest problem as they are calorie dense and low in nutrients. People do need to be educated against this refined/industrialised food. Due to changing working practice people are also far less active, tis is a major problem.Originally posted by DurangoKid
Ask yourself, what is the biggest change in the human diet in industrial countries in the last century? By far, it has to be the industrial quantities of sugars and other refined carbohydrates. What kinds of fats did people consume in the 19th century? Lard and butter were the cooking media of choice. No one ate hydrogenated oils or seed oils because they didn’t exist for the most part. Combine that with the corporate grip on the mass media and it should be obvious that diet related diseases are largely the fault of the new industrial cuisine. Advertising works by slowly affecting one’s attitudes and choices. It works best in a vacuum where contradictory views are suppressed or ridiculed. Is it in the corporate interest to educate a population about the dangers of industrial cuisine? Or, would it be more likely that some corporation would try to sell you a cure for the problem?
I agree, but think that everyone should eat more whole, natural foods and eschew processed trash (both high fat and high simple carbs). This in essence is a balanced diet.Originally posted by DurangoKid
As cyclists, we are a self-selecting minority. We regularly engage in a level of activity that is no longer the norm. The closest thing I can compare it to would be running down a wounded animal for a couple of hours just before dinner. I doubt whether our Pleistocene ancestors worked as hard as often. Therefore, a little extra carb around work out time is no big deal to me. I still believe that any cyclist can be a healthier cyclist if they eat more whole, natural foods and eschew processed trash.
Agree (not sure on the poitical bit though), but they jeopardise their health from eating a **** diet (high fat or high simple sugars). I always recomend eating a balanced healthy diet (with adjustments for individual needs) and I am vegetarian myself (its very easy to avoid processed foods when being vegetarian. Such a normal healthy balanced diet stands up to most atacks and is suitable for both active and inactive people.Originally posted by DurangoKid
Let us not lose sight of the bigger picture. People who don’t participate in some sport or exercise program are jeopardizing their health. Eating industrial cuisine only makes their behavior more prone to risk. The beneficiaries of industrial cuisine are the owners of the corporations that produce it. Those who consume it are subsidizing the profits with their health. It’s no coincidence that as we approach a fascist state our diet is deteriorating. To paraphrase John Muir, when one considers one thing, you’ll find it’s connected to everything else.