Health/Fitness/Diet Propaganda

[Awake in America]

Eating salt gives people high blood pressure. Eating fat makes people fat. Eating cholesterol causes high cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol in the blood causes heart disease. Kids today are fat because they don't exercise enough. "Cardio" is an effective way to burn calories (just ask Michelle "Let's Move" Obama!). "Aerobic exercise" strengthens the heart.

I could go on and on. The above statements all have two things in common: 1) They are accepted and presented as true to the general public, 2) They are not true. I don't think the government-academic complex gets things wrong by accident; at least not things that they present to the public with such repetition. What is the agenda behind all of this? Why do they want everyone eating a vegan diet and jogging 10 miles a day?

 

[Lew]

salt doesn't cause high blood pressure ?

 

[Awake in America]

salt doesn't cause high blood pressure ?

No, at least not within "normal" ranges of consumption. They walked that one back over the last couple of years. Salt consumption has declined over the last 30 years, but high blood pressure has not.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/its-time-to-end-the-war-on-salt/

www.nytimes.com/2012/06/03/opinion/sunday/we-only-think-we-know-the-truth-about-salt.html

 

[Freethinker]

Good topic.

The USSA, and their corrupt extension the FDA, is ripe with propaganda and disinformation whenever it comes to nutrition, diet and exercise. For example, the famous "food pyramid", which they were showing school children for generations, was finally thrown out last year. That ridiculous thing had breads and grains at the base, when it should have been at the top. They are glucose which convert to sugar, spikes insulin production and produce a rise is blood sugar levels. Here's an example of Fed Gov stupidity / lying. Don't eat eggs for breakfast as they are high in cholesterol. Instead eat a big bowl of cereal. :lie:

I wonder if the Big Agra money in grains, corn and soybeans has something to do with this. They are certainly a powerful lobby.

An honest assessment would say to eat a ton of vegetables, high quality meats (not grain feed, no growth hormones, etc), fruits and nuts. 86 the processed, sugar laden garbage and limit consumption of grains (loaded with GMO too) to a minimum. And for God's sake men (and women too) stop eating soy as it's loaded with estrogen and mainly GMO now as well.

So basically do the opposite of what the government tells you and you'll be fine. Instead people follow this nonsense and then wonder why we are the fattest nation with diabetes and cancer rates exploding.

 

[davidholly]

Kids today are fat because they overeat. Then the parents turn around and try to blame the ingredients in the food rather than just admitting to the fact that their kid is a glutton.

 

[Awake in America]

Kids today are fat because they overeat. Then the parents turn around and try to blame the ingredients in the food rather than just admitting to the fact that their kid is a glutton.

I do think that what they eat is part of the problem in that it doesn't really satisfy the appetite for any period of time, but I agree that the bottom line is too much food down the neck. The old basic food groups paradigm was actually a really good guideline for a large population. The food pyramid (no Illuminati) is a complete disaster. Ever since the government got really serious about making us eat healthier, the people have just gotten fatter.

 

[seattlefan]

The health establishment are idiots. For years they have promoted high carb diets, low fat diets which has resulted in incredible obesity. As far as I'm concerned, the ideal diet is a high protein, medium fat, low carb diet. The only people preaching that message were outside the establishment, many of them athletes and bodybuilders etc.

 

[Average American]

A theory I remember was when margarine was hyped as the healthy replacement for butter.. and over the years they basically recanted (or refuted it) and said Psych.. turns out butter is better than the hydrogenated margarines.. (or is it now back to margarine being better ?)

Someone who is knowledgeable help me understand, some of these studies are funded by self-interested industry advocates no ? Margarine manufacturers may have funded a study that produced a result in their favor (ie- better for your cholesterol than butter), so they release that to the media.. and then as more objective studies are conducted which refute theirs.. attitudes change. Is that close ?

 

[Freethinker]

AA, I used to be duped by the baloney that butter is bad for you and ate margarine. Then I learned about how many of the polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) like canola or vegetable oil are bad for you. They are chemically unstable and prone to oxidation which leads to a free radical free-for-all. Now all I use is lots of butter (tastes much better), extra virgin olive oil and coconut oil.

Like seattlefan said, I eat high fat, high protein and low carb (mostly from vegetables and fruit) and I'm as healthy as an ox. Have toned up a bit since I've been eating this way more routinely while at the same time working out less (lack of free time and gym access).

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Kids today are fat because they overeat. Then the parents turn around and try to blame the ingredients in the food rather than just admitting to the fact that their kid is a glutton.

Very true. Factor in thar most moderm kids sit on their backsides far too much ("ingesting" propaganda via the Talmud Vision & playing mindless video games). Combine that with stuffing their faces & it's a recipe for "lard@ssity". ;-)

We don't have Hellivision & our kids are very active in sports, martial arts, outdoor activity (hiking, etc.) & playing outside. They very rarely fool with video or go to movies. My eldest son is an also an avid reader (especially history...the "war of northern aggression" is his favorite topic).

I disregard the bogus "food pyramid" & the hyper-focus on BMI, i think the top carbs should be greens, with a high protein intake & modest fat amount (via olive oil, nuts, etc). I enjoy fish (of all kinds), but often find sardines (in water) to be amongst the least expensive & aff

 

[DixieDestroyer]

Kids today are fat because they overeat. Then the parents turn around and try to blame the ingredients in the food rather than just admitting to the fact that their kid is a glutton.

Very true. Many modern kids sit on their lazy, sheepized backsides far too much ("ingesting" propaganda via the Talmud Vision & playing mindless video games). Combine that with stuffing their faces with frakenfoods, & it's a recipe for "lard@ssity" (now) & eventual health issues.

Thankfully, we don't have Hellivision & our kids are very active in sports, martial arts, & outdoor activities (hiking, riding bicycles, playing outside, etc.). They very rarely fool with video games or go to the movies. Also, my eldest son is an an avid reader (especially history...the "war of northern aggression" is his favorite topic).

I disregard the bogus, fedgov pitched "food pyramid" & their hyper-focus on BMI (as opposed to bodyfat %). i think the top carbs should be greens like spinach, kale, etc. (versus grains) with a high protein intake & modest amount of fat (via olive oil, nuts, etc). I personally enjoy fish (of all kinds), and find sardines (in water) to be amongst the least expensive & affordable. BTW, I'll probably give the paleo diet a try here in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to finally giving it a try.

 

[Old Scratch]

Cholesterol is good for men, because it creates testosterone. I eat a lot of egg yolk.

 

[Awake in America]

BTW, I'll probably give the paleo diet a try here in a few weeks. I'm looking forward to finally giving it a try.

I keep trending toward a Paleo style diet, but haven't made a real commitment to it. Though I love bread, I have limited it, and I just can't see giving up peanut butter. Sunday through Thursday I mostly eat meat and veggies. The weekend is sort of a free for all. Be sure and post on how Paleo goes for you.

 

[werewolf]

Eating salt gives people high blood pressure. Eating fat makes people fat. Eating cholesterol causes high cholesterol in the blood. Cholesterol in the blood causes heart disease. Kids today are fat because they don't exercise enough. "Cardio" is an effective way to burn calories (just ask Michelle "Let's Move" Obama!). "Aerobic exercise" strengthens the heart.

...

I agree with all of those, except "kids today are fat because they don't exercise enough", and also the cardio and aerobic exercise comment.

Kids DON'T exercise enough today. And you SHOULD do some sort of longer duration aerobic/cardio exercise - walking, bicycling, swimming, whatever.

 

[werewolf]

Good topic.

The USSA, and their corrupt extension the FDA, is ripe with propaganda and disinformation whenever it comes to nutrition, diet and exercise. For example, the famous "food pyramid", which they were showing school children for generations, was finally thrown out last year. That ridiculous thing had breads and grains at the base, when it should have been at the top. They are glucose which convert to sugar, spikes insulin production and produce a rise is blood sugar levels. Here's an example of Fed Gov stupidity / lying. Don't eat eggs for breakfast as they are high in cholesterol. Instead eat a big bowl of cereal. :lie:

I wonder if the Big Agra money in grains, corn and soybeans has something to do with this. They are certainly a powerful lobby.

An honest assessment would say to eat a ton of vegetables, high quality meats (not grain feed, no growth hormones, etc), fruits and nuts. 86 the processed, sugar laden garbage and limit consumption of grains (loaded with GMO too) to a minimum. And for God's sake men (and women too) stop eating soy as it's loaded with estrogen and mainly GMO now as well.

So basically do the opposite of what the government tells you and you'll be fine. Instead people follow this nonsense and then wonder why we are the fattest nation with diabetes and cancer rates exploding.

I agree with most of what you said, except I am not sure about the anti-soy part. Japan has the longest lifespan in the world today and they eat a lot of soy products.

Some more things I've recently learned to avoid - MSG and garlic and probably onions too (google "garlic is poisonous")

 

[werewolf]

Cholesterol is good for men, because it creates testosterone. I eat a lot of egg yolk.

I always loved egg yolk, but when I was a child egg white totally disgusted me, even the smell of it, though I am no longer disgusted by it, at least when it is cooked. I guess my body was telling me something back then. I'd like to eat egg yolk raw, except I'm afraid to because I don't know if it's safe. When I was a child I ate lots of raw stuff - vegetables, and even raw meat ("steak tartare"). I'd still like to eat a lot of raw foods, like raw fish. I used to eat a lot of sashimi and raw shell fish, but I no longer do - and steak tartare, but I don't because I don't want to take the risk.

 

[davidholly]

So I take it I'm the only one here not too fond of eggs?

 

[Awake in America]

I agree with all of those, except "kids today are fat because they don't exercise enough", and also the cardio and aerobic exercise comment.

Kids DON'T exercise enough today. And you SHOULD do some sort of longer duration aerobic/cardio exercise - walking, bicycling, swimming, whatever.

Eh, I would disagree with you, but how can I argue with the guy who helped turn me onto doing dips? By the way, dips are part of my workout for tomorrow morning, so thanks a lot.

 

[werewolf]

Glad to have been of help, AiA. I think that parallel bar dips are the king of upper body exercises. Combine it with a pulling exercise, like chinups and you're all set. I was just watching a film on Russian special service (Speznas) training, and that's what they showed them doing, dips and chinups.

But what is it that you disagree with me about?

 

[Awake in America]

Glad to have been of help, AiA. I think that parallel bar dips are the king of upper body exercises. Combine it with a pulling exercise, like chinups and you're all set. I was just watching a film on Russian special service (Speznas) training, and that's what they showed them doing, dips and chinups.

But what is it that you disagree with me about?

Kids today aren't really less active than in previous times, at least the difference isn't enough to account for the levels of obesity we are seeing. It's what and how much they are eating. I agree that they all need more activity and less Xbox, but mostly because they aren't stuffing their faces while playing outside. It's a food intake problem. We had video games in the 70s and 80s, and we had junk food. The difference was that the vast majority of our food intake was not from processed, high-calorie crap. Those things were called "treats".

I'm not real big believer in "cardio" as such. It has its purpose, but is not worth doing for the sake of burning calories. I think strength training delivers the benefits of cardio and more, and does so more safely. The fat women I see on the treadmills at the gym would be better served by taking some of that time to do some planning, go to the grocery store, and cook some decent meals with real food.

 

[Freethinker]

I'm not real big believer in "cardio" as such. It has its purpose, but is not worth doing for the sake of burning calories. I think strength training delivers the benefits of cardio and more, and does so more safely. The fat women I see on the treadmills at the gym would be better served by taking some of that time to do some planning, go to the grocery store, and cook some decent meals with real food.

Great points.

I have friends who are always looking to get into "shape". They'll say they are going to hit the gym more or start "running" (jogging of course at a slow pace for long distances). I'll say great but what are you eating? I tell them that body composition is probably around 80-85% diet but yet every time we have this talk they'll still be "eating out" and eating the same old junk. I feel like I'm in the movie Groundhog's Day.

Another thing that struck me. I was at a Target a few weeks ago to buy some mundane thing and the guy in the checkout line in front of me must of have at least 20 microwave dinners (some "healthy" gourmet / weighwatchers brand), boxes upon boxes of cereal and meal replacement bars. I figure the guy probably thinks he's eating "healthy" but yet hasn't purchased one real item of food. Plus I'd wager hitting a button on a microwave or pouring milk in his cereal is the extent of his culinary skills.

Which leads me to my next rant. Any man serious about their health should either learn to cook or find a good woman that can. Seeing how many of the women I know can't cook worth a damn (80's baby generation), I'd advise young men learn that skill themselves. It's helped me alot.

 

[Don Wassall]

Kids today aren't really less active than in previous times, at least the difference isn't enough to account for the levels of obesity we are seeing. It's what and how much they are eating. I agree that they all need more activity and less Xbox, but mostly because they aren't stuffing their faces while playing outside. It's a food intake problem. We had video games in the 70s and 80s, and we had junk food. The difference was that the vast majority of our food intake was not from processed, high-calorie crap. Those things were called "treats".

I'm not real big believer in "cardio" as such. It has its purpose, but is not worth doing for the sake of burning calories. I think strength training delivers the benefits of cardio and more, and does so more safely. The fat women I see on the treadmills at the gym would be better served by taking some of that time to do some planning, go to the grocery store, and cook some decent meals with real food.

I think they are less active, but also agree as I've posted in this and other threads that eating habits and the crap "food" most Americans eat is also responsible.

It's only recently, in a society turned into a surveillance/police state by in great part preying on the insecurities and malleability of mothers, that kids no longer play like they always used to. Young children walking to a store, or going anywhere in their neighborhood to play with friends, or riding bicycles all over the place, is much less common than it used to be now that many Americans have been conditioned to believe the country is filled with child abductors, Arab terrorists, school shooters and other lurking, omnipresent dangers. And there is the very real danger of underclass predators.

I used to get up well before dawn to deliver the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by bicycle to 40 customers spread over a five-mile route. Parents would be arrested for child endangerment if they allowed something like that today.

When the country was mostly rural, kids were lean and strong due to outdoor work and outdoor play. Later, in the suburban era, kids still played a lot outdoors in activities that weren't supervised by adults. Now, organized outdoor sports is about the only avenue left, and it takes motivation by both the child and his parents to pursue that, and given the huge number of broken families and parents with Idiocracy mentalities, many more kids are couch potatoes than before. Modern technology in the form of almost virtual reality video games is another very strong lure to the sedentary, food-stuffing life.

 

[Awake in America]

I think they are less active, but also agree as I've posted in this and other threads that eating habits and the crap "food" most Americans eat is also responsible.

It's only recently, in a society turned into a surveillance/police state by in great part preying on the insecurities and malleability of mothers, that kids no longer play like they always used to. Young children walking to a store, or going anywhere in their neighborhood to play with friends, or riding bicycles all over the place, is much less common than it used to be now that many Americans have been conditioned to believe the country is filled with child abductors, Arab terrorists, school shooters and other lurking, omnipresent dangers. And there is the very real danger of underclass predators.

I used to get up well before dawn to deliver the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by bicycle to 40 customers spread over a five-mile route. Parents would be arrested for child endangerment if they allowed something like that today.

When the country was mostly rural, kids were lean and strong due to outdoor work and outdoor play. Later, in the suburban era, kids still played a lot outdoors in activities that weren't supervised by adults. Now, organized outdoor sports is about the only avenue left, and it takes motivation by both the child and his parents to pursue that, and given the huge number of broken families and parents with Idiocracy mentalities, many more kids are couch potatoes than before. Modern technology in the form of almost virtual reality video games is another very strong lure to the sedentary, food-stuffing life.

Another facet to the fattening of America, and kids in particular, is feminism. Even women who stay home don't cook anymore. Not knowing how to cook is a very popular feminist "statement", but is more like an excuse to be lazy. To the extent they ever fix something in the kitchen, it's a matter of heating up some crap in the microwave. It's amazing what just a little bit of planning and cooking can accomplish. The people at Walmart match the foods in their carts perfectly. A bunch of starchy, high-calorie, garbage.

Whatsoever a man buyeth, that shall he also eat.

 

[white is right]

I think they are less active, but also agree as I've posted in this and other threads that eating habits and the crap "food" most Americans eat is also responsible.

It's only recently, in a society turned into a surveillance/police state by in great part preying on the insecurities and malleability of mothers, that kids no longer play like they always used to. Young children walking to a store, or going anywhere in their neighborhood to play with friends, or riding bicycles all over the place, is much less common than it used to be now that many Americans have been conditioned to believe the country is filled with child abductors, Arab terrorists, school shooters and other lurking, omnipresent dangers. And there is the very real danger of underclass predators.

I used to get up well before dawn to deliver the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette by bicycle to 40 customers spread over a five-mile route. Parents would be arrested for child endangerment if they allowed something like that today.

When the country was mostly rural, kids were lean and strong due to outdoor work and outdoor play. Later, in the suburban era, kids still played a lot outdoors in activities that weren't supervised by adults. Now, organized outdoor sports is about the only avenue left, and it takes motivation by both the child and his parents to pursue that, and given the huge number of broken families and parents with Idiocracy mentalities, many more kids are couch potatoes than before. Modern technology in the form of almost virtual reality video games is another very strong lure to the sedentary, food-stuffing life.

When I was a youth only families that earned more than the average income had video game systems. Otherwise the kids would have to earn the system with a paper route or summer odd jobs. Games were too expensive to waste 30 dollars (in early 80's dollars about 80ish today) on. Sports or board games were the summer pastimes and board games were only played by the active types on days when it rained or when it was pitch dark. Ps today the newspaper for most papers in the Toronto area are delivered by grown men who do it as a side job. I don't know whether that's a reflection of today's youth or the further decay of decent paying jobs for the working class.

 

[werewolf]

Kids today aren't really less active than in previous times, at least the difference isn't enough to account for the levels of obesity we are seeing. It's what and how much they are eating. I agree that they all need more activity and less Xbox, but mostly because they aren't stuffing their faces while playing outside. It's a food intake problem. We had video games in the 70s and 80s, and we had junk food. The difference was that the vast majority of our food intake was not from processed, high-calorie crap. Those things were called "treats".

I'm not real big believer in "cardio" as such. It has its purpose, but is not worth doing for the sake of burning calories. I think strength training delivers the benefits of cardio and more, and does so more safely. The fat women I see on the treadmills at the gym would be better served by taking some of that time to do some planning, go to the grocery store, and cook some decent meals with real food.

Calories in calories out, AiA. Both exercise and diet are equally important. We didn't have computer games when I was a kid, and us kids were out playing in the street and in the schoolyard and in the woods and down by the river day and night, on our own, no parents supervising. And the neighborhood "fat kid" back then might pass for the neighborhood slim kid now.

Sure, ya see some fatso lackadaisically walking on a treadmill at the gym - and then stuffing her face with junk food - or not junk food - later that night, and that's not going to get her a nice figure. Me, I hate gyms anyway. I like working out in the fresh air and sunshine.

If by "cardio" you mean LSD training - long slow distance - I pretty much agree with you. Intervals are more effective. But pure strength training alone isn't healthy either. You need to get in some sustained exercise, like walking or something.

Anyway, what do I know? Do whatever makes you feel good.