health, life

Okay Science, I Give Up

Lori

Remember when margarine was better for you than butter? Remember when eggs held dangerous cholesterol levels and they suggested egg substitutes? Remember when coffee was bad for you, and then it wasn’t?

I’ve written in other posts about my difficulty withdrawing from sugar and carbs. You see, I’m Italian, so no-pasta literally has had me in tears on occasion.

Recently, I came across the following article.


Really? My head is spinning from the constant turn-arounds from science.

To be fair, the article says that to get good benefits from white pasta it’s best eaten cold, as in pasta salad.

For a while now, I’ve believed that what we think and/or believe has an effect on our lives. If we’re told something negative often enough, we begin to believe it, and it eventually manifests in our lives in some form. In other words, what we believe, we become.

Of course, we’ve discussed here before about moderation. Gluttony has consequences in any situation, not only eating. Unfortunately, with my genetics, a sugar addiction makes it difficult to eat pasta in moderation.

Have you ever given up a food only to find out it was good for you after all?

 

 

Published by Lori

Observer, thinker, learner, analyzer, and author. Love dogs. Enjoy cooking, laughing and spiritual centering.

29 thoughts on “Okay Science, I Give Up”

  1. The problem is that the websites like the one you presented in your posts are not scientific. They are written by journalists who have no idea about science and have not been taught how to critically read scientific publications. In result, we read a very poor quality interpretations of random articles (very often from unknown sources). Thus, if you read any of these, you will end up confused rather than informed 😉

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    1. I suppose this is true. I don’t usually take the media’s word for anything, anyway, and I’m not really confused. Even so, the basic reason they reported this study, is because another one was done with some different results (whatever those results may be). This post is noting the changing reports, and perhaps that we should pay attention to our own bodies to know what is and isn’t healthy for us. It’s not one-size-fits-all.

      Thanks for checking out my blog. 🙂

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      1. It’s pleasure to read your blog. It’s really good! 🙂

        When we encounter studies like these: it is always worth noting how how many people took part in a study, from what parts of the world, their gender, age, health etc. It is very hard to conduct that sort of research – the reason you already mentioned; our bodies are very different.

        Where science is heading now is to try to correlate human genotypes with certain features of metabolism, physiology and overall health. This new (personalised) medicine would allow people to get a personalised diet advice too. (it is not achievable yet, so do not use the self-testing kits some companies sell – it’s a scam). So far, let’s eat a health and balanced diet, drink water and wait for what science brings in the next 5 years.

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        1. I think that’s a good idea, to have more personalized medicine. And yes, it’s good to keep a balanced diet in the mean time. Thanks for sharing your science knowledge. 🙂

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    1. What is good (or bad) for one, might not be what’s good for all, since our bodies are each different. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂

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  3. I agree with you completely Lori. It’s very complicated, especially when the pros and cons of a certain food alternate. Personally, on a slightly related topic, I believe all new articles starting “Researchers conducting experiments on mice have found that …” should be banned!

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    1. Coffee can irritate people’s stomachs who have acid reflux or ulcers. Aside from that, they say it’s good for you now after saying it was bad for you.

      I just put orzo pasta into my homemade chicken soup. Gotta have it sometimes.

      Have a nice weekend, L.

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  6. I have tried to avoid the whole “it’s good for you – no, it’s not” merry-go-round. Have you read Michael Pollan’s book “In Defense of Food”? It’s very informative and it explains how we wound up stuck with this foolishness (it started with advertisers back in the 40s – go figure). I only take vitamins D and C (I work in the north) and the only things I avoid are soy and pre-packaged or processed foods. The article you linked to explains what types of soy you can safely eat but I’m actually not interested enough in soy to want to figure it out in the grocery store – I just avoid it altogether as I lost a sister to breast cancer and my other sister had a fight with it. Processed soy is hidden in a lot of things, so I always check labels for it.

    Great piece. 🙂 This is something that drives me up the wall too. 🙂

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    1. Hi Lynette. I did not hear of Michael Pollan’s book, but I did hear that advertising is what got people thinking that breakfast was an important meal to start off the day. Most people just had something simple like tea and toast before the advertising. It’s a little scary how media can influence us so heavily.

      Heart breaking what happened to your sisters. Glad you are remaining alert to it. Thanks for sharing.

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  7. I agree with Anneli on the food coloring and preservatives. I stopped paying attention to the ever-changing reports on what’s good and what’s bad when, it comes to our diet. Everyone metabolizes foods differently, so I just go by how I feel and try to enjoy what I like, in moderation. I do have to work out every day, but that’s mainly for my mental fitness. I had a huge bowl of pasta for dinner last night! There’s no way I’ll give that up. 🙂

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    1. I like this, Jill. I didn’t really think about it, before, but I know how my body responds to certain foods. Maybe if we paid attention to our individual bodies when we eat, we’d be better off. You know, instead of paying attention to the reports on what is good and what is bad for us as a whole. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. I try to avoid anything with loads of food colouring and preservatives. I figure if I can’t pronounce it, I shouldn’t be eating it. But mainly I try not to buy things that are too fatty (like sausage) or loaded in sugar. I do think we need to eat (in moderation) things that make us happy, or what’s the point in living? I’ve given up on listening to the so-called experts telling us something is bad for us one week and good for us the next.

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  9. I eat everything I enjoy but try to be balanced about it. Life is too short and if you worry too much, I’m sure that is worse for you than eating the occasional ‘naughty’ thing! 🙂

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    1. Hi E R. That’s exactly what I meant when I said that what we believe manifests somewhere in our lives. If we are worrying that what we are putting into our mouths will hurt us, then perhaps it’s the worry that’s causing the issue and not the food? Just a thought.

      I wish they would not scare us into eliminating products from our diets and simply say that over indulgence is the problem.

      Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

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  10. It can be frustrating for sure. All new studies need to be taken with a grain of salt, until several more studies can confirm its findings. Science is not static. Like many things, it’s fluid–new findings build onto old findings. But I hear you on the mixed messages. It’s frequently said dark chocolate is good for you because it has healthy antioxidants. Well…that’s true, but you have to have pretty large quantities to really get that effect, and when you add in the sugar and calories with that, it’s probably not worth it. But those are findings I choose to ignore. ‘Cause I likes me some dark chocolate with sea salt. 😄

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    1. Oh Lordy, dark chocolate with sea salt is DAH BEST! (That’s my Chicago accent coming out). Did you notice the pun you made? Take the food studies “with a grain of salt?” You meant to do that, right? Hehe.

      I wish they would just say that an over indulgence of this-or-that is not good, instead of scaring people into eliminating products from their diets completely.

      I know that you are familiar with the nutrition topic, and that for some people, over indulgence comes from emotional eating. That’s the area I really think holds the key.

      Thanks for your input, Carrie.

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  11. I stopped doing that. For years I ate egg substitutes (not really great scrambled eggs). Gave up bacon and fats. Turns out none of that mattered. I did give up caffeine but not coffee but I can tell by my gut that the caffeine is not good for me. My mantra now is all things in moderation. I don’t have a big sweet tooth although I like something sweet every day. Pasta…sadly i could live on that simply dressed with olive oil or (gasp!) butter for the rest of my life and be happy. I, of course, don’t do that because I’m afraid my teeth will fall out! Good luck to you.

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    1. Oh boy, I could easily eat pasta with oil or butter every day. I know that coffee can bother the acid in the stomach. But again, I think only if done in indulgence. I just get frustrated that they scare people into eliminating products from their diet, when it’s over indulgence that is the problem. Thanks for sharing your experience, Kate.

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    1. I wish the food industry would just say that an over-indulgence in this-or-that could cause a problem, instead of wiping things completely out of diets. Anyway, thanks for sharing your thoughts, Andrea.

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  13. What?! The food fads seem to dominate the headlines and I just tend to ignore them! Pasta is a staple food in our house and a great comforter on winter evenings when I make a pasta bake. I once tried giving up dairy as so many said it would help my sinus infections – not only didn’t it help, but I became so weak in the process I had difficulty walking up stairs, lost my energy. My GP was horrified and told me to return to my normal diet! Moderation surely has to be the key!

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    1. I think some people use food for emotional comfort, as I did with sugar. That’s why it can turn into over indulgence.

      They have to put some reason and/or blame on certain health issues, and that’s why you were told about the dairy-thing for your sinuses. Glad you’re not paying attention to that stuff anymore and enjoy your food. Thanks for sharing, Annika.

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