I thought we'd gotten past all the hype about fiber being so very very good for us....
ALL of the studies claiming fiber is good for one are uncontrolled observations -- they look at the population level, which implies that they're merely being compared to junk-, or poverty-foods. In studies which look closely at individuals, a high-fiber diet is more likely to spur colon cancer than it is to promote health and leanness.*
The experiences of countless people like me show that if WE eat the foods these people promote, we experience nothing good -- we get weight-gain, ruined blood-sugar control, allergy symptoms, indigestion, inflammation, fatigue, malaise ... more miseries than I can enumerate just from my n=1 and those of my blog-buddies. THIS is why I become infuriated by dumb-ass statements like "EVERYBODY [there's that word, again] needs 40g of fiber every day."
But some people can't resist the temptation to pick their scabs. Here's a subject they can write a book about, and maybe make enough money to pay for their gym memberships! Perhaps they can get enough enthusiasm going to ... oh, allow them to write another superfluous book!
The only thing they're managing to do is to muddy the waters -- waters which are polluted enough already by interested parties promoting toxic foodstuffs and pharmaceuticals. Their arguments just don't stand up to the light of reason, even though they spiel off countless pubmed references. Individuals as well as clinicians have tried it all before, and not gotten the results promised by starch/fiber-lovers. We must have been doing it wrong!
[smirk] EXACTLY. When we do a thing which doesn't work FOR US, we're doing the wrong thing. Doing it harder and longer is just ... wronger. ;-)
As I've said before, if they want to eat their versions of starchy pleasure-foods, I don't give a damn. But talk about it on your own lightly-visited bro-blog-site, and stop spewing all over the comment-sections of the GOOD ones!
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* Peter has discussed this at length. Monastyrsky adds confirming details. As far as i'm concerned, the case is closed.
At a population level, part of it could be that the fruit-and-veg lovers have better teeth than the bread-and-potato eaters. When I first injured my teeth a few years ago, I couldn't eat vegetables unless they were pureed. And of course, having good teeth is a sign of overall good health and good blood sugar control.
ReplyDeletethat certainly could be contributing to the difference! there are an awful lot of different carefulness-habits distinguishing healthy groups from struggling ones....
DeleteIf only we ate our fiber we, too, could be as level-headed as RN! At least, according to this Duck fella.
ReplyDeleteBut really, all the titillating stuff aside, I think the more interesting point is the disagreement on RS, and PS in particular. And the wanting to eat "versions of starchy pleasure-foods" is the crucial point I think. I'm still suspicious of these resistant starches that come with 'normal' starches since they seem to cause nothing but trouble. See, e.g., http://www.pnas.org/content/111/3/954
That Grace should recommend other fermentable fibers, such as found in fruit, would seem to fit more with our deep ancestral origins. Despite her many other wacky ideas, her questioning of taking large quantities of raw PS appears sane to me. Anyway, even eating any of this stuff 3-meals-a-day, 365-a-year, is asking for trouble.
And then we're back to the eating "starchy pleasure-foods" thing. Too hard to just do within reason for most it seems. Still much easier for most to just do good old-fashioned LC the way that has been successful for decades. The risks attributed to LC by these "bug people" is largely overblown I would say.
If the risks were real, i suspect we'd be seeing some increasing problems surrounding the individuals who have, in increasing numbers, adopted long-term low-carb diets. On the other hand, the people who have CLAIMED to have been damaged by eating LC seem to exhibit addictive personalities which would make their long-term success on ANY healthy plan unlikely. I'm no Sidereal, but unless i misunderstand the symptoms BIGTIME, i suspect there's a lot of "borderline personality disorder" going on....
DeleteAgree 100% with your post MF. All the wind up and noise is about selling books, DVDs etc. Have you noticed how mortal enemies all become friends again when a book is about to launched. They have to have a new angle to gain attention and people fall for it time after time.
ReplyDeleteThe same stuff has been known for decades.The fact is low carb works and keeps working for millions of people. The big problem is no money in it for big pharma, junk food and wannabe Gary Taubes.
Eddie
there are certainly some odd dynamics in the relationships between some of the better-known names, as we learned the other day.... frankly, they remind me of kids who form their little cliques for social purposes, then turn on each other for the sake of oneupsmanship.
DeleteI think you're absolutely correct on why low-carbing is so unpopular in the weight-loss world; no business is going to strike it rich because of its success -- food-processors and pharmaceutical companies will lose money instead. WE CAN'T HAVE THAT! ...well, WE can, but our civilization sure doesn't like it.
I can eat food with a fiber without stomach problems, however I am sure uncooked potatoes will be problematic, but they recommend some insane amount of fiber as the necessity for everyone.
ReplyDeleteAll that talking about gut bugs and reading the blog of the lady who eats only meat for 5 years inspired me on the eating mostly meat for couple days. I bought a conventional beef cheek meat in a Walmart, nothing fancy, and boiled it in a salted water in my pressure-cooker. Such meat contains a lot of connective tissue and quite fatty. The similar quality piece is a beef tong. I ate it with my own mustard warmed-up in the broth. I think it tastes better than any stake, but may be it is just me.
The result - a strange sensation of a bliss and total luck of interest in all other foods. It is to inconvenient to continue for a person who doesn't live alone, but feels great
yes, having to share meals at home with "normal" people is a nuisance! ;-) i've asked for a pressure-cooker for christmas -- hope i get it!
DeletePressure-cooker is great for many things. It takes forever to cook a beef tong and pork feet a regular way . Tomorrow I will cook beets in a pressure cooker for a borsht. I am not about to live on meat and run away from my family in order to diet, but I doubt I can consume 40 grams of fiber a day without eating too much food.
Delete"...live on meat and run away from my family..."
DeleteDon't give me any ideas.
[hehehehe!]
DeleteIf they manage to sell their book, then it would be very tangible benefit of more fiber recommendations.
ReplyDeleteyeah, but THEY would be the only ones to benefit from this OLD hypothesis -- it's not even a new thought!
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