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Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Food. Show all posts
Saturday, 27 April 2013
What the world eats -- a week's worth of groceries.
I saw http://imgur.com/a/mN8Zs on Twitter. EDIT: Now on http://imgur.com/gallery/LvCgp
Hmmm. Have you spotted the "elephant in the room"?
Tuesday, 5 June 2012
"The Diet Debacle" debacle.
What's that funny smell?
According to Robert H. Lustig in The Diet Debacle,"If a calorie is a calorie, then any food can be part of a balanced diet; and, if we are what we eat, then everyone chooses what they eat."
Firstly, the first nutritional maxim isn't "A calorie is a calorie". It's actually "Where bodyweight is concerned, a calorie is a calorie". Leaving out the first four words makes a huge difference to the meaning.
Secondly, the second nutritional maxim actually means "Your body is made out of what you eat. Therefore, if you eat/drink rubbish, you get a rubbish body.
Apart from that, the rest of the article is absolutely fine*.
*The above sentence ending in "*" is pure irony. See also Review & Critique: The Skinny on Obesity ~ Intro and Part I and Review & Critique: The Skinny on Obesity ~ Part II Sickeningly Inaccurate.
The sad thing is that I actually sympathise with Robert H. Lustig's aim, which is to reduce the humongous amount of sugar that Americans shove down their throats in solid or liquid form each year.
I don't want to come across as a Socialist Asshole (it's Arsehole, Sean!), but intervention is sometimes needed to stop certain humans and groups thereof (e.g. companies/corporations) from harming other humans and groups thereof (e.g. the general population).
In City of New York Bureau of Food Discipline, Sean wrote "Never mind that the record of government diet intervention is abysmal, this time it will work." I can't speak for the US, as I don't know how things work over there. Here in the U.K, DEFRA aims to maintain standards in the way that crops are grown and in the management of farm animals. The FSA aims to maintain standards for food safety, although they do occasionally issue some dubious nutritional advice (read the comments to see some familiar names).
Just because government agencies occasionally cock things up, does that mean that we should have zero government intervention where food is concerned? I obviously think not!
See also What Is Food? and Former Coke executive slams ‘share of stomach’ marketing campaign.
Addendum: If (as I believe) corporations should be prevented from unduly influencing the general population in their food choices by banning all advertisements for foods & drinks, then governments should also be prevented from unduly influencing the general population in their food choices by banning food policies and crop subsidies. All that governments should do food-wise is enforce food safety standards.
According to Robert H. Lustig in The Diet Debacle,"If a calorie is a calorie, then any food can be part of a balanced diet; and, if we are what we eat, then everyone chooses what they eat."
Firstly, the first nutritional maxim isn't "A calorie is a calorie". It's actually "Where bodyweight is concerned, a calorie is a calorie". Leaving out the first four words makes a huge difference to the meaning.
Secondly, the second nutritional maxim actually means "Your body is made out of what you eat. Therefore, if you eat/drink rubbish, you get a rubbish body.
Apart from that, the rest of the article is absolutely fine*.
*The above sentence ending in "*" is pure irony. See also Review & Critique: The Skinny on Obesity ~ Intro and Part I and Review & Critique: The Skinny on Obesity ~ Part II Sickeningly Inaccurate.
The sad thing is that I actually sympathise with Robert H. Lustig's aim, which is to reduce the humongous amount of sugar that Americans shove down their throats in solid or liquid form each year.
I don't want to come across as a Socialist Asshole (it's Arsehole, Sean!), but intervention is sometimes needed to stop certain humans and groups thereof (e.g. companies/corporations) from harming other humans and groups thereof (e.g. the general population).
In City of New York Bureau of Food Discipline, Sean wrote "Never mind that the record of government diet intervention is abysmal, this time it will work." I can't speak for the US, as I don't know how things work over there. Here in the U.K, DEFRA aims to maintain standards in the way that crops are grown and in the management of farm animals. The FSA aims to maintain standards for food safety, although they do occasionally issue some dubious nutritional advice (read the comments to see some familiar names).
Just because government agencies occasionally cock things up, does that mean that we should have zero government intervention where food is concerned? I obviously think not!
See also What Is Food? and Former Coke executive slams ‘share of stomach’ marketing campaign.
Addendum: If (as I believe) corporations should be prevented from unduly influencing the general population in their food choices by banning all advertisements for foods & drinks, then governments should also be prevented from unduly influencing the general population in their food choices by banning food policies and crop subsidies. All that governments should do food-wise is enforce food safety standards.
Thursday, 8 March 2012
How stuff works, Part 2.
I'm the kind of person that likes to analyse everything to death (and make lists).
1) Here's what I wrote on Synthesis: Low-Carb and Food Reward/Palatability, and Why Calories Count:-
"I’m going to stick my neck out here and state that fat, sedentary people do better on low-carb diets because:-
Fat, sedentary people have severe muscular insulin resistance.
This results in chronic hyperinsulinaemia and acute hyperinsulinaemia on eating carbs (which causes lethargy & increased sedentariness).
Chronic hyperinsulinaemia impairs the Phase I insulin response.
This impairs the stability of the blood glucose control system, resulting in large fluctuations in blood glucose level on eating carbs.
A rapidly-falling blood glucose level causes severe hunger pangs (I’ve experienced this under medical supervision).
Severe hunger pangs cause overeating, resulting in increased fatness.
GOTO 1
Low-carb diets reduce the large fluctuations in blood glucose level. Once normal blood glucose control has been restored by bodyfat loss & exercise, low-carb diet is no longer required."
I added a hot-link that wasn't in the original comment. Thanks to Sam Knox for linking to that study.
Lethargy & increased sedentariness result in very few calories burned (BMR/RMR + TEF). Eliminating (lethargy & increased sedentariness) greatly increases calories burned without conscious effort (BMR/RMR + TEF + TEA + NEAT/SPA). This is why people on low-carb diets can eat more and still lose weight. The Energy Balance Equation still applies.
2) I've noticed that people conflate Food Tastiness with Food Reward. Here's my opinion:-
Excessive reward = Moreish. What your food tastes like is only vaguely relevant. Avoid eating moreish foods, unless you're a body-builder who's trying to bulk.
Here's what I wrote on Food Reward: “There’s Always Room For Dessert”:-
"I believe that obesity is physiological AND neurological (the proportions varying from person to person).
For example, one chocolate doesn’t disturb my blood glucose & insulin, but I still crave another. And another. Ad nauseam."
Physiological cravings take hours to kick-in.
Neurological cravings take seconds to kick-in.
Emily Deans wrote:-
"Multiple times I’ve used naltrexone (an opiate blocker) to stop binge eating. The cravings go away. It only takes a few weeks. It’s a nice way to undo addiction/reward without starving someone… not FDA approved."
That's pretty damning evidence for the existence of Food Reward. How can naltrexone block something that doesn't exist?
Finally Monsieur, a waffer-thin mint.
1) Here's what I wrote on Synthesis: Low-Carb and Food Reward/Palatability, and Why Calories Count:-
"I’m going to stick my neck out here and state that fat, sedentary people do better on low-carb diets because:-
Fat, sedentary people have severe muscular insulin resistance.
This results in chronic hyperinsulinaemia and acute hyperinsulinaemia on eating carbs (which causes lethargy & increased sedentariness).
Chronic hyperinsulinaemia impairs the Phase I insulin response.
This impairs the stability of the blood glucose control system, resulting in large fluctuations in blood glucose level on eating carbs.
A rapidly-falling blood glucose level causes severe hunger pangs (I’ve experienced this under medical supervision).
Severe hunger pangs cause overeating, resulting in increased fatness.
GOTO 1
Low-carb diets reduce the large fluctuations in blood glucose level. Once normal blood glucose control has been restored by bodyfat loss & exercise, low-carb diet is no longer required."
I added a hot-link that wasn't in the original comment. Thanks to Sam Knox for linking to that study.
Lethargy & increased sedentariness result in very few calories burned (BMR/RMR + TEF). Eliminating (lethargy & increased sedentariness) greatly increases calories burned without conscious effort (BMR/RMR + TEF + TEA + NEAT/SPA). This is why people on low-carb diets can eat more and still lose weight. The Energy Balance Equation still applies.
2) I've noticed that people conflate Food Tastiness with Food Reward. Here's my opinion:-
Excessive reward = Moreish. What your food tastes like is only vaguely relevant. Avoid eating moreish foods, unless you're a body-builder who's trying to bulk.
Here's what I wrote on Food Reward: “There’s Always Room For Dessert”:-
"I believe that obesity is physiological AND neurological (the proportions varying from person to person).
For example, one chocolate doesn’t disturb my blood glucose & insulin, but I still crave another. And another. Ad nauseam."
Physiological cravings take hours to kick-in.
Neurological cravings take seconds to kick-in.
Emily Deans wrote:-
"Multiple times I’ve used naltrexone (an opiate blocker) to stop binge eating. The cravings go away. It only takes a few weeks. It’s a nice way to undo addiction/reward without starving someone… not FDA approved."
That's pretty damning evidence for the existence of Food Reward. How can naltrexone block something that doesn't exist?
Finally Monsieur, a waffer-thin mint.
Tuesday, 14 February 2012
Does it really matter?
I mean, does it really matter exactly how & why low-carb diets work? My thoughts...
There's a lot of in-fighting on the internet about low-carb & paleo diets etc. Which is "best", exactly how they work and so on. I don't believe that there is a best diet. Everyone is different (in genetics, environment, activity etc). To boil it down to the basics:-
1) Eat real food that hasn't been buggered-about with too much. Grains that have had the outer husk removed (e.g. white rice) are O.K. Grains that have been rolled flat or inflated to a large size by heating to >100°C are O.K. Grains that have been ground into dust are not O.K.
2) If eating "X" causes you problems, stop eating "X". If certain proteins cause you problems, you either have a genetic condition (e.g. coeliac disease) or excessive gut permeability. The first isn't fixable but the second may be. If certain carbohydrates cause you problems, you either have a genetic problem or insulin resistance. The first isn't fixable but the second may be.
The real enemy here is the food manufacturers. They don't want people to stop eating their highly-profitable Crap-in-a-Bag/Box/Bottle (CIAB), as it's bad for business. They also influence Governments. So let's stop fighting amongst ourselves and attack the real enemy any way that we can. Lead by example.
There's a lot of in-fighting on the internet about low-carb & paleo diets etc. Which is "best", exactly how they work and so on. I don't believe that there is a best diet. Everyone is different (in genetics, environment, activity etc). To boil it down to the basics:-
1) Eat real food that hasn't been buggered-about with too much. Grains that have had the outer husk removed (e.g. white rice) are O.K. Grains that have been rolled flat or inflated to a large size by heating to >100°C are O.K. Grains that have been ground into dust are not O.K.
2) If eating "X" causes you problems, stop eating "X". If certain proteins cause you problems, you either have a genetic condition (e.g. coeliac disease) or excessive gut permeability. The first isn't fixable but the second may be. If certain carbohydrates cause you problems, you either have a genetic problem or insulin resistance. The first isn't fixable but the second may be.
The real enemy here is the food manufacturers. They don't want people to stop eating their highly-profitable Crap-in-a-Bag/Box/Bottle (CIAB), as it's bad for business. They also influence Governments. So let's stop fighting amongst ourselves and attack the real enemy any way that we can. Lead by example.
Tuesday, 8 February 2011
Food, glorious food!
This post (inspired by Galina L) will be a trip down food-chain lane, starting at the bottom and working upwards. Humans are at the top (but not always).
1) Bacteria: The Vitamin B12 produced by certain bacteria is the only usable form that vegans will consume, so vegans should either not wash root veggies before cooking, or they should supplement with bacterial-sourced B12.
2) Algae: The EPA & DHA in algae are the only forms that vegans will consume, but beware. EPA has five C=C double-bonds and DHA has six, which makes them very unstable. EPA & DHA that are not inside a plant/animal should be kept cold and away from light.
3) Fungi & Yeasts: I don't have much to say about these other than they are a good source of B Vitamins other than B12. Mushrooms are tasty. Ditto yeast extract (though you either love it or you hate it). Quorn is made from a fungus.
4) Plants: The hotter the climate, the higher the saturated fat content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the highest saturated fat content (~91%). The hotter the climate, the lower the pufa content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the lowest pufa content (~2%). See the Comparison of dietary fats chart below.
Olives grow in many countries, some hotter than others. The Solesta EVOO that I buy from Aldi has a pufa content of 6.6%. However, some olive oils can have a pufa content as high as 20%.
5) Krill: The EPA & DHA in Krill oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Krill oil. Krill oil is a good source of Astaxanthin.
6) Fish: Fish that live in warm waters are low in oil (the oil in their livers is rich in Vitamins A & D). Fish that live in cold waters need antifreeze. EPA & DHA have very low freezing points (-54°C & -44°C respectively). The EPA & DHA in Fish oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Fish oil. See When it comes to fish oil, more is not better. Large fish (e.g. sharks) can eat us.
7) Amphibians: Frog's legs are a delicacy in some countries. What amphibians do you like to eat?
8) Reptiles: Turtle soup, anyone? Large reptiles (e.g. crocodiles) can eat us.
9) Marine mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. However, blubber is cold on the outside, so it's high in EPA & DHA. Large marine mammals (e.g. Killer whales) can eat us.
10) Mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. The pufa content depends a lot on what the mammal eats. Ruminants can eat a wide variety of diets and still maintain a reasonable omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their body-fat. Large mammals (big cats, big dogs and big bears) can eat us.
11) Humans: Many years ago, we ate anything edible that was around, lived outdoors and moved ourselves around using our muscles. We've done well, without modern medicine to save us from infections & injuries (and maybe difficult childbirths).
Nowadays, we eat what's in the shops, live & work indoors and have labour-saving gadgets to do our physical work for us. We're having problems, despite modern medicine.
1) Bacteria: The Vitamin B12 produced by certain bacteria is the only usable form that vegans will consume, so vegans should either not wash root veggies before cooking, or they should supplement with bacterial-sourced B12.
2) Algae: The EPA & DHA in algae are the only forms that vegans will consume, but beware. EPA has five C=C double-bonds and DHA has six, which makes them very unstable. EPA & DHA that are not inside a plant/animal should be kept cold and away from light.
3) Fungi & Yeasts: I don't have much to say about these other than they are a good source of B Vitamins other than B12. Mushrooms are tasty. Ditto yeast extract (though you either love it or you hate it). Quorn is made from a fungus.
4) Plants: The hotter the climate, the higher the saturated fat content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the highest saturated fat content (~91%). The hotter the climate, the lower the pufa content of a fruit/nut/seed. Coconuts have the lowest pufa content (~2%). See the Comparison of dietary fats chart below.
Olives grow in many countries, some hotter than others. The Solesta EVOO that I buy from Aldi has a pufa content of 6.6%. However, some olive oils can have a pufa content as high as 20%.
5) Krill: The EPA & DHA in Krill oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Krill oil. Krill oil is a good source of Astaxanthin.
6) Fish: Fish that live in warm waters are low in oil (the oil in their livers is rich in Vitamins A & D). Fish that live in cold waters need antifreeze. EPA & DHA have very low freezing points (-54°C & -44°C respectively). The EPA & DHA in Fish oil can be consumed as a dietary supplement. The warning that applies to algal EPA & DHA also applies to Fish oil. See When it comes to fish oil, more is not better. Large fish (e.g. sharks) can eat us.
7) Amphibians: Frog's legs are a delicacy in some countries. What amphibians do you like to eat?
8) Reptiles: Turtle soup, anyone? Large reptiles (e.g. crocodiles) can eat us.
9) Marine mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. However, blubber is cold on the outside, so it's high in EPA & DHA. Large marine mammals (e.g. Killer whales) can eat us.
10) Mammals: As these are warm-blooded, they have a lower pufa content than fish. The pufa content depends a lot on what the mammal eats. Ruminants can eat a wide variety of diets and still maintain a reasonable omega-6:omega-3 ratio in their body-fat. Large mammals (big cats, big dogs and big bears) can eat us.
11) Humans: Many years ago, we ate anything edible that was around, lived outdoors and moved ourselves around using our muscles. We've done well, without modern medicine to save us from infections & injuries (and maybe difficult childbirths).
Nowadays, we eat what's in the shops, live & work indoors and have labour-saving gadgets to do our physical work for us. We're having problems, despite modern medicine.
Sunday, 26 December 2010
Eat Less, Move More: Solutions to problems.
The fact is, in order to lose weight and be healthy, we need to Eat Less, Move More. The problem is that most people (apart from bodybuilders) just can't/won't do it consciously. In Determinants of the Variability in Human Body-fat Percentage, I listed a number of reasons why people eat what (and as much as) they do. Here are some solutions to the problems that cause over-eating and under-moving.
1) Parents: If you've been raised to be a plate-clearer, use a small plate which makes a small amount of food look like more.
2) Genetics: Eat foods that satisfy your appetite for as long as possible. You have to find out what they are by experimentation, as everybody is different.
3) Peer pressure from parents, siblings, friends, business partners & significant others: Thank them but politely decline. If they persist, reduce the level of politeness until they get the message.
4) Religion/tradition: Start a new tradition of not stuffing yourself silly at religious festivals. Then spread the word!
5) Culture: Try new foods. They won't kill you and they may actually taste good. Learn to cook. Herbs and spices or a splash of Worcestershire/Sweet Chilli Sauce can make horribly-bland foods (e.g. boiled/steamed rice) eatable.
6) Time: Be prepared. Pack a lunch-box with sufficient provisions to get you through the working day/night. Microwave cooking/heating saves a lot of time. It only destroys nutrients if you add a lot of water to the food before cooking (which is not necessary) and then throw the water away after cooking, or overcook foods. All cooking methods that raise the temperature of food to >70°C denature proteins. Denaturing proteins only changes their 3-D structure, which actually makes them easier to digest.
7) Habit: Habits can be changed.
8) Media: When an advert for something moreish is broadcast, flip channels for 30 seconds or if that's not possible, look away and hum a tune to mask the sound. Make sure that there's no food in sight while watching TV to prevent mindless nibbling. Keep a bottle of low-calorie drink nearby to sip on regularly. EDIT: I now watch TV on my computer with Ad-blocking, which eliminates all TV adverts.
9) Physiological & psychological reasons: Maintain a stable blood glucose level by not eating foods that are made mostly out of grain dust (a.k.a. flour) and/or sugar and/or other refined carbohydrates. If you're very active and you need to eat a lot of carbohydrate, choose grains that still look like grains (e.g. rolled oats, rice, quinoa etc), fruits, shoots, roots and tubers. Either get sufficient sun exposure or supplement with ~5,000iu/day Vitamin D3 to reduce the risk of low mood due to Seasonal Affective Disorder. The long-chain omega-3 fats in oily fish help to stabilise mood. Magnesium helps to reduce anxiety (also muscle cramps).
10) Allergies & intolerances: Avoid foods that are very moreish.
11) Geography: Eat locally-grown foods from Farmers' Markets, where possible.
12) Season: Eat foods that are in season, where possible.
13) Boredom: Keep busy. Do something!
14) Exercise: This has always been a problem for me. Exercise used to make me hungry, resulting in me eating more calories than I burned exercising. Solution: If I dress warmly enough, that stops me from getting the munchies due to feeling too cold.
15) Beliefs: I'm not going to try to change your beliefs.
16) Senses: Avoid supermarket aisles that contain junk foods. What your eye can't see and your nose can't smell, your heart won't grieve over.
17) Hunger: Don't let yourself become really hungry as that encourages over-eating when you do finally eat. Don't go food shopping when you're hungry, as that encourages the buying of junk foods.
18) Comfort: Don't buy larger clothes/loosen your belt. If your clothes are getting tighter, let that suppress your appetite. If your clothes are getting looser, buy smaller clothes and/or tighten your belt. Never loosen it.
19) Shame/Self-loathing: If that suppresses your appetite, make the most of it.
20) Current fatness: N/A.
21) Willpower: Hopefully, the above solutions will help you to resist temptation.
I hope that you all had a good Christmas/whatever.
Continued on Move More: Solutions to problems.
1) Parents: If you've been raised to be a plate-clearer, use a small plate which makes a small amount of food look like more.
2) Genetics: Eat foods that satisfy your appetite for as long as possible. You have to find out what they are by experimentation, as everybody is different.
3) Peer pressure from parents, siblings, friends, business partners & significant others: Thank them but politely decline. If they persist, reduce the level of politeness until they get the message.
4) Religion/tradition: Start a new tradition of not stuffing yourself silly at religious festivals. Then spread the word!
5) Culture: Try new foods. They won't kill you and they may actually taste good. Learn to cook. Herbs and spices or a splash of Worcestershire/Sweet Chilli Sauce can make horribly-bland foods (e.g. boiled/steamed rice) eatable.
6) Time: Be prepared. Pack a lunch-box with sufficient provisions to get you through the working day/night. Microwave cooking/heating saves a lot of time. It only destroys nutrients if you add a lot of water to the food before cooking (which is not necessary) and then throw the water away after cooking, or overcook foods. All cooking methods that raise the temperature of food to >70°C denature proteins. Denaturing proteins only changes their 3-D structure, which actually makes them easier to digest.
7) Habit: Habits can be changed.
8) Media: When an advert for something moreish is broadcast, flip channels for 30 seconds or if that's not possible, look away and hum a tune to mask the sound. Make sure that there's no food in sight while watching TV to prevent mindless nibbling. Keep a bottle of low-calorie drink nearby to sip on regularly. EDIT: I now watch TV on my computer with Ad-blocking, which eliminates all TV adverts.
9) Physiological & psychological reasons: Maintain a stable blood glucose level by not eating foods that are made mostly out of grain dust (a.k.a. flour) and/or sugar and/or other refined carbohydrates. If you're very active and you need to eat a lot of carbohydrate, choose grains that still look like grains (e.g. rolled oats, rice, quinoa etc), fruits, shoots, roots and tubers. Either get sufficient sun exposure or supplement with ~5,000iu/day Vitamin D3 to reduce the risk of low mood due to Seasonal Affective Disorder. The long-chain omega-3 fats in oily fish help to stabilise mood. Magnesium helps to reduce anxiety (also muscle cramps).
10) Allergies & intolerances: Avoid foods that are very moreish.
11) Geography: Eat locally-grown foods from Farmers' Markets, where possible.
12) Season: Eat foods that are in season, where possible.
13) Boredom: Keep busy. Do something!
14) Exercise: This has always been a problem for me. Exercise used to make me hungry, resulting in me eating more calories than I burned exercising. Solution: If I dress warmly enough, that stops me from getting the munchies due to feeling too cold.
15) Beliefs: I'm not going to try to change your beliefs.
16) Senses: Avoid supermarket aisles that contain junk foods. What your eye can't see and your nose can't smell, your heart won't grieve over.
17) Hunger: Don't let yourself become really hungry as that encourages over-eating when you do finally eat. Don't go food shopping when you're hungry, as that encourages the buying of junk foods.
18) Comfort: Don't buy larger clothes/loosen your belt. If your clothes are getting tighter, let that suppress your appetite. If your clothes are getting looser, buy smaller clothes and/or tighten your belt. Never loosen it.
19) Shame/Self-loathing: If that suppresses your appetite, make the most of it.
20) Current fatness: N/A.
21) Willpower: Hopefully, the above solutions will help you to resist temptation.
I hope that you all had a good Christmas/whatever.
Continued on Move More: Solutions to problems.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Determinants of the Variability in Human Body-fat Percentage.
There are extremely skinny people, very skinny people, skinny people, average people, fat people, very fat people and extremely fat people. However, all healthy newborns have roughly the same body-fat percentage.
As we grow, we gain weight. That's normal. However, the percentage of our bodies that's body-fat can and does change. I'm not going to start another pointless "is a calorie a calorie?" debate as whether it is (as I believe) or it isn't (as others believe), isn't particularly relevant.
What makes some people gain more body-fat mass & less muscle mass than others?
Where nutrients end up depends on the relative insulin sensitivity of the target tissues.
Fat cells are usually always sensitive to insulin unless they are so full of fat that they cannot accommodate any more, in which case either pre-fat cells get turned into new empty fat cells, or if there are no pre-fat cells left, the result is type 2 diabetes.
Muscle cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin. Inactivity lowers insulin sensitivity and intense exercise increases it. Body-builders do a lot of intense exercise so as to maximise muscle cell insulin sensitivity in order to get the maximum amount of nutrients into muscle cells rather than fat cells.
Liver cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin depending on how full of glycogen they are and how much visceral fat (fat around the internal organs) there is.
What makes our weight go up?
1) Eating
2) Drinking
3) Putting on clothes
4) Oxygen breathed in
What makes our weight go down?
1) Defaecating
2) Urinating
3) Taking off clothes
4) Carbon dioxide & water vapour breathed out
5) Energy losses due to movement & heat losses due to conduction, convection, radiation & evaporation
6) Miscellaneous (loss of various bodily fluids, loss of skin cells/hairs/nails, ketones in urine/sweat/breath)
Some factors are controllable/reversible and some aren't. Over a period of 24 hours, our weight goes up and down by a few pounds due to the above factors. Whether our average weight over a 24 hour period changes over the course of days, weeks, months & years depends on the balance between the things that make it go up and the things that make it go down.
Why do we eat & drink what (and as much as) we do?
1) Parents
When we are young, what & how much we eat is determined by our parents (also schools). They dictate the foods and the portion sizes. Poor parents (also schools) often buy the cheapest possible foods. Poor parents encourage "plate-clearing" as they cannot afford waste.
2) Genetics
Some of our ancestors lived in hot countries and some lived in cold countries. Some habitually ate meats and some habitually ate shoots or roots or fruits or grains. This has an effect on our bodies. My ancestors came mostly from Northern Europe which may explain why I achieve better appetite control on a meat-based diet rather than a grain-based diet. The ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) is determined by the habitual milk-drinking in adulthood of our ancestors. Only 4.7% of white English people are lactose-intolerant compared to ~98% of Africans, who would have drunk warm raw milk that had lactase in it.
3) Peer pressure from parents, siblings, friends, business partners & significant others
"Go on! One (more) *insert name of junk food/drink here* won't hurt!"
4) Religion/tradition
It's become commonplace for English people to stuff themselves silly at Christmas, eat lots of chocolate eggs at Easter, pancakes etc.
5) Culture
Certain foods that are very nutritious are either culturally-unacceptable or have fallen out of favour e.g. rabbit/horse/cat/dog-meats & offal (brains, stomachs, lungs, pancreases, hearts, kidneys, bladders, necks, feet).
6) Time
Increasingly busy lives make some people buy pre-prepared meals/snacks which are usually refined carbohydrate-based e.g sandwiches, Subway/Maccy D/BK/KFC. Some workers only have access to vending machine foods & drinks or canteen food which may be of dubious quality. Others blow-out on business lunches.
7) Habit
How many people eat by the clock rather than when they are hungry? School children & many workers have no choice and have to eat at set meal times.
8) Media
There are lots of cookery programmes with celebrity chefs endorsing some diet or other and TV adverts for all sorts of manufactured foods but not many adverts for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese etc (whatever happened to "Beefy & Lamby" & "Go to work on an egg"?). There's always some "expert" telling us what to eat & what not to eat. A lot of mindless eating occurs while watching TV.
9) Physiological & psychological reasons
When we're feeling ill, sad or depressed or have unstable blood glucose levels, we may fancy foods which are high in sugar and fat (mmm, chocolate!). People who are very sedentary and/or lacking sufficient Vitamin D may have unstable blood glucose & insulin levels resulting in extreme lethargy after meals followed by ravenous hunger. People with Anorexia Nervosa often starve themselves or purge after meals.
10) Allergies & intolerances
People avoid foods that make them feel ill.
11) Geography
If we live in a country that grows a lot of a certain foodstuff e.g. rice, wheat, beetroot etc, we are encouraged to eat a lot of that particular foodstuff. When we feel hot, our appetites decrease and when we feel cold, our appetites increase. This is why we don't get fat when we put more clothes on to make ourselves feel warmer.
12) Season
This isn't so relevant, now that most foods are transported around the world and sold in supermarkets, but locally-grown seasonal foods bought from farmers' markets are tasty & nutritious.
13) Boredom
The saying "the Devil makes work for idle hands" applies to our brains & stomachs as well.
14) Exercise
Some people's appetites decrease when they exercise and some increase. I used to fall into the latter category. Over-training at high-intensity on insufficient carbohydrate intake can drain muscle glycogen to the point where muscles rapidly suck glucose from the blood causing low blood glucose. Apart from faints, shakes & sweats, this hugely increases appetite as the brain is crying out for something to raise blood glucose a.s.a.p.
15) Beliefs
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, vegetarians, vegans etc will not eat certain foods for ethical/moral reasons.
16) Senses
The sight & smell of food & the sound of food cooking can increase our appetites. TV adverts and supermarkets use this to increase sales.
17) Hunger
The emptier the stomach is, the more ghrelin it secretes, which increases our appetites.
18) Comfort
If clothing becomes uncomfortably tight around the waist, that can suppress our appetites. Keep your belt on the same hole, to discourage over-eating.
19) Self Shaming
If we catch sight of our bodies in a mirror and don't like what we see, that can suppress our appetites. People who have Anorexia Nervosa see their bodies as fat/obese when they are actually skinny/emaciated.
20) Societal Shaming
In Japan, it's frowned upon to be too fat. Ditto in "Rich" areas of some countries. Fat-shaming can suppress appetite.
21) Current fatness
As we get fatter, fat cells secrete more leptin, which suppresses our appetites. Very fat people's fat cells secrete so much leptin that the brain can become insensitive to it, resulting in poor appetite suppression.
22) Willpower
Some people find it harder than others to resist the enticements listed above to eat/drink more calorie-dense, nutrient-poor junk.
If I've left anything off this list, feel free to comment. Our bodies are pretty complicated and contain many regulatory Negative Feed-Back (NFB) loops, so we humans have managed to survive famines & disasters over the aeons by our ability to store an excess of proteins, carbohydrates & fats as muscle & body-fat (also food in food-stores) and are now at the top of the food chain (except in lion, tiger, wolf, hyena, bear & shark territory!). Our biggest threat today is excessively-cheap & over-promoted manufactured foods which are calorie-dense & moreish and lifestyles that encourage us to over-eat, under-move and under-sun our skins. When people get too fat, their blood glucose control becomes impaired, which encourages even more over-eating and under-moving, thus creating a vicious circle.
I think that manufactured foods should be taxed and the revenue used to subsidise natural foods. One problem with such a plan is that the Government doesn't always use revenue for the purpose intended e.g. Road Tax. Another problem is in defining manufactured foods e.g. does churning milk to make butter count as manufacturing? Ditto pressing olives to make EVOO? I personally think not, but it's a grey area.
I also think that there should be a ban on the advertising of manufactured foods, as adverts encourage us to buy & consume foods we don't need. Marketing is more persuasive than you think.
See also Eat Less, Move More: Solutions to problems.
As we grow, we gain weight. That's normal. However, the percentage of our bodies that's body-fat can and does change. I'm not going to start another pointless "is a calorie a calorie?" debate as whether it is (as I believe) or it isn't (as others believe), isn't particularly relevant.
What makes some people gain more body-fat mass & less muscle mass than others?
Where nutrients end up depends on the relative insulin sensitivity of the target tissues.
Fat cells are usually always sensitive to insulin unless they are so full of fat that they cannot accommodate any more, in which case either pre-fat cells get turned into new empty fat cells, or if there are no pre-fat cells left, the result is type 2 diabetes.
Muscle cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin. Inactivity lowers insulin sensitivity and intense exercise increases it. Body-builders do a lot of intense exercise so as to maximise muscle cell insulin sensitivity in order to get the maximum amount of nutrients into muscle cells rather than fat cells.
Liver cells vary in their sensitivity to insulin depending on how full of glycogen they are and how much visceral fat (fat around the internal organs) there is.
What makes our weight go up?
1) Eating
2) Drinking
3) Putting on clothes
4) Oxygen breathed in
What makes our weight go down?
1) Defaecating
2) Urinating
3) Taking off clothes
4) Carbon dioxide & water vapour breathed out
5) Energy losses due to movement & heat losses due to conduction, convection, radiation & evaporation
6) Miscellaneous (loss of various bodily fluids, loss of skin cells/hairs/nails, ketones in urine/sweat/breath)
Some factors are controllable/reversible and some aren't. Over a period of 24 hours, our weight goes up and down by a few pounds due to the above factors. Whether our average weight over a 24 hour period changes over the course of days, weeks, months & years depends on the balance between the things that make it go up and the things that make it go down.
Why do we eat & drink what (and as much as) we do?
1) Parents
When we are young, what & how much we eat is determined by our parents (also schools). They dictate the foods and the portion sizes. Poor parents (also schools) often buy the cheapest possible foods. Poor parents encourage "plate-clearing" as they cannot afford waste.
2) Genetics
Some of our ancestors lived in hot countries and some lived in cold countries. Some habitually ate meats and some habitually ate shoots or roots or fruits or grains. This has an effect on our bodies. My ancestors came mostly from Northern Europe which may explain why I achieve better appetite control on a meat-based diet rather than a grain-based diet. The ability to digest lactose (milk sugar) is determined by the habitual milk-drinking in adulthood of our ancestors. Only 4.7% of white English people are lactose-intolerant compared to ~98% of Africans, who would have drunk warm raw milk that had lactase in it.
3) Peer pressure from parents, siblings, friends, business partners & significant others
"Go on! One (more) *insert name of junk food/drink here* won't hurt!"
4) Religion/tradition
It's become commonplace for English people to stuff themselves silly at Christmas, eat lots of chocolate eggs at Easter, pancakes etc.
5) Culture
Certain foods that are very nutritious are either culturally-unacceptable or have fallen out of favour e.g. rabbit/horse/cat/dog-meats & offal (brains, stomachs, lungs, pancreases, hearts, kidneys, bladders, necks, feet).
6) Time
Increasingly busy lives make some people buy pre-prepared meals/snacks which are usually refined carbohydrate-based e.g sandwiches, Subway/Maccy D/BK/KFC. Some workers only have access to vending machine foods & drinks or canteen food which may be of dubious quality. Others blow-out on business lunches.
7) Habit
How many people eat by the clock rather than when they are hungry? School children & many workers have no choice and have to eat at set meal times.
8) Media
There are lots of cookery programmes with celebrity chefs endorsing some diet or other and TV adverts for all sorts of manufactured foods but not many adverts for meat, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese etc (whatever happened to "Beefy & Lamby" & "Go to work on an egg"?). There's always some "expert" telling us what to eat & what not to eat. A lot of mindless eating occurs while watching TV.
9) Physiological & psychological reasons
When we're feeling ill, sad or depressed or have unstable blood glucose levels, we may fancy foods which are high in sugar and fat (mmm, chocolate!). People who are very sedentary and/or lacking sufficient Vitamin D may have unstable blood glucose & insulin levels resulting in extreme lethargy after meals followed by ravenous hunger. People with Anorexia Nervosa often starve themselves or purge after meals.
10) Allergies & intolerances
People avoid foods that make them feel ill.
11) Geography
If we live in a country that grows a lot of a certain foodstuff e.g. rice, wheat, beetroot etc, we are encouraged to eat a lot of that particular foodstuff. When we feel hot, our appetites decrease and when we feel cold, our appetites increase. This is why we don't get fat when we put more clothes on to make ourselves feel warmer.
12) Season
This isn't so relevant, now that most foods are transported around the world and sold in supermarkets, but locally-grown seasonal foods bought from farmers' markets are tasty & nutritious.
13) Boredom
The saying "the Devil makes work for idle hands" applies to our brains & stomachs as well.
14) Exercise
Some people's appetites decrease when they exercise and some increase. I used to fall into the latter category. Over-training at high-intensity on insufficient carbohydrate intake can drain muscle glycogen to the point where muscles rapidly suck glucose from the blood causing low blood glucose. Apart from faints, shakes & sweats, this hugely increases appetite as the brain is crying out for something to raise blood glucose a.s.a.p.
15) Beliefs
Lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, vegetarians, vegans etc will not eat certain foods for ethical/moral reasons.
16) Senses
The sight & smell of food & the sound of food cooking can increase our appetites. TV adverts and supermarkets use this to increase sales.
17) Hunger
The emptier the stomach is, the more ghrelin it secretes, which increases our appetites.
18) Comfort
If clothing becomes uncomfortably tight around the waist, that can suppress our appetites. Keep your belt on the same hole, to discourage over-eating.
19) Self Shaming
If we catch sight of our bodies in a mirror and don't like what we see, that can suppress our appetites. People who have Anorexia Nervosa see their bodies as fat/obese when they are actually skinny/emaciated.
20) Societal Shaming
In Japan, it's frowned upon to be too fat. Ditto in "Rich" areas of some countries. Fat-shaming can suppress appetite.
21) Current fatness
As we get fatter, fat cells secrete more leptin, which suppresses our appetites. Very fat people's fat cells secrete so much leptin that the brain can become insensitive to it, resulting in poor appetite suppression.
22) Willpower
Some people find it harder than others to resist the enticements listed above to eat/drink more calorie-dense, nutrient-poor junk.
If I've left anything off this list, feel free to comment. Our bodies are pretty complicated and contain many regulatory Negative Feed-Back (NFB) loops, so we humans have managed to survive famines & disasters over the aeons by our ability to store an excess of proteins, carbohydrates & fats as muscle & body-fat (also food in food-stores) and are now at the top of the food chain (except in lion, tiger, wolf, hyena, bear & shark territory!). Our biggest threat today is excessively-cheap & over-promoted manufactured foods which are calorie-dense & moreish and lifestyles that encourage us to over-eat, under-move and under-sun our skins. When people get too fat, their blood glucose control becomes impaired, which encourages even more over-eating and under-moving, thus creating a vicious circle.
I think that manufactured foods should be taxed and the revenue used to subsidise natural foods. One problem with such a plan is that the Government doesn't always use revenue for the purpose intended e.g. Road Tax. Another problem is in defining manufactured foods e.g. does churning milk to make butter count as manufacturing? Ditto pressing olives to make EVOO? I personally think not, but it's a grey area.
I also think that there should be a ban on the advertising of manufactured foods, as adverts encourage us to buy & consume foods we don't need. Marketing is more persuasive than you think.
See also Eat Less, Move More: Solutions to problems.
Wednesday, 31 December 2008
How to lose body-fat healthily.
Previous blog posts have been about Carbohydrates, Fats & Proteins. However, when you go shopping, you buy food. So this blog post is going to be about food. Updated!
1) If you're eating a high-carb diet, eat 6 small meals or 3 meals and 3 snacks per day to keep your blood glucose relatively stable. I used to believe that it also kept your metabolic rate high, but I now know this to be a myth. If you're the type of person who gets lowish blood glucose in the mornings (which may make you ravenously hungry and therefore highly likely to buy junk food when you're away from home), skipping breakfast is not advisable. If you're the type of person who isn't satisfied by small meals/snacks, a small number of large meals (Intermittent Fasting) is a better option.
2) Meals and snacks should contain proteins, fats and fibrous carbs.
3) Slow sugary/starchy carbs can be eaten in meals/snacks at breakfast and before/after workouts/exercise/intense activity. If/when you are sedentary, keep slow sugary/starchy carbs to a minimum. Keep fast sugary/starchy carbs to a minimum (except for the occasional treat or post-workout) as they can cause large fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels. The more intense exercise you do, the more slow sugary/starchy carbs you can eat.
4) Drink >1.5 litres of no-added-sugar watery drinks per day. If your urine is darker than straw, drink more. If you're weeing too often, drink less.
5) Balance your omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) by eating about 100g of omega-3 rich oily fish (sild, sardines, pilchards, mackerel, herring, salmon, trout, fresh tuna etc) per day or supplement with fish oil capsules such that you get at least 2g of EPA+DHA per day. Please note that tinned tuna contains virtually zero omega-3 fat.
If you're vegetarian or vegan, see Vegetarians & vegans, listen up!
6) Eat 2 to 3 portions of low-sugar fruits per day - preferably before meals/snacks. Minimise your consumption of high-sugar fruits.
Proteins are:- Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, Quorn, seeds, nuts, legumes (peas, beans & lentils).
Fibrous carbs are:- All vegetables that grow above ground level, bulbs (onions, leeks, garlic etc) and "vegetable" fruits (tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers/courgettes, aubergines, avocados, olives etc).
Slow sugary/starchy carbs are:- All-bran, no-added-sugar muesli, oats, sweet potatoes, lightly-boiled new potatoes eaten hot, cold or refrigerated, Basmati rice, non-overcooked legumes & root veggies, lumpy wholegrain rye breads, Burgen/Vogel's soya & linseed breads.
Fast sugary/starchy carbs are:- White wheat breads, wholemeal wheat breads, most breakfast cereals including Shredded Wheat, Weetabix, Cheerios, Grapenuts etc, sugar, sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cereal bars, sweetcorn, overcooked tubers e.g. jacket potatoes, overcooked root veggies, overcooked legumes e.g. baked beans.
High sugar fruits are:- Ripe & over-ripe bananas, grapes, pineapples, sweet apples, sweet pears, sultanas, raisins, currants and any dried fruits with added sugar.
Low sugar fruits are:- Berries, stone fruits, citrus, Granny Smith apples, Conference pears. Dried apple rings, apricots, pear halves, peach halves and prunes without added sugar are high in sugar but they release that sugar very slowly.
Fats are sats, monos and the EFAs mentioned above. Butter is high in sats and monos. Olive oil & spreads are high in monos. Sunflower/safflower/corn oils & spreads are very high in omega-6 EFAs - minimise your consumption of these. Don't fry or roast with high-EFA oils as they oxidise and convert into trans-fats too quickly. Meats contain sats, monos and some EFAs. Minimise your consumption of anything with the word "hydrogenated" in the ingredients list.
Some foods fall in-between categories like yellow bananas which are medium speed sugary/starchy carbs. Green bananas are slow carbs and black bananas are fast carbs.
Depending on your insulin sensitivity, speed of metabolism and exercise levels, you may get away with eating fast sugary/starchy carbs - you'll just have to "suck it and see".
If eating makes you feel drowsy followed by hunger, you probably have Insulin Resistance. See Insulin Resistance: Solutions to problems. for ways to reverse Insulin Resistance.
One final bijou tip-ette:- Avoid walking down "dodgy" supermarket aisles (confectionery, cereals, booze, fizzy drinks) as "What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve over".
Happy New Year folks!
Cont'd on How to lose body-fat healthily, Part 2.
1) If you're eating a high-carb diet, eat 6 small meals or 3 meals and 3 snacks per day to keep your blood glucose relatively stable. I used to believe that it also kept your metabolic rate high, but I now know this to be a myth. If you're the type of person who gets lowish blood glucose in the mornings (which may make you ravenously hungry and therefore highly likely to buy junk food when you're away from home), skipping breakfast is not advisable. If you're the type of person who isn't satisfied by small meals/snacks, a small number of large meals (Intermittent Fasting) is a better option.
2) Meals and snacks should contain proteins, fats and fibrous carbs.
4) Drink >1.5 litres of no-added-sugar watery drinks per day. If your urine is darker than straw, drink more. If you're weeing too often, drink less.
5) Balance your omega-6 and omega-3 essential fatty acids (EFAs) by eating about 100g of omega-3 rich oily fish (sild, sardines, pilchards, mackerel, herring, salmon, trout, fresh tuna etc) per day or supplement with fish oil capsules such that you get at least 2g of EPA+DHA per day. Please note that tinned tuna contains virtually zero omega-3 fat.
If you're vegetarian or vegan, see Vegetarians & vegans, listen up!
Proteins are:- Meats, poultry, fish, eggs, cheese, Quorn, seeds, nuts, legumes (peas, beans & lentils).
Fast sugary/starchy carbs are:- White wheat breads, wholemeal wheat breads, most breakfast cereals including Shredded Wheat, Weetabix, Cheerios, Grapenuts etc, sugar, sweets, chocolate, cakes, biscuits, cereal bars, sweetcorn, overcooked tubers e.g. jacket potatoes, overcooked root veggies, overcooked legumes e.g. baked beans.
High sugar fruits are:- Ripe & over-ripe bananas, grapes, pineapples, sweet apples, sweet pears, sultanas, raisins, currants and any dried fruits with added sugar.
Low sugar fruits are:- Berries, stone fruits, citrus, Granny Smith apples, Conference pears. Dried apple rings, apricots, pear halves, peach halves and prunes without added sugar are high in sugar but they release that sugar very slowly.
Fats are sats, monos and the EFAs mentioned above. Butter is high in sats and monos. Olive oil & spreads are high in monos. Sunflower/safflower/corn oils & spreads are very high in omega-6 EFAs - minimise your consumption of these. Don't fry or roast with high-EFA oils as they oxidise and convert into trans-fats too quickly. Meats contain sats, monos and some EFAs. Minimise your consumption of anything with the word "hydrogenated" in the ingredients list.
Depending on your insulin sensitivity, speed of metabolism and exercise levels, you may get away with eating fast sugary/starchy carbs - you'll just have to "suck it and see".
If eating makes you feel drowsy followed by hunger, you probably have Insulin Resistance. See Insulin Resistance: Solutions to problems. for ways to reverse Insulin Resistance.
One final bijou tip-ette:- Avoid walking down "dodgy" supermarket aisles (confectionery, cereals, booze, fizzy drinks) as "What the eye don't see, the heart don't grieve over".
Happy New Year folks!
Cont'd on How to lose body-fat healthily, Part 2.
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