Wednesday- whew… how are you here already? The past couple days have gone by in a blur. All those posts other people wrote about the organization seminar at HLS?… I need to go read them. Again. Like NOW.
I’ve realized since I’ve been focusing on In Defense of Food, I’ve been slacking on taking food pictures, which is a shame because I’ve had some yummy eats… homemade Mediterranean hummus veggie wraps, homemade veggie pizza with spinach salads, etc… delicious things that words don’t do justice to. So, sorry… I will begin picture taking again and have beautiful photos for you tomorrow!
Today’s Food for Thought from I.D.o.F. is:
Don’t Look for the Magic Bullet in the Traditional Diet
Pollan points out multiple times in his book that different cultures have flourished throughout history on very different diets. Examples: Eskimos traditionally ate lots of meat and whale blubber, and little food from plants. Hardly what we’d refer to as a healthy, balanced diet. Even the Greeks would be criticized for getting a majority of their calories (40%-45%) from fat, rather than the “recommended” 30%. And the French? Well, they eat too much saturated fat and drink too much wine. So instead of observing the dietary pattern as a whole, food scientists begin to look for the one factor that makes a diet like that work. In the example of the French, scientists research to try and discover if it’s the antioxidants in the red wine that help metabolize the excess of saturated fats.
Pollan believes they are looking too much into it, because just like a fruit or a vegetable, dietary patterns are more than just a sum of it’s nutritional parts.
Does that make sense to you? It sounds kind of deep, but it made a lot of sense to me. And personally, I feel it takes a lot of stress out of nutrient counting. Am I getting the recommended 700 mcgs of Vitmain A each day? What about biotin? Am I getting my 30 mcgs??
Basically Pollan states (and I agree) that if you eat a wide variety of fresh, whole foods, you’ll be fine. As people have been fine doing this for as long as we’ve been around.
That’s where he gets his mantra from:
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
Isn’t that a lot easier than doing calculus level math in your head to figure out it the crackers you are eating get less than 30% of their calories from fat?
Now for arguing the otherside…
I wholeheartedly agree with Pollan’s thoughts of food and how and what we should eat. It makes sense to me. However, if you would have told me these ideas in college, during my “this week I’ll try Atkins, and next week I’ll try South Beach” phase, I would have politely smiled, then rolled my eyes when you left.
I think he preaches about an evolved way of eating, that is intuitive. It is a wonderful end goal, but for many people that struggle with their weight and rely on fast food, it most likely isn’t realistic to go from binging and purging to listening to their bodies and eating ‘rabbit food’.
Because of this, I believe there needs to be some guidance and a healthy gateway into intuitive eating. That’s why I work with my clients on an exchange based program. It teaches portion control and healthy balance of foods in a manageable way, without extremes.
Carbs won’t make you fat, despite what she says:
and fat isn’t the devil nutrient.
Anytime we vilify a particular food or nutrient, we end up doing ourselves a disservice. We obsess over it, sometimes binge on it, then don’t end up seeing any of the results it promised us. Not to mention the damage it does on our psyche.
Have you ever cut out an entire food group before in attempts to obtain a desired result (ie: weight loss, etc)?
What do you think about Pollan’s Matra?
Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.
I realize this has been more like a book club discussion than a blog, but I find a lot of his points very discussion-worthy. I’ll be back to regular scheduled blogging soon 😉 In the meantime, please take part in the discussion!
Katie @ Healthy Heddleston says
In high school I did the crazed Atkin’s diet. While it worked well in obtaining short term results it also added to my (then) obsessive behaviors more. Finally I realized this wasn’t the best for me and started gradually adding carbies back 🙂
Sounds like a really good book, I’ll have to read it!
Sarah @ The Smart Kitchen says
I love the book club discussion! I LOVED talking to my friends who had read the book after reading (well, listening to) it.
Intuitive eating is the way I am trying to eat right now, without really repeating any of their guidelines, etc. repeatedly. I think Pollan is absolutely right. Eat food. (Real food…but be realistic…we seriously can’t all bake fresh, preservative free bread every day.) Not too much. (You will feel sick….which I know is not the point of that part of the “mantra,” but seriously…pizza is great, but too much? Bleck! Even too much lettuce can get you down.) Mostly plants. (I love what I call my “veg-when-I-want-to-be” diet.)
Lisa @ I'm an Okie says
I love his mantra—simple and to the point. Takes the guess work out of nutrition. Eat plenty of whole foods and youll be fine.
Ive cut out bread and Ive completely cut out peanut butter before. both sucks.
Heather (Heather's Dish) says
there is no way i could totally cut out a food group! they’re all so important…i could never give something up entirely!
TheHealthyApron says
I love the mantra! It’s so true! And I feel that scientists DO look too deeply in to it! The problem with American society is we’ve become OBSESSED with placing value in superficial images of beauty. WE feel the thinner the better. Whereas other countries and cultures value family, friends, etc. We are also more stressed. SOme countries allow for THREE months of vacation while Americans are lucky to get 2 weeks. Our priorities are so screwed and it’s a culmination of factors that are causing obesity and disease.
Mac says
I think the mantra is right on the nose! Tough to do, but right on the nose.
Rachel says
I didn’t cut out meat for weight loss, I cut it out for certain health/ethical reasons. BUT, I did inadvertantly lose 14 pounds in 2 weeks. The question is, do I attribute this to gthe lack of meat, or the increase of fruits and veggies? I’m not sure.. I DO know that since cutting it out, I have been eating a lot healthier and I feel better. I haven’t had any more weight loss and I believe that any further weight loss will come from exercise, not diet. You are really making me want to read that book!!!
Nichole says
I LOVE this!! What a fantastic observation and mantra. These details are fantastic. The less we depend on packaged things, which yogurt and such I’m not counting:), the better off we are!
Jane says
WOW! Makes me want to go out and buy this book. I read his book The Omnivores Dimelmna (or I tried to…pretty deep reading). As usual, great information on your blog…you always inspire me to stay focused on eating healthy, enjoying all foods in moderation and saying no to fad diets. It’s all about getting and staying healthy! Thank you!
Holly @ couchpotatoathlete says
Book club/discussions are great! I would really like to read this book, mostly because of what you just explained. I know I try to analyze food, food choices, nutrients, etc too much and it makes my head hurt! Honest! I like his simpler approach: eat what your grandparents would recognize, the emphasis on plants, etc.
Joanne @ mostlyfitmom says
I tried South Beach once, so pretty much no starches. I think I lasted about 5 days?
I totally believe in moderation and eating lots of fruits and veggies, but I have had to work hard, with help from my dietitian, to reach a point where I can practice moderation and not always give in to cravings. If I ate totally intuitively, I’m sure I’d put on the 30 pounds I’ve lost over the past year in a matter of months.
Lindsay @ Pinch of Yum says
Great post – and I like the mantra. Simple and to the point!
Alycia [Fit n Fresh] says
I’m not gonna lie – I’ve tried to read his book three times and still haven’t gotten through it! I’m ashamed. Bag bloggie bad! I really need to try again, fourth times a charm maybe?
Melissa says
I have never cut out any one food group, but I work with many who do the whole Atkins thing and they get so burnt out on the protein and fat and crave the carby foods only to gain weight back. I try to explain to them it is not the carbs, it’s the type of carbs they need to take note of. As for the mantra, I agree. I like the part about not too much. Lately, I am really trying to pay attention to my body and the signs that tell me I need to eat and to stop when I am satisfied.
Sara @ Nourish and Flourish says
I LOVED In Defense of Food. It completely changed the way I approach food. There was a time when I was obsessed with numbers–nutrients, fat grams, calories, you name it, I counted it. I agree with Pollan’s assertion that we have become overly obsessed with RDA’s. A balanced diet that includes a variety of WHOLE foods is the way to go.
BUT, you’re right–most people have become so accustomed to processed “food” that they don’t know how to eat “naturally.” There are so many foods in the grocery store that have a “healthy” facade, but in reality are from from healthy. In order for people to live by Pollan’s mantra, “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants,” they need to learn the difference between “food” and what Pollan calls “fake food.”
I think what you’re doing with your clients–teaching dietary exchanges–is a great way to introduce them to healthy portions and help them understand food groups. It takes the emphasis away from numbers and focuses on a balanced approach!
Great post!
Shawnee says
I’m reading this book right now as well. I am so in love with his ideas and his research. Isn’t it such a great mantra? Eat Food. Not too much. Mostly Plants. Love it. I won’t say it is going to be easy for me to do. I have a hard time eating all plant based foods (digestion), but I do wonder if I were to slowly impliment more and more my digestion problems would go away? I mean most of our health problems here in America are food related. 🙂 Thanks for posting your thoughts.
Mallory @ Little Miss Locavore says
I, too, loved this book and other writings by Pollan. His mantra is awesome and I don’t think even he totally cuts out anything. I heard him say in an interview that he’s decided he’ll eat anything on the condition he makes it from scratch. So for example if he wants potato chips or french fries he’ll have them – he just has to make them first. I thought this was a really great idea.
Allie @ Cook Read Run says
First off, there is nothing wrong with book club discussions 🙂 I LOVE learning about new books I should read!
I’ve tried South Beach. I can’t live without my carbs. I use SparkPeople.com now to make sure I’m eating enough carbs, fat, protein, and calories. I love it becaue it’s smarted than me at math 🙂