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Why we fell for clean eating

liuzhou

By liuzhou
in Food Media & Arts

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liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
Posted (edited)

I'm not saying we did, but many did. Do.

 

Here is an article from from the Guardian earlier this year, but which I only found today and which I found interesting, although I'll admit it feeds into my own suspicions.

You can read here. Or listen here.

Edited by liuzhou (log)
  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

I'm not saying we did, but many did. Do.

 

Here is an article from from the Guardian earlier this year, but which I only found today and which I found interesting, although I'll admit it feeds into my own suspicions.

You can read here. Or listen here.

 

 Well I read the  thing all the way through but there was a drumbeat of “first world problem” echoing in my brain and visions of emaciated infants and children in war zones and refugee camps popping up with every paragraph.  I will stick to the  idea that clean eating means I don’t need to wear a bib most of the time.  Thanks for sharing. 

  • Like 3

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

I do recommend the "Angry Chef"  book mentioned in the article. An amusing, but precise take down of the non-science behind most of these "diets" or food fads.

 

But beware if so-called profanity offends you.

 

His relatively curse-free website is here.

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

gfweb

gfweb

Posted
Posted

All of these eating fads reflect a lack of scientific education and a medieval understanding of health and disease. Diets are chosen philosophically rather than based on evidence. People are even crazier with their pets. If you check out some of the facebook dog groups you will be amused/shocked at the crazy new age vegan diets for the carnivorous pets.

  • Like 4
Kerala

Kerala

Posted
Posted

We do eat a lot of avocados,  mainly as BLAST (bacon, lettuce, avocado, salmon, tomato) sandwiches, and we do have a Nutrininja, which we mainly use for frozen margaritas and daiquiris. I think we dodged this bullet.

  • Like 1
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  • 4 months later...
Ossonad

Ossonad

Posted
Posted (edited)

totally agree with this statement! recently I've written a post about healthy eating and my personal nutrition, so as you can understand, I had to make a huge research to write a proper text, so a result I believe in intuitive eating, diets have a few options if it's clearly followed. but yeah, we should look for truly organic products without spare ingredients

 

Quote

All of these eating fads reflect a lack of scientific education and a medieval understanding of health and disease. Diets are chosen philosophically rather than based on evidence.

 

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Edited by Ossonad (log)
paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted

I think there's an undercurrent of people flailing wildly for a sense of control, in a world where systems are so complex and where decisions that affect us profoundly are made on such high levels, far out of reach. One of the only places people can find a sense of power is in information and knowledge, which we have in unlimited supply.

 

The trouble is when people's hunger for that power outstrips their critical thinking ability, their basic understanding of science, or even just their patience for being rigorous. This seems to describe practically everyone, and it makes me want punch people in the face by the thousands. Especially all the charlatan authors and bloggers. I'm so over this shit.

 

And yeah, it's a 1st world problem, in all the worst possible ways.

  • Like 2

Notes from the underbelly

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted
On 12/29/2017 at 7:06 AM, gfweb said:

All of these eating fads reflect a lack of scientific education and a medieval understanding of health and disease. Diets are chosen philosophically rather than based on evidence. People are even crazier with their pets. If you check out some of the facebook dog groups you will be amused/shocked at the crazy new age vegan diets for the carnivorous pets.

 

There are fads, and there are fads. I eat probably 75-85 percent unprocessed (or at least relatively so) foods; very little fast food (the occasional Taco Bell taco notwithstanding), and am working hard to cut back on sweets and chips. I don't eat, necessarily, organic, though it's nice when it's available. I do cook LOTS of fresh veggies and non-processed meats, just because, well, that's what I like.

 

I do fry stuff (though I rarely deep-fry, because it's just too damn messy). I cook with a lot of butter and bacon fat (I'm a Southerner). I'm blessed with good cholesterol. But I've also learned to roast a lot of veggies, and to love olive oil. Health isn't the main reason, although it's certainly a consideration; taste is.

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

SLB

SLB

Posted
Posted

The other thing that is bewildering to me, on top of the ravaging of the word "clean", is the perversion of the word "carbohydrate". 

 

It took me years of confusion to figure out that what a lot of faddists mean by "carb" is actually "starch".

  • Like 1
blbst36

blbst36

Posted
Posted

Personally, I just think it's another way to make people feel superior.  There isn't even a single definition of "clean".  Some people mean there's nothing boxed.  Others mean everything is made at home with some boxed items.  Others mean that they only buy stuff made without specific ingredients.  Others mean no sugar or no flour or something.  Others mean everything is grown/raised themselves. 

 

It's a buzzword.  

  • Like 1
kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted

Well, so much for clean eating. I have been down with a sinus infection/sore throat for two days, and when I'm sick, I revert to junk food. My diet has included:

  • Dry Cheerios (I was out of milk)
  • Nacho cheese flavor Doritos (only a few; they're as nasty as I remember. My kid loves 'em, though.
  • Ruffles potato chips and onion dip
  • Taco Bell
  • a Wendy's stuffed baked potato
  • Kroger Private Selection butter chicken spring rolls (these things are awesome)
  • A frozen single-serve pizza I unearthed from the freezer.

I did make a pilgrimage to the grocery today (Kroger Clicklist is awesome, btw, when you don't feel up to traipsing through the store), and had some fresh watermelon chunks for a pre-dinner snack. Going to make up some fruit salad for dinner. If I feel up to it tomorrow I'll make some buns and make pork loin sliders from the pork loin I smoked last weekend.

 

Also found a recipe for a ham spread that calls for ground ham, crushed pineapple, cream cheese, green onion, and assorted seasonings. Thought that sounded interesting. May have to try it. I'm about in the notion to get back in the kitchen.

 

  • Like 4

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

Anna N

Anna N

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, kayb said:

 

Well, so much for clean eating. I have been down with a sinus infection/sore throat for two days, and when I'm sick, I revert to junk food.

 

When I’m sick I wash my Tylenol down with scotch instead of water. 

  • Like 6

Anna Nielsen aka "Anna N"

...I just let people know about something I made for supper that they might enjoy, too. That's all it is. (Nigel Slater)

"Cooking is about doing the best with what you have . . . and succeeding." John Thorne

Our 2012 (Kerry Beal and me) Blog

My 2004 eG Blog

kayb

kayb

Posted
Posted
16 minutes ago, Anna N said:

When I’m sick I wash my Tylenol down with scotch instead of water. 

Good thought. Too hot here for Scotch, though.

  • Haha 1

Don't ask. Eat it.

www.kayatthekeyboard.wordpress.com

JoNorvelleWalker

JoNorvelleWalker

Posted
Posted

My back has been out for a few days and I've not felt like cooking much beyond a mai tai.  If I had junk food I'd eat it.

 

Cooking is cool.  And kitchen gear is even cooler.  -- Chad Ward

Whatever you crave, there's a dumpling for you. -- Hsiao-Ching Chou

liuzhou

liuzhou

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted
17 hours ago, kayb said:

Too hot here for Scotch, though.

 

There's a sentence I don't comprehend, at all.

  • Like 2

...your dancing child with his Chinese suit.

 

"No amount of evidence will ever persuade an idiot"
Mark Twain
 

The Kitchen Scale Manifesto

chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, liuzhou said:

 

There's a sentence I don't comprehend, at all.

LOL Maybe she meant "hopscotch." Yeah, that'd be it. :P

  • Haha 2

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

IndyRob

IndyRob

Posted
Posted
On 6/1/2018 at 11:24 AM, paulraphael said:

 One of the only places people can find a sense of power is in information and knowledge, which we have in unlimited supply.

 

Unfortunately, those are sitting on the shelf right next to bullshit and idiocy, which are out-promoting and out-selling the former.

  • Like 1
scubadoo97

scubadoo97

Posted
Posted (edited)

Clean eating?   Didn’t wash those vegetables?   

 

Just got off the phone with a friend who is doing the Keto diet and “feeling great”.  

 

No way will I fall for these diets.   Not sustainable.  I’ve lost a lot of weight over the last year by walking a lot and eating less.  From a size 42 waist to my 36 slims are getting loose.   Ive bought a lot of belts that no longer fit as my waist line continues to shrink.  

 

I know, not new, sounds too simple.  No food or drink is off the table.  Just eat less and burn more calories.  As long as I can walk it’s sustainable 

Edited by scubadoo97 (log)
  • Like 7
paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted (edited)

I find myself on campaign against the basic building blocks of these stupid diets. I want the words "chemical" and "processed" to be expunged from non-technical language. In their casual usage, they don't mean anything.

 

I even see advice in the health section of the NY Times on avoiding chemicals and processed foods. WTF? As if everything you've ever put in your mouth wasn't 100% chemicals. And what is processing? Doing something to something. Heating. Grinding. Straining. Thickening. Separating. Refining. Preserving. Aging. Fermenting. Everything we've been doing to food to make it more digestible or long-lasting or to taste better or to have fun with it for the last 10,000 to 100,000 years. Few foods are more processed than wine. Or chocolate. Or coffee. Or whisky. A Big Mac doesn't see a fraction of the processes of these foods. 

 

If you want to cut down on McDonalds, find a better descriptor than "processed." It's meaningless. Even if I tease out what you think you mean, that meaning will be inaccurate. McDonalds isn't bad because it's processed, it's bad because it sucks. 

 

["Sucks" might need some clarification for someone who was born recently, or who has only just landed on our planet. But at least a logically coherent definition is possible.]

 

End rant.

Edited by paulraphael (log)
  • Like 8

Notes from the underbelly

Martin Fisher

Martin Fisher

Posted
Posted

Folks tussle over the strangest of things.

It's often very comical, if not sad.

Folks will eat what they eat.

If they're paying for it, it's solely their business.

  • Like 2

~Martin :)

I just don't want to look back and think "I could have eaten that."

Unsupervised, rebellious, radical agrarian experimenter, minimalist penny-pincher, and adventurous cook. Crotchety, cantankerous, terse curmudgeon, non-conformist, and contrarian who questions everything!

The best thing about a vegetable garden is all the meat you can hunt and trap out of it!

 

paulraphael

paulraphael

Posted
Posted
On 6/16/2018 at 4:05 AM, DiggingDogFarm said:

Folks tussle over the strangest of things.

It's often very comical, if not sad.

Folks will eat what they eat.

If they're paying for it, it's solely their business.

 

I don't care what people eat, but I care deeply about public dialog getting hijacked by misinformation, distraction, pseudoscience, and needless scaremongering. There are things worth caring about / fearing / fighting against, and things that objectively are not. Energy directed by false prophets toward the latter gets diverted from the former. It's a public education issue and a public health issue.

 

I dream of a world where the Food Babe is so publicly shamed, by hordes of the reasonable, that she never opens her mouth again.

  • Like 5

Notes from the underbelly

Chimayo Joe

Chimayo Joe

Posted
Posted
On June 2, 2018 at 5:14 PM, kayb said:

 

  • Kroger Private Selection butter chicken spring rolls (these things are awesome)

 

 

Thanks for mentioning those.  I tried them last night and agree with you.  

  • 1 month later...
chromedome

chromedome

Posted
Posted

More fuel for the nutritional flame wars:

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45195474?

  • Like 2

“Who loves a garden, loves a greenhouse too.” - William Cowper, The Task, Book Three

 

"Not knowing the scope of your own ignorance is part of the human condition...The first rule of the Dunning-Kruger club is you don’t know you’re a member of the Dunning-Kruger club.” - psychologist David Dunning

 

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