well, i've been doing my best to cut out the processed sugar snacks, and HFCS. Generally speaking, I avoid the bleach flour, and go for whole grain when I can. tho I do eat flour tortillas, that I am sure are from bleached flour. But potatoes? Really? Even fresh out of the wild? Cauliflower too? Of course, pasta is something I gotta work on. Ya, I'm sure that's all bleached flour.

I don't *need* the vast majority of things that I eat. I suspect few people in affluent countries do. Most of us could live healthily on eight or nine different items.

I *like* them -- that's why I eat them.

But potatoes? Really? Even fresh out of the wild? Cauliflower too? Of course, pasta is something I gotta work on. Ya, I'm sure that's all bleached flour.

Yah, potatoes have an extremely high gycemic index and are very caloricaly dense. Cauliflower, OTOH, one of the "white foods" exceptions. You can get pasta made with whole grain flour, but it's still a little on the junky (but yummy) side.

I read once that french fries were the worst food that Americans eat. I don't know, but yeah, potatoes are not great. A lot of white fruits and veggies are quite beneficial, though. Cauliflower, wax beans, bananas and more, are great for most.

ya, I've skipped the french fries for some time now. I've even gotten in the habit of skipping morning spuds when eating breakfast out. But with dinner, mashed potatoes with gravy... or a baked one loaded with cheese and bacon. mmmmmmm. I don't do it often, so I guess it's ok? Eh. My biggest problem is the stress munchies. I've gotten better, but, still have work to do. That and the excercise thing is rather difficult for me.

IOmeN, I've updated my Match.com profile. I was trying something quirky and funny, with a "save me from Guitar Hero", but I think it was coming off as lame and stupid. Now I fear my profile is too dry. I suck at writing them things.

Generally, i trust doctors and nutritionists over anyone writing a diet book.

Oh, quite. But as Teppy said, it's actually not a diet book. Taubes is a science journalist whose previous books were Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion and Nobel Dreams: Power, Deceit and the Ultimate Experiment. He set out researching the current book on the hypothesis that HFCS was largely responsible for the fact that so many people in the West have gained so much weight during the past few decades, but after doing shitloads of research his findings took him to another conclusion entirely. The book is densely packed with detailed accounts of clinical trials and research into health and nutrition in the US and abroad. It explains precisely what research led to the US Government actively promoting the Low Fat lifestyle. (You'd think that there would have been clinical trials and comprehensive studies carried out, wouldn't you? ...not so much, as it turns out. And what research there WAS had decidedly mixed results, and did not, in fact, substantiate the interpretation that it was given.)

Sorry, I'm sounding a bit zealous, and that's always dull. But of all the nonfiction books that have made my head go boom lately, this one has the most to do with my immediate life, and a lot of its underlying assumptions. I'm finding it very eye-opening. I mean, it's less accessible than Bill Bryson, but still pretty compelling stuff.

(Having decided to have a crack at Atkins, I've gone and bought his book today. And, yes, this is the kind of thing that would always leave me staring suspiciously at the page, wondering how the guy actually substantiates his various cheesy assertions - very Self Help Book language. But from what I'm reading in the Taubes book, I think I'm still willing to have a crack at this - I feel like I have a much better grasp of how proteins and carbohydrates work on the body.)

Oh, hey, Fay! I heard your voice today and it was even lovelier than I had imagined it would be.

!!!

Um, which story would that be?

t /blush

I managed to lose thirty pounds on Atkins several years ago, but found it hard to maintain long-term. In fact, I wound up gaining sixty pounds back over the course of three years. Then again, that's just me. I cannot live on a diet that restricts things to that degree.

What is currently working for me is keeping track of what I eat and being very particular about checking portion size/caloric content (done via Weight Watchers, but they're not the be-all, end-all).

The idea was unpleasant at first, but it really did help me retrain myself as to what was an appropriate serving size, show me how much stress eating I was really doing, etc. It's also made me aware that if I want a satisfying meal, I'll get more bang for the caloric buck if I have a salad, some chicken stir fry and some brown rice than if I have a hamburger.

That said, I make a point to treat myself a few times a week to something nice and decadent (last night was lamb korma and some tiramisu for dessert). I'm in net calorie deficit for the week, but I am convinced these regular treats keep my poor old bod from going into OMGFAMINE! mode and clinging even more tightly to its precious fat reserves. Plus, it helps keep away the miserable feeling of "I can never, ever have a chocolate milkshake again" that I'm fairly certain is why I scuttled my own attempt at Atkins.

Atkins works, as most diets work, if you can stick to them. The advantage to the Atkins type diet is that you lose the interest in eating which makes it easier. Skipping the ice cream is easier when you are not hungry.

My father has had two heart attacks and his cardiologist is quite adamant about cutting out red meat altogether

The cardiologists I know pretty much feel the same way, and they credit french fries for their fancy cars. The digestive physicians aren't crazy about heavy meat and fat rich diets either. The colon prefers the fiber rich stuff.

The body would be happier and healthier with real non-processed foods. If it comes in a box with 23 ingredients it is likely not as good for you as food found in the produce racks, or the meat coolers.

I don't have any interest in sugar, but pasta and pizza dough are my great white loves. We know the foods that are good for us, and we know the importance of exercise. The tricky part is finding a diet that we can stick with because it fits our lifestyle and doesn't leave us feeling totally deprived.

The tricky part is finding a diet that we can stick with because it fits our lifestyle and doesn't leave us feeling totally deprived.

Exactly. And that was my own problem in the long run with Atkins - there came a point where I wanted that ice cream, hungry or not. Knowing I could have one if I wanted to save the calories for it is a huge factor for me when it comes to the psychology of the diet thing. It makes it easier to do without because it is my choice to do without, if that makes any sense.

The body would be happier and healthier with real non-processed foods.

Oh, hell yes. There are no words to express how much I am looking forward to farmer's market season starting up again.

Cutting down on carbs makes me quite literally go insane. If I don't eat enough starch, I think about food all the time, have the attention span of a goldfish with ADD, and become cranky and irritable like my PMS has been turned up to eleven. I tried it for a week, once, and after about day three I was ready to kill someone and use their skull as a rice cooker. There was really no amount of weight loss that would have made another day of feeling like that worth it.

The thing that's made the most difference in the way I eat recently is breastfeeding, because Dylan reacts much more strongly to changes in my diet than I do. I can tell when I'm not getting enough protein (or too much) by the way he acts, which forces me to eat a very balanced diet.

(And being poor because all my money is going towards daycare has forced me to cut down on processed foods because all I can afford to eat for lunch these days is tuna fish sandwiches that I make myself. Every now and then I'll splurge and put cheese on one.)