something the docs say is bad but you aren’t convinced?

[LilyBLily]

All the non-GMO food in the world would not prevent lung cancer, for instance.

Shredded wheat has glyphosate residue. Lots of foods have other "interesting" chemicals, including some now laced with a chemical derived from marijuana. And we're eating ground-up plastic in sushi, according to various reports.

I no longer pick strawberries at the nearby farm because the amount of weedkiller they use is overpowering. I could smell it when I was picking. Laying down black plastic and straw should have been enough, but the rows reeked. And their baked goods, obtained from nearby suppliers, all have partially hydrogenated oils. Which in my book equals poison and I do my best to avoid. So, not a lot of healthy and natural at Ye Olde Country Farm type place after all.

Individual bodies react differently to different stimuli, or we'd all be dying right now.

[Anarchist]

Red meat. I eat nearly 100% red meat (I'll occasionally have chicken or bacon). I've been doing so for years.

On the other side of the coin: no fiber. Docs still advise men to consume 38 grams per day. I get zero grams of fiber per day. lol

[Maggie Ann]

Red meat. I eat nearly 100% red meat (I'll occasionally have chicken or bacon). I've been doing so for years.

On the other side of the coin: no fiber. Docs still advise men to consume 38 grams per day. I get zero grams of fiber per day. lol

No fiber for me either. My gut can't take it.

I do like whole wheat bread. I was never a fan of white bread. Rye, pumpernickel, also great. But, I haven't been able to find a good whole wheat for quite some time.

[Vijaya]

I grew up in India not consuming much sugar at all. It was a controlled substance in the house, like store-bought jam or ketchup. When we moved to the US, I noticed that everybody talked about low-fat this and low-fat that and I bought all the nonsense. Developed a craving for sweets. It's a drug. But even as I bought the lies, I was studying biochemistry and physiology and the problems we have with heart problems, obesity, diabetes, etc. all are pointing to sugar. When I got married and had my own kids, I became like my own mother, controlling sugar consumption. But when they started school, they had snacks and candy. I think more and more you have to use your own common sense and judgment. FYI, I use Q-tips for cleaning ears.

[Maggie Ann]

I grew up in India not consuming much sugar at all. It was a controlled substance in the house, like store-bought jam or ketchup. When we moved to the US, I noticed that everybody talked about low-fat this and low-fat that and I bought all the nonsense. Developed a craving for sweets. It's a drug. But even as I bought the lies, I was studying biochemistry and physiology and the problems we have with heart problems, obesity, diabetes, etc. all are pointing to sugar. When I got married and had my own kids, I became like my own mother, controlling sugar consumption. But when they started school, they had snacks and candy. I think more and more you have to use your own common sense and judgment. FYI, I use Q-tips for cleaning ears.

Growing up, we never had sweets or sodas in my house. Always good, home-cooked meals. I wouldn't let my kids have cereal or even jelly on their PB&J sandwiches. We never had dessert with our meals, either. My youngest still talks about it, but she definitely has a sweet tooth, though.

I don't use q-tips for cleaning my ears mainly because my problem is a lack of wax, not wax build-up.

[elleoco]

I never looked into that theory that people with different blood types should eat differently - probably because I don't even know my blood type. Still, I believe different people have different needs. I tried a high protein diet once. It left me all too often feeling queasy, and when that didn't stop after a few weeks, I gave it up. As a child I had to be forced to eat meat and of course eventually developed a taste for it.

[Vidya]

Again, do none of you worry about getting cancer from hormone and chemical laden meat? Or do you buy organic?

[LilyBLily]

I like to joke that at my age I need all the hormones I can get.

I do not bother to buy organic, ever.

People get cancer from so many things that GMO meat itself just doesn't seem that toxic. Of course I stay away from bizarre fake foods like pretend hamburger made out of soy and sawdust or whatever.   

[TimothyEllis]

Again, do none of you worry about getting cancer from hormone and chemical laden meat? Or do you buy organic?

I'm not in the US, so hormone is not a problem here.

Chemical on the other hand is not so much meat, as grains. Our grain crops are so chemical polluted that I cant eat much in the way of bread. Its not a gluten problem which is in the family, but an intolerance to pesticides.

I use q-tips.

I've looked at eating vs blood type. O type blood people have a very hard time being vegetarians. An O type going vegan suddenly, is likely to suffer a major health breakdown as a result. Cutting out meat for them means they have to replace everything the meat supplied them using supplements, and if they get this wrong, it can be dire.

I had a major spiritual phase, and when doing group events, came across people who espoused vegetarian as the only way a spiritual person can live. Not getting into the argument here, but when I looked at them, I saw seriously sick people whose eating habits were basically killing them. Not everyone of course, but enough to make me research the whole thing.

Sugar is a big issue for me. And it's almost impossible to avoid it. The insidious thing about sugar is it takes 30 years for the problems to really manifest enough for anyone to take it seriously. And by then, it's too late, your body is seriously damaged already.

[Vijaya]

I don't worry about getting cancer from hormone- or chemical-laden meat because 1) I played on asbestos sheets as a child 2) watched giant c*ckroaches get fat on DDT 3) and ingested birth control pills voluntarily for 15 yrs (talk about a poison). My mother died from stomach cancer over 30+ years ago; my brother beat it. If I'm to get cancer, I'll get it. The human body is amazing, what it can endure. People all over the world live on varied diets, what's available to them. As far as organic food, what we grow at home has zero pesticides. And everything else I wash first. I don't know my meat personally, but my husband is an award-winning barbecue griller, so it's all good. See this: https://vijayabodach.blogspot.com/2010/07/holy-smokes-are-winners.html

MaggieAnn, both my kids talk about how deprived they were but they concede they're better off now for the good habits instilled, but the sugar bug is hard to get rid of. Over Christmas I ate far too many sweets and felt like crap afterwards. I still have some ginger snaps that will probably go stale.   

[Vijaya]

Sugar is a big issue for me. And it's almost impossible to avoid it. The insidious thing about sugar is it takes 30 years for the problems to really manifest enough for anyone to take it seriously. And by then, it's too late, your body is seriously damaged already.

This. That's why we stay away from processed food.

I like to joke that at my age I need all the hormones I can get.

I do not bother to buy organic, ever.

People get cancer from so many things that GMO meat itself just doesn't seem that toxic. Of course I stay away from bizarre fake foods like pretend hamburger made out of soy and sawdust or whatever.   

This too.

[TimothyEllis]

watched giant c*ckroaches get fat on DDT

When the universe ends, the only beings left to see it will be c*ckroaches. They are nature's garbage disposal.

[Vidya]

I worry about carbs because I’ve eaten white rice two or three times a day since childhood. Some months ago I happily posted i’d switched to quinoa. Well after a few months, I got sick of quinoa and am back to rice.

I can’t seem to help my rice addiction. This is a common problem for people from Asian, rice-based cultures. If I liked veggies, I could substitute that. I already eat meat but I can’t eat meat all the time. I just would not be able to force myself to eat that much meat.

I did eat brown rice for several months but got fed up of that. That’s when I switched to quinoa.

I plan to buy brown rice again but I fear again I won't be able to tolerate it for long. I don't know what to do. Then too, I eat Dawaat quick cooking brown rice that already has some of the chewiness taken out of it. But it’s still yuckily chewy.

Do you get good greens in the US? In india the spinach we get is so bitter I cant tolerate it. i’d love to eat more raw leaves if I could get good ones.

The only bright spot is i’m naturally thin and unable to gain weight no matter what. I hope that lessens the chances of getting diabetes. It should, right?

But my grandmother was also very slim and she did get diabetes, though only in her old age.

[dgcasey]

watched giant c*ckroaches get fat on DDT

When the universe ends, the only beings left to see it will be c*ckroaches. They are nature's garbage disposal.

When the sun goes Red Super Giant in about 4 billion years and engulfs the Earth, we can take solace in the fact that the c*ckroaches will have met their match.

Maybe.   

[dgcasey]

This is a common problem for people from Asian, rice-based cultures. If I liked veggies, I could substitute that. I already eat meat but I can’t eat meat all the time. I just would not be able to force myself to eat that much meat.

I don't think the rice diet is as harmful as some would believe. If you think back about forty or fifty years, the general picture of the Asian people was thin and fit. They lived long healthy lives, eating a ton of rice and veggies. Now, they have McDonald's, Burger King, Starbucks and every other unhealthy choice we have and if you've seen videos of modern Asian cities, the people are starting to get a little chunky, like us Americans.

[TimothyEllis]

watched giant c*ckroaches get fat on DDT

When the universe ends, the only beings left to see it will be c*ckroaches. They are nature's garbage disposal.

When the sun goes Red Super Giant in about 4 billion years and engulfs the Earth, we can take solace in the fact that the c*ckroaches will have met their match.

By then they will have evolved for space and will simply move to a new planet in another solar system.

Oh wait, maybe I'm thinking of humans.

If so, c*ckroaches will go with them.

[LilyBLily]

I know a man who as a child just after World War II was essentially fumigated with DDT--they all were. After that war, the population of Europe was a mess. He's over eighty and no sign of cancer.

[TimothyEllis]

I know a man who as a child just after World War II was essentially fumigated with DDT--they all were. After that war, the population of Europe was a mess. He's over eighty and no sign of cancer.

But what else has he been suffering with?

[Maggie Ann]

I don't worry about getting cancer from hormone- or chemical-laden meat because 1) I played on asbestos sheets as a child 2) watched giant c*ckroaches get fat on DDT 3) and ingested birth control pills voluntarily for 15 yrs (talk about a poison). My mother died from stomach cancer over 30+ years ago; my brother beat it. If I'm to get cancer, I'll get it. The human body is amazing, what it can endure. People all over the world live on varied diets, what's available to them. As far as organic food, what we grow at home has zero pesticides. And everything else I wash first. I don't know my meat personally, but my husband is an award-winning barbecue griller, so it's all good. See this: https://vijayabodach.blogspot.com/2010/07/holy-smokes-are-winners.html

MaggieAnn, both my kids talk about how deprived they were but they concede they're better off now for the good habits instilled, but the sugar bug is hard to get rid of. Over Christmas I ate far too many sweets and felt like crap afterwards. I still have some ginger snaps that will probably go stale.   

Maybe twenty or thirty years ago (time has little meaning at my age), they warned us about grilling causing cancer.

If we listened to everything they warn us about, we'd never eat again.

I say, stop the dire warnings and put all your energies to finding cures for things like cancer and diabetes and alzheimer's.

[Vijaya]

MaggieAnn, I think big pharma and the govt. are in cahoots because it's big business. My mother never trusted anything artificial like margarine or pop tarts, though we did try all these interesting looking things in the grocery stores. I do love gummy bears though, which is as artificial as you can get.

Tim, c*ckroaches will survive even a nuclear holocaust.

Vidya, as dgcasey points out, most Asians love rice. It's when they switch to a western diet that they start having problems. And the culprit is the sugar hidden in many foods, esp. processed food. Dal-bhat and stir-fry are staples in our home, along with the meat. And fresh fruit for dessert.

I hated eating bitter spinach and methi too. Here, the grocery stores have baby spinach, which is very good. We grow most of our greens and they are chock full of flavor.

Genetics plays a big role in cancer. I've known people who died of lung cancer who never smoked and people who've lived a long life even while chain smoking, but that doesn't mean I would recommend smoking. It's all about being prudent--live as clean a life as possible and let the chips fall where they may. Eleven years ago, I got religion and that's what sustains me now.

[Luke Everhart]

Again, do none of you worry about getting cancer from hormone and chemical laden meat? Or do you buy organic?

If one is trim then I can see managing the concerns of potentially carcinogenic chemicals. For the overweight, it's self-indulgent micromanaging.

The strongest carcinogenic factor, over which we have any control, is excess bodyfat. NIH and CDC data is crystal clear on the point. As is the foremost hospital for cancer treatment in the states, MDAnderson. An excerpt from their publications: "The link between obesity and cancer risk is clear. Research shows that excess body fat increases your risk for several cancers, including colorectal, post-menopausal breast, uterine, esophageal, kidney and pancreatic cancers."

The underlying factors involve estrogen via aromatase and systemic inflammation, both affect cell division and reproduction -- cancer being aberrant cell reproduction.
Tend to excess bodyfat, drink lots of unadulterated water, and get plenty of sleep... then, with all major ducks in a row, micromanaging more tenuous risk factors can make sense for the very conscientious.

In terms of the subject line question: saturated fat. The Ancel Keyes inspired, long-refuted lipid theory of CVD has done more damage to health in the US than anything else. It spawned the excess carb and sugar consumption which has precipitated a more than 800% rise in type 2 diabetes (and the unheard of until recent years occurrence of what was formerly known as "adult onset diabetes" in children) and the obesity wave. And it particularly affects men as dietary cholesterol from saturated fat is a necessary precursor to healthy testosterone production.
Moreover statins, the most widely prescribed drug except for painkillers, have an adverse impact on T in men, as well as impairing the neurological health of both sexes (fat being the primary constituent of neural tissue) due to its effects on cholesterol (a point related to the general Keyes/lipid point though not directly tied to the point about dietary saturated fat).


edited because I typod CDV instead of CVD 🙄

[Maggie Ann]

My doc recommended red yeast rice to reduce my cholesterol. It's just above normal. I take passion flower for essential tremors and liquid iron with vitamins. I eat a bite of Kosher dill pickle before lunch and dinner for acid reflux (Vlasic babies).

Whatever I can find something natural for, I take.

[Luke Everhart]

...
The only bright spot is i’m naturally thin and unable to gain weight no matter what. I hope that lessens the chances of getting diabetes. It should, right?

But my grandmother was also very slim and she did get diabetes, though only in her old age.

It lessons it to the extent that the systemic inflammation from excess bodyfat isn't present -- inflammation figures prominently in the mechanism of diabetes and is an exacerbating factor.
However, as your grandmother's example indicates, it isn't necessary to be fat to get type 2 diabetes. Being fat correlates with diabetes simply because it's a visible proxy for the underlying cause: a consistently excessive caloric load (notably glycemic load (from carbs) but gluttony, even with moderate carb consumption, can cause it over time) that precipitates an ever increasing supply of insulin to cope with it, in turn reducing the sensitivity of cells to insulin. The damage occurs before the excess calories are deposited as fat, so activity or high BMR can prevent the accumulation of bodyfat but not the metabolic damage.

[angela]

Luke, I'm glad you've been reading the same stuff I have been! More power to us, the people, as we all share the "red pill" truth and compassionately try to help each other.

I got into some arguments yesterday over nutrition, and I was feeling terrible about myself, but then this morning I got an email from a family member whose life has been turned around (thanks to my advice), and wants me to talk to a group of their friends.

I'm so glad to be part of a great writers' community where we can support each other and have such a thoughtful, civil discussion.