RE: The redneck strike again.
May 27, 2014 at 4:03 pm
(This post was last modified: May 27, 2014 at 4:08 pm by Confused Ape.)
Just to complicate the issue still further there's an article on Patient Co UK
It has an article about the Health Benefits Of The Meditteranean Diet
So what are the magic ingredients in this diet?
Needless to say, there are other articles on the internet saying that the Mediterranean diet is rubbish. So, if you believe everything you read in the media about diets it's probably best to give up eating altogether because all food is bad for you.
Why not use common sense? Studies of hunter gatherers eating traditional diets (including meat) have shown that they are largely free of the diseases of civilisation. The Asian populations in Korea and Vietnam, even though they still ate some meat, were healthier than American soldiers. What does this say about Western style civilisation and the modern American diet which has spread around the world?
I've done some family history research and discovered that many of my ancestors survived to a good old age even though they ate all the basic foods that are supposed to be bad for us now. Why? It's because they lived at a time when there was no factory farming and modern processed foods full of who knows what hadn't been invented. They weren't privileged middle class people either because they were farm labourers or working class folk living in the poorer areas of towns. Even the old relatives who lived in the 20th century had stuck to the food they knew so didn't stuff themselves with Big Macs and other junk food.
It's impossible to go back to the world our remote ancestors lived in and how many of us would want to? After all, they died from injuries and diseases which people survive today with the aid of modern medical treatment. They didn't have to worry about air and soil pollution or plants and fruit contaminated with pesticides, though.
These days it makes sense to be a vegetarian for ethics, health and environmental issues.
Quote:Patient.co.uk is the UK’s leading independent health site, established for over 15 years. With more than 16 million visits a month, it is a trusted source of information for both patients and health professionals nationwide.
The site contains over 4000 health information leaflets, a wellbeing centre, a free health check, and thousands of discussion forums. It is accredited by The Information Standard, NHS England’s quality mark and was listed as ‘The top health website you can’t live without’ by The Times newspaper (Jan 2013).
It has an article about the Health Benefits Of The Meditteranean Diet
Quote:The Mediterranean Diet has certain types and amounts of food. If eaten for a number of years, it has been shown to reduce the risks of developing heart disease, cancer, high blood pressure (hypertension), type 2 diabetes, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease. Following the diet has also been linked with a reduced risk of early death and has proved a successful strategy for healthy weight reduction. You don't need any particular cooking skills to produce inexpensive, delicious, meals fitting the Mediterranean Diet.
So what are the magic ingredients in this diet?
Quote:The 'ideal' (in terms of health-giving effects) Mediterranean Diet has, in relation to a typical Western diet:
High quantities of: a variety of vegetables, a variety of fruit, legumes (eg, beans), cereals and cereal products.
Moderate quantities of: fish, white meats, nuts, low-fat dairy produce, wine (men: 1-3 units per day, women: 1-2 units per day) with meals.
Low quantities of: red meat, eggs, sweets and sweet desserts.
A high mono-unsaturated fat (eg, olive oil) to saturated animal fat (eg, fatty red meat) ratio - at least 2:1.
Low amounts of added salt - in many cases, herbs can be used for flavouring in place of excess salt.
Needless to say, there are other articles on the internet saying that the Mediterranean diet is rubbish. So, if you believe everything you read in the media about diets it's probably best to give up eating altogether because all food is bad for you.
Why not use common sense? Studies of hunter gatherers eating traditional diets (including meat) have shown that they are largely free of the diseases of civilisation. The Asian populations in Korea and Vietnam, even though they still ate some meat, were healthier than American soldiers. What does this say about Western style civilisation and the modern American diet which has spread around the world?
I've done some family history research and discovered that many of my ancestors survived to a good old age even though they ate all the basic foods that are supposed to be bad for us now. Why? It's because they lived at a time when there was no factory farming and modern processed foods full of who knows what hadn't been invented. They weren't privileged middle class people either because they were farm labourers or working class folk living in the poorer areas of towns. Even the old relatives who lived in the 20th century had stuck to the food they knew so didn't stuff themselves with Big Macs and other junk food.
It's impossible to go back to the world our remote ancestors lived in and how many of us would want to? After all, they died from injuries and diseases which people survive today with the aid of modern medical treatment. They didn't have to worry about air and soil pollution or plants and fruit contaminated with pesticides, though.
These days it makes sense to be a vegetarian for ethics, health and environmental issues.
Where are the snake and mushroom smilies?