Diet choices – are you making the right one?

[snoop1130]

Diet choices – are you making the right one?

by Monique Jhingon

 

 

About 15 years ago, when I was struggling with some really frustrating health issues that I was not able to resolve through conventional medicine, I turned to nutrition to find answers. I had always been interested in food and ate what I considered a fairly healthy diet. Despite this my body wasn’t cooperating: my skin was breaking out, my digestive system was out of order, I was fatigued all the time and I felt “toxic”.

 

My natural response was to try and cleanse and detox my system, which I did through adopting a purely raw, vegan diet for a period of time. I don’t deny that it felt really clean, light and healthy to eat a colourful plant-based diet. After the initial “honeymoon” period, however, I noticed my digestive system had become worse, I had lost more weight than I could afford to and I started noticing other symptoms, like feeling light-headed and dizzy.

 

In hindsight, the toxicity I was feeling was due to an inflammatory response triggered by gut issues. If I had to do it all again, knowing what I know now, I would most certainly not choose a vegan diet to try and quench the internal inflammation. The diet I was eating may have been loaded with minerals and vitamins and other plant-based nutrients, but it was also full of problematic plant proteins and fibres that further irritated my gut lining, fuelled the inflammation and interfered with my ability to absorb vital nutrients.

Why am I telling you this? 

 

Because I see too many people blindly jumping on the latest diet trends without any regard for their bio-individual needs. Which is fine when you are just playing around with your diet to try and optimise your performance, lose some weight and you have no health issues as such. But when you are feeling flat, fat, unfocused, fatigued, you have been diagnosed with a health condition or are dealing with other, mysterious symptoms you may end up making things worse.

 

I know it’s compelling to shift your diet based on a trending documentary that touts the enormous health benefits of eating a certain way, trending articles that speak about this wonderful new “fix-all” diet approach, or a friend’s amazing weight loss results. You could get lucky. But what 15 years of studying nutrition and working with clients has shown me is that resolving health challenges more often than not requires a very systematic and personalised approach that takes into account your unique health history, your current health status, your age, gender, genetics, environment, and lifestyle.

 

Here’s what I urge you to consider:

Make well-informed decisions about what to eat. We’re talking health here: your ability to live a long and illness-free life because of choices that you make today. Therefore, would you not want to base your decisions on facts and consider all the angles? Approach documentaries and articles and success stories with an open yet critical mind and question what you hear. Just because someone says something is true, it does not have to be so, in general or for you in particular. 

 

Full Story: https://expatlifeinthailand.com/health-and-beauty/diet-choices-are-you-making-the-right-one/

 

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[Surelynot]

Variety is the key

[Billy Bloggs]

Go Keto

[maxisrael]

I follow a low carb " diet " but not strictly  for more than a year now after the first few days I had some  problems like diarrhea but now I am much healthier halved my high bloodpressure medicine intake my bloodsugar  is around 112 and cholesterol on the good level my age is 74 and much fitter than before as well I eat every day a bowl of mixed salad greens from my own hydroponic garden

[cooked]

ANY diet that gets you away from the aptly named Standard American Diet (SAD) is going to be an improvement. Keto seems to be the only one that is scientifically based by modern standards and even there I have some reticence.

Anyway a diet shouldn't just be about losing weight, which is a symptom of being ill, but about getting healthy.

Healthy people aren't overweight.

[maxisrael]

1 hour ago, maxisrael said:

I follow a low carb " diet " but not strictly  for more than a year now after the first few days I had some  problems like diarrhea but now I am much healthier halved my high bloodpressure medicine intake my bloodsugar  is around 112 and cholesterol on the good level my age is 74 and much fitter than before as well I eat every day a bowl of mixed salad greens from my own hydroponic garden

I lost 10 kilo's of weight as well and steady now would like to lose a few kilo's more but leveld out

[Proboscis]

I took a look at this to see what nonsense was being talked up.

 

In fairness to the original poster, it was not the usual nonsense but there was plenty wrong with what s/he was saying.

 

There is no one diet that fits absolutely everyone. My cousin who can eat everything, including lots of fat and sugar, has low cholestrol, excellent blood sugars, takes some exercise but on the low end for a bloke in his early 60s, is going to need a far different from my pal who is pre-diabetic even though he takes much more exercise and eats much less food and zero added sugar.

 

In addition, especially as you get older, there will be certain foods that react differently for you than with others, when it comes to weight, metabolism and other factos, according to the most recent research. Take medical advice, do some basic research and come up with your own diet that suits you best.

 

 

[Jillie Norman]

On 3/5/2020 at 10:41 AM, cooked said:

ANY diet that gets you away from the aptly named Standard American Diet (SAD) is going to be an improvement. Keto seems to be the only one that is scientifically based by modern standards and even there I have some reticence.

Anyway a diet shouldn't just be about losing weight, which is a symptom of being ill, but about getting healthy.

Healthy people aren't overweight.

I agree that healthy people are not overweight and they are the slim ones. Just a question, is Keto Diet also good for people who are in medication? Thanks in advance.

[Surelynot]

I've lost 9kg over a period of 5 months (90kg down to 81kg), I'm 5' 11". I aim to get down to 72kg.

 

I stopped drinking (alcohol), eat cereal and fruit for breakfast and have just one small meal in the evening, salad and chips or rice and vegetables. I also did the 'Couch to 5K' training routine at the same time, I now run 5K every other day.

 

I would say the obvious.....eat as little as you are comfortable with and exercise as much as you can.

 

There are no magic diets, it is all a big con'.

 

Losing weight is 95% what you eat, 5% exercise.

 

IMHO

[cooked]

2 hours ago, Jillie Norman said:

I agree that healthy people are not overweight and they are the slim ones. Just a question, is Keto Diet also good for people who are in medication? Thanks in advance.

Slim people can get ill too! Most respectable Keto proponents advise to go see your doctor before starting Keto or unaccustomed exercise. Blood pressure lowering meds especially are tricky as Keto may make your pressure fall more than is healthy. However the chances of finding a doctor in Thailand that even knows what Keto is, let alone takes it seriously (or is allowed by his hospital to take it seriously) are low. 

[cooked]

23 minutes ago, Surelynot said:

I've lost 9kg over a period of 5 months (90kg down to 81kg), I'm 5' 11". I aim to get down to 72kg.

 

I stopped drinking (alcohol), eat cereal and fruit for breakfast and have just one small meal in the evening, salad and chips or rice and vegetables. I also did the 'Couch to 5K' training routine at the same time, I now run 5K every other day.

 

I would say the obvious.....eat as little as you are comfortable with and exercise as much as you can.

 

There are no magic diets, it is all a big con'.

 

Losing weight is 95% what you eat, 5% exercise.

 

IMHO

Well at least you state that it is about WHAT you eat. 

The calories that you seem to be consuming appear to be based to a large part on Carbohydrates, good luck with that.

Nobody talking about Keto is discussing a magic diet, please do some research and read the science.

[Surelynot]

13 minutes ago, cooked said:

Well at least you state that it is about WHAT you eat. 

The calories that you seem to be consuming appear to be based to a large part on Carbohydrates, good luck with that.

Nobody talking about Keto is discussing a magic diet, please do some research and read the science.

Should call it the 'May' diet or 'Possibly' diet. Your are correct.....it certainly isn't a magic diet. I guess this analysis of the Ketogenic diet was written with the lawyers hovering over their shoulders.

[Logosone]

33 minutes ago, cooked said:

Slim people can get ill too! Most respectable Keto proponents advise to go see your doctor before starting Keto or unaccustomed exercise. Blood pressure lowering meds especially are tricky as Keto may make your pressure fall more than is healthy. However the chances of finding a doctor in Thailand that even knows what Keto is, let alone takes it seriously (or is allowed by his hospital to take it seriously) are low. 

Yes, the Keto diet has been shown to have all kinds of potential side effects.

 

Another is that it is problematic for the liver, also because it has been shown to result in kidney stones issues.

[cooked]

24 minutes ago, Logosone said:

Yes, the Keto diet has been shown to have all kinds of potential side effects.

 

Another is that it is problematic for the liver, also because it has been shown to result in kidney stones issues.

Untrue I'm afraid. You'll have to show me the studies that indicate that, I think I have read most of them.

"Diabetes and high blood pressure cause more than two-thirds of all chronic kidney disease. Preventing, controlling or reversing these two conditions with a low-carb diet may prevent the future development of kidney disease." 

Etc. Start googling, and not on sites sponsored by processed food and sugar industries as many of them are.

[bkk6060]

Anyone with a 4th grade education should know what is proper to eat.

It is not rocket science.

It is however, the most accepted addiction in the world.  "He has big bones" "Oh, they just like their food".

Always some semi joking or excuse for fat people who cannot control stuffing their face with garbage grease, sugar and booze.  All the cancers, heart problems, diabetes, on and on. Just creating a terrible burden on our health care systems and society in general.

[Logosone]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

Untrue I'm afraid. You'll have to show me the studies that indicate that, I think I have read most of them.

"Diabetes and high blood pressure cause more than two-thirds of all chronic kidney disease. Preventing, controlling or reversing these two conditions with a low-carb diet may prevent the future development of kidney disease." 

Etc. Start googling, and not on sites sponsored by processed food and sugar industries as many of them are.

It is true, I'm afraid:

 

Kidney stone formation (nephrolithiasis) is associated with the diet for four reasons:

• Excess calcium in the urine (hypercalciuria) occurs due to increased bone demineralisation with acidosis. Bones are mainly composed of calcium phosphate. The phosphate reacts with the acid, and the calcium is excreted by the kidneys.
• Hypocitraturia: the urine has an abnormally low concentration of citrate, which normally helps to dissolve free calcium.
• The urine has a low pH, which stops uric acid from dissolving, leading to crystals that act as a nidus for calcium stone formation.
• Many institutions traditionally restricted the water intake of patients on the diet to 80% of normal daily needs; this practice is no longer encouraged.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketogenic_diet#Adverse_effects

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20120314160921/http://site.matthewsfriends.org/uploads/File/StonesPolycitra1.pdf

[cooked]

Good work. The second report advises the use of potassium citrate. " Last, as oral potassium citrate was
preventative and has no clear disadvantages, we are currently investigating the empiric use of this medication in
all children starting the ketogenic diet." I think I would rather have kids being cured of epileptic fits or having myself out of harm's way as far as diabetes, circulation problems, Alzheimer and the rest of all the problems that are demonstrably associated with eating cr@p. 

When I Google "kidney stones Keto" I have to look a long way to find negative reports, yours dates from 2007. Here's one from a site that I have learnt to trust, you can find the science behind it there also; https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/kidney-health

¹¹

Research to date has NOT found that kidney stones occur more often among those who follow low-carb or ketogenic diets for other conditions.

 

[Logosone]

1 hour ago, cooked said:

Good work. The second report advises the use of potassium citrate. " Last, as oral potassium citrate was
preventative and has no clear disadvantages, we are currently investigating the empiric use of this medication in
all children starting the ketogenic diet." I think I would rather have kids being cured of epileptic fits or having myself out of harm's way as far as diabetes, circulation problems, Alzheimer and the rest of all the problems that are demonstrably associated with eating cr@p. 

When I Google "kidney stones Keto" I have to look a long way to find negative reports, yours dates from 2007. Here's one from a site that I have learnt to trust, you can find the science behind it there also; https://www.dietdoctor.com/low-carb/kidney-health

¹¹

Research to date has NOT found that kidney stones occur more often among those who follow low-carb or ketogenic diets for other conditions.

 

Research has actually found that kidney stones occur more frequently among those who follow a ketogenic diet:

 

"In conclusion, the ketogenic diet is a risk factor for kidney stones, and hypercalciuria was more common in those with kidney stones."

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2852806/

[cooked]

14 hours ago, Logosone said:

Research has actually found that kidney stones occur more frequently among those who follow a ketogenic diet:

 

"In conclusion, the ketogenic diet is a risk factor for kidney stones, and hypercalciuria was more common in those with kidney stones."

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2852806/

So OK, you prefer diabetes, heart and circulation problems and potential Alzheimers to kidney stones, which are treatable. Obviously a waste of time if you're just picking out the evidence that suits your refusal to give up sugar and other carbohydrates.

[UbonThani]

Fast for 4 or 5 days a week 20 hours each. Body cleanse. Simple.

 

 

[bkk6060]

1 minute ago, UbonThani said:

Fast for 4 or 5 days a week 20 hours each. Body cleanse. Simple.

 

 

Yes, that works great but most people have no will power.

[UbonThani]

3 minutes ago, bkk6060 said:

Yes, that works great but most people have no will power.

just practice. Takes like 20 days to adjust. Coffee kills hunger. Much easier than counting calories or macros. Keto is boring after a while. Fasting much easier and lots of benefits.

[Gumballl]

On 3/4/2020 at 9:17 AM, Surelynot said:

Variety is the key

Exactly! Last night I ate a California burrito, and washed it down with a couple of margaritas. I feel great!

 

Today I will undoubtedly eat something different.

 

 

[Oldie]

I was forced into a no alcohol diet some days ago. Lost 2 kilos so far and saved a lot of money. The first 10 days were not so easy but now it is okay. Hope I am able to continue if the alcohol ban is lifted...