Health Warning To Fellow Farangs!

[rene123]

Thank you for the heads up... everyone. I've lost a bit of weight since I came to Thailand 5 months ago. I eat mostly Thai food such as fried rice. I also eat a lot of fruit. But, I'm reasonably young and healthy and have an active life style.. I'll get a thorough check up when I go back to Canada in a month's time.

As someone else already pointed out you need to look no further than your own parents or grand parents to see genetic traits. Parents that live well into their eightes and nineties tend to have children that live a long life. Men whose fathers die in their 50s and 60s of heart disease do not have as good a chance as those who have fathers that live into their nineties. Longevity seems to be passed down through the sex of the child. Girls will mimic their mothers and boys will mimic their fathers.

[cooked]

Sh*t do you know eating causes cancer.

so does sleep, well known fact.

[chiangmaikelly]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

[Ministry of Som Tam]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

What about 'Daddies'?

[doggie888888]

I read in some news that they have found ancient mummies also had cardio vascular disease, pre-dating cigarettes and other modern ills. They think heart disease and that sort of thing maybe normal aging, not affected by diet or modern life.

Also, I think the use of palm oil in cooking Thai food maybe a problem in so far as bad cholesterol is concerned, but I am not sure.

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

The paleolithic era diet which was pre grains is thought to have little to no tooth decay and cardiovascular disease. The neolithic diets like the Egyptians had a diet high in wheat and other grain carbs and that ushered in the evidence of modern diseases like obesity and dental caries.

[StreetCowboy]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

What about 'Daddies'?

Brown sauce is fine.

[arthurwait]

Thank you for the heads up... everyone. I've lost a bit of weight since I came to Thailand 5 months ago. I eat mostly Thai food such as fried rice. I also eat a lot of fruit. But, I'm reasonably young and healthy and have an active life style.. I'll get a thorough check up when I go back to Canada in a month's time.

As someone else already pointed out you need to look no further than your own parents or grand parents to see genetic traits. Parents that live well into their eightes and nineties tend to have children that live a long life. Men whose fathers die in their 50s and 60s of heart disease do not have as good a chance as those who have fathers that live into their nineties. Longevity seems to be passed down through the sex of the child. Girls will mimic their mothers and boys will mimic their fathers.

Fried rice is one of the worst things you can eat. Just starch and cheap oil (chlestoral) sticking to every grain of rice. Blooming nice though especially with Chinese sausage.

[onionluke]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

What about 'Daddies'?

Brown sauce is fine.

There is some evidence showing that Egyptian mummys enjoyed ciggies and cocaine , wayback in like 2000BC man .

[mickjn]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

A lot of people think that breakfast cereals are good for you,unfortunately a bowl of Corn Flakes contains more salt/sodium than a bowl of seawater!

I am getting onto to seawater tomorrow

[weegee]

Sh*t do you know eating causes cancer.

so does sleep, well known fact.

How about 2 mars bars every night while watching Television????....is that safe?

[StreetCowboy]

Sh*t do you know eating causes cancer.

so does sleep, well known fact.

How about 2 mars bars every night while watching Television????....is that safe?

Depends on what you're doing while watching television and how many calories you're burning.

Also whether the mars bars were fried in vegetable oil or animal fat.

SC

[kennedy]

I'm on a srict seefood diet.

[Orac]

The amount of salt, sugar and msg added to Thai food is crazy. I now stick to meat, veggies and fruit. No processed foods and no starches. (That eliminates most foods in the supermarket). Keeps the weight down and don't get food comas.

It's already been said but cook at home and do it using Extra Virgin Olive Oil,which is free from cholesterol.Take regular walks,it's a very simple formula,if you burn more calories than you eat you lose weight.If you don't you gain weight.

It's just very difficult to strike a balance,that's the problem!

Rather than olive oil, I use rice bran oil which is fairly cheap here.

[harrry]

rice bran oil is great but almost everything here is cooked in or contains palm oil which converts straight to saturated fat. (well scientificly this may be oversimplified but the effect is the same.

[pomozki]

To the original poster; How has your body weight changed over the last say 20 years? I ask because mine had been creeping up for years. My triglycerides have been an issue for 12 years( on medication). even though I have been working out here in Thailand regularly for the last five years, my weight would not go down. Last June I had a triglyceride reading of 185 on medication. I was surprised as I rode my bike 4 or 5 times a week 20 to 40 kilometers plus weight lifting. I had never tried a diet to lose weight. I stopped eating bread, noodles, potatoes, and rice down by 90%. My diet consists mainly of vegetables, Chicken breasts and legumes with occasional fish and pork, nonfat milk with nuts for snacks. I really avoid Thai fried foods. After 3 months my Triglyceride reading dropped to 107. I stopped medication . My weight has dropped from 93 kilos to 76. That is the same I weighted 25 years ago. I only increased my exercise regime 10 or 15%. My average cycling speed has increased to 25 to 27 kpm from 20 to 22 kpm. As my weight dropped, my strength has increased as well. I am lifting heavier weights and doing more sets.

The main thing for me is how much better I feel generally. For me the trade off of what I gave up is well worth it.

Good luck to you.

Hi, thanks for a great post! I'm 1.73m (5'7") and my weight has stayed 75-78kg for a long time. I'll take your words to heart and congratulations! but how anyone avoids Thai fried foods while in Thailand is going to take a helluva effort!

[pomozki]

It's not the food you eat that's the problem, it's your lifestyle.

If you are inactive, even the best diet won't keep you fit.

The more active you are, the less you have to worry about your eating and drinking habits.

thanks - I walk and run on a treadmill several times a week - haven't been this fit for many years!

[pomozki]

I lost 5 - 6 Kg in the 6 months since coming to Thailand. I drink a lot of beer, try to vary my diet as much as possible, plenty of vegetables coming along in the garden now as well as guaranteed organic chicken (we can't afford not to). I work hard in the garden and on renovating the house. I make my own muesli.

I avoid street food since I read that they buy recycled cooking oil from the better restaurants, since I saw the difference between good Isaan rice and the second/third/fourth ranking quality rice they give you, since drinking water offered made me ILL (oh I was ill..)

I used to think that Thais that I saw cooking up a meal on the back of their pickup were impoverished peasants, if so, that's what I have become.

sounds like you're much better educated than me - and I envy you having a garden

[pomozki]

The amount of salt, sugar and msg added to Thai food is crazy. I now stick to meat, veggies and fruit. No processed foods and no starches. (That eliminates most foods in the supermarket). Keeps the weight down and don't get food comas.

It's already been said but cook at home and do it using Extra Virgin Olive Oil,which is free from cholesterol.Take regular walks,it's a very simple formula,if you burn more calories than you eat you lose weight.If you don't you gain weight.

It's just very difficult to strike a balance,that's the problem!

haha! if only I could get the local restaurant to switch to extra virgin olive oil - only trouble is, the price would go up from 50B a meal to about 200 (and I don't have a cooker in the kitchen)

[pomozki]

Sh*t do you know eating causes cancer.

love it

[pomozki]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

The paleolithic era diet which was pre grains is thought to have little to no tooth decay and cardiovascular disease.

blimey, what did they eat - each other?

[pomozki]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

A lot of people think that breakfast cereals are good for you,unfortunately a bowl of Corn Flakes contains more salt/sodium than a bowl of seawater!

I am getting onto to seawater tomorrow

brilliant! some of the posts here are hilarious - made the post worthwhile just for the laugh !

[CobraSnakeNecktie]

Yes modern Thai food is often very unhealthy.

BTW, standard muesli is definitely not a low fat food.

Study: Even ancient mummies had clogged arteries.

LONDON (AP) -- Even without modern-day

temptations like fast food or cigarettes, people had clogged arteries

some 4,000 years ago, according to the biggest-ever study of mummies

searching for the condition.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/E/EU_MED_MUMMIES_HEART_DISEASE?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2013-03-10-20-16-55

The paleolithic era diet which was pre grains is thought to have little to no tooth decay and cardiovascular disease.

blimey, what did they eat - each other?

vegetables, tubers, nuts, seeds, meat, fish, eggs

edit... forgot eggs

Edited March 11, 2013 by CobraSnakeNecktie

[Khun Jean]

I see coconut milk mentioned a few times as being 'bad'.

It is actually not. Lots of information on the net about coconut oil and milk so i wont repeat it here.

The things you need to care about are palm oil, MSG (pomsulot), and oh horror fresh fruit and vegetables. The amounts of insecticides used is very high, washing those vegetables is not going to help much. Thick skinned vegetables are ok.

Chlorinated water, too much salt, sugar are obvious.

Edited March 11, 2013 by Khun Jean

[pattayadingo]

Sh*t do you know eating causes cancer.

so does sleep, well known fact.

How about 2 mars bars every night while watching Television????....is that safe?

Depends on what you are doi8ng with the mars bars.

[harrry]

Now wonder they stood upright ...with all the farting from that diet they had to to get their heads out of it.

[Sheryl]

The big health issues with Thai food are:

1. White rice - the highly processed nature of it and the quantities

2. Excessive use of processed white sugar, they add it to everything in very liberal; quantities

3. Use of palm oil as opposed to healthier oils -- and, often, it's repeat re-use.

4. MSG use

It is possible to prepare pretty much all Thai dishes without these 4 things but that means home cooking.

With regard to diet and elevated triglycerides it is not only a matter of taking in too much energy. A number f hormones, including insulin, help regulate the release of triglycerides into the blood. Diets high in processed carbs lead to excessive insulin levels and eventually to what is termed "insulin resistance" (AKA metabolic syndrome) which in turn plays a major role is elevated lipids. Indeed, eliminating processed carbs often does more to reduce serum lipids than does eliminating dietary fat (which is not to say that care shouldn't be taken in that regard, .particularly re saturated fats).

Some people have a hereditary disposition towards elevated triglycerides and require medication no matter how careful they are about diet. Others can achieve good control through diet and exercise alone.

There are also some medications which have the adverse effect of increases triglceride levels.

f

[Sheryl]

P.S. forgot to mention, insecticide use on the fruits & vegies but not so easy to avoid this.

[Sheryl]

There is as far as I know no information on the incidence of cardiovascular disease among paelolithic peoples and I fail to see how their could be any. All we have to go on is skeletons.

P.S> Moving this to the Health Forum

[yourauntbob]

Balanced diet, eat a little bit of everything and not a lot of anything.

Exercise 30-60min a day

Some people get so carried away with "taking care" of there bodies they never have any fun. Others are so busy having fun they never take care of their body. Find a happy median and enjoy life!