The Best Revenge, Episode 4: Diets
In this episode of The Best Revenge, Dr. Fleming takes a look at the role of diets in our daily lives. What was the purpose of a diet traditionally and what is the essence of the fad diet that dominates our (American) lives these days? Where did it come from? Where is it going? How do we deal with our friends and neighbors besotted with these schemes and how can we “revenge" ourselves upon such a joyless practice?
Original Air Date: September 27, 2016
Show Run Time: 43 minutes
Show Guest(s): Dr. Thomas Fleming
Show Host(s): Stephen Heiner
The Best Revenge℗ is a Production of the Fleming Foundation. Copyright 2016. All rights are reserved and any duplication without explicit written permission is forbidden.
Years ago, I tried a no-carb diet. I stuck with it for about three weeks or a month, thinking all along that my craving for bread was just in my head, until finally it dawned on me that my body actually was being deprived of something it needed. When I started eating bread again, I felt a lot better. I find that when I eat only meat and vegetables, I get hungry sooner than if I eat some kind of gluten with it.
Gluten is a substance that is in complex carbohydrates like wheat , barley, oats and rye. People who are gluten intolerant can’t eat foods have gluten. They must discuss those things with their doctor.
I try to avoid empty carbohydrates as much as possible. A small piece of good bread with a meal is fine, but I try to stick to meat, vegetables, nuts, dairy and fruits. As far as fruit goes, I think its important to remember that, until very recently, fruit was only available during a short window in the summer. Certain vegetables like onions, broccoli, potatoes, cabbage, etc. could be kept going most of the year, but in most climates, most fruit was very seasonal. Bears will gorge themselves on sweet huckleberries for 2 or 3 weeks a year, but I imagine if they were available all year, the bears would quickly become hyperglycemic. A few years ago, I realized that I had put on 10 or 15 pounds that I needed to lose. With a little research, and without changing any other part of my diet, I realized that if I simply ate a fat/protein rich breakfast as soon as I rose, I was no longer hungry during the day, I had more energy and I shed the extra pounds. A doctor who treated the morbidly obese said that the one common characteristic with most of his patients was that they did not eat breakfast.
The key is moderation, that is, portion control. That is why the Weight Watchers program is so effective. There are no forbidden foods but you learn the foods that should form the bulk of your diet and how much you should eat to lose or maintain your weight. The result is a well-balanced diet.
James D. is right. Weight Watchers recommends eating breakfast. They also steer you toward eating a lot of fruits and many vegetables. (No one gets fat from eating too much fruit. In addition, you do not need to take laxatives. Grapes are especially effective.)
It seems to me that more people now experience food intolerance, e.g., gluten, dairy, etc. Is that caused by the consumption of so many processed foods?
Breakfast means precisely that – to break the fast. Many people skip it and then eat anything to satisfy the hunger. Not a good idea.
Gluten intolerance is a disorder of the intestinal tract. A component of gluten is the main culprit. People who are concerned about this disorder should discuss this with their doctor. Many people with true lactose (dairy) intolerance can have yogurt.
We eat food. Enjoy.
Mr. Van Sant:
I see “gluten free” everywhere and have come to believe it is a marketing tactic to sell product. It could be that gluten intolerance is on the increase as people age. However, this condition can occur at any age. If you’re concerned about it and have digestive concerns discuss them with your doctor.
Now it is “Gluten Free; Non-GMO.”
Mr. Van Sant:
I have not seen “Non-GMO” or have not paid attention to the term. Non- GMO means that the food in question, probably a fruit or vegetable, was produced with no genetically modified organisms (GMO) or is not genetically modified (GM).
Corn was one of the first vegetables that was genetically modified with a bacteria, I think into the seed, to prevent the plant from getting diseased and thus to produce a better yield. You may notice too that an ear of corn stays sweet longer than it used to. It appears that strawberries have a longer shelf life. If so, strawberries have been genetically modified. These are examples of what is called bioengineered foods – genetically modified in some way.
It is uncomfortable, I know, that the food in some way has been altered so to speak. We all want purity, but if it weren’t for this technology we wouldn.t be able to provide food needed for the public. We do have to eat. Perhaps there are organic seeds available that would not contain these organisms .
I do not know if any regulations have been established about the production of these foods.
Mr. Van Sant: I want to add that modification of foods has gone on for thousands of years. It happened naturally. One example is that of grapes. It was discovered that the fruit changed naturally into wine with no intervention ages ago. People enjoy it to this day.