
Eating habits – parsing the moral language of modern diets - joe5150
http://mag.uchicago.edu/law-policy-society/eating-habits?repost
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alejohausner
Processed foods can be better, in some cases. For instance, frozen vegetables
are picked ripe, and packaged very close to harvest, whereas "fresh"
vegetables are picked green, and spend weeks in a truck traveling across the
country, and you end up eating them long after they were picked. Frozen
vegetables are better for you!

~~~
maerF0x0
of course its unfathomable to eat food that doesnt need to spend weeks
travelling. If locally grown and bought at a farmers market (or from CSA) then
one could have food that was picked a few days before consumption.

~~~
joe5150
I'll just drive an hour to the nearest farmer's market, hoping they're
actually open according to their loose-at-best schedule, also hoping there's
something on offer that I can/want to eat. To desire anything more convenient
or reliable is unfathomable!

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tikhonj
> _In his philosophy classes, arguments rested on logic and evidence; in his
> religion classes, “you could use a story to make an argument.”_

An interesting excerpt that says a lot about the mindset that goes into his
argument.

The core observation, I suppose, is that this is what's really pushing popular
beliefs about diet, far more than logical argument. It makes sense to me,
especially considering the character of opposition to gluten and GMOs.

~~~
rguzman
Well, not all arguments against GMOs are stories. I'm thinking specifically of
Taleb's argument:
[http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/pp2.pdf](http://www.fooledbyrandomness.com/pp2.pdf)

~~~
dylanjermiah
Taleb makes the classic mistake of an intellectual. Misapplying his field of
expertise into another.

~~~
jessaustin
Sometimes it seems that sort of misapplication _is_ his field of expertise.

I say this having read and enjoyed three of his books. b^)

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Havoc
The whole food scene is a little dodgy in this regard in my view. Everyone
claims to have found the one true god - when I really doubt there is one.

In light of this uncertainty I subscribe to two basic "beliefs":

1) Don't eat dodgy processed stuff (think paleo mindset)

2) Restrict calories

I'm no nutritionist, but I'd venture a guess and say that I'll go far with my
2 point approach.

~~~
ThrustVectoring
"Restrict calories" is a great terminal goal, but terrible advice. Trying to
be hungry and not eat is a quick way to exhaust all your willpower.

What's generally much more effective is applying rules to your eating habits
that result in calorie restriction. Intermittent Fasting or Keto works best,
from what I've seen. The former because it requires no willpower for what you
eat, or how much - only when. Keto works well because it requires zero
willpower for how much you eat or when, only what. Either approach goes to the
same place as "just eat less" with much less mental effort.

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beachstartup
telling someone who is obese to just stop eating is like telling an alcoholic
to just stop drinking. accurate, but useless.

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davidgerard
The key problem is that, for the first time in history, we've basically solved
the food problem. To the point where obesity is epidemic worldwide. But our
genes don't know this, so they pack on the lard in preparation for lean times
that never come. So the trouble is that to not get unhealthily fat, we have to
eat in a completely unnatural way. And it's _really hard_.

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given
It is all rooted in suffering. People fear (for their lives if they eat the
wrong thing). Some create stories/myths and people believe in them because it
gives them a sense of security.

Now if someone else says that what they believe (which helps them to cope with
their fear) is totally wrong, the "religious" battle begins.

If you look at most religions you will discover the same pattern: fear from
gods, daemons, enemies etc.

Then a religion is formed to alleviate the pain. It is stupid but hey that's
what people do.

You would better confront the fears and not create more suffering with some
silly stories.

edit: probably I shouldn't say silly, it's sad that we need to create all
theses stories which in the end create much more suffering for everyone (just
think about all the quarrels/fights/wars people have being pro or contra some
myth/religion/ideology)

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maerF0x0
> And despite the fact that, as one endocrinologist and diabetes expert told
> Levinovitz, the only definitively established metabolic difference between
> fruit and candy is that “it’s a lot easier to eat tons of candy than it is
> to eat tons of apples.”

That endocrinologist must not think there is any value in fiber,
phytonutrients, antioxidants et al. Yes, lets all just eat 300g sugar, 100g
oil and 100g whey protein powder every day. Clearly a recipe for poor health.

Reductionist thinking glosses over the details that are important for health.

~~~
brrt
You're setting up a strawman against a non-essential point in the article.
This article was not about the difference between apples and candy.

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walkingolof
I think its more about how we eat than what we eat (within resonable limits).
Having to constantly process foods and drinks in various forms cant be good,
eating lunch and dinner and maybe a snack inbetween that and then let the body
rest.

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DeBraid
Green vegetables are the key to good health. It's really that simple. Modern
humans consume excessive calories and shockingly remain deprived of vital
nutrients!

After years of being overweight and having gut issues, I'm now lean and
healthy thanks to a plant-based diet. My plan:
[https://github.com/DeBraid/medicine/blob/master/plant-
based-...](https://github.com/DeBraid/medicine/blob/master/plant-based-
diet.md)

~~~
PerfectElement
I solved my heath problems without eating green vegetables. I do eat plant-
based, but mostly beans, whole grains, potatoes and fruits.

I don't remember seeing any studies linking green vegetables with longer
lifespan, but there are many linking longevity with high plant/high carb
diets.

