
Food for thought - Eat your way to a better brain - robg
http://www.economist.com/science/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11745528
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spon
When I see articles that attribute far-reaching health consequences to
specific chemicals like anti-oxidants -- which are rarely tested in isolation
from other compounds -- I'm reminded of a quote from Gary Taubes:

"If public health research functioned like some of the harder sciences -- high
energy physics being the one I know best -- then researchers would be
ridiculed and perhaps even run out of the field for over-interpreting their
evidence or publicly presenting the results of sloppy experiments or basing
claims on premature evidence and none of this would have happened."

~~~
asdflkj
On that note--does anyone know where to find basic information on nutrition
that's not full of bullshit?

~~~
robg
See a nutritionist. They'll go through your diet and help to plan healthier,
and often tastier, alternatives. The best ones are like diet coaches.

~~~
SwellJoe
Valid advice if you've got serious persistent problems with food, like
overeating, junk food addictions, etc. But, if you already have a good diet
and have no food-related health issues, then a nutritionist will likely be of
limited utility--certainly less than a few hours of research on the Internet
(careful research...citations needed).

Certainly there are some nutritionists who are on the cutting edge of the
field and follow the latest research (and parse it with knowledge that most
popular science coverage of food is bullshit), but I've come upon a few who
mingled current trends with "ancient wisdom" a little too much and end up
being purveyors of "alternative medicine". A friend of mine went on a huge soy
kick for a year or two, because her nutritionist had bought into the "soy is a
magical cancer preventative" hype. We now know with confidence that soy in
many forms is actually kinda hard on the body (hormone producing chemicals in
food are something that should be treated with caution, and not consumed in
large quantities without careful study), and the research that indicated
cancer prevention was probably overblown and certainly not specific enough.

So, see a nutritionist if you want, but take all advice with a grain of salt.
Nobody knows everything, and moderation is probably the best choice when in
doubt. (Though anyone who tells that you should eat more fruits and vegetables
is almost certainly right. Moderation is probably not a concern with broccoli
and carrots and blueberries.)

~~~
robg
Quite honestly I've had my eyes opened. Good nutritionists aren't that hard to
find and their expertise involves not just "persistent problems with food",
but can also help you to avoid diets that _cause_ health problems in the long-
term. Even more amazing to me is that those health problems can be controlled
through foods. The nutritionist can go through your family history and help
you to understand your relationship with food and how it affects you - now and
into the future.

"Though anyone who tells that you should eat more fruits and vegetables is
almost certainly right."

That I can agree with. I should have also mentioned Michael Pollan's books.
His most recent is an analysis of what to eat - and the subtitle says it all:
Eat food^. Not too much. Mostly plants.

^whole, unprocessed.

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streety
The article appears to focus on the "Fernando Gómez-Pinilla, a fish-loving
professor of neurosurgery and physiological science at the University of
California" and a paper he has recently published.

<http://www.nature.com/nrn/journal/v9/n7/full/nrn2421.html>

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acgourley
I know this sounds terribly lazy, but the day when I'll simply get all these
benefits from a pill tailored to my own bodies needs will be a sweet day
indeed.

~~~
dhuck
I use to agree until I started to enjoy cooking... (cheaper, healthier, and
all that.)

Eating can bring a lot of joy to your life, preparing meals and enjoying with
someone seems (imho) to contribute to a better, more well rounded lifestyle
(equaling more productive hacking session.)

... food for thought ( _ducks_ ).

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grendel
The Omnivore's Dilemma is a must read. [http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-
Dilemma-Natural-History-Meal...](http://www.amazon.com/Omnivores-Dilemma-
Natural-History-
Meals/dp/0143038583/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221181170&sr=8-1)

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AlfaWolph
They focus on fish a lot but they say nothing about the mercury content.

~~~
streety
The only fish they mention is salmon. I'm not entirely sure all the health
issues surrounding intensively farmed salmon have been established yet.

I would say mercury is only one aspect we should be concerned about.

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jmtulloss
Pfft, coffee and peanuts does me just fine.

