fish as a "health" food

[Kathryn]

That’s a good point… do you think that obesity has more to do with diet or lack of exercise? Obviously it’s some of both, but do you think one is more to blame then the other?

 

Madcat,

I think it's the synergy between the two, and mostly comes down to "calories in vs. calories out."

 

In the past couple of decades, "calories in" have increased: restaurant portions are often double or more what they used to be, more processed food--which is often a more concentrated source of calories--is eaten than before. Also, I think that foods that used to be considers occasional "treats"(candybars, McDonalds meals) are now eaten more on a regular basis by many people.

 

Also, I believe in the link between increased consumption of high fructose corn sweetener (which is in many foods) and hydrogenated oils and the increase in obesity. I think the body is built to deal with whole, real foods, and when confronted with manipulated foods (like hydrogenated oils and highly processed foods), doesn't know what to do, and often appetite is increased, and/or the body can't process the foods as efficiently and is more apt to store the calories as fat.

 

At the same time "calories in" increased, "calories out" decreased. People don't walk anywhere anymore (not even two blocks away!), and you no longer have to move your butt from your chair to change channels on the TV.

[madcat]

I heard that it takes the average person 20 min to get full, not because that’s how long it takes to eat but because our brains think that’s how long we should eat. Because of distractions during meals (like tv) we aren’t focusing on eating…. So we just keep eating.

[compassionategirl]

To all those of you who claimed on this thread that low-fat milk was not unhealthy, etc etc (I think it was Sinister and Will Peavy, but forgive me if I got that wrong):

 

Studies on milk, EVEN LOW and NON FAT milk, have found links to increased risk of heart disease and hypertension. A multi-country review by William B. Grant, PhD, found "...high associations betwen non-fat milk or milk carbohydrates" and heart disease and hypertension ("Milk and Other Dietary Influences on Coronary Heart Disease," 1998). As far as I know, the conducters of this study had nothing to do with the pcrm or animal rights groups. Correct me if I am wrong.

 

So, in the words, my vegan friends, there are studies out that are NOT associated with animal rights group and the pcrm that do cast doubt on the healthfulness of dairy, even so called "fat free" dairy. I provided one such source above.

 

Add that to the fact that is so unnatural for us to be drinking the milk of another species of animal that nature intended for the young of that animal, (like the pic by Atilla suggests) and I think you end up with a pretty "objective" and common sensical case AGAINST the human consumption of dairy products.

[compassionategirl]

Other noteworthy and relatively "objecive" studies questioning the so called "healthfulness" of milk and its components:

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, October 2002.

 

The New England JOurnal of Medicine, July 30 1992 issue.

 

International Journal of Cancer, August 2000 (87:4, 601-5).

 

Lancet Oncology, May 2002.

 

In short, relatively "objective" studies of milk and its constituents appear to show much more negative results than positive.

 

So please stop promoting milk as a "not unhealthy" food.

Edited January 16, 2006 by compassionategirl

[offense74]

It's interesting how they take away the ingredience of milk, one by one.

First it was the fat.

Then it was the lactose (the carbs).

They know that there are opiates in the casein and that whey raises the insulin, so it's just a matter of time before that goes too....

 

We will then be left with ....well.... water?

[flanders77]

First of all I like to say that I second what CG and Attila wrote.

 

But one more thing to this:

It's not unhealthy for a lactose intolerant person to drink lactose free skim milk on occasion.

 

For the short run that may be true. But looking at too-many-to-ignore statistics it is obvious that milk consumption (even in mostly lactose-tolerant countries like finland) on the long run is associated with all the so-called diseases of affluence (is that the right term?) like diabetis, heart disease, cancer etc etc.

[compassionategirl]

First of all I like to say that I second what CG and Attila wrote.

 

But one more thing to this:

It's not unhealthy for a lactose intolerant person to drink lactose free skim milk on occasion.

 

For the short run that may be true. But looking at too-many-to-ignore statistics it is obvious that milk consumption (even in mostly lactose-tolerant countries like finland) on the long run is associated with all the so-called diseases of affluence (is that the right term?) like diabetis, heart disease, cancer etc etc.

 

yes, that is the right term.

 

yes, i agree with you. Studies show what you said above to be true, even for fat-free dairy!!!

 

So much for "a little skim, lactose free" and whatever else milk cant hurt you.... and at any rate, it isnt natural.

[Brendan Dever]

I don't think you could possibly argue that consuming cow's milk is natural. Drinking the milk from another animal species just can't be natural. But humans do many things that would be considered unnatural. So it doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong to do something unnatural. In the case of dairy products I do believe it's wrong, but for other reasons.

 

As for the health reasons, I personally think dairy products are the worst "food" a human can eat for their health. Non-fat or whole milk, it doesn't matter. There are so many health problems related to milk consumption that I can't believe anyone would want to eat anything made from it. Then there's the relation between animal proteins and cancer. I don't know if anyone here has read The China Study by T. Colin Cambell, but it's a hell of a book about diet and cancer. The research done was quite thorough and much of it was published in very respected scientific journals. I highly recommend everyone read it. One thing that was found was that casein(milk protein) greatly promotes the growth of cancer at all stages. If you consume milk protein, not only does it make you much more likely to get cancer, you're also more likely to die from it, and faster.

[willpeavy]

First of all I like to say that I second what CG and Attila wrote.

 

But one more thing to this:

It's not unhealthy for a lactose intolerant person to drink lactose free skim milk on occasion.

 

For the short run that may be true. But looking at too-many-to-ignore statistics it is obvious that milk consumption (even in mostly lactose-tolerant countries like finland) on the long run is associated with all the so-called diseases of affluence (is that the right term?) like diabetis, heart disease, cancer etc etc.

 

Consuming a lot of it can cause health problems. Consuming a small amount isn't going to hurt anyone except the cows

[flanders77]

Consuming a lot of it can cause health problems. Consuming a small amount isn't going to hurt anyone except the cows

 

The Problem is that you just do not know this. Maybe for some Persons just a little milk causes diabetis by a autoimmune reaction. Others may develope arteriosclerosis throughout the years without even knowing it. Especially for cancer the amount of IGF-1 necessary for promoting cancer growth is very small because it is so powerful. The relation of milk consumption and many diseases of affluence is linear. That means the less milk you consume, the better for your health. There isn`t an amount which is save except zero.

Nobody really knows how much is too much.

And of course not only the cows are hurts: Their calves are hurt in many ways. The invironment is destroyed and this affects all of us.

[compassionategirl]

First of all I like to say that I second what CG and Attila wrote.

 

But one more thing to this:

It's not unhealthy for a lactose intolerant person to drink lactose free skim milk on occasion.

 

For the short run that may be true. But looking at too-many-to-ignore statistics it is obvious that milk consumption (even in mostly lactose-tolerant countries like finland) on the long run is associated with all the so-called diseases of affluence (is that the right term?) like diabetis, heart disease, cancer etc etc.

 

Consuming a lot of it can cause health problems. Consuming a small amount isn't going to hurt anyone except the cows

 

A couple of cigarrettes in an entire lifetime wont hurt you either. But it still isnt "healthy".