Quoting 'Metabolical', Since the publication of The Omnivore’s Dilemma (2006), food journalist Michael Pollan has made the point that nutrition is religion - because it requires believing without seeing. After all, nutrition must be all about what’s in the food....You don’t have to have an advanced degree to be a nutritionist*. Which means that everyone is a nutritionist. And this has given rise to faith over science - because nutritionism is about zealotry.
This was neatly brought home during a three way discussion last night over the
Friday night dinner table between my daughter, my daughter in law and myself. We
are all agreed that processed food and sugar are out, but from here on, we
believe in different approaches. My daughter at least made the accurate
statement that everyone is different and that what works for one person does not
necessarily work for another. They are centered on calories, whereas I am
adopting some of the views of 'Metabolical' and 'The glucose revolution' in that
what is important is reducing metabolical syndrome (this got a mention in a news
item the other day) and lowering the glycaemic index of foods (time of
absorbtion of sugars).
I have been participating in an online course run by my future university (of
Aberdeen) entitled 'Nutrition and well-being' - this is a free course that
serves as a non-credit introduction, and for me, it's very simple. Yesterday I
started the third week (out of four) entitled
Food and disease - what is the weakest link? that starts with cardiovascular disease and continues to cancer - but
no mention of metabolic syndrome. In step 2.11, it is written
Based on the set of dietary reference values, and to promote optimal
health, here in the UK, we recommend that 50% of your total energy intake
should come from carbohydrate sources, 15 percent from protein, and 35
percent or less from fat as a proportion of total energy consumed. According to 'Metabolical' (chapter 4, very much a rant against dieticians),
in around 1915, Lenna Cooper wrote “The proportions in the menu should be 10 percent protein, 30 fats and 60
per cent carbohydrates. It is impossible to emphasize too strongly that our
health and energies depend on our foods.” Either I haven't found a recommendation in 'Metabolical' or I have
forgotten it, but I'm sure that there is a relatively large recommendation for
fibre (lacking in the earlier recommendations), a higher percentage for fat
and a much lower percentage for carbohydrates. Is the fibre supposed to come
from the carbohydrates?
If the above is going to be the party line for the Aberdeen courses, then I
might be facing some problems regarding religious (i.e. nutritional) beliefs.
This reminds me of a section in David Lodge's "Thinks" (chapter 2) that
although fictional is probably grounded in the truth: Paul and Lucy seemed intuitively to know, even at the age of five or six,
that they must pretend to believe things at school which weren’t believed at
home, and perhaps vice versa. I can imagine that for the sake of getting a good mark, I may have to agree
with the opinions of the academic staff whilst practising something different
at home. After all, I have to watch the potassium, a complication that is not
mentioned in any of the books or causes.
On the other hand, the level of the academic courses at Aberdeen will be much
higher than this MOOC, so hopefully there will be some recognition of
the existence of different nutrional approaches and targets.
* An ironic statement, considering my intended academic future.
This day in history:
| Title | Tags | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 372 | Having an author sign her work | Psychology, Blodwyn Pig, Fairport Convention, Canterbury sound, Economics, Dan Ariely | |
| 492 | Korcula (Dubrovnik log 8) | Holiday, Dubrovnik | |
| 604 | Once and forever | Yoni Rechter | |
| 730 | The heat! (Sicily log 5) | Holiday, Sicily, Italy | |
| 1046 | Bumpers | Nice enough to eat, 1970 | |
| 1402 | It was 40 years ago today | Personal |
I'm looking at this list of blogs and thinking 'what happened 40 years ago today?' That would be 1981 ... it's our wedding anniversary! Everyone forgot!
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