Dietary Ramblings

Scientists did a study of ancient bones and discovered that folks had the same rate of heart disease as we do today. Thus putting into question the theory that we are more prone to heart attack because of our modern diet.

Gratuitous Cat Photo

Of course, there are other scientists who have pooh-pooh'ed the findings, saying the studies are inconclusive, etc. That's how they roll.

In another story, a guy is writing a book about a study he did of obese youngsters. One group got a diet of processed food and stuff that was low-fat, while the other group got a selection of natural foods that had some fat. Not surprisingly (to me, anyhow), the kids who ate the low-fat products did poorly compared to their compatriots.

Lessons learned:
1. Stay away from all soda, including diet soda.
2. Minimize junk food intake. This includes low-fat snacks.
3. There is good fat and bad fat. Good fat can help you lose the bad fat.

Also, "vegan" is not synonymous with "healthy." I was in the vitamin store yesterday and overheard a conversation between the clerk and a woman who was asking about vegan cookies. His response was, they fill them with vegetable fat and sugar and they still taste like crap.

They have also lowered the numbers for what constitutes diabetes and obesity, so by definition, there are more Americans who fall into these categories. I haven't seen any studies that include the change in criteria. (Although, surely someone has, somewhere.)

So, although I'm not a scientist (and I don't play one on TV), it seems to me that rumors of our health crisis may be slightly exaggerated.

The upshot is, eat healthy foods as much as possible, get off your duff and move around during the day as much as you can, eat a little less of the things you love that aren't good for you. Remember, moderation is key.

And, yes, relax and be kind to yourself. Stress is bad for you. That includes stressing about what you eat.

Sermon over. I've got some cool cats waiting to provide me with my own stress relief.