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Originally Posted by QuickSilver  To be honest, I find nutrition studies pretty frustrating. I read one article a long time ago that made a great point I've almost never seen since: it is extremely difficult for us to study nutrition, because it requires long term study, with a large number of test subjects, and very accurate information. But you can't just take 1,000 human beings and put them in a lab somewhere for ten years while strictly controlling their consumption and activity.
That means that nutrition studies are generally short, only contain a few test subjects, and the big killer, rely on self reporting, which is notoriously unreliable.
The best book I ever read on nutrition was "Eat, Drink and Be Healthy", though that may be dated at this point. I appreciated that book because it was broken out by study, and showed things scientists are very certain of, less certain of, and what's mainly conjecture. The other thing I've read that really resonated with me is that as omnivores, our bodies are designed to thrive on a dizzying array of food stuffs. Some cultures historically only eat meat (and then from only certain animals); other cultures are entirely vegetarian. That's pretty amazing right there if you think about it.
My understanding is that the two best things you can do for your health are: don't smoke; and maintain a moderate body weight.
Okay, that's my speech for today.  |
There are so many variables and it is impossible to have adequate controls. We can look at the body's processes and make reasonable assumptions on how food and drink will affect them, but I don't believe anyone can come up with a specific diet that will guarantee optimum health and longevity.
I'll go with something Nancy1999 wrote recently relative to diet: everything in moderation.
I'll add to your list of the best things you can do for your health: get regular exercise and reduce stress.