tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post3204965067736586196..comments2023-03-22T09:08:52.415-05:00Comments on to be mindful of beauty: soda and cigaretteslisamariehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08184249651193047445noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post-90272266102814106232010-11-28T13:49:20.609-06:002010-11-28T13:49:20.609-06:00Thanks for the recommendation. I have Bittman'...Thanks for the recommendation. I have Bittman's "How to Cook Everything" cookbook and it is a great reference. His tips for improvisation have definitely been a big help in getting to the point where I can cook without any recipe at all.lisamariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08184249651193047445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post-3057817952479939522010-11-27T20:00:49.927-06:002010-11-27T20:00:49.927-06:00A recommendation for you, Lisa: Along the same lin...A recommendation for you, Lisa: Along the same lines as "In Defense of Food" is Mark Bittman's "Food Matters". He's a food writer for the NY Times, and I adore his "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian" cookbook for its sensible advice and endless suggestions on varying the dishes. <br /><br />"Food Matters" is probably less eloquent and more repetitive than "In Defense of Food", but it makes a strong case for eating unprocessed foods and cutting down on meat consumption (though not eliminating it - he's even not a vegetarian) in order to eat more healthfully, inexpensively, and in a more environmentally friendly way. It also has some lovely recipes to boot. Plus it's a tiny little book that even we med students can plow through during Anatomy (and clearly I don't have a lot of time for reading as it has taken me a month to catch up on your blog). :)Dr.Syringehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16293360510971045800noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post-68967227955153933842010-10-29T09:08:59.514-05:002010-10-29T09:08:59.514-05:00I think that everyone learns differently and it pr...I think that everyone learns differently and it probably helps some people knowing all the science behind food, 'nutritionism'. But for most people it is too much of a chore and task to have to calculate every bite of food and I think you are right, that it takes away the experience and enjoyability of food if it just becomes all about calculation and trying to find the easy quick fix rather than life changing food health decisions. Also, I know you know, but vitamins should never replace food. <br /><br />I think Pollen has a very good argument because I don't always believe that fat free actually means that it is better for your body. Fat free potato chips are still not good for you. I wish more people understood this. Fake food is not good for the body. We need more education. And fun education because food is a decision made everyday. We need to come up with inovative ways to teach people. There should be a mandatory food class for every American. Even adults.Brittany Gavitnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post-30222052978849505822010-10-27T22:41:27.354-05:002010-10-27T22:41:27.354-05:00Josh, thanks for sharing. Did you happen to find a...Josh, thanks for sharing. Did you happen to find a food that seemed to trigger the insomnia? The weight loss is definitely interesting. Foods not only change our appetite, but also our bodies' metabolism and storage.<br /><br />I generally agree with you, about the answer being both. I think Aristotle answered most of the questions in life with the golden mean - everything in moderation. This definitely applies to how we eat. We just have to be skeptical enough to recognize that, even if science gives its stamp of approval to sugary cereals because they are fortified with vitamins or to something unnatural, like margarine, that should not become a major part of our diet.lisamariehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08184249651193047445noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8534624828183470540.post-68499163424018260022010-10-27T18:44:39.580-05:002010-10-27T18:44:39.580-05:00I think about these issues a lot, too, and right n...I think about these issues a lot, too, and right now, I feel inclined to write down some of my thoughts on the issues. <br /><br />In general, I trust my gut. Sometimes it works better than others, apparently depending on how I eat. In the past month I did what I'm told is referred to as an "elimination diet." At the very beginning it was pretty strict: I completely cut out gluten, dairy, alcohol, caffeine, nightshade vegetables, peanuts, citrus fruits other than lemons, refined sugars and flours, and a few other foods. Gradually, I added foods back in systematically: I added only one restricted food at a time, and when I did so, I ate that food 3 times a day for three days, all the while paying attention to see if I began to feel any different. This was all on doctor's orders, and the idea was to determine whether or not I had any hitherto unnoticed food sensitivities that were causing the mild insomnia from which I'd been suffering since around May. (Fortunately that's better now.) <br /><br />I bring all of this up because something really interesting happened while I was doing this diet: even though I never let myself go hungry while on the elimination diet (it wasn't THAT kind of diet), I lost ten or more pounds in three weeks (I don't have a scale at home, so I'm not sure how much I lost). I did start working out more during that time, so that might have skewed the data a bit. All the same, it seems likely that the change in my diet was at least partly responsible for my weight loss, and that suggests to me that certain foods I stopped eating during the past month mess around with my brain's natural hunger-regulating mechanisms. <br /><br />So I think the best answer I've come up with so far to your questions is that we should trust our guts, but we have to eat the right things in order that we might successfully be able to do that. And if scientists can tell us which foods are the right ones, then the answer is that we should BOTH trust our gut AND let science guide us.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01854459548168336396noreply@blogger.com