The Doctors' Dietary Merry-Go-Round

While watching a PBS show recently, I stopped to hear him speak. I was leaving the room when his message of healthy dieting caught my attention. Who was this man and what new diet approach was now being touted, I wondered? I was curious. I thought I'd heard it all. In the past few years, the diet manifesto has included the vilification of wheat, the grain that has fed the earth for centuries yet is now responsible for fat production and storage, in our bodies. Grains harm the human brain, too and should not be consumed says another doctor, in his best selling book. Now doctor #3 was sounding the alarm on yet another new dietary twist: the eating of healthy fats for health and lower weight. For the Momsey, all three authors were saying the same thing. It was the food paradigm they were presenting that was different.

What we should be eating has not changed. The food pyramid, in its familiar isosceles triangle shape, has dominated the food guide in directing us to eat the required servings per day from all food groups: meats, fruits, vegetables, dairy and grains for health and longevity. Little has changed there. What has changed is our practice to deceive ourselves, perhaps! We need to use our common sense. We are foolish if we think eating a steady diet of processed foods, 'loaded' hot-cold beverages and other convenience foods is a part of a healthy diet. The placement and the allotted quantity of the food groups within the food pyramid exists to help us think and choose wisely. The food pyramid is a fluid gauge to our body's health needs. In one version of the food pyramid, at the very top, sweets were linked in the same, albeit smallest category, as fats and oils. Whose idea was that? Both 'food' groups are diametrically opposed, nutritionally. The published authors/doctors would not be amused here. Today's food pyramid 'model' better reflects the current updated bias towards healthier foods: leaner meats/nuts, varied fruits and vegetables, grains and dairy. (Desserts are not included.) Over the years, the food pyramid, of which there are many versions, seems to have changed to include foods created for our convenience. That is troubling. ... In one version, it is recommended we eat 11 servings of grains per day. A bit too much, TheMomsey would say. Not all starches are created equal. Let us not fool ourselves there.

Mother nature, in her infinite wisdom, has always been the secret to health and longevity, not the food companies or the fast food industry whose profit motives help drive their marketing machines. We think we can eat anything as long as the 'numbers' adds up. Calories count, in a fashion. If we are minimally processing our foods or eating them raw as in fruits and vegetables, the calorie counter - our bodies - will register the total and tell us when to stop. There is little to 'gum' up the 'machinery'(our bodies). If we are in charge of food choices, preparation and 'processing', then there is a certain element of integrity to what we are cooking in the kitchen and our bodies recognize that. We feel it deep inside as long as we eat 'clean' food. The calories assigned any food is calculated in its 'naked' state without the addition of sugar syrups, high salt, 'low calorie' sweeteners, trans fats, heavy duty processing and other additives whose inclusion into these foods we love to eat sometimes sets us up to fail. These food triggers lie in wait, deep within our bodies, to push us towards  ill health and unhealthy weight gain. The body is always struggling to adapt when we eat highly processed foods.

The guardians of our health are those featured on the food guide of the food pyramid. Any food not in its 'original' package is considered processed, to some degree. Some foods need processing or heating to access their nutrient content. Others do not. Minimally altered foods include steamed vegetables, grilled meats and fish. 'Off the tree' is great unless it's a branch that Mr. Wiggles has found while running and considers it a part of his diet.

The medical authors of 'Wheat Belly', 'Grain Brain' and now, 'Eat Fat/Get Thin' are luminaries in their own right. ... One is a respected cardiologist; another, a neurologist while the third is a doctor of functional medicine. These medical practitioners cannot be easily dismissed because they all make sense, virtually saying the same thing. We are filling up on the wrong foods and wonder why we have low energy, joint pain, weight gain and in many cases, disease. We have unleashed a trigger to eat more. We have strayed from the food guide/pyramid. Diets based upon sound nutritional practices are the same, regardless of the catchy phrase designed to get our attention, on a show or in a book. The mission statement is always the same. Only the path is different. 

World trade has given the global marketplace a cornucopia of fresh foods of all shapes, sizes and types. The bounty is accessible. But we've changed our eating habits, in part, to appeal to today's trendy world of convenience and hot/cold fast foods. All of us should be eating better. The bears have it right. (Hopefully, though, we are not on their menu! ) Minimal processing, low carb, an abundance of fresh fruits, vegetables, berries, lean proteins and fish can remodel a sluggish body into a healthy one. When something really matters making time must be a top priority. Good health falls into that category!

Under a new book title and with a new and different diet approach, the message does not change. The three medical authors are trying to tell us what we need to understand: Mother Nature knows best. Let us heed her infinite wisdom. It should always supersede ours! Where's that yummy apple or is it a slice of cheesecake? Can't tell right now!