Are people who diet too focused on calorie counting, rather than the nutrient co

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   Alistair Olverposted 10 years ago

   Are people who diet too focused on calorie counting, rather than the nutrient content?
   
   With food only having 20% of its nutritional value compared with 60 years ago, is it not this decline in nutrient content and the increased consumption of processed food the real reason why people feel the need to diet? Should we not be encouraging people to eat fresh, properly grown foods rather than dietary foods which are nutritionally poor and probably have negative health consequences further down the line?

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2. 85

   M. T. Dremerposted 10 years ago

   The problem with most modern diets is that they work around, reduce or even increase the bad foods we're already eating. There is no amount of french fries that will ever be appropriate, nor any amount of meat, dairy or processed carbs. If one can just switch to a whole foods plant based diet, then they can eat as much as they want and never have to count a calorie again.

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      Paul Kempposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I generally agree with you. What I would add to this is a full range of supplemental nutrients that aren't in sufficient supply in our soils. I also think going gluten-free is wise. I agree, we need to totally avoid the bad stuff.

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3. 87

   Billrrrrposted 10 years ago

   They are too focused on dieting.  Instead of counting calories, they need to increase their activity.  If you burn more calories, then you can actually eat more and still lose weight.  Restricting calories without ramping up your exercise regimen is not a healthy way to lose weight. 
   
   Eat plenty of MEAT (chicken & turkey are best) as well as lots of pasta. Veggies are okay as long as your plate is anchored with chicken and the occasional steak.   
   
   Take steps instead of escalators.  Bend over and pick up the leaves in your yard (if you live where they fall) ONE BY ONE.  When you have built a mountain, you won't need to worry about calories.

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      Laceylinksposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree about the leaves and the counting calories, but as for the meat...vegetables are the best option for optimizing your health. Meat should be minimal, and as a matter of fact you are probably better off without it.

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4. 66

   Paul Kempposted 10 years ago

   I agree that people are too focused on the number of calories. Nutrient content IS more important, but we can't get all the nutrition we need simply by eating organically grown foods and cutting out the polluted processed foods. We need to supplement our diet with bioavailable, essential vitamins, amino acids, EFAs, and especially the minerals which have been washed out and "mined out" of our soils over the past 60 years of NPK agriculture. (Dr. Joel Wallach came up with this solution to our declining health, not me. He has the training, the experience, and the vision to see the Big Picture of the mess we're in and the way out of it.)
   Good question. (We must ask the right questions to get the right answers. Not saying that mine is...but I believe Dr. Wallach's is.)

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   Jim O'Connellposted 10 years ago

   Definitely.  There are good and bad calories, and the important thing to know is which ones you need for a healthy diet and which ones you should eliminate.  People who keep their caloric consumption low without any regard for which calories they are eliminating will fall into poor health.  In short, know your calories.

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