Fwd: Nutrition - 1 Mar 2011 - The Big Fat Truth about Low Fat Foods video.

Forwarded to blog on behalf of Neseth.

Several of us watched the video today for lunch, we had some positive takes from it that reaffirms what we've been learning about so called dieting based on the standard American diet and what has been put out there by the food industry. Bottom line, they are an industry that's out to make money. All of their advertising revolves around the fact that the majority of the public believes in the very simple principle of ((calories in) < (calories burned) = lose weight). Combine this with a very low amount of fat consumption and you will go down in pants sizes. This has no regard for how it changes your body chemistry and reactions to the foods you consume, nor the chemicals we are putting into our bodies.

What we saw:

1. Zoey(the model) eats very little fat, she starts to feel tired and sluggish. She starts to forget things or not pay attention. This is because we actually need fat to run certain bodily functions, including fat used by the brain. You need at least some fat in your diet to be healthy. Fats are very healthy for you, we need to eat fats.

2. Diet foods have really small portion sizes, it doesn't fill you up enough, making you consume more throughout the day.

3. Diet foods use a chemical called Methyl Cellulose to thicken and add volume to its products. It's the same chemical used for wallpaper paste. It offers zero nutritional value, is very viscous and basically lowers the energy density of the food you are consuming to claim it's a lower calorie snack or meal. And that the snack/meal is low in fat. Both of which are true, but not something you want to eat.

4. Processed foods digest much quicker than normal whole foods. Leaving you hungrier sooner.

5. Diet drinks are still very bad for you. Your body drinks it and based on the sweetness expects the energy to be there. However there is no energy in diet drinks so it causes you to be hungry. With the sample of the soccer team half drinking regular soda and half drinking diet, the diet team averaged 182 more calories in their meal. I'm guessing judging by what they had on the tables, they probably all ate an average of 900-1500 calories in that meal, that's a 12-20% increase in food consumption for 1 meal.

6. Diet foods are loaded with some kind of artificial sweetener, sugar, or salt for flavor. Vitamin water for example is loaded with sugar, coca-cola had to pull it from shelves twice for misleading the public into thinking it's a health drink. Also, there is more sugar in a bowl of special k and skim milk than a normal whole bowl of ice cream. Read those labels people!!!

7. Zoey felt bloated and hungry all the time. Constant ups and downs of energy. Made her hungry again. She had mood swings on this diet.

8. In general, a diet like this is not practical or sustainable. Nor does it actually work. Advertising from the food industry allows them to save money and sell more based on what they put into foods and how they explain it to the public. Zoey went back to eating whole healthy foods and is much happier. She actually threw out her microwave.

I'll show this video again at Friday's meeting for all of those who can make it to that one.

--regards, Neseth.