dietary advice

[Rosehighlights62]

I am so confused - I think I've got a handle on how to pursue a healthy diet then a spanner is thrown in the works.

Lately I have come across to people who insist that a high protein diet with meat sourced from pasture fed cattle farmed 'organically' is ideal - that animal fats have been misrepresented that full fat milk has a lower glycaemic index than semi skimmed. The suggestion being that a perfect diet is based on animal protein and fresh fruit.

The consistency is always the avoidance of processed foods but I was told plant based oils such as rapeseed are really bad although olive oil is good.

Any wisdom on any of this?

[Hidden]

Hi Rosehighlights62 . From everything I have read, rapeseed is a healthy substitute for olive oil, perhaps cheaper and more sustainable as it can be grown in the UK. Having said that, I prefer the taste of olive oil for salads etc.

Regarding what constitutes a healthy diet, I think eating a balanced diet is the most important thing for good health and good weight maintenance. Any diet which uses the word "high" (high protein/high fat etc) is in my opinion, not a balanced diet.

We can't all afford pasture fed organic meat, although I would say it is indeed the tastiest, as well as healthy and ecologically sound. But for those who do eat meat (myself included), then any meat as long as it's not processed, is healthy as part of a balanced diet.

I also only drink whole milk. Why leave out some of the best nutrients milk has to offer? And it tatses so much nicer than skimmed or semi skimmed, and as part of a balanced diet, keeps you feeling satisfied for longer.

All the above is my own experience and opinion. Other opinions are also available!

[Rosehighlights62 in reply to Hidden]

Thank you for this response - I hoped to gather a few contrasting opinions

[Eryl]

In relation to a carnivore diet, it's also important to eat nose to tail' i.e. not pick lean cuts only but also the liver, heart kidneys and other cuts often avoided. The improtant thing about oils is how they're produced, i.e. avoid refined oils and choose cold pressed oils because the heat of the processing of refined oils makes them very oxidative and also they may contain small residues of glyphosate weedkiller which you need to avoid as they damage any cell whether vegetable or animal.

[HealingArtist]

I have looked at diets like the high protein diet and IMO it is not balanced. It is high fat, high protein, but you aren't supposed to eat a lot of fruit. Too much protein leads to high cholesterol, and taxes the liver and kidneys. As Trimmerteacher wrote, balanced is best.

I don't drink cow's milk. I drink plant based milks like soy and almond. Milk is actually baby food, and adults don't need it. Michael Pollen, the author of lots of books on food, says "Eat real food, mostly plants, not too much." I think that is the best advice.

[Rosehighlights62 in reply to HealingArtist]

Yes these are the principles I have been guided by

[Screen77]

It's hard to find a straight answer searching this yourself, you'll get articles telling you vegetables and fruit are great and then another telling you they have too much sugar (even if natural) and another telling you they're carcinogenic (probably not in normal quantities, but they might have something carcinogenic in them. Bananas can kill you if you eat too much but you're talking like 70-80 in one go)

A healthy diet looks a little different to different people depending on their needs, such as if people need high protein, high iron, low salt etc, but in general a healthy diet is just a good proportion of calories to your activity levels and a good spread of your macromolecules and vitamins/minerals. I've heard that olive oil is better than other oils to cook it but it'll depend what exactly it's better at - it might be considered healthier, but rapeseed oil might be slightly more unhealthy but much cheaper. Sometimes it's worth making a tiny "healthy" sacrifice for the cost.

"Healthy" meats do exist I suppose but how you cook them is still part of the equation; an organic steak doused in oil and fried could be much worse for you than a more processed steak grilled with the fat removed. Generally people lean to organic, but I don't think it's essential. Not for the prices they sell it at. More a luxury.

I used to drink a lot of milk, semi-skimmed. I don't now, just because I have bad cereal habits and that's all I used to have it with, so stopping cereal meant I stopped milk. If I do have it it's usually UHT semi-skimmed milk - not great or anything, but it keeps in my cupboard for ages in case I need emergency cereal if I run out of other stuff.

Overall, I think a good general guideline to healthy eating is balanced proportion and good cooking methods. Fruits, veg, wholegrains, protein cooked well, etc. The weight toward high protein, etc. would probably be if you have a training need or if you have a health condition. Otherwise, generally, balance seems the preferred way.