tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post2977603727287339469..comments2024-02-01T06:35:18.039-08:00Comments on Emotions for Engineers: Healthful EatingTony Khttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11688318289784215712noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-25800077883730482982010-01-23T18:38:56.787-08:002010-01-23T18:38:56.787-08:00In answer to werouious, my research shows the food...In answer to werouious, my research shows the food pyramid is definitely the outcome of a political process. I've written extensively about "food politics" on my site; the USDA, our industrial agriculture companies and the NIH are some of the major players in the politics of processed food.Ellenhttp://www.healthy-eating-politics.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-22146279269032904952008-08-03T17:41:00.000-07:002008-08-03T17:41:00.000-07:00Thanks emjas,I am glad to hear it's a favorite.I h...<I>Thanks emjas,<BR/><BR/>I am glad to hear it's a favorite.<BR/><BR/>I have some interesting posts in the pipeline, so stay tuned.<BR/><BR/>e4e<BR/></I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-70661227651244912172008-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:002008-08-02T18:03:00.000-07:00I do found this place interesting and helpful.I ho...I do found this place interesting and helpful.<BR/>I hope you won't mind if I'll add it to my fave sites.<BR/>Thanks.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-45571583272322543802008-07-27T07:44:00.000-07:002008-07-27T07:44:00.000-07:00Here's an article from the New York Times that...Here's an article from the New York Times that explains a little more about how low-fat diets came to be the consensus. It appears it was the cascade effect. Basically every scientist who does not back the "known," "overwhelming," consensus is destroyed.<BR/><BR/>They call it a reputational cascade.<BR/><BR/>http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/09/science/09tier.html?_r=2&pagewanted=1&sq=John%20Tierney%20Findings%20Gary%20Taubes&st=cse&scp=1&oref=sloginAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-15290414913391072252008-07-26T10:58:00.000-07:002008-07-26T10:58:00.000-07:00Great post. If you want to see a real-life example...Great post. If you want to see a real-life example of how changing inputs affects outputs, check out the documentary "My Big Fat Diet". In this movie, a group of Namgis (a Canadian Native American tribe) suffering from obesity and all of the attendant diseases of civilization return to their traditional diet, basically high-protein/high-fat. The overt and rapid changes in health are surprising, as individuals were able to control diabetes without medication, etc. But the other interesting aspect was the change in their emotional and social outlook. As health improved, so did their relationship with family and community. The difference was quite striking, and mirrored my own experience converting to a low-carb whole food diet.<BR/><BR/>On another topic: I don't think the preoccupation with body image is narcissism per se. I remember seeing a series on Discovery Channel (or one of those) on the psychology of beauty, and the essential conclusion was that various visual cues that add up to "attractiveness" also signal health and reproductive fitness. For instance, there's a particular waist/hip ratio that men find attractive, largely independent of the actual size of the waist and hips.<BR/><BR/>I believe obesity is one symptom of some underlying metabolic disorder. There may be several possible causes. The most common modern cause is probably derangement of hormonal/CNS regulatory mechanisms by repeated consumption of refined carbohydrates, with fructose identified as particularly pernicious in this regard. But there are other causes as well, mostly genetic defects (indeed, much obesity research is done on genetically modified mice and rats). So in our evolutionary past, obesity was probably a sign of genetic disease, and I suspect there is a deep psychological aversion to obesity in order to prevent reproduction of that genetic defect. Just a guess.Davehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18290594860469294453noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-64245084828408495262008-07-25T16:50:00.000-07:002008-07-25T16:50:00.000-07:00First, thanks very much for the words of encourage...<I> First, thanks very much for the words of encouragement.<BR/><BR/>I'm not sure whether it's narcissism or insecurity driving our societal focus on body inage. In my mind, the most important thing is to be healthy. If you do that the body and looks will probably follow anyway.<BR/><BR/>One analogy is a comparison of companies that focus only on the bottom line but forget to make good products vs in those that make great products, the bottom line follows.<BR/><BR/>The food pyramid is odd to me. Grains have been in the human diet for only 10,000 ears, but they form the base of the government sanctioned food pyramid. In Good Calories, Bad Calories, Taubes covers the history of the government process of developing dietary recommendations that led to the pyramid.<BR/><BR/>It seems to be a combination of politics and a handful of academics who were misguided, yet in key positions of influence. Prior to 1970, it seems to have been pretty widely understood that starches made people fat and led to the metabolic syndrome symptoms. Then it flipped quite abruptly.<BR/><BR/>My personal experience with lower carb has been absolutely staggering. I realize that n = 1 doesn't prove anything, but there a lots of people just like me out there as well.<BR/><BR/>Thanks again for your comments and kind words.</I>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-194600066391868656.post-28626848279869433432008-07-25T14:51:00.000-07:002008-07-25T14:51:00.000-07:00finally! another post! i like this blog, but the u...finally! another post! i like this blog, but the updates are too slow.<BR/><BR/>this topic isn't particularly interesting to me, but it is in a couple of ways. first is that you mentioned these diet entries are the most popular. i think that's a testament to our narcissism or our preoccupation with body image. yes, men are preoccupied with this too. shame.<BR/><BR/>my second point of interest is this. why does the food pyramid look the way that it does? is this a failure of nutritionists? is the food pyramid the outcome of a political process or a scientific process?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com