Ignorance of Nutrition Is No Longer Defensible

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Shakuhachi

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I have been a healthcare chaplain for 25 years. I have attended countless death in ICU, The ER and Hospice. Many times it was a person who seemed too young. And yet I also needed cardiovascular intervention at the age of 60. I am lucky to be alive. And I don’t take it for granted. I do everything I can including diet and exercise to stay healthy. And I find that it is counter cultural.

It takes discipline and work to care for the body, the Temple of God. But still most people don’t seem to get it. Or maybe I don’t get it. Smoking, for example. By now everyone knows it is bad for you in so many ways there there is no redeeming aspect to it. And yet people still try it and become addicted. Even right there on the hospital grounds, as in patients, they must come down and smoke. And hospital food is a scandal.

I just don’t get it.
 
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“Oh Lord, I thank you that I am not like other men who stuff their faces with potato chips and don’t exercise, or even this sinner over here having a smoke…”

Note, by the way, that the author of this opinion piece thinks that veganism will cure what ails you–he has an agenda. (Encouragement to eat fruits and veggies, maintain a healthy weight, and exercise is mainstream medical advice.) Also, he isn’t here preaching to the lay fatties, but to doctors who don’t keep themselves in shape.
 
The only diet most diebetics should be on is a ketogenic diet. Fat (yes, butter), meats, eggs, cheese, and non-startchy veggies. Yet, when one is diagnosed with diabetes they are handed a diet pamphlet instructing them to keep fruit and grains (even white rice!) in their diet. For a diabetic, with blood sugar issues, this is usually not sustainable.

As a non-diabetic, I am such because I eat a ketogenic diet and keep my insulin resistent blood issues under control. The USDA is owed a lot of blame in the way we are informed of “proper nutrition” in the US. Lobbyists drive the bus on this.

Doctors are ill-informed and don’t read the legitimate research with regards to nutrition.

And the patient gets blamed. All the time. For not taking proper care.

It is a shame.
 
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American Heart Asdociation
American Diabetes Associarion
American Medical Association
American Cancer Association
Mayo Clinic

All pretty much agree on Nutrition. Argue with them.
 
I don’t know about you, but my last lesson in nutrition was in middle school health class, back when the recommendation was 6 to 8 servings of grain per day. (And no training on what actually constituted a “serving” in the first place.) Since then I’ve been bombarded by the ever-shifting tides of what various “experts” think about nutrition based on everything from your bloodtype to what the cavemen supposedly ate. The only thing I feel like I knew for sure was that you should drink alot of water, veggies are good, and cake and potato chips are bad. I recently saw a dietitian after my doctor became concerned that I had elevated cholesterol, even after losing weight. I learned a lot from just one visit with the dietitian, not the least of which is that elevated cholesterol is quite normal for up to six months post partum, so I probably don’t need to worry that much anyway. Even so, I’m glad I went, because I feel a lot more equipped to plan out better meals for my family that have the correct potions of different kinds of food.
 
Yes, it is totally confusing with conflicting experts. I go with the mainstream organizations. But even then, actually consistently following the guidelines remains a challenge.
 
There is really no excuse for most pre-diabetics anymore. Just like with smoking and narcotic painkillers, there is enough information out there now for diabetics and pre-diabetics to do the hard work to apply that information to their lives in lieu of forcing the rest of us to pay for their care through higher premiums and higher Medicare costs.

I get pretty mad when I see people I know who are in a pre-diabetic state still pigging out on the food stuffs found in the middle of the store and expecting more healthy people to subsidize that when it is very preventable in many cases. Most of those people need to get hit with the financial consequences of their lifestyle choices.
 
What disturbs me the most is seeing them suffer when the consequences hit. On the smoking side there is cancer, COPD, heart disease, etc. The addiction is as bad as for any drug. That goes for sugar and salt. I know life style changes are difficult.
 
How do you know who is prediabetic by watching them in the grocery store? Many people buy groceries from the “middle of the store” and do not become diabetic. Many people are genetically predisposed to become prediabetic and will regardless of what they eat. You mean you actually follow people around enough to know their medical history, what they buy at the grocery store, and how much of it they eat in a single serving? Seems a little creepy and neurotic. You should probably have that looked at. Obsessions like that can cause a person a lot of stress and anxiety and everyone knows that leads to hypertension. I certainly don’t want to have to pay for your ongoing care after you give yourself a stroke when you see a person of less-than-ideal-body-type put a package of Oreos in their cart.
 
I gave you a heart for your post, but it just wasn’t enough.

100%, what you said.
 
Zzyzx_Road said:
I get pretty mad when I see people I know who are in a pre-diabetic state still pigging out on the food stuffs found in the middle of the store and expecting more healthy people to subsidize that when it is very preventable in many cases. Most of those people need to get hit with the financial consequences of their lifestyle choices.
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How in the world do you know who is or is not in a pre-diabetic state? Generally people know if someone is diabetic because they need medication or insulin, and that’s not always easy to keep private. But pre-diabetes? Usually not something discussed with other people unless you’re really close.

Yes, people should take responsibility for their own health. But it isn’t as simple as it sounds. Healthy food costs more, people who are busy with work, caring for kids, caring for their parents, etc. don’t always have time to cook nutritious meals. Whether someone develops diabetes involves both lifestyle and genetics.
 
To look at me and my husband, it would be easy to assume that we are both pre-diabetic, have high cholesterol and an out-of-the-ballpark lipid ratio. We are both overweight, and my husband carries all of his weight in his big belly.

But…

…my husband’s labs are those that a young man would be proud of. And although I wish I could get a lower glucose level, the A1C is still quite low, and the cholesterol and lipid ratio are also good.

The only way to know if someone is pre-diabetic is through lab testing. Obesity and inactivity are not indicators.

I have plenty of thin friends who are either pre-diabetic or actual diabetics (Type II, not Type I).

I think it’s dangerous to try to diagnose diseases by body type. It leads to complacency among those who “look” healthy, and it leads to despair among those who “look” unhealthy. For some who “look” unhealthy, it can tip them over into binge behavior–that’s what I tend to do when I “feel” fat–I convince myself that I’m not long for this world and I panic at the idea of giving up my sweet treats, so I eat even more! Yes, it’s pathological and I am gradually learning NOT to do this! (I’ve lost eleven pounds over the last two months eating “normally,” which includes one sugar Mt. Dew every day, and at least one sweet treat!).

Thin people who eat sparingly do not understand this thinking and behavior. When they have gained a pound or two, they cut back, and it’s no big deal for them. They don’t feel deprived or panicked. They just do it and lose the pound.

But this isn’t the way overweight people who are in the habit of eating what they want when they want it, think.

I’m NOT saying that these attitudes towards food are healthy or good. Quite the contrary! As I said earlier, our thinking is pathological.

But recognizing pathology and making it go away are two different animals! Just because we recognize the bizarre attitudes and habits doesn’t mean we can just stop them anytime we want!

And this is especially true if we have “healthy genes.” Our labs are normal or close to normal, and we are able to convince ourselves that we are not killing ourselves! So we keep doing the weird thinking and the unhealthy eating.

I hope this helps CAF people understand. It’s a very simplified exposition of “why people who know about nutrition continue to violate nutrition.”
 
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Allegra said:
Since then I’ve been bombarded by the ever-shifting tides of what various “experts” think about nutrition based on everything from your bloodtype to what the cavemen supposedly ate.
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Experts who are in constant need of money.
Never in the history of mankind have we been healthier or lived longer… but that’s not enough?
 
very much like the argument for or against climate change.

Those who don’t see a need of being good stewards of the bodies God created are the same who don’t a need of being good stewards of the physical world he created.
 
The issue is that a lot of health conditions are genetic at least in part. That is why you will still see a considerable number of people with relatively “bad” eating habits live to old age. My mother never ate anything close to a healthy diet, yet she stayed a normal weight and lived to age 89 without developing any health condition related to diet. My father on the other hand followed a super-healthy low cholesterol diet, exercised daily for years, and still died relatively young of a heart condition because he was genetically predisposed. He probably got an extra 10 years out of his good habits is all.

Muting now, handwringing about health is not my favorite subject.
 
Yep, being on shift as an EMT is very hard for nutritious meals.

We never know where we’ll be nd for how long we’ll be in an ambulance. Bringing a lunch is rough because as my partner said to me the other day, even with ice packs being in an ambulance for 12+ hours straight makes the ice pack thaw quicker and the food go hot faster.

I mainly eat out when I work as we don’t have a kitchen at our base. I generally also only eat one meal on shift. It’s a bigger meal because dispatch generally doesn’t care if you have eaten. They just pile run after run on you.

There is a reason EMS is one of the most unhealthiest jobs!
 
Right. While one might argue that the concept of (calories - exercise) =fat is simple, it really isn’t in practice. As anyone who has ever attempted to chart what they eat or calorie count can tell you, the task of looking up, measuring, and adding everything you eat is arduous and at times, all consuming, and there’s no way of really determining how many calories an individual burns through exercise as it depends on a whole lot of factors. This is time taken away from a person’s present life. It can quickly become mentally and spiritually draining to be in constant fear of food and to plan one’s whole life, family, work, and social activities around how to live off almonds and blueberries or whatever the diet de jour is. Even when one is doing it for the good intention of improving one’s health, one must admit that it isn’t easy and involves a far greater sacrifice than simply not eating burgers and fries three times a day. When one is doing it over an obsession with their youth or appearance (aka. vanity), or some sort of arrogant personal lie that they are “sculpting the temple of the Lord” while everyone else is a gluttonous, immoral pig that does nothing but lay around and stuff their faces with ice cream, they are just trading a bad habit of overeating for a more serious vice of vanity, arrogance, and contempt for others. You’re no further ahead spiritually and there’s still a 100% chance you’re going to age and die.
 
That doesn’t hold true in my experience. When I think of the five people who I know who are at least most vocal about concern for the environment, I also note histories of overeating, alcoholism, drug use, promiscuity, acts of self harm, and other risky behaviors. (To clarify, not all of these are from the same individual, but spread among the five.)
 
Aside from that, it’s a laughable stretch to make that a person who doesn’t make their every food choice in fear of the possibility of one day getting diabetes is somehow immorally taking advantage of “healthier people”. I’m one of those “healtheir people”. I’ve worked since the age of 15, putting into medicare/medicaid and health insurance systems. I’m nearing 40, and the only time I’ve ever been hospitalized is when I was born and when I had my three children. I don’t engage in risky behaviors that are likely to get me injured. I don’t use birth control or take happy pills. I’ve never broken a bone. I don’t wear my joints out through extreme recreational activities requiring new knees and physical therapy. I wear sunscreen and don’t go tanning or lay out, so I don’t have skin issues. Despite being chubby, I’ve never had an issue with blood pressure, heart health, or even been somewhat close to blood sugar problems. I don’t drink excessively or use drugs that hurt my body. I’ve never had a cavity. I’ve never had a surgery. I’ve never had an STD. I’ve never needed glasses, contacts, or eye surgery. I’ve never had cancer. I’ve never required any medication beyond an occasional antibiotic and some IB Profin. I suppose I’d be justified if I decided to be snide and give a sarcastic and contemptuous “You’re Welcome!” to all the less-moral “unhealthy people” out there whose medical care I’ve financially supported through the years. I won’t though, because I’m not an idiot and I know there, but for the grace of God, go I. In the meantime, I HAVE been paying in and if I require a vial of insulin a day someday, anyone who has a problem with that can kiss all ten of my toes. Now, pass me the sugar, please.
 
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