REAL foods, WHOLE foods, foods in their NATURAL state, HOMEMADE foods, YES! "Diet" versions of junk foods, NO! More Proof...

 

Diet food 'may fuel obesity risk'

Diet foods for children may inadvertently lead to overeating and obesity, say researchers.

In tests on young rats, animals given low-calorie versions of foods were induced to overeat, whether they were lean or obese.

The researchers believe low-calorie versions of usually high-calorie foods disrupt the body's ability to use taste to regulate calorific intake.

The University of Alberta study appears in the journal Obesity.

Diet foods are probably not a good idea for growing youngsters
Dr David Pierce
University of Alberta

Lead researcher Professor David Pierce said: "Based on what we've learned, it is better for children to eat healthy, well-balanced diets with sufficient calories for their daily activities rather than low-calorie snacks or meals."

The researchers found that young rats given low-calorie foods began to overeat during their regular meals.

However, older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat.

(please click link for full story)

 

 

This fits perfectly with my belief that diet sodas and processed foods, even if they are "diet" tend to make us fatter in the long run...

Aside from all the nasty chemicals in these foods, they don't correct what is an underlying problem in a great many of us - addiction to overly sweet and overly rich tastes. I really do believe that to be successful in the long run, we need to retrain our palates to appreciate the subtleties of foods that are not drowning in rich sauces or sickeningly sweet.  Healthy, natural foods that came straight from a field, not an assembly line. Eating something every day that looks and kind of tastes like a Cinnabon, but is full of fake fat and fake sugar is not the answer. learning to appreciate real, healthy natural foods with an emphasis on high-nutrient veggies is.

It's what I've been working at and it has worked great for me. And now and then I can have a slice of REAL cake or REAL ice cream. But it really is now and then. Not every couple of days.

Okay, self-righteous rant over.

The study was done for children, not adults.

The researchers found that young rats given low-calorie foods began to overeat during their regular meals.

However, older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat.

Though I am on the same page as you (real foods are better than "diet" foods), this study doesn't exactly prove it for the adults on this site. The addiction to "overly sweet and overly rich foods" starts in childhood, from what our parents give us to eat and we learn to love. Starting kids off on the right track foodwise is what works in the long run. I'm totally with you on our need "retraining our palates" though... it has worked for me!

i totally agree with you udokier!! other than diet soda, which i am trying to cut way back on, i don't eat any foods containing artificial sweeteners. and i steer clear of "lite" foods also. they just aren't satisfying!

i've been enjoying fruits and vegetables much more often than i used to, and i now notice how really sweet something like a yellow bell pepper is! when i really want a sweet, like a brownie or cookie, i'll have a small serving, and it usually ends up being more than enough.

That research is about children though. I am an adult and already have a sweet tooth and a taste for rich tasting things. I can change my tastes, enjoy real treats in moderation, or enjoy the lower calorie alternatives. So far I've used strategies 2 (real treats in moderation) and 3 (lower cal alternatives). I don't think my tastes are going to change, first of all they are largely culturally conditioned and secondly, I actually like my tastes as they are.

Don't get me wrong, I like veggies. I make sure I eat several helpings a day and I largely eat them plain without much in the way of sauces or dips, though I've been known to break out the herbs and spices. I like fruit, it really is nature's candy. But I also like ice cream and lots of other goodies. Having the lower cal alternatives makes it possible for treats to be more common because they don't consume 25% of the calories for a day.

Original Post by cellophane_star:

The study was done for children, not adults.

The researchers found that young rats given low-calorie foods began to overeat during their regular meals.

However, older, adolescent rats also fed diet foods did not show the same tendency to overeat.

Though I am on the same page as you (real foods are better than "diet" foods), this study doesn't exactly prove it for the adults on this site. The addiction to "overly sweet and overly rich foods" starts in childhood, from what our parents give us to eat and we learn to love. Starting kids off on the right track foodwise is what works in the long run. I'm totally with you on our need "retraining our palates" though... it has worked for me!

 I realize that the study in the article only partially supports my assertions.  The study does dovetail with my comments, and humans have a whole different set of psychological and emotional issues with food that rats don't have anyway.   But I do stand behind the assertions. 

Exhibit A is all of the many, many , many friends, family and acquaintances who have shoveled down untold amounts of "diet" prepackaged meals, "diet" desserts, and "diet" drinks, all from factories and full of chemical gunk and depleted of nutrients.  And they ALL continued to gain weight.

Original Post by aovermy:

Having the lower cal alternatives makes it possible for treats to be more common because they don't consume 25% of the calories for a day.

 I'm not quite sure how having treats more often is better.  If anything, it makes them less of a treat.  I'd rather have an equal-calorie serving of the real thing than the imitation, even if it's a quarter of the size.  Besides, an awful lot of people end up eating a lot MORE of these foods, because they say "diet" and rationalize that it's okay.

Another problem is, if you are having a 100 calorie "diet" dessert every day, that's 100 calories of your limited number that could have been a nutrient-rich food, but instead was used up on some little chemical gob with no nutrients whatsoever.    I'd rather have a slice of real tiramisu once a month and eat foods that will build up my body the rest of the time than have fake ones every day that may be sapping my energy and robbing my workouts of effectiveness. 

Yes, a lot of people eat more of the lower cal treats than they should. However, as long as a body can be sensible, I see nothing wrong with them. I don't mind chemicals, they are in the air I breathe and in the ground I walk on.

As part of a lower calorie diet, it seems that these diet foods can be sensible. I eat sugar free jello probably 2 or 3 times a week. And I top it with cool whip lite. This is a cheap 50 calorie treat that ends the meal on a sweet note. During the summer, those 100 calorie ice cream novelties were nice to have. I start most days with a pot of hot tea (2 packs of Splenda) and a bowl of oatmeal (2 packs of Splenda). Not only does the Splenda used in these products not get processed by my body, but it also doesn't spike my blood sugar so I don't have the sugar crash and burn I would have with the real things.

Original Post by aovermy:

Yes, a lot of people eat more of the lower cal treats than they should. However, as long as a body can be sensible, I see nothing wrong with them. I don't mind chemicals, they are in the air I breathe and in the ground I walk on.

As part of a lower calorie diet, it seems that these diet foods can be sensible. I eat sugar free jello probably 2 or 3 times a week. And I top it with cool whip lite. This is a cheap 50 calorie treat that ends the meal on a sweet note. During the summer, those 100 calorie ice cream novelties were nice to have. I start most days with a pot of hot tea (2 packs of Splenda) and a bowl of oatmeal (2 packs of Splenda). Not only does the Splenda used in these products not get processed by my body, but it also doesn't spike my blood sugar so I don't have the sugar crash and burn I would have with the real things.

I'm not paranoid about chemicals - I don't think they're going to give me an anurysm - but I know that they don't nourish my body, at all, so I see no reason to consume them.  As for tea - I drink a lot of it, but it's never sweetened at all - it tastes great without sugar or fake stuff, IMO.  I'm glad for you that you're enjoying these things but they just seem so gross and fake.  And isn't splenda sucralose, the one that's basically chlorinated sucrose?  I'd rather not be the guinea pig for that one...

"Exhibit A is all of the many, many , many friends, family and acquaintances who have shoveled down untold amounts of "diet" prepackaged meals, "diet" desserts, and "diet" drinks, all from factories and full of chemical gunk and depleted of nutrients.  And they ALL continued to gain weight."

Their problem is definitely the "shovelling" part! Some people think see "diet" or "light" and think it's ok to eat twice as much. Informed people will know the difference. Unfortunately, not everyone is knowledgeable about proper nutrition.

I think it's better to train yourself to not crave the dessert after a meal (I'm working on it) but if you absolutely must cave, a lower cal version or a small version of a regular cal treat is ok.

I'm not paranoid about chemicals - I don't think they're going to give me an anurysm - but I know that they don't nourish my body, at all, so I see no reason to consume them.  As for tea - I drink a lot of it, but it's never sweetened at all - it tastes great without sugar or fake stuff, IMO.  I'm glad for you that you're enjoying these things but they just seem so gross and fake.  And isn't splenda sucralose, the one that's basically chlorinated sucrose?  I'd rather not be the guinea pig for that one...

I couldn't agree more. I won't eat anything with chemicals, and I haven't in several months. I "eat clean" and always have at least eight servings of veggies and six servings of fruit a day. I also keep fresh produce in my fridge at all times. There's such a large and delicious selection of whole foods that I don't see the need or want to eat anything processed! I make my own meals whenever possible; but if I don't have time, I don't freak out, I can always have an Amy's organic meal, since the ingedients are few, and natural; as well as 'read-able'.

Today I saw some fat-free cheese at the store; and I picked it up. Artifical colors, flavors, and several preservatives. Then I looked at some low-fat cheese which had NONE of those things. Often, the "fat-free" products are the ones to watch out for.

Fake foods=gross. I mean, I don't think it's completely possible to avoid them altogether, but I definitely try to limit my consumption of them as much as possible. Look at the growth in popularity in processed foods and the trend of obesity in the past 10-20 years. Correlation?

I was actually having a conversation about it with some coworkers recently... they are both european (dutch and russian) and they were talking about how ridiculous the amount of unnatural foods in the states are and such... it's really a shame

I knew diet foods were evil.. I only spend my money and feed my mouth in Fruit Markets..





Brocolli, Brazil Nuts and Pineapple.. are my sweet addictions .

Original Post by tini87:

Fake foods=gross. I mean, I don't think it's completely possible to avoid them altogether, but I definitely try to limit my consumption of them as much as possible. Look at the growth in popularity in processed foods and the trend of obesity in the past 10-20 years. Correlation?

I was actually having a conversation about it with some coworkers recently... they are both european (dutch and russian) and they were talking about how ridiculous the amount of unnatural foods in the states are and such... it's really a shame

 Yup.  I live in Japan, and fully half the supermarket is taken up by fresh fruit, veg, meat and fish, with much of the rest being dried natural foods like shiitake, wakame, noodles, etc.  There is an aisle that has the chips, crackers and cereal - ONE AISLE for all of them, not one aisle each as in the US, then a half an aisle for canned foods, half an aisle for teas and coffee, a dairy aisle, etc, only a very small area of frozen foods - they just aren't economical here, an aisle of bread.  But the majority of foods are fresh - things that spoil within a week or a few day.  So most people go to the supermarket at least every other day and get the supplies for the next couple of meals.

I suppose our smaller Japanese fridge wouldn't hold a whole lot of Entenmann's cakes and Hot Pockets anyway, those things tend to get bulky. 

its all about training your taste buds.. I have sort of used my son (2 years) as an experiment on this- watching my young siblings grow up on a diet of refined cereal and artificially sweetened drinks, ice-cream and other junk made me want something different for my baby..

i VERY rarely give him junk or processed food of any kind, he drinks only milk (soy, as he's allergic to dairy products) or water. I've never given him juice or cabonated sodas at all. he'll eat wholegrain bread, rye bread, beans, couscous, chickpeas, oat bran, avo, nuts, unsweetened peanut butter, fruit etc etc. i dont add sugar or salt to any of his meals. and to his palate, thats the norm. when offered sweets, he may eat one, but he never seems to enjoy them or find any great pleasure in them at all. 

and if he doesnt want to eat, i dont mind. i read a study once that showed children can forever lose their natural ability to self-regulate their appetites by the age of ONE year old because of often well-meaning mothers who want them to "clean their plates" -and provided that he at least tries whats on offer, if all he wants is a teaspoon of x for dinner, thats fine with me. and he's a healthy happy friendly little boy who's rarely ill, active and i think he'll grow up that way too. (he's in the 85th percentile for height and the 10-15th for weight) 

 

so thanks for the article, made me feel a bit more sure that i am doing something right with him! 

Original Post by jespes:

its all about training your taste buds.. I have sort of used my son (2 years) as an experiment on this-

i VERY rarely give him junk or processed food of any kind, he drinks only milk (soy, as he's allergic to dairy products) or water. I've never given him juice or cabonated sodas at all. he'll eat wholegrain bread, rye bread, beans, couscous, chickpeas, oat bran, avo, nuts, unsweetened peanut butter, fruit etc etc. i dont add sugar or salt to any of his meals. and to his palate, thats the norm. when offered sweets, he may eat one, but he never seems to enjoy them or find any great pleasure in them at all.

and if he doesnt want to eat, i dont mind. i read a study once that showed children can forever lose their natural ability to self-regulate their appetites by the age of ONE year old because of often well-meaning mothers who want them to "clean their plates" -and provided that he at least tries whats on offer, if all he wants is a teaspoon of x for dinner, thats fine with me. and he's a healthy happy friendly little boy who's rarely ill, active and i think he'll grow up that way too. (he's in the 85th percentile for height and the 10-15th for weight)

 My kids have been raised on such a regime too - mostly because of my wife - I took longer to get on board, only becoming a believer in the last year.  They are both trim, fit and healthy.  I was shocked when we went back to the states for a few year and would see parents out on the street letting their kids eat all manner of gross, artificial-colored crap.  Like the little boy we saw on the train with red popsicle crap all over his mouth and shirt - he was swinging on the bars and bouncing off the walls like a monkey on speed while his obese mom looked on oblivious.

How a person who clearly has an issue with food would want to inculcate her TODDLER with the same kind of garbage food is beyond me.  My parents raised me on junk, and I've been struggling as a result ever since.  Not my kids.

If I'm every in a glass cage being fed diet food by a scientist, I'll know not to eat it...