in reference to the original question, i agree that the body can become slightly acidic from eating meat, but if you balance it out, it will be fine. certain veggies have a more alkalizing affect on the body than others. lettuce, broccoli, and a few others are more acidic generally whereas asparagus, califlower and a few others are more alkalizing. if you’re really into worrying about that, you could look more into the Metabolic Typing diet. if your body is well suited to eating a lot of high purine meats (red meat, dark poultry meats etc.) then you might need to eat more alkalizing veggies. but the vegan arguement of meat killing us, of course is bogus. our body would not allow itself to become too acidic as to make us sick.
It’s not a new theory, but it is one that the general public doesn’t seem to catch…
Generally, the move towards processed and refined carbohydrate sources leads to “diseases of civilation” and has done so for centuries.
Compound the insulin epidemic with chronic over eating and a sedentary life and there is no surprise that people are dying of all kinds of things and that studies show all kinds of confounding correlations.
This is quite probably where the fat scare came from. Eating a lot of carbs which results in high insulin also results in high blood lipid levels and cholesterol. However, in the absense of high insulin levels the consumption of fats and proteins doesn’t have the same effect.
So, I guess they can be right, if you are busy chowing down Captain Crunch and Frosty’s with your grain fattened steak you might be building up a health risk.
My own thought, which is unfortunately not supported by anything, is that when you exercise reasonably your body is placed in an optimal state. I mean, we evolved with muscles and the need to use those muscles regularly.
Using muscles regularly depletes them of FFA’s and carbs while (amazingly to modern science) lowers insulin resistance so they can tank up again on your next meal. Wow, I wonder if that might be a useful physiological response to exercise.
On the other hand, fat sedentary desk jockey’s stuffing too much of all types of food down their gullets are going to get all kinds of diseases and disorders, such as the current epidemic of type 2 diabetes, and studies will show (and rightly so) that just about anything you can name that they are eating is bad for them.
Think about it. What choice does the body have? Sugar, available in lethal doses, is consumed multiple times per day. The body can either burn it off, store it as fat, or die. What a surprise the populace is so damned fat. What a surprise the body is harmed by living with huge insulin responses day after day after day when in our natural setting it would happen rarely. What a surprise being very obese and constantly overfed is unhealthy.
Makes you wonder about the asswipes out there scratching their heads trying to figure out why we might be unhealthy. Just like with working out and trying to gain muscle… lets go for the big ones first. Don’t eat shitty junk food. Don’t eat more than you need. Don’t chronically overconsume highly processed high GI carbohydrates. Don’t be sendentary.
Oh well, I guess I just had to rant.
Seminole,
I’m one of those people you are talking about in reference to the metabolic typing diet and according to metabolic typing my system runs too acid and eating meat makes my system more alkaline.
Metabolic typing is radically different from other information that talks about ph because 1. it looks at the blood ph (see blood pH.com) and 2. because the same food which makes me more alkaline makes other people (of a different type) more acid.
There are several slightly(?) different variations around but again for some people it can make a huge difference (I do feel much better eating what amounts to high protein, high fat and relatively low carb diet). I do modify it by choosing mostly good fats and adding fruits and veggies which are “bad for me” ph wise, but have other health benfits.
Mufasa
I apologize to you. I misunderstood your post. I agree with you that minute positive diet changes cannot effectively counteract the negative effects of smoking, a lack of exercise, etc.
It just seemed to me that by saying that certain diet changes have no statistical affect upon mortality that you were arguing against the importance of diet in determining one’s health. I see now you were arguing against relatively inconsequential changes as opposed to a completely optimal diet.
For some good information regarding the works of Weston A Price go to http://www.westonaprice.org.
Great responses everyone! I am finding that Weston Price was really onto something. I have been following the “Paleo Diet” for a while now. Which is basically what Price is an advocate for. It’s eating what got our species to where it is now (the healthy version that is). This is eating game, fish, nuts, fruits and berries in moderation, and plenty of fresh veggies. The more organic the better. I have to testify that I have not gotten sick even once since I have started this (common flu/cold). And, I just feel healthier than every before.
Mufasa-
I appreciated your contributions. One point in which I wanted to comment was on sun exposer. I agree that we shouldn’t “bake” in the sun for many hour, over many years. But, our DNA has built in health responses to either over or under exposer. I’ll have to find my sources, but I saw some information in which it said we need about 2 hours a day to properly activate/deactivate certain hormones. I know T levels are elevated with moderate sun tanning. Also, many native peoples (tribes) are exposed to the sun for 3 or more times that amount and are actually healthier on average. But, I believe part of that is the evolution of their skin’s natural UV protectant. In any event, I agree - we shouldn’t be in the sun for days on end and we certainly should not be fake-baking.
CU, you must be from Boulder, I’m very familiar with it, used to live in Denver.
god damn hippies…