Diets, Food, Nutrition, ADD and Well Being
Saturday, November 3, 2007The wife and I have decided to go on a diet. I've never been one to agree with diets, I've always felt the fact that we have such a huge weight-loss industry is a huge blight on our nation; we're all gluttons and the industry is creepily parasitical. I've bought the CSIRO Well Being book, which is the only diet I'd ever consider because it seems more like good nutrition than an actual diet and it's based on solid scientific research. It simply addresses the imbalance in the typical diet; it puts protein and fresh vegetables and fruit on the top and fats and simple carbohydrates at the bottom. The amount of food you are required to eat is actually more than you'd think. The book says this is not a low carbohydrate diet, you actually eat a moderate amount. In the end I think it increases nutrition and lowers the kilojoule value of your food intake.
Well I've been on it for 5 days and I feel great. What's better is that it's the perfect diet to keep those ADD symptoms at a minimum. I've always read that more protein and less carbohydrate was beneficial and now I've experienced it for real. I've always been aware that scoffing a packet of rice crackers would send my brain into a death spiral. People who live with ADD may recognise what I call the rabbit-caught-in-the-headlights feeling. Often I'd find myself frozen in one spot, usually in the lounge when the TV is on, unable to commit to one course of action. All the options are spinning around in my head; sit down and watch, go finish that blog post, clean the kitchen, and so on. But in the end I do nothing, just stand there. It get's worse with a high dose of carbohydrates. But no any more, in the last few days I feel calm and focused. So I highly recommend this diet for ADD symptom relief.
It also got me thinking about nutrition in general. Fresh food is expensive these days. If people should eat 2 pieces of fruit a day, for a family of 5 kids like mine, that's a lot of fruit and a lot of expense. As a parent this has been a general worry of mine over the last few years. I was thinking that the rate of obesity in this country was be cause people just didn't know how to cook proper food, but now I'm thinking that if this diet is an example of good nutrition, it may be becoming financially out-of-reach for some families.
In supermarkets fresh food is expensive while simple carbohydrates remain cheap. That includes sugar, processed flour, pasta and rice. I think a lot of families keep their grocery bills low by bulking out meals with a carbohydrate like pasta and adding a little flavour. Walk around a supermarket and you'll see a lot of inexpensive food items are nothing more that unidentifiable goop with a consistent flavour and texture, and a high amount of packaging. Sure it's edible but it's also high energy and low nutrition. A lot of these non-foods are sold as handy school-snacks for kids or easy-to-make family meals. It's easy to point the finger at junk food and lack of exercise but there's something else going on here concerning the cost of basic nutrition.
5 Comments
I've always been a big advocate of healthy eating as opposed to diets. About 15 years ago, I lost 30kg simply by following the traditional food pyramid and healthy eating habits (low fat, low sugar).
The beauty of this kind of "diet" is that you actually change your eating habits, so you don't go back to the old ways. I've relaxed, somewhat, but have never gone back... have never felt the need since I realised healthy food could look and taste so darned great!
Your point about the high cost of healthy food resonates, and makes me very frustrated. I resent the common practice of forcing consumers to buy a "minimum" amount of fresh produce -- for example, having to buy a bunch of spring onions when all you need is 2 or 3. (Yeah I know *some* places sell loose spring onion but many don't, and it's just an example.) This kind of thing all adds up to making fresh food wasteful and expensive.
As I get more "into" fresh and wholesome food I'm gradually sourcing the places that will let me shop how I want. Yes, it's more expensive but I believe the more demand for it, the more competitive it will get, and prices will come down.
I'm going to look for that book. I've seen it around and heard good stuff about it. Time to check it out, I think!
Look forward to hearing more about how it goes!I read a bit about it when the book was launched (last year?) and it seems well grounded as you would expect from the CSIRO.
Great post! Being rather thin I never had to worry about keeping a strict diet. However, I always enjoyed more a meal nicely cooked out of fresh ingredients rather than semi-prepared food.
I'm also a fan of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamie_Oliver">Jamie Oliver</a>. Watching his show and reading through his books I've learned that a good meal can be healthy, tasty and not that expensive. And there is joy in cooking!
Perhaps you too can find inspiration in his works.
I totally agree. Eating healthy is much more expensive. I have four children and I have found that it is cheaper to buy that bag of chips which seem to last an eternity than it is to buy a bunch of banana's which last 4 days. There is something wrong with the food is being priced and manufactured.
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