Comments on: How to Find the Best Diet for You http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/ Personal Development for Smart People Thu, 24 Jul 2008 22:38:38 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: sri http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9395 sri Fri, 09 Sep 2005 05:02:38 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9395 @Paul: I second Steve's opinion. (OK, I have been vegetarian all my life; so I may be biased!) For about three straight weeks last month this was my diet: Breakfast -- organic oatmeal (boiled; nothing added) Lunch -- Boiled veggies w/ brown rice, with fresh juice Dinner -- Fresh fruits or salad And about 1 liter of water, everyday. Boy, that gave me a lot of mental clarity -- I was able to meditate for lot longer and with much greater ease. But then I have slipped back to my vegetarian style with junk food.... Oh well, gotta start over again. BTW, in Indian tradition, the person preparing the food also makes a whole lotta difference. The theory is that our thoughts are nothing more that subtle vibrations. And a person can transfer these vibrations to other objects. So a negative person can transfer their "negative vibratons" to the food they are cooking -- and when you eat it, the vibrations affect you in subtle ways. Of course there is a whole science behind this. [By "science" I don't mean modern science which is limited by what it can observe -- probably these subtle vibrations can't be measured by today's tools.] And this is one reason that some people from my tradition won't even go to resturants. But I can't say that I am that sensitive!! @Paul: I second Steve’s opinion. (OK, I have been vegetarian all my life;
so I may be biased!)

For about three straight weeks last month this was my diet:

Breakfast — organic oatmeal (boiled; nothing added)
Lunch — Boiled veggies w/ brown rice, with fresh juice
Dinner — Fresh fruits or salad
And about 1 liter of water, everyday.

Boy, that gave me a lot of mental clarity — I was able to
meditate for lot longer and with much greater ease.
But then I have slipped back to my vegetarian style
with junk food…. Oh well, gotta start over again.

BTW, in Indian tradition, the person preparing the
food also makes a whole lotta difference. The theory
is that our thoughts are nothing more that subtle
vibrations. And a person can transfer these vibrations
to other objects. So a negative person can transfer
their “negative vibratons” to the food they are cooking — and when
you eat it, the vibrations affect you in subtle ways.

Of course there is a whole science behind this.
[By "science" I don't mean modern science which
is limited by what it can observe -- probably these
subtle vibrations can't be measured by today's tools.]

And this is one reason that some people from my
tradition won’t even go to resturants. But I can’t
say that I am that sensitive!!

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9387 Steve Pavlina Thu, 08 Sep 2005 23:49:55 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9387 @Paul: Heavens yes! No contest. @Paul: Heavens yes! No contest.

]]> By: Paul http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9385 Paul Thu, 08 Sep 2005 23:26:21 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9385 Steve, Can you honestly say that a carrot and some brocoli taste better than KFC? Steve,

Can you honestly say that a carrot and some brocoli taste better than KFC?

]]> By: Ilya Olevsky http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9384 Ilya Olevsky Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:57:57 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9384 Humans can certainly digest meat and animal products, I can vouch for that since I used to eat them. :) For me the question is more do we <i>need</i> to eat them? And my answer is no, we don't. The flaw with using evidence of early humans eating meat to show that we should be eating meat is that those humans lived in a very different environment with very inferior technology and agriculture (or lack thereof). They couldn't go to the supermarket and buy fruits and vegetables year round. Most of them didn't even live in climates where these grew year round. Naturally, being able to digest meat is an evolutionary advantage. But there's a difference between doing something out of desperation and because it's the best food for your body. In 1972, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uruguayan_Air_Force_Flight_571" rel="nofollow">Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571</a> crashed in the mounitans forming the border between Chile and Argentina. Survivors had to resort to cannibalism (of those who died in the crash) to survive because it was only two months after the crash that they were finally rescued. The point is that even though we can eat meat to <i>survive</i> when necessary, given our current level of technological and agricultural advancement we really don't need to. Humans can certainly digest meat and animal products, I can vouch for that since I used to eat them. :) For me the question is more do we need to eat them? And my answer is no, we don’t. The flaw with using evidence of early humans eating meat to show that we should be eating meat is that those humans lived in a very different environment with very inferior technology and agriculture (or lack thereof). They couldn’t go to the supermarket and buy fruits and vegetables year round. Most of them didn’t even live in climates where these grew year round. Naturally, being able to digest meat is an evolutionary advantage. But there’s a difference between doing something out of desperation and because it’s the best food for your body.

In 1972, Uruguayan Air Force Flight 571 crashed in the mounitans forming the border between Chile and Argentina. Survivors had to resort to cannibalism (of those who died in the crash) to survive because it was only two months after the crash that they were finally rescued. The point is that even though we can eat meat to survive when necessary, given our current level of technological and agricultural advancement we really don’t need to.

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9383 Steve Pavlina Thu, 08 Sep 2005 22:04:59 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9383 @Joel D: That link you posted is about the opportunistic feeder theory, which is both false and unscientific. I'll include a link to a site that debunks that theory in tomorrow's blog post. @Joel D: That link you posted is about the opportunistic feeder theory, which is both false and unscientific. I’ll include a link to a site that debunks that theory in tomorrow’s blog post.

]]> By: Joel D http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9382 Joel D Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:28:08 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9382 Wow, that article from Vegsource.com is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies and clearly the author has gone far beyond his area of expertise (hate to be blunt, but pseudo-science just boils my blood). For a more sound explanation along the same lines written by a vegetarian who actually has expertise in the area (as an anatomist and primatologist) check out this link. http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm Wow, that article from Vegsource.com is absolutely riddled with inaccuracies and clearly the author has gone far beyond his area of expertise (hate to be blunt, but pseudo-science just boils my blood). For a more sound explanation along the same lines written by a vegetarian who actually has expertise in the area (as an anatomist and primatologist) check out this link.

http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/omni.htm

]]> By: Joel D http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9381 Joel D Thu, 08 Sep 2005 21:22:21 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9381 Teeth are a generally poor indicator of dietary adaptation. The primates with the largest incisors (Gorilla and Baboon) eat vegetarian diets where primates with small incisors (Human and Chimpanzee) eat meat on a regular basis. The morphology of teeth is more related to evolutionary changes in jaw structure and cranium sizes. The thought of a human taking down a deer with his/her teeth is a ridiculous scenario. Humans have advanced opposable thumbs and big brains which are far more deadly than any set of claws or teeth. Humans are perfect omnivores and it's a powerful trait because it allows our species to essentially eat everything in sight. Early nomadic tribes in Siberia and other frozen lands didn't have to succumb to famine as long as they could happily and healthily survive by eating Caribou and other furry creatures. It's a biological and historical fact that meat eating was an important and advantageous event in the evolution of our species. Anyone who wants to fight this claim will be running up against a huge wall of evidence. What most interesting than the past is the fact that Humans seem to be one of the few, if not the only, species capable of consciously excluding animal products from their diets. I say we frame the discussion about veganism in terms of the health, environmental, ethical, or even spiritual benefits of the choice. The debate over wether humans are "designed" or "evolved" to eat meat adds no value to the discussion. All it does is give those who are insecure about their choice to be a vegetarian or a vegan a warm fuzzy feeling. Teeth are a generally poor indicator of dietary adaptation. The primates with the largest incisors (Gorilla and Baboon) eat vegetarian diets where primates with small incisors (Human and Chimpanzee) eat meat on a regular basis. The morphology of teeth is more related to evolutionary changes in jaw structure and cranium sizes. The thought of a human taking down a deer with his/her teeth is a ridiculous scenario. Humans have advanced opposable thumbs and big brains which are far more deadly than any set of claws or teeth. Humans are perfect omnivores and it’s a powerful trait because it allows our species to essentially eat everything in sight. Early nomadic tribes in Siberia and other frozen lands didn’t have to succumb to famine as long as they could happily and healthily survive by eating Caribou and other furry creatures. It’s a biological and historical fact that meat eating was an important and advantageous event in the evolution of our species. Anyone who wants to fight this claim will be running up against a huge wall of evidence. What most interesting than the past is the fact that Humans seem to be one of the few, if not the only, species capable of consciously excluding animal products from their diets. I say we frame the discussion about veganism in terms of the health, environmental, ethical, or even spiritual benefits of the choice. The debate over wether humans are “designed” or “evolved” to eat meat adds no value to the discussion. All it does is give those who are insecure about their choice to be a vegetarian or a vegan a warm fuzzy feeling.

]]> By: Erin http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9378 Erin Thu, 08 Sep 2005 20:09:55 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9378 Here's some information from a taxonomic perspective of whether humans are designed to be carnivores, herbivores or omnivores. http://www.vegsource.com/veg_faq/comparative.htm Here’s some information from a taxonomic perspective of whether humans are designed to be carnivores, herbivores or omnivores.

http://www.vegsource.com/veg_faq/comparative.htm

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9377 Steve Pavlina Thu, 08 Sep 2005 19:34:19 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9377 @GBGames: Our teeth are like those of natural herbivores, not like those of carnivores. Take a look at a cat's teeth and compare them to yours. I'd love to see you try to take down a deer with your teeth -- I doubt you'd even be able to penetrate its hide. Humans eat meat by chewing it with their flat molars just like they chew plants. Carnivores dont have flat molars. I laugh at your puny fangs, unless of course you're a vampire or werewolf. ;) @GBGames: Our teeth are like those of natural herbivores, not like those of carnivores. Take a look at a cat’s teeth and compare them to yours. I’d love to see you try to take down a deer with your teeth — I doubt you’d even be able to penetrate its hide. Humans eat meat by chewing it with their flat molars just like they chew plants. Carnivores dont have flat molars.

I laugh at your puny fangs, unless of course you’re a vampire or werewolf. ;)

]]> By: Nathan http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9376 Nathan Thu, 08 Sep 2005 19:05:41 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9376 These are interesting articles and I want to improve my diet, but (just being a devil's advocate here) ... Your logic and common sense about dairy products doesn't entirely make sense to me. Milk's entire purpose is to deliver calories and nutrition to offspring. Does that make another species' baby-milk harmful? You are vegan and eat a lot of fruit. Fruits/nuts are basically the sperm/eggs of an entirely different biological kingdom. Yuck! The whole purpose of fruit is to trick plant-eaters into scattering seeds around. Look at our closest ancestors - monkeys and apes. They eat a varied diet including plants, bugs, worms, grubs, and insects. I've seen documentaries where monkeys catch and eat other mammals. Our digestive system evolved to handle a wide variety of food. We convert bio-material to energy just like many other species. Plant and animal matter differ in some respects, but ultimately both are primarily sugar chains that we convert into energy. Modern man's diet probably sucks. But I think it is misleading to try classifying foods as unnatural and natural. Poison ivy, rhubarb leaves, poisonous mushrooms, and many other dangerous foods can all be found naturally. That doesn't mean we should eat them. I'm a little nervous about the advantage of eating large amounts of calories. Some preliminary research has shown reduced calories may increase lifespan: http://www.infoaging.org/b-ami-4-calrestrict.html I think the key to a healthy diet is variety as you have already written. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (and a little meat/junk food sometimes). These are interesting articles and I want to improve my diet, but (just being a devil’s advocate here) …

Your logic and common sense about dairy products doesn’t entirely make sense to me. Milk’s entire purpose is to deliver calories and nutrition to offspring. Does that make another species’ baby-milk harmful? You are vegan and eat a lot of fruit. Fruits/nuts are basically the sperm/eggs of an entirely different biological kingdom. Yuck! The whole purpose of fruit is to trick plant-eaters into scattering seeds around.

Look at our closest ancestors - monkeys and apes. They eat a varied diet including plants, bugs, worms, grubs, and insects. I’ve seen documentaries where monkeys catch and eat other mammals. Our digestive system evolved to handle a wide variety of food. We convert bio-material to energy just like many other species. Plant and animal matter differ in some respects, but ultimately both are primarily sugar chains that we convert into energy.

Modern man’s diet probably sucks. But I think it is misleading to try classifying foods as unnatural and natural. Poison ivy, rhubarb leaves, poisonous mushrooms, and many other dangerous foods can all be found naturally. That doesn’t mean we should eat them.

I’m a little nervous about the advantage of eating large amounts of calories. Some preliminary research has shown reduced calories may increase lifespan:
http://www.infoaging.org/b-ami-4-calrestrict.html

I think the key to a healthy diet is variety as you have already written. I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables (and a little meat/junk food sometimes).

]]> By: Erna http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9372 Erna Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:25:35 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9372 Hmm.... As a molecular biologist, I find Erich Schwarz's comment very interesting. I wonder what the advantage dairy provided Northern Europeans. Calcium? Protein? Phosphorus? Of course this is something everyone has to deceide for themselves. And therefore I find arguments based on whether or not humans are "natural" vegetarians, carnivores, etc. quite tireing. The lifestyle of many humans is dramatically different from what it was a couple of hundred years ago, which is quite too short a time to for example significantly change the structure of our digestive systems. What matters is not evolutionary past but what is convenient for us now in our current environment. Hmm…. As a molecular biologist, I find Erich Schwarz’s comment very interesting. I wonder what the advantage dairy provided Northern Europeans. Calcium? Protein? Phosphorus?

Of course this is something everyone has to deceide for themselves. And therefore I find arguments based on whether or not humans are “natural” vegetarians, carnivores, etc. quite tireing.

The lifestyle of many humans is dramatically different from what it was a couple of hundred years ago, which is quite too short a time to for example significantly change the structure of our digestive systems. What matters is not evolutionary past but what is convenient for us now in our current environment.

]]> By: Steve Pavlina http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9370 Steve Pavlina Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:01:34 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9370 @Thisisthesea2002: Your friend is utterly mistaken -- humans have much longer intestines than carnivorous animals. I'll have a new blog post appearing on this topic on Friday. @Thisisthesea2002: Your friend is utterly mistaken — humans have much longer intestines than carnivorous animals. I’ll have a new blog post appearing on this topic on Friday.

]]> By: GBGames http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9369 GBGames Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:39:38 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9369 Vasilis: I would think that humans eating meat sounds natural, but mostly just because of how our teeth look. We have meat-eating teeth, right? Nature wouldn't give us those if meat-eating was truly that unhealthy, right? It seems to make sense, especially if you believe that what nature does is much better than what humans engineer. It might make for good science fiction. A planet of otherwise normal humans who have teeth geared towards eating plants only. Of course, maybe meat was probably healthier back in the day. The only hormones in them were naturally occurring. Vasilis: I would think that humans eating meat sounds natural, but mostly just because of how our teeth look. We have meat-eating teeth, right? Nature wouldn’t give us those if meat-eating was truly that unhealthy, right? It seems to make sense, especially if you believe that what nature does is much better than what humans engineer.

It might make for good science fiction. A planet of otherwise normal humans who have teeth geared towards eating plants only.

Of course, maybe meat was probably healthier back in the day. The only hormones in them were naturally occurring.

]]> By: Dan http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9368 Dan Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:28:20 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9368 It seems that Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is vegetarian. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/worlds_most_powerful/3284811.stm It seems that Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple, is vegetarian.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/worlds_most_powerful/3284811.stm

]]> By: Thisisthesea2002 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9366 Thisisthesea2002 Thu, 08 Sep 2005 17:15:40 +0000 http://www.stevepavlina.com/blog/2005/09/how-to-find-the-best-diet-for-you/#comment-9366 Steve, i m very impressed from what you wrote the past 2 days and forwarded your site to some friends of mine. I wanted to ask your opinion on an argument of one of these friends.The argument is that we re not vegans by nature cause our intenstines are longer than animals that dont eat meat, like ship for example. His opinion is that we must have a balance eating rarely meat, but still, the idea of totally excluding meat from our diet is can be dangerous cause it's against our nature. It sounds logical, isnt it? be safe Vasilis Steve, i m very impressed from what you wrote the past 2 days and forwarded your site to some friends of mine.
I wanted to ask your opinion on an argument of one of these friends.The argument is that we re not vegans by nature cause our intenstines are longer than animals that dont eat meat, like ship for example.
His opinion is that we must have a balance eating rarely meat, but still, the idea of totally excluding meat from our diet is can be dangerous cause it’s against our nature.
It sounds logical, isnt it?

be safe
Vasilis

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