Which is healther?

[cheesedip1]

Which is healther, meat or grains (starch)? Also, would tofu could towards the starch category?

I think dairy is just garbage, btw.

I think the main problem with diets is that people eat too much grains, meat and dairy and not enough fruits/vegetables. Plus, a lot of the food in the US is processed or fake, including many organic foods (chips, cake...not real food).

Also, sometimes it's hard to know what to believe because there are so many varied opinions. It's really just one person's word vs someone else's.


So, which is it?

[superfoodist]

Originally Posted by cheesedip1

Which is healther, meat or grains (starch)? Also, would tofu could towards the starch category?

I think dairy is just garbage, btw.

I think the main problem with diets is that people eat too much grains, meat and dairy and not enough fruits/vegetables. Plus, a lot of the food in the US is processed or fake, including many organic foods (chips, cake...not real food).

Also, sometimes it's hard to know what to believe because there are so many varied opinions. It's really just one person's word vs someone else's.


So, which is it?

That's a really tough question. As for the tofu, stay away from it. Soy isn't good for you.

But as for the meat vs grains question, I don't recommend eating much of either.

I would say eating small amounts of chicken would probably be better for you then eating grain, but I'd stay away from red meat.

[firenexx]

I believe that meat is more nutritionally dense than grains, although grains are certainly a source of fibre.
Historically, humans ate meat long before they ate grains. Cereal grains weren't "invented" until 10-12,000 years B.C. when there were a lot of people and a centralized food system was needed as a way to provide cheap food and also a way to control the population. Big fields of grass are cheap and easy to grow.

As I'm sure you know, many people feel that grains should not be a part of the human diet. In fact I think that cutting grains out of the diet might do more good for one's health than cutting out meat.

Originally Posted by superfoodist

As for the tofu, stay away from it. Soy isn't good for you.

Pfft, that's been debunked. Stop spreading misinformation about soy, it's a superfood.
(Don't worry I am only kidding.)

[IvyW]

i agree with dairy,soy & grains not being good for you. As far as red meat goes i would stay away from the fatty cuts.(ribeyes etc)

in my diet my carbs come straight from raw whole foods & my protein from lean meats. Thats what works for me so i stand by it.

[Razia]

I think if you had a every food in proper proportion then these question never rise. Meat ,grains all these things are necessary for body just we have to control our eating.

[HoldenC]

Grains are quite healthy. The only major problem is with processed grains. As long as they're eaten in their whole form and soaked properly before cooking, they're quite harmless and very nutritious. They're an excellent source of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and plant nutrients.

Meat on the other hand, is mostly protein and unhealthy fats, not to mention various toxins. I'd recommend avoiding it if you can.

Soy/tofu is entirely safe. There's large numbers of unsubstantiated
rumors about it online, but all scientific studies have shown it to be safe and healthful.

[garentee]

Originally Posted by superfoodist

That's a really tough question. As for the tofu, stay away from it. Soy isn't good for you.

I agree to a point, and that point is soy is good for you when it is fermented.. I personally do not eat too much soy and do not particularly care for it in its fermented form.. though I do enjoy Tofu on occasion.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by HoldenC

Grains are quite healthy. The only major problem is with processed grains. As long as they're eaten in their whole form and soaked properly before cooking, they're quite harmless and very nutritious. They're an excellent source of fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals, and plant nutrients.

Meat on the other hand, is mostly protein and unhealthy fats, not to mention various toxins. I'd recommend avoiding it if you can.

Soy/tofu is entirely safe. There's large numbers of unsubstantiated
rumors about it online, but all scientific studies have shown it to be safe and healthful.

What makes fats unhealthy exactly? And as far as toxins. Which toxins do you speak of?

Healthy animals produce healthy meat. Just like unhealthy plants probably contain a ton of toxins and pesticides.

Vegan claims that meat is full of toxins, is vastly exaggerated.

[Andrew Gubb]

I would say grains are healthier. Though I do more or less agree with the arguments that grain is not a natural food for humans. It just seems more natural, or at the very least more healthy, than meat. (Meat in its wild state may be somewhat more natural than grains, but I don't think the human organism was originally designed to eat much of it, and you don't GET wild meat in the shops - you get frankenstein steak).

What I really don't think is good is gluten. If I had to do it all again, I think I'd give up animal foods and gluten at about the same time. For me at the very least, giving up gluten was key. Other people react differently, but I do get the idea that it is bad in a general way and not just as an allergy or intolerance.

Some grains have gluten and some do not. At the moment I do eat gluten free grains. I believe the optimum diet is something like the 80/10/10 diet (look up the book of that name). That is, raw fruit and vegetables.

But I'm not there yet myself.

[HoldenC]

What makes fats unhealthy exactly? And as far as toxins. Which toxins do you speak of?

Healthy animals produce healthy meat. Just like unhealthy plants probably contain a ton of toxins and pesticides.

Vegan claims that meat is full of toxins, is vastly exaggerated.

Contaminated Meat Cited in USDA Report on Pesticide, Antibiotics, Heavy Metals - ABC News
They Eat What? The Reality of Feed at Animal Factories | Union of Concerned Scientists

The vast majority of meat is raised on industrial farms where they eat a very poor diet. And claims of being organic or free range, etc. are rather dubious given the extremely loose regulation of these terms. Wild game is probably pretty safe. But in the end, plants still generally contain a much wider range of nutrition.

Healthy fats include Omega 3/6/9 fatty acids. Unhealthy fats include trans fats and most saturated fats. Meats tend to be high in saturated fats as well as cholesterol.

[russianrocket]

Originally Posted by HoldenC

Contaminated Meat Cited in USDA Report on Pesticide, Antibiotics, Heavy Metals - ABC News
They Eat What? The Reality of Feed at Animal Factories | Union of Concerned Scientists

The vast majority of meat is raised on industrial farms where they eat a very poor diet. And claims of being organic or free range, etc. are rather dubious given the extremely loose regulation of these terms. Wild game is probably pretty safe. But in the end, plants still generally contain a much wider range of nutrition.

Healthy fats include Omega 3/6/9 fatty acids. Unhealthy fats include trans fats and most saturated fats. Meats tend to be high in saturated fats as well as cholesterol.

And you think that industrial plant farms are any better then factory meat farms? As I said, healthy animals make healthy meat. Unhealthy farming creates unhealthy plants. Absolutely no difference. You claim that free range or organic claims are dubious, but how about the same claims for plants?

As far as saturated fats and cholesterol being bad for you. Prove it? Both claims have been debunked. Cholesterol used to be blamed for cholesterol problems, but recently, it's been found out that dietary cholesterol has only a small effect on blood cholesterol.

And fat. Well, there is good and bad fat. The fat that they've been replacing saturated fat with, is the unhealthy fat. I mean, there is obviously a lot more to say, but how about you do some research on your own to learn the actual truth instead of the garbage they've been feeding us for decades. Fat and cholesterol intake does not actually cause heart disease the way it's been claimed. The low fat craze is what's caused such a dramatic decline in health since it was put in place in the 70's.

[HoldenC]

And you think that industrial plant farms are any better then factory meat farms? As I said, healthy animals make healthy meat. Unhealthy farming creates unhealthy plants. Absolutely no difference. You claim that free range or organic claims are dubious, but how about the same claims for plants?

I do believe I agreed with you. Industrial farming practices have significant problems all around. But for most of us, it's all we have to work with. But I would say that since these animals are eating the same pesticided foods there's probably going to be a greater build up of these chemicals in their flesh than in the plants. And I would still say that, side by side, properly grown grains and other plant foods tend to have greater nutritional benefits than properly raised meat products.

As far as saturated fats and cholesterol being bad for you. Prove it? Both claims have been debunked. Cholesterol used to be blamed for cholesterol problems, but recently, it's been found out that dietary cholesterol has only a small effect on blood cholesterol.

I stand corrected.

And fat. Well, there is good and bad fat. The fat that they've been replacing saturated fat with, is the unhealthy fat. I mean, there is obviously a lot more to say, but how about you do some research on your own to learn the actual truth instead of the garbage they've been feeding us for decades. Fat and cholesterol intake does not actually cause heart disease the way it's been claimed. The low fat craze is what's caused such a dramatic decline in health since it was put in place in the 70's.

Again, quite correct. Though I never advocated a low-fat diet, and I already stated that trans-fats were harmful(Though there are of course other harmful fats as well, and I'm aware of this). Personally I get the majority of my fats from nuts and seeds.

[scorpio1980]

Meat is healthier IMO hands down. As long as it is grassfed/wild raised.

I feel the healthiest diet at least for me is lots of fruit and veggies, and a little meat or fish. No grains, no dairy they are not needed.

Also fat is not bad. Unless you get your fat from sick animals that were fed the wrong diet, and we caged up all their life. I don't eat this type of meat. I eat wild/grassfed only.

[firenexx]

I recently happened upon a box of microwave popcorn that had been sold by the Boy Scouts of America organization for a fundraising drive. On the side panel there was a chart that had clearly been put there with the dollar power of the Canola Grower's association. Their claim was that canola oil was not only healthy, but it was pretty much the healthiest of all the oils.

This was completely based on saturated fat content. They had a severely abridged list of the most commonly used oils. At the top were things like canola, soy, corn oil. At the very bottom (apparently the oil that is least healthy for you!) is coconut oil.

My response was some sort of facepalm-type gesture.

[happyheart]

I do enjoy tofu and I think it's a good source of protein and alternative to meats. I would say though that eating more fruits and vegetables is essential to ones health. Greens are good and so are red fruits