@Jon I've heard evidence of anti-oxidant properties, and as I noted it can help with concentration if you don't over do it. In regards to those others things though, can you link to where you heard about this? I'm interested to see the overall context they put caffeine in. I've seen evidence that alcohol, caffeine and even drugs and cigarettes can have health benefits, and I'm sure they do, it's just that overall they're far outweighed by their detrimental effects. It makes sense, almost nothing is purely toxic for your body, even the most unhealthiest foods provide calories and some nutrients.
Although I do remember reading a study they did with rats and puffed rice (the cereal) and they fed one group of rats wheat, one group of rats the puffed rice, and one group nothing. The ones who had the wheat lived the longest, unsurprisingly, but what was interesting and unforeseen was that the rats who were starved actually lived longer than the ones feed puffed rice. It's so incredibly low in nutritional value, and the empty carbs are actually worse for your body.
(05-17-2011 09:47 AM)Eros Wrote: [ -> ]@Jon I've heard evidence of anti-oxidant properties, and as I noted it can help with concentration if you don't over do it. In regards to those others things though, can you link to where you heard about this? I'm interested to see the overall context they put caffeine in. I've seen evidence that alcohol, caffeine and even drugs and cigarettes can have health benefits, and I'm sure they do, it's just that overall they're far outweighed by their detrimental effects. It makes sense, almost nothing is purely toxic for your body, even the most unhealthiest foods provide calories and some nutrients.
Although I do remember reading a study they did with rats and puffed rice (the cereal) and they fed one group of rats wheat, one group of rats the puffed rice, and one group nothing. The ones who had the wheat lived the longest, unsurprisingly, but what was interesting and unforeseen was that the rats who were starved actually lived longer than the ones feed puffed rice. It's so incredibly low in nutritional value, and the empty carbs are actually worse for your body.
It's an inverse U shaped curve with coffee (just like a lot of other things). Optimal being seemingly around 2-5 cups/day.
Rat studies are utter shit if you want to prove how things work in humans (for most things > the reward system is similar though for example). They can be indicators, but a bad study design (as above) makes the hints those studies might provide entirely useless. Why would you think that an organism would survive if you don't feed it all of the essential nutrients (protein, micronutrients) as they did with those rats? That's no proof that eating some carbs/rice on top of a nutrient rich, healthy diet will be in any way detrimental.
It's btw just a result of confirmation bias if you only look for evidence supporting your position (admittedly it's often hard to be objective).
Lot's a vegetarians love to say that they have more energy. And they do. Stress reaction of the body to find the missing nutrients. (if you go about it the wrong way, as many do)
If you want to be healthy & vegetarian: that's possible. But you need to supplement your diet with the missing nutrients such as:
- calcium
- zinc
- (possibly) iron
- protein
- b12
- omega 3 !
etc.
(often problems won't show up for years such as stress fractures or minor nutrient deficiencies, which can result in severe problems)
And for some an entirely vegetarian/vegan diet just isn't possible. Off the top of my head I remember her:
http://voraciouseats.com/2010/11/19/a-vegan-no-more/
Give me some good human RCTs to prove that vegetarian diets improve your health more than an omnivorous diet (because that's what we evolved to eat). Because extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence.
I hope it's alright if I don't link any sources right now, as I'm on the run and I have more important stuff to do right now (not meant condescending or anything, but I had this discussion far too often and I'm not getting paid here or learn sth. valuable). Of course I'lll be happy to see what the highest quality evidence is, that you base your diet (and therefore health) on.
P.s.:
Alcohol does have health benefits, but those are mainly due to more social interaction. As with many issues in diet a lot of the research is epidemiological and/or badly controlled, which make it pretty useless (though easier to wade through).
I used to be a vegeterian for three years and my iron levels never deviated from the standard (good diet!) but I have never tested omega 3, calcium or zinc or protein.
Coffeein always kills my sleeping pattern and correlates with my acne outbreakes.
I think Cacao (antioxidants) and Ginseng (e.g. cancer prevention:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9698120) have a lot of health benifits that people tend to neglect.
For those who criticize vegetarian diet, you can always watch this video and grow from it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBgaRD0fzzk
For a lot of people, they're too much of a coward to watch the entire thing.
(06-27-2011 09:16 AM)Brian Wrote: [ -> ]For those who criticize vegetarian diet, you can always watch this video and grow from it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBgaRD0fzzk
For a lot of people, they're too much of a coward to watch the entire thing.
Aghh, Just saw half of it. I was about to go to Chick Fila for dinner, I guess I'm going subway now. I can't watch the rest!
(06-27-2011 01:21 PM)pros80 Wrote: [ -> ] (06-27-2011 09:16 AM)Brian Wrote: [ -> ]For those who criticize vegetarian diet, you can always watch this video and grow from it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBgaRD0fzzk
For a lot of people, they're too much of a coward to watch the entire thing.
Aghh, Just saw half of it. I was about to go to Chick Fila for dinner, I guess I'm going subway now. I can't watch the rest!
I know lol. It gets worse later on too
