Hedonistic Relationship To Food And Bad Dietary Recommendations By Governing Bodies

somuch4food

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
1,281
I think that what got us to this level of chronic health problems is a combination of a hedonistic approach to food and bad dietary advice from authorities.

First, if food is looked at only from a pleasure perspective you can miss a lot of feedback from your body. Nowadays, most people base their liking of a food on how it feels in the mouth and the immediate pleasure triggered in the brain, but little attention is given to how your body feels a few hours after a meal. For example, while I enjoy eating a poutine, I feel so heavy and slow afterwards that I recognize it shouldn't be a staple.

This hedonistic approach was born in wealthy circles that could afford such things as sugar and cakes in the 1800s.

To make matters worse, authorities are propagating general dietary recommendations to everyone assuming that what is good for some is good for all, or what is needed for some won't hurt others. Those recommendations further disconnect people from their bodies because they trust that authorities know what they are doing and happily defer any responsibility.

Add to that epigenetics and you get our current situation that has been going downwards for some time now, but we found alternative ways like hygiene and medication to temporary alleviate our problems and increase lifespan.
 
OP
S

somuch4food

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
1,281
I would also add an abundance of animal products to the contributing factors. I am not vegan and I don't see why eating animals is bad (it's happening in nature anyway), but too much of it certainly can do harm as shown by Ray Peat with methionine, cysteine and tryptophan being aging agents. Only wealthy people could afford a lot of animal products back then. Poorer people would eat some and sell the rest to provide for their families.
 

Blossom

Moderator
Forum Supporter
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
11,033
Location
Indiana USA
I would also add an abundance of animal products to the contributing factors. I am not vegan and I don't see why eating animals is bad (it's happening in nature anyway), but too much of it certainly can do harm as shown by Ray Peat with methionine, cysteine and tryptophan being aging agents. Only wealthy people could afford a lot of animal products back then. Poorer people would eat some and sell the rest to provide for their families.

Lately I’ve been questioning nearly every government guideline on nutrition. I’ve always suspected they have gotten many things wrong but now I’m thinking they are even more incorrect than I thought. Do they really truly know how many and which so called vitamins, minerals and macros we really need? Surely it is highly individual. People thrive on so many different diets-even here on this forum! Some people do well on low calories and some people need a lot. The only thing I can say for certain anymore is that it’s probably best to eat what makes us feel good.
 

Runenight201

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
1,942
I think that what got us to this level of chronic health problems is a combination of a hedonistic approach to food and bad dietary advice from authorities.

First, if food is looked at only from a pleasure perspective you can miss a lot of feedback from your body. Nowadays, most people base their liking of a food on how it feels in the mouth and the immediate pleasure triggered in the brain, but little attention is given to how your body feels a few hours after a meal. For example, while I enjoy eating a poutine, I feel so heavy and slow afterwards that I recognize it shouldn't be a staple.

This hedonistic approach was born in wealthy circles that could afford such things as sugar and cakes in the 1800s.

Watch the first man in this video eat. He's the perfect face behind your average obese person, and displays exactly the type of behavior you alluded too. I was having these same thoughts last night. You can almost feel the pleasure he gets from eating the fried chicken, and he's beyond addicted to it. A little shocking to see honestly



The pleasure served from the taste buds in the mouth is but one factor that should play into whether a food is good or bad. It certainly shouldn't be overlooked though, and I don't believe eating tasteless food produce good health either.

Paying attention to the stomach is really important. Often times pre, during, and post meal, I'm shifting awareness their, which helps tremendously in terms of how the food will digest and affect the rest of my system, and also provides clues as to what foods/drinks I need to consume next to ensure the stomach stays content and correspondingly the rest of my physiology is good.
 

Cirion

Member
Joined
Sep 1, 2017
Messages
3,731
Location
St. Louis, Missouri
Lately I’ve been questioning nearly every government guideline on nutrition. I’ve always suspected they have gotten many things wrong but now I’m thinking they are even more incorrect than I thought. Do they really truly know how many and which so called vitamins, minerals and macros we really need? Surely it is highly individual. People thrive on so many different diets-even here on this forum! Some people do well on low calories and some people need a lot. The only thing I can say for certain anymore is that it’s probably best to eat what makes us feel good.

Yes let's not forget too that RDA's were generally designed with avoiding severe immediate deficiencies, and not designed for optimal levels in the body.

Plus, it's my opinion now that supplements can never properly replace vitamins and minerals from food sources. Absorption rates are rarely discussed in RDA's either, or co-factors. Foods generally contain the perfect ratio of synergestic vitamins and minerals. It's really easy to get imbalanced from supplements.
 

danielbb

Member
Joined
Aug 12, 2018
Messages
174
I think your theory is basically correct. Many people are addicted to processed food and don't realize that processed food has been "rigged" and designed to immediately reward the pleasure center of their brains while at the same time shutting off their hunger sensations. Dr. David Kessler makes these exact arguments in his book https://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/1605294578.

I have been addicted to processed food at various times and as Dr. Kessler argues, it can be more addictive than cocaine when you are "hooked" on it. So while people appear hedonistic when consuming processed food, in reality they are responding to powerful chemical signals they have little control over. I have no doubts that over-eating is just as much of a disease as alcoholism. I think if people can switch to unprocessed food that they prepare themselves for the most part, then almost all other health problems can be overcome.
 

frant26

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
241
Location
Mexico City
Watch the first man in this video eat. He's the perfect face behind your average obese person, and displays exactly the type of behavior you alluded too. I was having these same thoughts last night. You can almost feel the pleasure he gets from eating the fried chicken, and he's beyond addicted to it. A little shocking to see honestly



The pleasure served from the taste buds in the mouth is but one factor that should play into whether a food is good or bad. It certainly shouldn't be overlooked though, and I don't believe eating tasteless food produce good health either.

Paying attention to the stomach is really important. Often times pre, during, and post meal, I'm shifting awareness their, which helps tremendously in terms of how the food will digest and affect the rest of my system, and also provides clues as to what foods/drinks I need to consume next to ensure the stomach stays content and correspondingly the rest of my physiology is good.


Holy... cringe

What's up with americans and eating inside cars? I think this year I ate inside a car like... once.
 

Runenight201

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
1,942
Holy... cringe

What's up with americans and eating inside cars? I think this year I ate inside a car like... once.

I've also noticed that office workers will spend their lunch breaks alone in their car, often times hitting their e-vape and watching videos on their phone...
 

frant26

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
241
Location
Mexico City
I've also noticed that office workers will spend their lunch breaks alone in their car, often times hitting their e-vape and watching videos on their phone...

That is so sad! Sorry, no offense, I love the USA and have very good & normal friends there lol, but I have never seen so many weird specimens of our human race over there. I've been to around 20 different states.

Another thing to notice in the video: these people chug down food and barely chew.
 

Blossom

Moderator
Forum Supporter
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
11,033
Location
Indiana USA
I think a lot of people in the US (I don’t know about the rest of the world) go to their cars on their work breaks to get away from being crammed into buildings with a bunch of other people under stressful conditions. People aren’t meant to be piled on top of each other in such close quarters IMO. Vaping or eating in solitude in the car is the best way to get some space and stress relief. I know at my work if you stay in the building you don’t really get a break at all because there’s always someone who needs you! I’m certainly guilty of taking breaks in my car from time to time.
 

Lilac

Member
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
636
I think that what got us to this level of chronic health problems is a combination of a hedonistic approach to food and bad dietary advice from authorities.

The poor and uneducated suffer the consequences of processed franken-foods. The rich and more educated follow the bad government advice and health trends. So almost no one escapes!
 

tankasnowgod

Member
Joined
Jan 25, 2014
Messages
8,131
To make matters worse, authorities are propagating general dietary recommendations to everyone assuming that what is good for some is good for all, or what is needed for some won't hurt others. Those recommendations further disconnect people from their bodies because they trust that authorities know what they are doing and happily defer any responsibility.

I think your ideas are very valid, but I ask..... why do you assume that health "authorities" have the "good" of anyone in mind? Personally, I don't. I think guidelines were either put in place without regard of what may be good for someone, or downright, to actively harm the population.

I always go back to iron fortification. As Peat said in his newsletter, it didn't even reflect the best science of the time (the program started in the 1940's). When you realize that the iron added to cereals and such is just scrap metal, it opens the idea that instead of disposing of this industrial waste properly, the "powers that be" decided it would be more profitable just to feed it to the general public.

If that is a bit too conspiratorial for you, consider also that in the 70's, the USDA was thinking of upping the amount of iron. Numerous iron researchers, such as Jym Moon and E.D. Weinberg, testified that not only should it not be raised, but that the entire program should be stopped, as it wasn't helping anyone, and was certainly doing harm to many. Raising the levels would certainly only harm more people.

Well, the discussions to raise the limit were tabled, and nothing happened..... until the 80's, when the USDA upped the amount of iron added to grains.

I don't think it's stupidity anymore. I believe it is downright evil maliciousness.
 

Blossom

Moderator
Forum Supporter
Joined
Nov 23, 2013
Messages
11,033
Location
Indiana USA
why do you assume that health "authorities" have the "good" of anyone in mind? Personally, I don't. I think guidelines were either put in place without regard of what may be good for someone, or downright, to actively harm the population.
I’ve been suspecting the same actually.
 

Makrosky

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2014
Messages
3,982
I think a lot of people in the US (I don’t know about the rest of the world) go to their cars on their work breaks to get away from being crammed into buildings with a bunch of other people under stressful conditions. People aren’t meant to be piled on top of each other in such close quarters IMO. Vaping or eating in solitude in the car is the best way to get some space and stress relief. I know at my work if you stay in the building you don’t really get a break at all because there’s always someone who needs you! I’m certainly guilty of taking breaks in my car from time to time.
Absolutely. And even if it is not stressful per se, sharing lunch time with coworkers whom you don't feel you have anything in common could be very stressful (and depressing) as well. +1 for the people who go to their car if they feel better doing so.
 

frant26

Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2015
Messages
241
Location
Mexico City
+1 for people having freedom to eat wherever they please. At some old job I wouldn't enjoy lunch with my coworkers, so I was going to a nearby park for lunch. Soaked some sun and some green views.
 

Runenight201

Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2018
Messages
1,942
I’ve never found being in a car relaxing, but to each their own. I’m all for alone time, but I would not want to spend it in my car.
 
Last edited:
OP
S

somuch4food

Member
Joined
Aug 23, 2018
Messages
1,281
why do you assume that health "authorities" have the "good" of anyone in mind? Personally, I don't. I think guidelines were either put in place without regard of what may be good for someone, or downright, to actively harm the population.

Oops, you got me there. Their propaganda is not fully removed from my brain. I'm fairly new to questioning authorities.

I personally tend to see more positively and am a believer that most people don't knowingly harm others. I don't care that it may be naive.

I agree though that most of politics and lobbying is pretty nasty. Only the craziest people (like sociopaths) get to the top, others don't bother and get on with life.
 

michael94

Member
Joined
Oct 11, 2015
Messages
2,419
I think a lot of people in the US (I don’t know about the rest of the world) go to their cars on their work breaks to get away from being crammed into buildings with a bunch of other people under stressful conditions. People aren’t meant to be piled on top of each other in such close quarters IMO. Vaping or eating in solitude in the car is the best way to get some space and stress relief. I know at my work if you stay in the building you don’t really get a break at all because there’s always someone who needs you! I’m certainly guilty of taking breaks in my car from time to time.
breaks rooms are soul sucking
not always though, some coworkers can be really great

sitting in a car has a very direct effect on psoas muscle I have noticed, sometimes for worse or others for better depending on things. Especially when moving in the car
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom