Do you ever read an article that makes you wish you could ring a giant buzzer somewhere after certain phrases?
Read an email I received recently:
Dear Kelly,
Following is a short article from our local paper recently. I live in Rochester, Minnesota, home of the Mayo Clinic, and we have more docs per capita than anywhere on earth! I would like to respond to this article, but I need help. I have recently started a local chapter of the WAPF – our first meeting is in two weeks. I have purchased the textbook, cookbooks, and have all the data from WAPF, but I don't have the confidence or feel like I have the authority to put together the right response. I hope that this confidence will develop with time.
You are an amazing inspiration for us. We very much appreciate your hard work and we learn something everyday from your blog.
Kay and Kristen
Rochester, MN
Here’s the article from the Rochester Post Bulletin: Reader says marshmallow beats container of yogurt.
Read the article and then come back here so we can rant together…go on, I’ll wait…
What did you think? I agreed with some of what this author wrote, but a few phrases made me want to ring a giant buzzer somewhere, here are three…
- Here’s the first buzzer: “I responded with an e-mail about how the marshmallow contains nothing but “empty” calories, and that you're not going to be very healthy if your diet is dominated by sugar, flour and meat products.” He was on a roll until he had to lump meat in there instead of looking at the differences between meat from animals raised in feedlots and meat from animals raised in their natural environments and fed their natural diets. (Read my post on this: Are Meat-Eaters Ruining the Earth?)
- The next buzzer: “Every reputable study in the last 50 years, I wrote in my response, has determined that a diet heavy on fruits, vegetables and whole grains is more healthful than one heavy on sugar, fat and complex carbohydrates.” Hmmmm, sugar isn’t good for us, he has that right, but a diet heavy on whole grains? Yes whole grains are better than refined grains, but many people can’t eat grains at all and stay healthy. And why not emphasize getting enough healthy animal fats instead of slamming all fat?!
- Third buzzer: “There are tens of thousands of overweight folks out there who are looking for a magic bullet. Bottom line, though — there is only one proven formula for weight loss: Calories burned must exceed the number of calories consumed.” That theory is SO “out”. Apparently he hasn’t heard of Gary Taubes book: Good Calories, Bad Calories: Fats, Carbs, and the Controversial Science of Diet and Health. Read my post on this one, too: Is Weight Loss as Simple as Calories in vs. Calories out?
I’d LOVE to hear what caught your eye and what you think about the article!
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photo credit, Creative Commons 2.0
Alex Sobieski says
Maybe they found THE TRUTH about food and had an ethical problem with keeping the article up. 🙂
KitchenKop says
Doubt it!
Alex Sobieski says
they took the post down
KitchenKop says
Oh booger, I hate when they do that.
Colloidal Silver says
A buzzer certainly would be a helpful tool… Forget Staples and their easy button, I want a buzzer!
Kay C and Kristen K says
Kelly – You were right! Your readers have AMAZING responses and we are putting together a positive, easy to understand response to this article! K
KitchenKop says
Great! Will you share your response with me when you’re done and I could post it?? 🙂
Naomi H says
Information like this makes me want to shout so that the whole world can hear. Even with his flawed nutritional advice, the author just confirms David when he concludes that “Bottom line, though
Bethany says
You have a great discussion going on here! Thanks for adding this to Two for Tuesdays!
Alex at A Moderate Life says
BPB it is sad isn’t it, and it also amazes me in this day and age of wide spread access to research tools that more people are not on top of what is appropriate nutrition! Kel, thanks for sharing this on the Two for Tuesday Blog hop!
butterpoweredbike says
I saw a story today that was something to the effect “worst burgers in America.” Sadly, they were judging by fat and calorie content, not by the quality of the meat or taste.
Zach says
dani says
Okay, so if the proof isn’t in the pudding, then maybe it’s in the marshmallow. At his current height and age, if he’s eating fewer calories, can all say aloud, “Clearly, the fewer-calorie option isn’t working for you, bud!”
Regarding which one “fills him up” more, I would have to say that his body isn’t looking for full. Chewed up marshmallow actually takes up less room in the tummy than a yogurt–questionable ingredients in Yoplait aside. Seriously, I think the real culprit might be “the fat person’s hormones, tastebuds, and addictions.” I can speak from personal experience here, because I have a sugar addiction. Don’t laugh–at least I can admit it. The way it works is this: I can be FULL. Had a great meal: meat & potatoes, side salad with some Italian dressing, maybe even a small roll. But yet, my mind believes that until I’ve had something sweet–usually but not always chocolate–that I’m not satisfied yet. I’m sure there’s something physiological going on too; perhaps insulin levels, etc. However, when I was medically forced to change my diet last October, I went off sweets completely–no sugar in ANYTHING, added or otherwise– that wasn’t naturally occuring in fruit or something (less than 1 added teaspoon of honey per day, usually in my soaked oatmeal) until Christmas. It took awhile, but my body learned how to be satisfied with healthy eating, including grass-fed meats, milk, pastured eggs, etc.
Could it be that the REAL culprit is the same one that it has been all along? Our culture, and the way our foods are prepared, the way we “expect” to eat, the way those infamous diet dictocrats have caused our society to become and think? I’m gonna go with a big hey-YEAH when a 300-lb man thinks a marshmallow is the “healthier” alternative.
chanelle says
The yogurt that this man is using as a comparing with is Yoplait– loaded with sugar in the form of HFCS, sometimes upwards of 40 grams per serving. It’s non-fat and high in sugar, which means it IS going to send your body looking for something else– sugar makes us crave more carbs, and eating non-fat sends our bodies looking for the fat they need. So, I would contend that the yogurt here is not all that much better than the marshmallow.
And, seriously, who gets full from a big marshmallow??
Elizabeth says
Hmmm, I wonder how many calories office paper has in it. I bet I could lose my appetite pretty quickly after just a few sheets. It’s probably even cheaper than the marshmallow!
And I bet it has about the same nutritional profile as the marshmallow, too.
So the real moral of this story is to go out, buy a $3 pack of office paper. It will help you lose weight and lower your grocery budget too. 😉
JenE says
LOL!! Amen, Julie! : )
I’ve read a lot of articles that make me want to “hit the giant buzzer”, but that one takes the cake! Such antiquated health information! I find it difficult to even fully read an article such as that one.
Thanks Kelly for posting about it, and thank you Kay and Kristen for taking the time to put together a good response! All the best to your new WAPF chapter!
Peggy says
“Blame the victim” mentality makes my buzzers go off. “David’s correct when he says the primary culprit in the obesity epidemic
Julie says
“He who eats giant marshmallow will look like giant marshmallow”
Alex at A Moderate Life says
Kel, I am always amazed when a person believes that if a food has lower calories it is “healthier” for you! Calories are simply a measure of energy heat units produced by a food when it is burned and is loosely correlated with how the food will react in your body related to energy.
Sugar is pure energy, but it also creates hormonal changes in your body and creates additional cravings and insulin surges. Calories are not a measure of health when related to food. Nutrient DENSITY is what folks should be looking at!
I can also take his “theory” on low calories in a food and apply it to MANY nutrient dense foods, like dark leafy greens or small amounts of grassfed beef or bone broths. Your body will certainly be more nutritionally satisfied by these foods.
Yes, I am also concerned when a person who obviously has limited knowledge of what is really going on with food tries to speak as an “expert” without examining all facets of the discussion. To point the finger at obese people and say it is THEIR fault when the fault can just as equally lie in the dietary recommendations of the FDA or the USDA and the seductive advertisements of food industry giants.
Great article! Gonna link to this on my Thoughts on Friday! 🙂 alex