We hate the NY Times

[tikistitch]

We hate the New York Times for many, many reasons, too many to really detail in a single blog entry. Most of all, we hate them for helping to start the Atkins craze with this really stupid article in their magazine.

So we were stunned to pick up the Sunday Times magazine today and actually see a not-stupid article about nutrition by Michael Pollan (author of The Omnivore's Dilemma), Unhappy Meals.

We're about halfway through so far, and still haven't had to stop and wipe Teh Stupid out of our eyes (a constant problem when reading diet and nutrition advice from the mainstream media). And check out this quote:

But if nutritionism leads to a kind of false consciousness in the mind of the eater, the ideology can just as easily mislead the scientist. Most nutritional science involves studying one nutrient at a time, an approach that even nutritionists who do it will tell you is deeply flawed. “The problem with nutrient-by-nutrient nutrition science,” points out Marion Nestle, the New York University nutritionist, “is that it takes the nutrient out of the context of food, the food out of the context of diet and the diet out of the context of lifestyle.”

Yup. We actually found ourselves *nodding*. And, we've actually done real actual scientific studies on nutrition (it's a long story, but we looked at some of the effects of a low fat diet on some of the participants in the Women's Health Initiative, which is also mentioned in the article).

Here's the scenario: researchers will find an obscure tribe in the Galapagos who consume a lot roly-poly fish heads in their diet and live to be 110. So, other scientists get mashed up Extract o' Fish Heads in a pill and feed it to a group of smokers, hoping it will somehow prevent lung cancer. (We exaggerate, of course, but it's not that far off.) Then, six years later, after an awful lot of money has been spent, said researchers will have to call off the study when the fish head pill consumers are found to suddenly have 100X the lung cancer rate of the controls. Everyone, of course, having ignored the fact that roly-poly fish head eaters live hardscrabble lives as fishermen whereas the pill-poppers mostly sit on their couches and click remote controls.

But, you can't get a grant from NIH from telling people, "Eat your vegetables."

New York Times, we've almost forgiven you for Atkins.

Almost.

Comments

[meekorouse.livejournal.com]

seanyoda ever show you what we got in our Fruit Loops (there's some serious irony there)

Stitch pedometer! =) Battery isn't replacable so we aren't using it yet. (I was so sure I'd get the Chicken Little one! bleh)

of course the true way to lose weight and be healthy is to not buy the Fruit Loops at all and see if they can offer them in something like Kashi (which we get all the time). =)

I don't like roly-poly fish heads.. and still not sure whether eating that fish oil pills is worth it. I got more health issues than just that (like passing out in deep sleep while hubby is on a conference call).

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Oooh, yes, 'twas Mr. Tiki's Kwanzaa gift to me:

http://tikistitch.livejournal.com/523202.html

I keep getting the Mickey Mouse one in the boxes. We keep the boxes and mostly give the cereal away to kids.

[toast-ghost.livejournal.com]

Random comment, but Tiki, I am curious. Did you happen to get my e-mails?

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Ooo, no forgot to check my gmail....

SQUEEE!

I will reply!

=)

[meekorouse.livejournal.com]

giving sugar cereal away is a good idea (don't know any kids though) but as it is Sean already opened the bag this morning (neat thing about cereal prize is that it's not actually IN the bag of cereal but on top of the bag in the box).

[avalonjones.livejournal.com]

(sings) Fish heads, fish heads, roly-poly fish heads... Fish heads, fish heads, eat them up, YUM!

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

My work here is done.....

[middle-savagery.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I read some of that article the other day--not bad. Makes me sorta want to read the book.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

He was pretty good on Colbert a couple weeks ago. In case you haven't read it already, Fast Food Nation is also quite good, though I can't personally vouch for any of the research there.

[jabberwockypie.livejournal.com]

*sigh* People are always going to look for an easy way to lose weight and be healthy, aren't they? I know I'm heavy. I also know that the most effective way to do anything about it is to cut out certain foods (like sugar) and move around more.

And I am beyond sick of hearing about surgeries for making you eat less. Let's think for a minute here. Major abdominal surgery or self control? Hmmm. That's a tricky one.

AND I would kill Dr. Atkins myself if he wasn't already dead.

According to his blog, Neil Gaiman is on a diet, too. He calls it the "The Don't Eat So Bloody Much and Would It Kill You To Take A Walk Now And Again Diet", which sounds like a good idea to me. (I've been eating more salads and I started taking the stairs at school, which adds up to like 12 flights of stairs two days a week and even that seems to be having some effect in a pretty short time.)

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Since I actually met Gaiman not too long ago, I think he's one of those people who goes from "way skinny" to "just skinny." But, I basically agree with his dieting philosophy. What makes me sad are those 400+ lb people you see at WalMart or Safeway riding around on the scooter thingies. I always wanna scream, "You're only making it WORSE!"