This has been such a fun weekend! My sister drove up from Indiana, and we had such a fun time catching up, running outside in the gorgeous Michigan fall weather, and visiting the beach.
I also had my first experience with substitute teaching on Friday, and I have to say that teaching math classes is a lot more fun than taking them. I told my classes that algebra is the most useful math for anyone who wants to go into a science-related field. [I’m not sure they agreed with me].
Did anyone see this article about a nutrition professor (Mark Haub) from Kansas State University who is going on a high-calorie, high-fat food diet to determine if we should be more concerned with weight rather than the foods we eat: "If we lose weight, this diet should be viewed as healthy." Haub theorizes that foods we think are healthy may be unhealthy while junk food may have some benefits. He later plans to gain weight by eating foods touted as healthy, such as fruits and vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
First of all, I could answer his question without subjecting my body to a multitude of processed poisons, and I would definitely say that the food we eat is just as important as weight loss for health. Other problems I have with Haub’s little experiment:
- Although Haub has lost some weight, he reported increased triglycerides, cholesterol and blood pressure…that doesn’t sound like a beneficial aspect of eating junk food to me.
- The reason why Haub has lost weight is likely related to his dietary goal of 1800 calories/day…if you decrease the number of calories you eat, you will lose weight, regardless if the calories are from junk food. This does not mean that eating junk food is healthful!
- The same goes for his reverse experiment of eating health foods and gaining weight. It’s a matter of calories. If you eat an excess of grains, fruit, and vegetables, you will also gain weight. It doesn’t mean that these foods should not be considered healthful!
- Haub cites another advantage of his experiment is that he will be saving money. I’m not sure where he shops, but regardless, healthcare costs resulting from disease will overshadow any lunch money savings.
In my opinion, Haub is trying to garner media attention by practicing poor science, which is pretty unfortunate. As a nutrition scientist and registered dietitian, I think his behavior is irresponsible and a disgrace to those actually doing credible research. Thoughts, anyone?
Instead of eating Twinkies, Taub should make this super easy Tuscan salad: tomatoes, feta cheese, and white beans with any type of lettuce. Eating all that junk food has probably rotted some of his brain cells already.
All in all, it was a beautiful weekend…hope everyone is enjoying fall, and congrats to everyone who ran Chicago today!
p.s. I really want a Polaroid camera.
