Homeschool World Forum

Well yes, that too. Artificial sugars and fats and so on are often hard for people to digest, even if they aren't allergic to them.

Agreed. I'm sure you know of stories of grandparents who ate all fat and lived into their nineties. My grandfather who worked in a lithograph office in Baltimore in the 1930's and 40's. He used to eat lard sandwiches and smoked cigars everyday. Although, vegetables, fruits and healthy starches were a large part of his diet. He died at the age of 93. My husband's grandfather lived in Appalachia as a young man and later in Berea, KY. He worked in the coal mines and saw mills. He ate all that Southern fried food including 3 eggs a day, fried chicken, pork belly, home-grown vegetables, fruits, and healthy starches. He died in 1994 at 97 years old.

There were no fat-free ready-to-eat products. Neither was there an isle in the grocery devoted to potato chips and other fried, vitamin deficient, starchy snacks. I wonder what they ate for snacks? My mom said that her parents and most others could not afford to make or buy cakes, cookies, pies, ice cream, and candy. These were a luxury and were bought by the piece, not by the package. Mom said that obese people were an anomally. Not everyone had cars and many walked. (1930's - 1950's)

I don't think anyone can miss the spiraling rate of obesity?

Cutting back on saturated fats and increasing unsaturated fats is heart healthy. I don't usually eat chicken skin (I'm outnumbered, the men in my house do.), cut extra fat off steak, (Some fat is needed for flavor.), and rarely eat fast food (outnumbered again.) I am not a fan of most fat-free foods. If I can help it, I don't drink skim milk, nor eat fat-free salad dressings, and butter substitutes (might as well eat the bread dry.) Some reduced fat and some lite foods taste good and you can't taste the difference from the fat foods. For some, medical history dictates the need for either some kind of fat or very little saturated fats. You have to watch it, though. In many cases, in order to make a product fat-free, sugar is added or some other ingredient to mimic the taste. Sugar vs. Fat.
It goes back to the same practice. Eat in moderation. Portion control. I can say that until it comes to ice cream.
Eating healthy servings of unsaturated fats: fish, nuts, seeds, olives, vegetable oils, etc... are heart healthy and the fat helps to make you feel full longer. A little too much sugar makes me hungry for more sugar, so I try to limit sugar intake.

Well, sugar increases bacteria growth in your mouth, and an unhealthy mouth is an unhealthy person Salt also has to be used carefully, since too much puts strain on your heart. Fats though? As long as they're naturally occuring fats, they probably won't do much of anything to you. I personally do cut off most of the fat on meat, just because I don't ike the squishy texture, but I'm not going to worry about the fat I do eat. Worry kills you too.

Fast food is of course about the worst thing you can eat (too much salt, full of artificial substances, etc.) but as long as you only eat it once in a while and give your body time to flush in between, I doubt it'll hurt much.

I hear that a little red wine every day prevents aging and extends your life span. Anti-cancer agents or something.