The Religion of Nutrition

[BadassBlues]

I am a foodie. Next to sex, eating is one of the greatest joys in life. I watch all of the top food shows and I love to cook. Bobby Flay and Alton Brown are two of my favorites. Alton Brown is particularly interesting because he delves into the science of cooking. I eat a very diverse range of foods and pretty much eat whatever I want. Overall, I eat a low carb diet consisting of fish, beef, chicken, some pork (bacon is pure heaven) and a wide range of low glycemic index carbohydrates. I go for fresh, quality foods and avoid most all pre packaged processed stuff. I will admit to not eating enough vegetables and fruit because I don't like most of it, I do try however. This is my daily routine.

I will also admit to having a soft spot for a good cheeseburger and fries. Cheesecake, kettle corn and doughnuts are my only real sweet cravings. I limit myself to these treats to occasional indulgences. My only real downfall is red wine, I am a wino An unapologetic one...

In some people's eyes, I am a heathen, a sinner who needs to atone for my wicked ways. You know who they are, they are the nutritional missionaries on a quest to baptize the planet and preach to everyone that they are the one true source of nutritional salvation.

We have the Vegetarians, Vegans, Keto, Paleo, Carnivores, and a plethora of others who each believe that they are superior to everyone else because of what they choose to eat. They will each tell you, without having to be asked mind you, that you are wrong, and you need to come into the light. We all know "that person" who at a party, or gathering will comment on what everyone is eating, judging every sinful bite you take. I usually like to grab a chicken wing slathered in sauce and munch on it in front of them while watching them lose their mind.

This polarization has become so bad, I fear that we are close to a dietary civil war. If that happens, I predict the outcome to be as so:

The vegans will be the first to go as they will be eaten by the carnivores. The vegetarians may last a bit longer due to some protein, but plant based protein is inferior to animal protein, and they will also be eaten by the carnivores. The Keto group will put up a great fight, but ultimately fall to the carnivores as well due to having to pause to count their macros. The Mediterranean crowd would be spared as they just seem to be more like Sweden and don't really get involved in other people's business. This leaves the final showdown between the Carnivores and the Paleos. Beasts versus cavemen. Of this match, I cannot with accuracy predict the winner...

Who do you think wins this one?

Meanwhile, I will be sitting on the sidelines watching the action munching a bag of kettle corn while enjoying a nice bottle of Cabernet

"The man ate bacon at every meal.. you can't do that!"

 

[FunkOdyssey]

I think the paleo guys are slowed down by plant toxins, bloating and indigestion from all the vegetable and nut fiber they consume, so they get eaten by the carnivores also.

The battle I am most interested in is playing out right now on social media between pure carnivores and Paul Saladino style fruit-eating carnivores. They agree on 95% of everything, but that last 5% regarding the effects of whole food forms of sugar on human health is the battlefield they're dying on. I bounce around between these two forms of the diet so it is personally very relevant.

I also drink plenty of red wine by the way. Pinot noir is my favorite.

 

[Gman86]

Man, wish I could respond in detail like I want to rn lol, but unfortunately at the gym. Love this post tho

I know some people here might think I’m pretty dogmatic with my views on nutrition and food, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. All I’m concerned with is what’s healthiest for us. Idc if that’s meat, veggies, peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, oreos, grains, etc. All I care about is what’s healthiest for us, and what’s gonna make our bodies function their best, and decrease/ prevent all cause mortality/ chronic illness

but overall, my two main goals in life are to be as happy as humanly possible, and to help others be as happy as humanly possible. So I care way more about people being happy, than what they eat. I personally don’t care what other people eat tbh. What they eat doesn’t usually affect me. It can only affect me if people close to me are eating like crap and then are moody and irritable and not that great to be around. But most people aren’t in my personal life on a daily basis, so 99% of people I couldn’t care less what they eat. All I try to do is teach others what foods are good for them, and what foods are causing them problems, and as long as they‘re aware of all that, I really don’t care what they eat. I just want everyone to do and eat whatever makes them the happiest. I think who people choose to have sex with is a personal choice, and what they choose to put in their mouth is a personal choice, and I dont judge people for either.

It’s just hard sometimes for me to see people struggling with their protocols, and/ or moods, and/ or sexual function, and claim they eat healthy, but then when u see what they’re eating it couldn’t be further from the truth, and they have no idea how much their poor diet is effecting all these things. So all I care about is giving them the knowledge to be able to change what they need to change, in order to improve their lives, in all aspects, and then they honestly can do whatever they want with it. Like I said, what they eat doesn’t affect me and how I feel and function. And I have no personal beliefs or moral agendas when it comes to food. And if tomorrow I find out another way to eat is healthier than an animal based diet as the foundation, I’ll switch up my views so fckn quick it will make everyone’s head spin lol. I couldn’t care less what people label each way of eating. Literally all I care about is what works, what‘s gonna make the body function at its best, and what foods mess with it and hurt its overall function. But again, what I care about way more is everyone’s overall happiness. So if someone is eating like crap, but is happy, being a good person, and treating others well, I say keep eating however ur eating

 

[Gman86]

I think the paleo guys are slowed down by plant toxins, bloating and indigestion from all the vegetable and nut fiber they consume, so they get eaten by the carnivores also.

The battle I am most interested in is playing out right now on social media between pure carnivores and Paul Saladino style fruit-eating carnivores. They agree on 95% of everything, but that last 5% regarding the effects of whole food forms of sugar on human health is the battlefield they're dying on. I bounce around between these two forms of the diet so it is personally very relevant.

I also drink plenty of red wine by the way. Pinot noir is my favorite.

yup, I’m in this camp as well. I currently do as close to full carnivore as I can, just with added carbs from white rice, honey and fruit, due to convenience, the fact that it saves me money to get some of my calories from these carb sources vs all meat and fat, and the fact that I can put on more muscle eating carbs.

but I also am trying to make heads or tails about what is actually best for us. What Paul Saladino is doing vs what Dr Anthony Chaffee, Dr Shane baker, and dr Ken Berry is doing, for a few good examples of doctors that do full carnivore, that have great heads on their shoulders, and I value their opinions greatly

 

[Gman86]

@BadassBlues its actually a good think u don’t like veggies btw. Veggies are overall bad for the human body, and cause a net negative as far as how it functions. The plant toxins can cause a host of problems, as well as the anti-nutrients in them, and the high fiber content can also cause issues in some people. My ex, for example, pretty much cleared up all her chronic digestive issues just from cutting out veggies. She couldn’t believe it

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Man, wish I could respond in detail like I want to rn lol, but unfortunately at the gym. Love this post tho

I know some people here might think I’m pretty dogmatic with my views on nutrition and food, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. All I’m concerned with is what’s healthiest for us. Idc if that’s meat, veggies, peanut butter and jelly sandwhiches, oreos, grains, etc. All I care about is what’s healthiest for us, and what’s gonna make our bodies function their best, and decrease/ prevent all cause mortality/ chronic illness

but overall, my two main goals in life are to be as happy as humanly possible, and to help others be as happy as humanly possible. So I care way more about people being happy, than what they eat. I personally don’t care what other people eat tbh. What they eat doesn’t usually affect me. It can only affect me if people close to me are eating like crap and then are moody and irritable and not that great to be around. But most people aren’t in my personal life on a daily basis, so 99% of people I couldn’t care less what they eat. All I try to do is teach others what foods are good for them, and what foods are causing them problems, and as long as they‘re aware of all that, I really don’t care what they eat. I just want everyone to do and eat whatever makes them the happiest. I think who people choose to have sex with is a personal choice, and what they choose to put in their mouth is a personal choice, and I dont judge people for either.

It’s just hard sometimes for me to see people struggling with their protocols, and/ or moods, and/ or sexual function, and claim they eat healthy, but then when u see what they’re eating it couldn’t be further from the truth, and they have no idea how much their poor diet is effecting all these things. So all I care about is giving them the knowledge to be able to change what they need to change, in order to improve their lives, in all aspects, and then they honestly can do whatever they want with it. Like I said, what they eat doesn’t affect me and how I feel and function. And I have no personal beliefs or moral agendas when it comes to food. And if tomorrow I find out another way to eat is healthier than an animal based diet as the foundation, I’ll switch up my views so fckn quick it will make everyone’s head spin lol. I couldn’t care less what people label each way of eating. Literally all I care about is what works, what‘s gonna make the body function at its best, and what foods mess with it and hurt its overall function.

I agree with basically everything you said. I don't judge people eating differently than me and I don't offer unsolicited dietary advice, although it can be difficult when you see people suffering and its obviously related to their diet. I usually only talk about it when someone notices I'm eating only meat and asks me why.

I have personally tried almost every possible diet, including whole-food plant-based veganism. There's nothing ideological about my approach -- like you, it is strictly about what makes me feel and function optimally. I would also switch to a radically different diet if it would make me feel better, but that seems unlikely since I have exhausted most alternatives. Maybe if my digestion changed in some fundamental way I would want to revisit things.

 

[Gman86]

There is actual real data on how bad fructose is for us, in moderate to high amounts tho. And from what I’ve read and heard, it doesn’t seem debatable.

As a personal anecdote, I stopped adding honey to my 3 meals each day, and within a couple weeks my triglycerides went from 100 to 30. Which doesnt definitively prove that a moderate to high fructose intake is bad for us, but it does reinforce the things I’ve read and heard, and is what I expected to happen. I just didn’t think it would drop so much. Obv pleasantly surprised tho

as far as a standard lipid panel goes, a person‘s HDL to triglyceride ratio is the single most important predictor of their overall cardiovascular status/ risk. So a drop like that in triglycerides is absolutely huge

 

[FunkOdyssey]

There is actual real data on how bad fructose is for us, in moderate to high amounts tho. And from what I’ve read and heard, it doesn’t seem debatable.

As a personal anecdote, I stopped adding honey to my 3 meals each day, and within a couple weeks my triglycerides went from 100 to 30. Which doesnt definitely prove that a moderate to high fructose intake is bad for us, but it does reinforce the things I’ve read and heard, and is what I expected to happen. I just didn’t think it would drop so much. Obv pleasantly surprised tho

Do you still eat fruit? I don't do honey as I find it is bad for my dental health. I think relative to fruit, honey is far more concentrated sugar and easier to overdose on.

 

[Gman86]

I agree with basically everything you said. I don't judge people eating differently than me and I don't offer unsolicited dietary advice, although it can be difficult when you see people suffering and its obviously related to their diet. I usually only talk about it when someone notices I'm eating only meat and asks me why.

I have personally tried almost every possible diet, including whole-food plant-based veganism. There's nothing ideological about my approach -- like you, it is strictly about what makes me feel and function optimally. I would also switch to a radically different diet if it would make me feel better, but that seems unlikely since I have exhausted most alternatives. Maybe if my digestion changed in some fundamental way I would want to revisit things.

I feel the exact same way, basically to a T. Imo, an animal based diet, at least as a foundation, is the healthiest way to eat, and that will never change. Simply because our bodies aren’t going to change anytime soon. There’s a reason why u can find an infinite amount of vids on YouTube about someone going from vegan/ vegetarianism to carnivore, but will never find a vid of someone going from carnivore to vegan/ vegetarianism. It’s because once u find an animal based diet, u feel and function optimally, and it all makes perfect sense why. So nobody is going to figure out how to feel and function optimally, and want to switch to something else. Plus, the same mindset that gets most people to become vegetarian, is the mindset that gets people to become carnivore/ animal based. So a ton of carnivores have explored all other diets, just like u, and realize that its very difficult to indefinitely feel good on a vegan/ vegetarian diet, and extremely easy to on a carnivore/ animal based diet

i view veganism the same way I view religion. The more u delve into it, the more it doesn’t make sense. Whilst a carnivore diet is the opposite. The more u delve into it, the more it makes sense why it works so well. And this is just going to continue the more and more info comes out about a carnivore/ animal based diet

 

[Gman86]

Do you still eat fruit? I don't do honey as I find it is bad for my dental health. I think relative to fruit, honey is far more concentrated sugar and easier to overdose on.

I do. I eat fruit after each meal, like a dessert. But I’m finding the exact same thing as u. Honey is too concentrated, imo. I only use it post workout in my shake 3/ week. Around 40g each time.

I’ve been big into dehydrating steak recently. Basically making beef jerky, but I make it so it’s crunchy, like a chip. But I added a honey glaze to a batch recently, and eating that batch has given me slight pain in one of my teeth. Nothing crazy, and it’s already gone. I just get it slightly sometimes when I eat sugary stuff that’s too concentrated, and chewy. I sometimes get the same from dried fruit, specifically dried mangos. And Ive gotten it from dates before. So I’m trying to stay away from concentrated forms of chewy sugar, or just concentrated forms like honey, as much as I can. I can tell it’s going to lead to teeth issues in the long run if I eat that stuff on a regular basis. When I avoid that stuff I have zero teeth issues or pain

 

[FunkOdyssey]

I do. I eat fruit after each meal, like a dessert. But I’m finding the exact same thing as u. Honey is too concentrated, imo. I only use it post workout in my shake 3/ week. Around 40g each time.

I’ve been big into dehydrating steak recently. Basically making beef jerky, but I make it so it’s crunchy, like a chip. But I added a honey glaze to a batch recently, and eating that batch has given me slight pain in one of my teeth. Nothing crazy, and it’s already gone. I just get it slightly sometimes when I eat sugary stuff that’s too concentrated, and chewy. I sometimes get the same from dried fruit, specifically dried mangos. And Ive gotten it from dates before. So I’m trying to stay away from concentrated forms of chewy sugar, or just concentrated forms like honey, as much as I can. I can tell it’s going to lead to teeth issues in the long run if I eat that stuff on a regular basis. When I avoid that stuff I have zero teeth issues or pain

Yep, same exact experiences with dried fruit and honey. Not good for the teeth. My staple fruits are melons (cantaloupe, honeydew) and cara cara oranges, which are the least acidic citrus fruit. These are also low FODMAP, easy to digest and a great source of potassium. I'll have some coconut water also after workouts.

 

[FunkOdyssey]

Dinner last night:

My idea of a balanced meal. I've been doing this for 4 years now and I've averaged at least one 16+ oz ribeye per day, which means I've eaten at least 1,500 lbs of ribeye steak over that period.

 

[BadassBlues]

Dinner last night:

View attachment 38057
My idea of a balanced meal. I've been doing this for 4 years now and I've averaged at least one 16+ oz ribeye per day, which means I've eaten at least 1,500 lbs of ribeye steak over that period.

Nice bottle of Zin...

 

[Gman86]

Yep, same exact experiences with dried fruit and honey. Not good for the teeth. My staple fruits are melons (cantaloupe, honeydew) and cara cara oranges, which are the least acidic citrus fruit. These are also low FODMAP, easy to digest and a great source of potassium. I'll have some coconut water also after workouts.

Ya we’re like the same person lol. While it’s in season I eat 90% watermelon as my fruit source. But I also do honeydews and cantaloupe. Melons basically cover 99.99% of the fruit I eat, again, when in season. Love pretty much all fruit tho. I don’t discriminate. I just prefer melons due to the taste, texture, good bang for ur buck, and I like that they have a thick rind. I know pesticides still get into the fruit, but I’m hoping less get in the flesh than other fruits. I‘d eat more of a variety of fruits if they all weren’t covered in pesticides. Can’t afford to eat all organic, unfortunately.

and I sip on coconut water with some extra Celtic sea salt while I workout, and if there’s any left when I’m done, I throw it in my post workout protein shake

 

[BadassBlues]

Ya we’re like the same person lol. While it’s in season I eat 90% watermelon as my fruit source. But I also do honeydews and cantaloupe. Melons basically cover 99.99% of the fruit I eat, again, when in season. Love pretty much all fruit tho. I don’t discriminate. I just prefer melons due to the taste, texture, good bang for ur buck, and I like that they have a thick rind. I know pesticides still get into the fruit, but I’m hoping less get in the flesh than other fruits. I‘d eat more of a variety of fruits if they all weren’t covered in pesticides. Can’t afford to eat all organic, unfortunately.

and I sip on coconut water with some extra Celtic sea salt while I workout, and if there’s any left when I’m done, I throw it in my post workout protein shake

I do like watermelon, with salt... Allergic to cantaloup though.

 

[Gman86]

I do like watermelon, with salt... Allergic to cantaloup though.

Watermelon and honeydew are both better than cantaloupe, imo, ur not missing too much lol. Are u allergic to honeydew as well? I feel like they’re extremely similar fruits

and I’ve heard of people putting salt on it. Apparently putting lemon on it is all the rage atm. Got to try it to see what all the hype is about

 

[BadassBlues]

Watermelon and honeydew are both better than cantaloupe, imo, ur not missing too much lol. Are u allergic to honeydew as well? I feel like they’re extremely similar fruits

and I’ve heard of people putting salt on it. Apparently putting lemon on it is all the rage atm. Got to try it to see what all the hype is about

Try your Celtic salt on a nice fresh piece of watermelon... Not too much, just enough to give it a kick! When I was kid I would eat all the way down to the rind. That white part is real tangy

 

[Blackhawk]

People live long and healthy eating varied diets, and people die young and sick eating varied diets.

Personally, I avoid processed manufactured foods, eat organic, wild caught, free range, etc. Beyond that, I know what works for me, and I don't care what you think about it, go judge someone else.

I find most of the online nutrition/food hype gurus, influencers, and zealots hyperbolic.

Krikey. Eat good naturally occurring foods be mindful of how they affect you, and be happy. There's way too much food stress and diet based self righteousness in this health optimization world.

 

[Gman86]

Try your Celtic salt on a nice fresh piece of watermelon... Not too much, just enough to give it a kick! When I was kid I would eat all the way down to the rind. That white part is real tangy

Will try it right after breakfast!

 

[Gman86]

People live long and healthy eating varied diets, and people die young and sick eating varied diets.

Personally, I avoid processed manufactured foods, eat organic, wild caught, free range, etc. Beyond that, I know what works for me, and I don't care what you think about it, go judge someone else.

I find most of the online nutrition/food hype gurus, influencers, and zealots hyperbolic.

Krikey. Eat good naturally occurring foods be mindful of how they affect you, and be happy. There's way too much food stress and diet based self righteousness in this health optimization world.

This thread is literally about the opposite of judging people based on what they eat. I think I can speak for everyone that’s commented in this thread so far and say that all we care about is finding the best balance between foods that make us feel and function optimally, and foods that make us happy. Whether that’s because they’re healthy for us and boost mood, or whether they bring us mouth pleasure, or whether they allow us to enjoy social settings and time with loved ones more, or whether they make our lives more convenient, or whether it makes us happier to buy cheaper sources of calories, and save that money for other things in life that will bring us more happiness than eating more expensive/ healthier foods. There’s many ways food can improve happiness, and everyone in this thread is a proponent of doing what overall makes u the happiest, as far as I can tell. Like I said, the complete opposite of judging others based on what they’re eating. Providing knowledge and correcting misinformation about what’s healthy for the body is very different than judging people on what they eat and telling them they need to eat a certain way. Me, and others here couldn’t care less what people choose to eat. I personally just want to correct misinformation, and then let each individual do whatever makes them happy.

I personally find that the YouTube influencers that I follow, that focus on diet and health, are the same exact way. They only care about getting the correct info out to people, and empowering everyone to live long and happy lives, free from chronic illness and premature death. Obv premature death is an ambiguous term, but u know what I mean. Dying roughly 10-30+ years earlier than a person needs to. But none of them put people down for eating differently than they do. Now people that want everyone to do what they do, and believe what they believe, are extremely annoying, we can absolutely agree on that. Whether it’s people wanting everyone to believe in the same god as they do, and follow the same religion, or whether it’s people that want everyone to follow the same diet as they do

and ur absolutely correct, people can live long healthy lives eating many different diets, and many different foods on a regular basis. A person can live a long healthy and happy life eating vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, fruitarian, keto, carnivore, paleo, etc. The main reason for this is that they all cut out processed junkfoods, for the most part, or cut them out completely. Is a carnivore diet more optimal for overall health than a vegan diet, absolutely 100%. There’s no debating that, imo. But at the end of the day, I truly think people should just do whatever makes them the happiest. If they’re feeling good and their overall happiness is where they like it to be, I say don’t change a thing, and continue eating however u want.