#(for context i absolutely CANNOT process fructose.)

[queer-ghosts]

i´ve eaten an entire apple, wish me luck ToT

[as8bakwthesage]

Fatness, Fatphobia, and the Myth of Fat = Unhealthy

Can we talk about the concept of fatness and the correlation of unhealthiness without inherently demonising fat people?

Let me explain so I don’t get people claiming I’m fatphobic.

Americans have an obesity problem. But one of the only reasons why it’s a problem is because we tend to see a high rate of health complications with them. Now, while there are some genuine health complications that can come with being morbidly obese (movement limitations, joint issues, skin conditions), you don’t tend to notice these “fat people are unhealthy” folks talk to a skinny person about their weight when they go to the doctor and say “I have high cholesterol/diabetes/etc.”

But the first thing a doctor says to a fat person? “Have you tried losing weight?”

Furthermore, Americans have a highly unhealthy lifestyle just in general. From the food we eat to the lack of public transport and sidewalks to encourage walking and exercise, Americans are kind of stuck with the issue of “if I have to get anywhere, I will need a car.” And any exercise a person gets, they need to go to a Gym or out of their way to do so.

The food here is not much better. The absolute inflation of fast food chains to the additives and additional fat and high fructose corn syrup in food that other countries have made illegal to add in food is not healthy whatsoever. And also, eating healthy is fucking expensive in this country and most people don’t even make enough to pay rent on their own, let alone buy fresh vegetables or fruits, meat and dairy products like milk or eggs. And then we get into fast food chains, where some people are so tired from work or don’t have the time to prepare food that they end up buying fast food, which also contains all the crap listed above.

Poor people are basically forced to eat crap either way (unless you know how to budget really well, but most people don’t have the time or don’t have the skills to. Or at the very worst and probably most uncommon, lazy, which yeah, I get that. Why do I need to spend time budgeting for fucking FOOD when I should be able to just AFFORD THE FUCKING FOOD.)

So this comes to my thesis that I’d say most people who follow me already know - being fat is not inherently bad/unhealthy just as being skinny is not inherently good/healthy.

I think either way, the reason why obesity gets brought up so much in this contexts when discussing health issues and the obesity problem in the states is solely because we are correlating issues (fatness = unhealthy, therefor a problem) when that is not necessarily the case.

It’s perfectly reasonable to say that you can be overweight or fat and be healthy. You can eat well and exercise and you’d be fine in most cases. But we also need to consider metabolism as well. Different people have different metabolisms which affects how their digestive system processes food. I have a friend who is REALLY skinny but only because her metabolism is stupidly fast and I have a friend who is fat and her metabolism is slow, despite the fact that she eats relatively healthy.

Some people will loose weight when they exercise and some people won’t and that’s okay. So long as people are making sure they get a balanced diet and are exercising routinely, it doesn’t really matter.

But whoops, here comes the controversial hat out. Buckle up kids. There is only one group of fat people I genuinely cannot stand and have problems with.

I don’t care how skinny or fat you are, but if you are recording yourself as a morbidly obese and eating the worst possible fast food in the world for the purpose of gaining more weight, you are not doing yourself any favours. The risks of eating high fat and sugar foods are very well documented and even so, it’s harder to move as a fat person too (unless you exercise and are active) which can cause chronic pain and other issues.

You do not gain anything by being proud of the fact that you gain weight.

I know why people do this. For one, fat people are in a fatphobic society that views them as disgusting creatures, so I understand wanting to gain back some ground and be proud of your weight. But this is not the way to do it. You don’t own skinny people by eating foods that will slowly kill anyone who eats it so you can gain more weight.

And the other reason is inflation fetish. Which uh, I’m not about to judge your weird fetishes, I like drinking blood, but no. It’s a fetish that will diminish your quality of life and you will face health complications that will make your life miserable. You loose mobility, you cause strain on your joints as our bodies aren’t designed to hold up so much weight. And that’s just the morbid obesity part. The truly unhealthy part is that you are just ingesting crap, regardless of how much you weigh.

While it’s true that eating more causes you to gain more weight and that happens for evolutionary reasons, a person should not be trying to make themselves morbidly obese.

These are the only fat people I have a problem with. Everyone else is valid and you don’t have to lose or gain anymore weight than you already have, you just need to exercise and eat healthy, regardless of how much you weigh.

But that’s, again, complicated by the fact that the food industry is stupidly expensive and exercise is so hard to do when the only way to get to places is by driving and you need to go out of your way and spend a lot of time just to exercise.

And yet again, we don’t see criticisms of unhealthiness slung at skinny people even if they too don’t exercise or eat healthy. I mean, it’s obvious why. It’s just fatphobia. You don’t like fat people, you can’t stand them for some fucking reason, and you mask your hate by telling fat people they need to “loose weight to be healthy” you concern-trolling little shits.

I think the issue we should be focusing on is not on ‘obesity = unhealthy’ but rather ‘obesity = poverty’ because a lot of fat people are poor. And that needs to fucking change. Like we elaborated above, most people can’t afford healthy food or don’t have the time to exercise because of exhaustion from criminally long hours and lack of time in the day, alongside affordable gyms.

I feel like we’d see a lot less of an “obesity problem” in America if actual social change was implemented. The focus should be on ‘lack of exercise and healthy food because of poverty = unhealthy’.

But the government and companies aren’t ready to have that discussion because it would mean undermining their own power by giving people welfare benefits, unions, walkable and bikable cities/public transportation, and affordable housing- WHOOPS I’VE COME BACK TO CRITIQUING CAPITALISM. YOU THOUGHT YOU COULD ESCAPE ME, BUT YOU WERE WRONG-

The point of this essay was basically: you don’t need to be skinny to be fit, shit’s unaffordable, and capitalism bad.

[suitairbus3-blog]

How to Talk Rationally about Sugar

Sugar still seems to be everyone’s favorite boogeyman, so I thought with January and “diet season” coming up, I’d put together a quick post with my thoughts on the topic.

But first, fans of the movie The Princess Bride should get a kick out of my favorite meme of all time:

There is a lot of confusion and misinformation out there about sugar. When you say the word sugar to just about anyone, they envision the white granulated stuff. I see even other registered dietitians, who are arguably well-educated in food science, posting blog recipes that contain honey as being “sugar free.”

It makes me want to pull my hair out!

Let’s go over some basic food science, shall we?

Carbohydrates ALL contain sugar and can be divided into three categories:

The first two are molecularly “smaller”, and commonly referred to as “sugars” or “simple carbohydrates”:

1. MONOSACCHARIDES (single sugars): glucose (aka blood-sugar), fructose, and galactose.

2. DISACCHARIDES (contain two sugars bonded): sucrose (glucose + fructose) and lactose (glucose + galactose) are examples.

The third category are carbohydrates that are larger, and commonly referred to as “complex carbohydrates”:

3. POLYSACCHARIDES (contain many glucose molecules bonded): starch and cellulose (an insoluble fiber) are examples.

Disaccharides and polysaccharides cannot be directly used by the body and must be broken down into monosaccharides. The body helps out with the breakdown of disaccharides by producing enzymes like sucrase and lactase, and produces amylase to help breakdown starch. Unlike cows and other ruminants, humans do not produce cellulase, so we are incapable of breaking down cellulose.

That means pretty much any carb you eat that is not cellulose, is broken down into SIMPLE SUGAR.

^^^^Re-read this several times and drill it into your head so you can giggle when celebrities and bloggers go on “sugar free” diets.

So what exactly IS the much-maligned white granulated stuff? It’s merely sucrose, a disaccharide containing both glucose and fructose. Sucrose, the white granulated stuff, is also found in ripe fruit, root vegetables, and honey.

When sugar cane or sugar beets are refined by humans into the white granulated stuff, all that is left is the pure sucrose, without any of the nutrients from the plant. I’ll be referring to this product as white table sugar from here on out. It’s not a great food – it has absolutely no nutritive value other than carbohydrates – but it’s NOT THE BOOGEYMAN. It can be used wisely in the context of a nutrient-dense diet.

How did we get into this mess where people are afraid to eat fruit and where white table sugar is being compared to cocaine?

When sugar fear-mongers criticize white table sugar, you’ll see the products they’re criticizing often contain far more than just white table sugar.

Donuts: Enriched white flour, industrial oils, and sugar. Cookies: Enriched white flour, industrial oils, and sugar. Cake: Enriched white flour, industrial oils, and sugar. Processed foods in general: Enriched white flour, industrial oils, and sugar.

Is sugar really the problem here?

When you read about people going “sugar free” and seeing such miraculous changes in their health, here’s what’s happening:

A.) They’re eating better. They’ve cut out all those processed foods that contain sugar, but that also contain industrial oils that can be inflammatory, and enriched white flour (starch), which can also be inflammatory. If they’re eating more whole foods, they’re likely getting a ton more micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) as well.

AND/OR

B.) They’ve gone too low carb and their body has responded by increasing stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol. The human body is super smart. Cells need sugar (glucose) so badly, that the body has mechanisms to get it when times are tough, or when humans try something silly like purposefully going low carb. It’s called gluconeogenesis – your body will break down your own tissues (muscles, glands, skin, etc.) to produce sugar. This is a stressful, inefficient way of getting sugar into your cells to create energy.

But you know what? It feels good! Stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol are meant to be used in emergencies. They pull blood sugar up, create instant energy, clear airways, and are anti-inflammatory. Think about Epi-pens, cortisone shots and cream, and prednisone. They’re all in the same class of hormones as adrenaline and cortisol (glucocorticoids). They make you feel better. But, even your doctor will tell you, you’re not supposed to stay on glucocorticoids long-term because of the adverse side effects.

So you go off sugar/carbs and your joints feel better, achiness goes away, allergies and rashes go away – but at what cost?

Your immune system tanks, you lose muscle and cartilage (increasing your risk of injury), and your skin starts to look like you’ve aged 10 years.

What’s the alternative? Go back to feeling like crap?

No. Teach your body how to properly deal with sugar and other carbohydrates.

I work with clients to improve their sugar (glucose) metabolism. Specifically, how to improve their liver’s ability to store glucose and improve their cellular uptake of glucose.

Want some quick, free advice? Eat more potassium-rich carbohydrates and eat at least 80g protein and a day. And DO NOT think of sugar free and low carb diets as a solution, because they’re not. They’re just a Band-Aid covering up a problem.

Want to learn more more about what I do? Schedule a free call HERE.

Source: http://www.wholehealthrd.com/how-to-talk-rationally-about-sugar/