I have to admit I don't eat my suggested portion sizes of fruits and vegetables each day. Well, maybe some days, but I don't think they count if they've been battered, deep fried, and slathered with gravy, then washed down with Pepsi. Do Jolly Roger candies count as "fruit"? At the very least I should eat the sort of well-rounded diet I force my young children to eat.
I could do better for myself. I remember when a coworker of mine went on a very successful diet a couple years ago. He lost a zillion pounds and has kept it off. Just watching him it seemed to me that his diet consisted of constantly eating bananas and apples. The sugar ants loved his office (which is now mine. And, yes, they still poke around in there, no doubt salivating over fond memories of fruit). Apparently my coworker also supplemented with large quantities of vegetables. I remember thinking he ate like a friggin' ape.
Well, some folks in
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/magazine/6248975.stm
A dietician and BBC producers set up a tent next to the ape exhibit at an English zoo, then found 9 suckers – I mean "test subjects" – to sit in the tent for 11 days eating a balanced diet of nothing but raw fruit and vegetables with occasional nuts and honey, similar to the apes, plus a tad bit of cooked fish (to simulate the hunter-gatherer lifestyle of our ancestors), then sat back and watched what the effects would be, physically and mentally. The producers expected the test subjects to be bothered (making for good film), but in fact, after the caffeine withdrawal wore off, they were quite content and had more food than they could eat.
One bloke had hardly eaten fruit or vegetables his entire life. Boy was he surprised, but he learned to like it and has since changed his eating habits, like most of the test subjects. In fact, on average, the contestants significantly lowered their cholesterol and blood pressure, had more energy, and even lost weight.
The only drawback, according to the producer: "There was a lot of farting going on."
So the next time someone says you eat like a friggin' ape, just smile and say "Thank you. I do try to eat healthily." Then give them a good fart.
3 comments:
Laughing at the farting...of course.
Someone made a diet out of this didn't they? I heard of a Hunter/Gatherer diet made of mostly fruits, veggies, and nuts. Of course, they'll make diets out of anything if it will make money. Needs to be something you can do for the rest of your life. I think though, more fruits and veggies would be good for most people. :-)
Yes, there is a name for this diet: the "Evo Diet".
For shame, I really should check your links before I go spouting my mouth off...
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