Can you really get a Six Pack in Six Weeks? Summer is here, and with it all the fitness headlines such as “Get A Six Pack in Six Weeks”. Actually, forget 6 weeks: For whatever reason, getting abs with Men’s Health took 1 day longer in 2013 than 2012… It’s not just ripped abs that […]
Six Pack in Six Weeks? Read More »
I’ve followed many many diets in my lifetime, with various motivations – to lose fat, build muscle, improve health, for ethical reasons, sometimes just to experiment. I can concur with the observations noted in my previous post on fat shaming / acceptance, that following a diet is never easy. Regardless of initial success, the vast
Cyclical Cyclical Dieting? Read More »
There has been a lot of talk in the popular press recently of “Fat Shaming” and “Fat Acceptance”. Two such high-profile instances that caught my eye were: An Open Letter to Jamie Oliver by Laura Thomas and Everything You Know About Obesity Is Wrong by Michael Hobbes As ever, the media reaction has been polarised,
Between Shame and Acceptance Read More »
Around 12 years ago, I converted from vegetarianism to “ethical omnivorism”. I made this change as I came to the conclusion that including some grass fed beef and lamb in one’s diet has a net positive effect on the environment, food sustainability, biodiversity, and potentially even an increase in net animal well-being (in the UK). I
Is the Moral Landscape a Wilderness? Read More »
[est_time] estimated total reading time Are we being JERFed Around? JERF, for the uninitiated, stands for Just Eat Real Food. This is a very popular concept within the nutrition world. Paleo, Vegan, Weston Price, Mediterranean Diet, Mayo Clinic, Registered dietitians, the WHO, the one thing they can all agree on is that the more unprocessed,
Diet Debate: #JERF vs The Appeal to Nature Fallacy Read More »
[est_time] estimated total reading time Disclaimer: I love coffee, and am no doubt addicted to it, at least to some degree. I am therefore probably subject to a high degree of confirmation bias when weighing up its pros and cons. As always, check all references thoroughly, do your own research, and draw your own conclusions!
Diet Debate: Coffee – Dangerous Addiction, or Beneficial Predilection? Read More »
But what about porridge? This is a question that I get asked all the time, so I thought it was about time I wrote a quick post on it. Although the conventional wisdom holds all wholegrains in high esteem, most people seem to acknowledge that wheat might not be the health food it’s cracked up
Diet Debate: Are Porridge Oats Healthy? Read More »
I overheard someone talking about a friend the other day, saying “She’s so slim, she’s so lucky!” As it happened, in this case, luck certainly had nothing to do with it. The individual in question actually used to be considerably over-weight, but had transformed her figure through a combination of diet and lifestyle change, strength
Are Slim People Ever Lucky? Read More »
Is Gluten-Free a Fad? An article published last week in Scientific American made its position on the above very clear: Most People Shouldn’t Eat Gluten-Free. In the article it is argued that dieters attempting to avoid gluten may become nutrient deficient unless they plan their meals very carefully, and that most reported health benefits come
Diet Debate: Wheat, Gluten and Health Read More »
In the previous post I asked the question, “What is Food?” In short, the conclusion was that there is no such thing as food! Rather, the term “food” is a label we apply to living organisms that we choose to eat, and that all living organisms can be assessed as a potential food source based
What is Food? Part II: A Source of Energy Read More »