Fri, Oct-01-10, 07:40
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New Member
Posts: 384
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Plan: mumble
Stats: 273/230/200
BF:yup
Progress: 59%
Location: Philadelphia, USA
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Myrmecia
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Probably a good idea to post it here, since there aren't that many people interested in it, and this thread seems to be the place to talk about it.
Quoting from that other thread:
Quote:
- not required by ordinary human cells (p122)
- not required every meal, just every day (p71)
- required in food or body has to produce them – mainly from protein (pp38, 45)
- carbohydrates should not be dropped entirely (p131)
- potatoes the best source (p39).
He divides food into recommended, acceptable in moderate quantities and basically uneatable (p57). His uneatable list includes:
• sugar and all sugary products
• sweetened fruit jams, jellies, purees etc.
• all floury products: bread, cake, dumpling, ordinary pancakes
• all kinds of flours and starches (except those used in very small quantities in Optimal Nutrition recipes).
And yet, his recipes include Jell-O (p 139), flour (pp 144, 148, 160), breadcrumbs (p 144), sugar (p 150).
Potatoes (one average size per person per day) appear in his list of acceptable foods.
To add to the confusion, at one point in the book, he explains that some carbohydrate foods are condoned, because he expects people will be unable to give them up completely, and he feels he must be realistic. This approach confuses me: I would much rather have the clear nutritional/physiological principles laid down and leave any ‘bending of the rules’ to the individual preferences of the optimal eater. There will be some who are fully capable of sticking to a diet; they need clear guidance.
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I haven't read the book, nor do I have any immediate plans to do so. I'm following the diet, to the extent that I try to adhere to the macronutrient ratios, as I understand them. I don't know if JK is ambivalent about carbs, or just trying to be accommodating.
For example, the first set of claims is consistent, if read in a certain way. It's true that there is no dietary requirement for carbs. It's also true that JK we are better off if we eat some. So, although the human organism doesn't "require" carbs, the Optimal Diet does.
Obviously I haven't looked at the recipes. It seems that things like flour and sugar are on the "avoid" list, but not forbidden outright. I agree that this could be confusing. I suppose the best way to understand his recommendations is to think of them as minimizing exposure to sugar and flour.
Ubizmo
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