One huge difference between our mid-20th-century-on and the lives of even relatively recent forbears is simply the absence of physical activity. I remember, as a boy in the late '50s and early '60s how road crews would use picks, shovels and hand-controlled jackhammers, while road crews today for the most part seem to have a big, yellow machine to do it all. And with the move to suburbia, people don't even have to walk to the bus stop or train station any more. You read of pre-industrial or early industrial workers who spent hours every day, six days a week, throughout their working lives, digging, plowing, sawing, nailing, axing, fishing, bricklaying, etc. Even my mother's family, who were well-to-do provincial squirearchy in southern Luzon, never owned a car until the Yanks gave my by-then-provincial governor grandfather a military surplus jeep after WWII: they walked everywhere. And kids were outside playing who are now very conspicuous by their outdoor absence in modern neighborhoods. Even my relatively active way of life, with 3K miles/year on a bike, is positively sedentary compared to the lives of even non-laboring classes back before the auto, the suburbs and 24/7 couch entertainment -- Samuel Pepys did far more walking than I ever do.
Frankly, I expect that almost complete lack of activity is in good part to blame for so much obesity; it's hard to see how many obese people could even function if they regularly had simply to walk further than from couch to garage, or if they had to climb a couple flights of stairs. On Fri, Aug 12, 2011 at 11:50 AM, Tim McNamara <tim...@bitstream.net> wrote: > > On Aug 12, 2011, at 9:27 AM, Zack wrote: > >> I am happy to let the scientists battle this one out! I will say that I >> have lost 20 pounds now in about 8 weeks, and my wife has lost about 10. I >> had way more to lose before starting a diet that is higher in fat, filled >> with vegetables, and some fruits than she did. It is working for me. >> >> I have also increased the amount of greens in my diet significantly - I now >> have them at all three meals. And I am drinking a significant amount of >> water (and managing potassium and sodium levels appropriately). > > > I haven't read anything by Taube so I can't comment on the scientific basis > for his work, except to say that the science of human nutrition is far from > exact. And because we are omnivores, widely varying diets can keep us alive > and relatively healthy. What surely seems to be bad for us is a diet high in > processed foods, hydrogenated fats, salt, etc., and low in fiber, > phytonutrients, vitamins, micronutrients, minerals, etc. > > Americans (and maybe people in other places too) probably eat a fraction of > the vegetables they should. If you've added a lot of vegetable to your diet, > this is almost certainly going to be a boost for your health and will make it > easier to lose weight. Many vegetables are best eaten raw. Wash them > thoroughly in water, though, because pesticide residues are bad for us and in > many cases are bioaccumulative (stored in our tissues). If farmers follow > the pesticide guidelines carefully, pesticide residues are very low but I > know (from farmers) that this is often not the case. > > http://nutrition.about.com/od/ahealthykitchen/a/washveggies.htm > > There may be a link between pesticide exposure and the risk of Parkinson's > disease: > > http://www.nih.gov/news/health/feb2011/niehs-11.htm > > Generally the risk seems to be observed in people with a lot of exposure- > crop sprayers, for example- and I don't know of any specific research linking > the levels one might be exposed to in food with increased risk of > Parkinson's. However, washing fruits and vegetables is really easy to do, > takes just a minute, and why take potential unnecessary risks that are so > easily avoided? > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "RBW Owners Bunch" group. > To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en. > > -- Patrick Moore Albuquerque, NM For professional resumes, contact Patrick Moore, ACRW patrickmo...@resumespecialties.com A billion stars go spinning through the night Blazing high above your head; But in you is the Presence that will be When all the stars are dead. (Rilke, Buddha in Glory) -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch?hl=en.
