Research project

[Annalisa S.]

Hello all!

 

I'm preparing to do a Whole30 in the next few weeks, but have been lurking around the forums for probably about a year.  I had considered doing the Whole30 in the past, but never made the leap.  However, I have recently been diagnosed with Hashimoto's and suggested treatment for it is to go gluten free.  I also should be avoiding sugar due to other health issues and some Hashi's patients are sensitive to corn, rice, and dairy.  I think the Whole30 will be an excellent way for me to narrow down food sensitivities.

 

I recently introduced the topic of standard american diet into a research paper for school, but am still trying to figure out how to integrate discussion of Whole30 into it (I know the ideas seem very outlandish for those who are not at all familiar with paleo eating).  I tried to stick to analyzation of all the things that are wrong with the american diet, rather than necessarily sticking to the topic of all the things that are right about paleo eating.  

 

My research project discusses obesity in America, as well as statistics pointing to how rampant a problem it is these days.  The CDC estimated in 2012 that over one third of adults were considered to be obese!  I also discuss how obese American children are, and the impacts that obesity has on health.  Some of the risks include diabetes, cardiovascular risks, metabolic syndrome risks, and increased blood pressure and cholesterol.  I discuss how processed foods contributes to this obesity and how many of these money hungry companies frankly don't care that they are making us all fat and sick.  They continue to sneak exorbitant amounts of fat, sugar, and sodium into our food.  I also go into the science of why these items are so addictive.  I also made sure to list information as to why the USDA pyramid is problematic.

 

Frankly, I'm really happy to be discussing health and bringing awareness to these problems, and hope to add some good information about paleo, especially anything that can show scientific merit to why this way of eating works well.

 

Annalisa

[AmyS]

You might consider the Hartwigs' books: It Starts With Food and The Whole30 as you look for sources for your research.

 

You might also consider this article: How Obesity Became a Disease as you continue to research the concept of obesity. It's enlightening and disturbing to consider the ideas in this article.

 

Happy researching - I would imagine your instructors are very happy to read your papers - you are clearly a thoughtful and heartfelt writer.

 

And happy Whole30! Hang out here for tips and support as you do your Whole30.

[GFChris]

Choose My Plate replaced the pyramid guidelines 3 years ago, so I'd suggest using that instead of the pyramid in your research. http://www.choosemyplate.gov/

[LadyM]

 

 

You might also consider this article: How Obesity Became a Disease as you continue to research the concept of obesity. It's enlightening and disturbing to consider the ideas in this article.

Thank you for this, Amy. I needed the reminder, especially about BMI. Another terrific and well-researched book is Losing It: False Hopes and Fat Profits in the Diet Industry by Laura Fraser. It was published in 1997, but it still holds water. It's amazing and horrifying to learn how we've been manipulated. And then it's up to us to refuse to be complicit in the schemes.

[Annalisa S.]

Thank you all for the encouragement and suggestions!  I will definitely look into the suggested books, other than the Hartwig's book, I have not read the others.

 

I completely agree about how horrifying it is to see how we've been manipulated.  It's really sickening and the more I read about it, the more I've wanted to become more in charge of my health.

 

I actually talk about the Choose My Plate as well as the Food Pyramid, for my paper.  At least in the rough draft I did.  But discussing the Food Pyramid for me was a way of knocking how off base the government was on telling us what to eat.  I talked about how it emphasized low fat as well as grouping healthy and unhealthy proteins together.  The only really negative thing I put down about the Choose My Plate version is that it's so complicated that very few people are familiar with it or understand what it means.