[Villages PL]

Originally Posted by l2ridehd

I can find a scientific study to support EVERY point of view.

Probably true but not all studies are created equal. And in our society, for example, someone who has a family history of heart disease might be advised to eat differently. And there are foods that naturally have both good and bad qualities, of which coffee and wine are good examples.

Red wine is good for you, or alcohol in any form is bad for you.
Coffee is complex and is good for you, or caffine is bad for you.
Raw sugar is the only sweetener that is good for you, or that all sugar and artificial substitutes are bad.
Eat only fruits and vegetables, or lack of protein in the form of meat or fish is bad.
Lower calories add years to our lives, or your better off with a high fat diet.
Olive oil is the only one to use, olive oil is bad
Carbohydrates are good, or they are bad

I can find a well done scientific study to support every one of those positions. About the only consistent message is exercise in most any form is good. Sedentary is bad.

Do you work for the food industry? The reason I ask is because what you are suggesting is exactly what the processed food industry wants Americans to believe. The processed food industry would love for everything to be in doubt. That's their best strategy because, if people believe it, they will just go ahead and eat everything, including lots of high calorie processed foods.

I personally believe that any thing in moderation is good. Doing anything in excess is bad including eating a so called healthy vegan diet or exercising to extreme. A balance of everything including wine, fat, sugar, meat, fruit, vegetables, olive oil, fish, and most everything else is OK if done in moderation. I believe natural anything is better then processed anything, that true organic is better then any thing grown using pesticides, that exercise is any form is better then none, and that by trying and experiencing all that life has to offer is the very best path to health and happiness.

There is some truth to some of the things you say. But to suggest a balance of sugar is good, for example, is something that adds calories with no nutritional value. You believe that natural is good but I wonder what's natural about sugar? And where is the scientific study to prove that sugar is good?

Furthermore, I started this thread to suggest that a reduced calorie diet (calorie restriction as practiced by the Okinawans) is healthier and leads to a much lower rate of all degenerative diseases, not to mention that Okinawans enjoy a longer lifespan. What well-done long-term study can you point to that proves the opposite? High calorie diets, over a long period of time, lead to higher disease rates and a shorter lifespan.

P.S. At the end of your post there was the following statement: "Life is too short to drink cheap wine." In the new book, "Gulp", the author mentioned a blind taste test where they gave several experts a choice of different priced wines. One was a $10 dollar wine and I believe the other two were $50 and $60. The experts chose the $10 dollar wine.