Obesity vs. smoking: What's worse?

[esad]

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Scientific poll time!

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I voted leafy greens. I refuse to believe in a world where rabbit food is better for me. That's pinko-commie talk if you ask me! Get that [censored] outta here!

[mjkidd]

FFK -- I didn't mean to imply that meat and dairy are not filling. But when someone is eating the Standard American Diet (lots of meat, dairy, processed grains and sugars), it is very easy to overeat and put on weight. One can stay thin, but it takes constant thought and effort, and usually involves significant fluxuations in weight. The default for someone on the Standard American Diet is a steadily expanding waistline.

On the diet I described above, it is much easier to maintain a constant, healthy weight.

[guids]

Apparently vegans can eat glass and asbestos for breakfast everyday and be healthier than any meating eating american. well, according to most of them at least.

[fmxda]

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it is nearly impossible to eat too much on this sort of diet. The foods are just too filling.

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aren't peanuts, almonds and other assorted nuts vegan, likewise for things like french fries, and potato chips?

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Nuts and unprocessed vegetable oils are the best way to get the fat you need in your diet.

[guids]

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daryn -- smoking does increase your risk of getting heart disease, but it's not a very stong effect. For example, Japan has more smokers than the US, but much less heart disease, and this can be explained by their much lower consumption of animal products.

Yobz -- yes, a vegan could still have an unhealthy diet by eating alot of processed foods and added sugars. A vegan who eats nothing but tofu hot dogs and froot loops with soy milk isn't eating well, and certainly could overeat and become fat. But if you're eating a balanced diet with no processed foods and lots of fresh vegetables, fresh fruit, and whole grains, then it is actually very difficult to overeat. This is the diet I was picturing the chain-smoking vegan to be on, and it is nearly impossible to eat too much on this sort of diet. The foods are just too filling.

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fats are what fill you up, most vegans are woefully inadequate in the eating fat department. If you said that its hard to over-eat on a vegan diet because most of it tastes like poo, than I would agree.

[Klompy]

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But when someone is eating the Standard American Diet (lots of meat, dairy, processed grains and sugars),

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Your standard american diet has way to much of the processed grains and sugars which are way more likely to be a reason for obesity then meat and dairy.

[nath]

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Apparently vegans can eat glass and asbestos for breakfast everyday and be healthier than any meating eating american. well, according to most of them at least.

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uh... what?

[mjkidd]

bottomset -- While french fries and potato chips are vegan, I don't think they would have a significant place in a diet that consists of vegetables, fruits, and whole grains. I'm talking about unprocessed foods here. And someone who is eating this sort of diet (and, as you might have guessed, I am eating this sort of diet), would try to use nuts fairly sparingly.

Of course, you could come up with a "vegan" diet consisting of whole foods that you can easily overeat on like the following:

Breakfast:
Pint of olive oil
Lunch:
cashews
Baked potato, drenched in olive oil
orange
Dinner:
white rice
avocado

But I am talking about a menu like this
Breakfast
oatmeal, orange, apple
Snack
bannana
Lunch
Large spinach salad with red pepper, carrots, lemon, sunflower seeds, dried cherries
large bunch of grapes
Snack
brown rice, steamed carrots
Dinner
Salad with random healthy veggies, fruits, etc
Brown rice and veggie stir fry
Snack
Fruit

[guids]

why would you try to avoid nuts? they are one of the most healthy foods out there.

[challenger84]

I could follow that diet for approximately 2 days before I went insane.