About the undertaker’s diet
In 1863, the English undertaker William Bunting wrote a pamphlet entitled A Letter on Completeness to the Public. In fact, this was the first book on dietary nutrition, the author of which talked about his many years of futile attempts to lose weight – at 60 he weighed 100 kg. Active rowing, horseback riding, mud baths and other seemingly effective measures only led to an increase in appetite. The only effective method was the diet prescribed to Bunting by Dr. William Harvey, who advised removing bread, sugar, potatoes, butter, milk and beer from the diet, as they are “saturated with carbohydrates and lead to metabolic disorders.” In addition, the doctor laid out a clear meal plan that no one had done before. In a few months, the undertaker lost 30 kg on such a low-carb diet, and his 16-page edition became a world bestseller.
Science journalist Harold McGee, author of On Food & Cooking: The Science & Lore of the Kitchen, one of the ten best cookbooks of the XNUMXth century, believes that the endless ordeals of weight loss and dieting began with Bunting’s brochure. Ever since humanity discovered that food is made up of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, each of these elements has been declared unhealthy and ostracized from time to time. We know of carbohydrate-free (ketogenic, paleolithic and diet Atkins), low-fat (DASH and Pritikin), and protein-free diets. But the fact is that none of these diets are scientifically proven to be effective.
“When I started writing about food, I was actively interested in the relationship between nutrition and human health. But after 10 years, I found that all the concepts of nutrition have changed! After that, I decided that I would not do this anymore, – Harold McGee told us during his visit to Moscow for the Twins Science science festival. “After all, scientists still don’t know enough about how the human body works, what exactly is required for its optimal functioning, How long protein, fat or carbohydrates we should consume, and how metabolism changes during the day. From a scientific point of view, no one can recommend people to eat certain foods. ”
About the main enemies of humanity
In the middle of the last century, the number one enemy of humanity was found in the United States, and it was not the Soviet Union, but … fat! It was announced that fatty foods lead to atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease, and the more fat we eat, the higher the risk of these diseases. Today, 60 years later, doctors recognize that a low-fat diet is extremely unhealthy because it is high in sugar and calories. But even here Harold McGee advises not to go too far with restrictions: “Yes, sugar should not be eaten separately, but this does not mean that you need to completely exclude it. Carrots, oranges, or apples contain a lot of sugar, which is not harmful. As for the currently fashionable restriction of other carbohydrates, let’s look to the East: in China and Japan, the maximum number of centenarians, and their diet is solid carbohydrates and a minimum of protein. “
That we are all different
In 2018, Stanford University doctor Christopher Gardner conducted a study to find out once and for all – which is more effective: a low-fat diet or a carbohydrate-free diet? The experiment involved 600 volunteers who were randomly put on these two types of diets. The results were not encouraging: some lost weight, and some did not. Moreover, some of the volunteers even managed to get better! From this, scientists have come to the sad conclusion that diets that help someone lose weight do not work at all on others. Everything is individual.
Harold McGee confirms this theory: “The human body adapts very easily to everything: we can live in the tropics and in the Arctic. Our bodies are built so that we can handle whatever food we can find. The best type of food for a person is variability: there are many different products, and so that with none of them there is too much or, on the contrary, deficiency. If you want to live long and have good health, you need to pay attention not only to nutrition, but also to how many steps you take every day, what health problems your parents had, and so on. Winston Churchill, for example, died at the age of 90, while he smoked cigars and drank whiskey every day like crazy, loved to eat and was overweight. The idea of a happy life is to enjoy what you really like. ”
Second International Festival Twins Science, organized by the chefs Ivan and Sergei Berezutsky, was held in Moscow on November 7 and 8. The main themes of the festival were science, education and the integration of advanced technologies into modern gastronomy and restaurant structure. Lectures were delivered by renowned chefs and gastronomy researchers from around the world: chef of Maido restaurant Mitsuharu Tsumura, science journalist Bob Holmes, chef of Disfrutar restaurant Oriol Castro, chef of La Calandre restaurant Massimiliano Alaimo, chef of LESS restaurant by Hertog Jan Gert de Mangeleer, Rijks restaurant chef Joris Beydendijk, science journalist Harold McGee, gastronomic journalist Anna Kukulina, Savva restaurant chef Andrey Shmakov. The entrance to the lectures was free, so that everyone, regardless of the level of material wealth, could learn from outstanding chefs and scientists.