Overeating Anything Is Bad – The Devil is in the Dose

The devil is in the dose.

If you browse around the cyber-inter-web-o-sphere and look around for ‘healthy nutrition’ information you’ll likely find a big list of  “items to avoid”.

Here are some of the common ones I can think of off the top of my head:

Saturated Fat

Trans Fat

Sugar

Artificial Sweeteners

Genetically Modified Anything (which is ridiculous considering about 80% of the modern food supply has some level of modification…these people are living in a fantasy world)

High Fructose Corn Syrup

Non Local Foods (the 100 mile diet people think it’s possible to eat just from their local area…with no conception of how impossible this is from an economic standpoint)

Red Meat

Butter

Refined White Flour (or anything that is made with white flour)

I’m guessing you recognize most of the items on this list and have heard or read somewhere why each one is “bad for you”.

So whats left to eat?

Some veggies, maybe a bit of fruit…perhaps an egg white…

But even too many of one type of veggie could cause a problem if nothing more than some serious gastro intestinal discomfort.

The point is that none of these things are bad at a manageable dose.

The issue with most foods is never the food itself, it’s always the dose.

A teaspoon of sugar in your coffee just makes it a really tasty coffee.

Consuming pounds of sugar on a weekly basis in the form of sweet snacks, dressings, baked goods etc…now you’re asking for diabetes.

Just remember that the devil is always in the dose never in the food itself.

John

Posted by johnbarban in food, metabolism, Nutrition
8 Comments

8 Responses to “Overeating Anything Is Bad – The Devil is in the Dose”

  1. jasetagle Says:
    August 6th, 2010 at 3:34 pm

    ^ Something I learned from my Human Physiology professor.

    John,

    1) Do you think it’s appropriate to take time off from training (muscle-building) throughout the year and why?

    2) Do you think pro and national-level bodybuilders still have a bulk-up phase because they use harsh chemicals when dieting down?

  2. sanjosesean Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 5:16 am

    John: I too am curious as to why body builders bulk up. I do realize show levels are unhealthy for any more than a day or two and unsustainable, but why put on 40-60 lbs of fat in the off season only to diet down and end up @ the same weight if not lucky to be 2-3 lbs heavier @same bf? If building muscle is really primarily about how the muscle is worked out (and of course gear for “professionals”), then why not stay w/in 5 lbs one’s ideal weight (whether Golden or slightly more to flesh out that 6 pack)?

  3. Jordan D. Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 10:47 am

    I wonder if it’s a response to deprivation. A lot of boxers also put on tons of weight between fights, not for any “good” reason that I know of. I wonder if they just get sick and tired of being hungry, and indulge. And maybe bodybuilders rationalize it a little better. lol. I dunno, just speculating.

  4. kevinray22 Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 4:28 pm

    Dexter Jackson is a good example of a bodybuilder that doesn’t put on loads of weight in between shows and comes in ripped to shreds.

  5. johnbarban Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 4:54 pm

    The higher level guys I know around here don’t seem to want to do the bulk up as much any more. Some other guys still do.

    Let’s keep in mind that most bodybuilders have never been accused of being too smart. Many of them may still believe the bulking up dogma (at least the less experienced guys)

    I know some more experienced guys that don’t go out of their way to really gain much weight in the off season beyond their ‘normal’ non competition size.

    So they stay within 30-40 pounds of competition weight (a good 10-15 of that comes off as water in the final week).

    So I’d guess the ‘bulking’ thing is probably more common in younger less experienced bodybuilders who havent’ been around the block enough to realize it’s likely not needed (at least nowhere to the degree some guys have taken it in the past)

    JB

  6. jasetagle Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 5:13 pm

    Ah, so you’re saying a 30-40 lb difference is still the norm (I’ve never gotten much higher than that; and I can’t imagine doing so and why). Some claim 10-15 lbs but I’d imagine that would be very lean if someone is truly coming in shredded at contest time. Keep in mind these numbers refer to larger bodybuilders, between 200-250 lbs.

  7. johnbarban Says:
    August 7th, 2010 at 5:55 pm

    Yeah I’m thinking of higher level bodybuilders who are all in the 225-270 lbs range…and of course cranked.

    Natural guys won’t have these levels of fluctuations.

    JB

  8. clementinho Says:
    August 9th, 2010 at 10:20 am

    Hey John, I agree with you that bad foods don’t make you fat – excess calories do. However, I find that eating “clean” foods help me recover better after training sessions. I have less DOMS and inflammation after eating more fruits and vegetables and lean meat, though I’d say my calories are kept the same. So, I believe that there are benefits from eating healthy food. I’d like to hear your opinion of this.

    Also, I’d like to ask you something about gaining muscle mass. You mentioned that our body fat can be used to build muscle in one of your YouTube videos but make no reference to protein. In the case of hypertrophy, however, I am under the impression that protein is required for muscle fibre synthesis. I’m sure you’ll agree that fat cannot be converted into amino acids or proteins and therefore, although we can use the energy from body fat to synthesize muscle fibers, we also need protein from our food to supply the components of these fibers. In that case, it would be sensible to try and eat foods higher in protein on a muscle-gaining plan and less of the carbs and fat, though of course keeping calories low, wouldn’t it?

    By the way, it’s not that I’m questioning your judgement. In fact, I’m really glad that you opened my mind to all the nonsense about bulking. Thank you for the video. I still don’t know how Taylor Lautner did it, though…

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