Once again, thank you for your comments! They allow me to clear some things up.

Regarding saturated fat, it has been proven to affect insulin production and increase cholesterol in the bloodstream. I can see how a high saturated fat diet may be considered better than a high carb diet if you were to just eat the two separately, with nothing else on the side.

However, carbs are an essential energy source, and without them we would be lethargic throughout the day. When too many carbs are eaten at once, there’s an overflow of insulin in the blood (which is bad). To combat this overflow of insulin, and actually slow down the release of it into the blood, it is essential that each meal we eat has a blend of complex carbs, protein, and fiber. The protein and fiber will slow down the insulin release in the blood.

So yes, eaten alone carbs are terrible, which is why they should never be eaten alone.

The saturated fat debate all comes down to a question of chemistry. Since saturated fats are saturated with hydrogen atoms, this makes them “sticky” and more prone to cause heart problems in the future.

The dairy products comment is debatable. I don’t see anything wrong with drinking 1% or skin Organic milk. But that’s a matter of personal preference.

Thanks for your comments Derk, I really appreciate them. They lead to great discussion

That’s some awesome information. I completely forgot to mention nutritiondata somewhere in the post. It really is a great tool, and I use it also. It helps me know where I’m deficient in terms of vitamins and minerals, and also helps me watch my calorie intake.

I’m going to start varying the types of vegetables I eat. Usually I eat a lot anyways, but now I’ll add more to the mix. Thanks for that suggestion.

Speaking of vegetables, I would also suggest varying one’s fruits and vegetables. Just like in working out, changing one’s fruits and vegetables can have a synergetic effect and actually exponentially increase value from a health perspective. Try heart of palm in your salad, eating a pomengranate during season, or maybe even baking some butternut squash. If you just eat apples and oranges, that is great but you might be missing out on all sorts of other valuable nutrients (niacin, B12, etc.) that you can get from using the varied approach. A helpful website for analyzing the pros and cons of particular foods to one’s diet is http://www.nutritiondata.com. I used this site to build my own diet, and it certainly helped me to lose weight I had gained after college.

One final note: If anyone has an article stating all the benefits one would have from quitting drinking now, please comment back with the website. Thanks! vgn