Health foods/products

[Hana]

Just this week, my mother seems to be on some sort of health food/product craze. She's having the whole family use Herbalife products >_> So now I have to get a protein shake for breakfast, and protein shake for an afternoon snack, and drink what seems like concentrated aloe extract and herbal tea. o__o



I hate those protein shakes/meal replacement thing. Bland, tasteless unless you add a lot of bananas, and of the general consistency of 'eugh'. At least the tea smells great and has an okay taste. (I think I've done better just eating oats and fruits for breakfast than... this...)




And could that brand even be remotely trustworthy? I've been looking the brand up and it seems there are accusations against it. I may be paranoid about this, but my parents seem to believe the things/commendations about the products wholeheartedly >_< One of my relatives had introduced them to Herbalife, and now most of my relatives and family are having it.



Have you ever gone on any of those weird health product/food programs? Did anything come out of it? And have you ever consulted with a doctor first before trying them, what are their words about this sort of thing?

 

[BrattyCommissar]

Herbalife is currently in the middle of an active investigation by the United States Government on whether or not it's a large pyramid scheme. Like, they're actually going about this in official channels because there is so much controversy and bullshit surrounding them, their methods, and their products.

Uh... so yeah, that's a thing.

If you want to... eat healthy... there are a lot of different ways to approach it, that would be both cheaper and healthier than what you're doing now. Also, doing a massive / radical dietary shift without consulting a doctor is bad.

Don't do that.

Because different people have different dietary needs, and should eat different things, and radical drastic changes are usually not good.Also dumping bananas into things isn't that healthy either, really.

I'm currently on a diet, but I consulted my doctor, didn't make drastic changes (I've been over months making small incremental changes to diet and exercise) and while I'm actually eating more now, it's costing less and is vastly healthier.

Maybe instead of having a family drink the koolaid you could try to convince them that maybe this is a bad idea?

Or, wait, blue star.

Oh that's rough.

Try to convince your folks to consult a doctor on this instead of consulting the people selling the product.

I may be a bit crazy, but I'd imagine that an impartial educated third party may give you a better read on this than me, an uneducated but still impartial third party, or the company a VERY partial party, or whatever can do... like... yeah. Best of luck with this; hope you don't end up hurting yourself for it.

 

[BrattyCommissar]

Oh also apparently one of the head guys behind it is throwing a lot of money into forcibly silencing opposition who says that he and his company are bad.

Lovely.

 

[Hana]

Herbalife is currently in the middle of an active investigation by the United States Government on whether or not it's a large pyramid scheme. Like, they're actually going about this in official channels because there is so much controversy and bullshit surrounding them, their methods, and their products.

Uh... so yeah, that's a thing.

If you want to... eat healthy... there are a lot of different ways to approach it, that would be both cheaper and healthier than what you're doing now. Also, doing a massive / radical dietary shift without consulting a doctor is bad.

Don't do that.

Because different people have different dietary needs, and should eat different things, and radical drastic changes are usually not good.Also dumping bananas into things isn't that healthy either, really.

I'm currently on a diet, but I consulted my doctor, didn't make drastic changes (I've been over months making small incremental changes to diet and exercise) and while I'm actually eating more now, it's costing less and is vastly healthier.

Maybe instead of having a family drink the koolaid you could try to convince them that maybe this is a bad idea?

Or, wait, blue star.

Oh that's rough.

Try to convince your folks to consult a doctor on this instead of consulting the people selling the product.

I may be a bit crazy, but I'd imagine that an impartial educated third party may give you a better read on this than me, an uneducated but still impartial third party, or the company a VERY partial party, or whatever can do... like... yeah. Best of luck with this; hope you don't end up hurting yourself for it.

I don't want to hurt Mom's feelings by telling her she's wrong, so I'm thinking of trying this for one week and then giving my verdict. Even if she hasn't thought about it much yet, she means well for the family, so yeah.

When I see my doctor (which is soon) I'll be sure to ask him about this Herbalife thing. I don't trust it, since I know of healthier ways to go about diets. I'm also worried about what it could do to my Dad, who has admittedly unhealthy vices (drinking and smoking). Both of them also have hypertension now at their age, and my Mom already had a mild stroke back when I was... Eight? What if something with these products would only worsen things for them?

It is hard to convince them usually, since yeah, blue star. I don't have the 'wisdom and intuition that comes with age' thing yet, so they... Avoid debates with me, or even giving my own opinion on things. It's usually just brushed aside.

I've seen the articles on the controversies and investigations on Herbalife. The factories are going to also be inspected, I think?

 

[BrattyCommissar]

The factories are going to also be inspected, I think?

It appears so.

But, I dunno, is there anyway you could sneak real food into you because the more I read on this the less I feel comfortable classifying it as such. Like, weight watchers meals, or uh... what is it, Jenny Craig? She had a thing? Like those would be preferable to this. And they're not great, and are also expensive...

So, my advice would be learn how to cook; it's not that hard, it'd be cheaper, the only real downside is you'd have to clean up the pans. If you do that, maybe that can help convince them to do something less extreme and more healthier and cheaper and safer and less herbalife filled? Make it one of your chores, may also help you get out of other chores, or maybe they'll be more willing to throw good things your way?? Maybe??

I dunno. My advice is probably awful. I'm barely a red star, so, ain't got none of that aged wisdom yet either.

But even if it, learn to cook, useful skill, and when you're older / in college it'll save you a tonne of money and (in my case) be a stress reliever. Ignoring the cleaning you have to do afterwards. Worst part. Cleaning sucks.

 

[Hana]

It appears so.

But, I dunno, is there anyway you could sneak real food into you because the more I read on this the less I feel comfortable classifying it as such. Like, weight watchers meals, or uh... what is it, Jenny Craig? She had a thing? Like those would be preferable to this. And they're not great, and are also expensive...

So, my advice would be learn how to cook; it's not that hard, it'd be cheaper, the only real downside is you'd have to clean up the pans. If you do that, maybe that can help convince them to do something less extreme and more healthier and cheaper and safer and less herbalife filled? Make it one of your chores, may also help you get out of other chores, or maybe they'll be more willing to throw good things your way?? Maybe??

I dunno. My advice is probably awful. I'm barely a red star, so, ain't got none of that aged wisdom yet either.

But even if it, learn to cook, useful skill, and when you're older / in college it'll save you a tonne of money and (in my case) be a stress reliever. Ignoring the cleaning you have to do afterwards. Worst part. Cleaning sucks.

I know how to cook, but it's usually just basic stuff. ^^ I am in college, and this first year was a pain... The place I ended up in didn't have any kitchen facilities for the students to use, so we all had to buy our foods outside. Most of the foods were fastfood like, it was hard to find good, cooked meals. (I'm sick of fried foods.) Going to look for a better place for my second year, so I can make my own food.

Since this first year is ending and I'll be staying at my parents' once again (until I go for midyear courses), I did ask to take some of the cooking responsibilities.

My father is having an... Adjustment time with the Herbalife program he got. Since he's really overweight (that beer belly, lol), but his work still takes him out on more strenuous work (as a geodetic engineer who has to survey lands, etc), he's perpetually in that beer belly state. Now this Herbalife thing makes him get only one protein shake with oats and banana for breakfast, fruits for snacks, and 1/2 cup rice and 1/2 cup vegetable for lunch, another shake with oats and banana or shake with soy milk for a pm snack, and the same thing with lunch for dinner. He can only have fish or chicken, no pork or beef, and another serving of fruit some time after.

On paper, it doesn't seem that unhealthy, but his work also has levels of stress. He goes out to farther places, and his work is tiring - I've seen how much he eats after a day of work when he comes back. I don't know if he'll be able to really get into this thing.

 

[Kagayours]

Jeeeez. I just don't get this sort of thing. Aren't humans sort of designed to eat, you know... food?

Like, ok, maybe it's because the only weight problems I've ever encountered had to do with being underweight and not overweight, but like, I just don't see what's good about giving your body less than you feel like you need. We're supposed to eat food. Eat when you're hungry. Make sure you get nutrients and things. Oh, and calories. Calories are not the devil. They're energy and we kind of need them. If you're trying to lose weight, just eat healthier food instead of less food. You just might find that you're a bit more energized and focused throughout the day because you're actually giving your body fuel.

I don't understand how a diet like this can really be substantial. Why can't people just eat food instead of stripping their diets down to these supposed bare essential recipes that give us only what we "should" consume and not a single calorie more?

Augh.

Sorry, Hana, that wasn't directed at you. I'm just ranting in general at this point. >>

 

[Insidious Joe]

If your mother wants everyone to eat healthier, she should hustle on down to the local farmer's market. Fresh organic produce and knowing where your sources of meat come from rather than walking into the cold cuts section of Wal-Mart is considerably better for you. Depending on where you live, this may prove to be more expensive, but you have to keep in mind that it's just as much how you eat as it is what you eat, and a good dose of exercising to top it all off.

I'll swear by that exercising. I know friends who consume enough food on a regular basis that they ought to be clinically obese (I get full in the stomach just watching them eat sometimes), but their active lifestyle offsets their diet because they don't sit around and let those calories accumulate into fat. They burn it out by doing intense regiments of physical fitness training. They all tell me that as long as you put the effort in, you can eat pretty much all you want, of anything you want, within normal constraints. Fresh meat and produce is just an added benefit.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

My Mom had a brief period of going health foods where she tried to get the rest of us into it.
It didn't last that long though, and she's mostly dropped it herself too.
(Still insists on a protein shake each morning for herself though).

Though I would personally suggest having your Mom consult a Doctor first.
Consulting medical professionals is always advised, and they can perhaps convince her that it's a scam.

Maybe instead of having a family drink the koolaid you could try to convince them that maybe this is a bad idea?

Or, wait, blue star.

Oh that's rough.

Rough yes, but not impossible.
I don't know what Hana's parents are like but I'd still suggest attempting to persuade them out of it herself first.
I did the same thing with my Mom whenever she tried this stuff, and it always led in her backing out herself or simply not roping me into it.

That being said though, me and my Mom have a history of arguing/debating things.
And on top of that I apparently had the tendency ever since I was a tiny tot even to question and debate everything, even if it was a "Non-debatable topic".
So maybe she was just used to it and knew simply going "Anthony you're just a kid" didn't stop it.

Not sure, I'd still give a shot regardless though.
She might get reason through to her, or if nothing else put pause on it.

 

[Hecatoncheires]

Can't say I've heard of them before, but a cursory check of sceptical sources doesn't exactly instill confidence.

 

[Jorick]

The whole dietary supplements industry is fucking bonkers, especially in the United States. For a long time now the people who run the part of the FDA that regulates that stuff have been high level executives of dietary supplement companies. Conflict of interest much? That shit's shady as all hell, and a lot of other countries are banning these things left and right because they have harmful effects, do something other than what they claim, or don't do anything at all. Herbal and weight loss supplements aren't in much better standing than that either. I'd say it's best to just avoid them in general and be smart about your diet instead.

And have you ever consulted with a doctor first before trying them, what are their words about this sort of thing?

I haven't done so personally, but I've had family members share various doctor consultations on these sort of things in rather amusing ways, mainly by ranting on Facebook or on the phone or in person about how the doctors are just lying assholes who want people to be unhealthy so they have to come back to the doctor and get expensive prescriptions that they get big kickbacks from. It's both embarrassing and highly entertaining.

Anyway, wanna know what the legit doctor and nutritionist and dietitian and so on answer is to "should I use these supplement things to diet and lose weight and stuff"? It's a resounding "no, just moderate your eating and get some exercise." Seriously. If your concern is losing weight, then you just have to follow the simple formula of calories in < calories out over an extended period of time to lose that weight. If your concern is chemicals and additives and such in processed food, then you should be going for organic foods, not so-called health foods; take a look at those health food labels and you'll see all sorts of scary chemical names just like on processed food, because they also use preservatives and coloring additives and shit. If your concern is having a healthy diet, then you can do that by using logic and portion control with regular food and maybe some extra vitamin supplements (which are a lot less shady than this Herbalife stuff) to get everything you need. Hell, even vegans who insist on eating only organic foods can manage to have a completely healthy (albeit painfully expensive) diet without resorting to supplements, so you can manage it too if you just put in a little effort.

So basically the doctor advice on doing the so-called health food thing is "don't." Gimmicky diets of all kinds are generally frowned upon by people who actually know how nutrition works, and the whole "health food" thing is pretty much a gimmick diet.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Not 100% related, but related enough (I think) considering we're talking about health scams and the like.

My Mom actually believes in the "Vaccines cause Autism" thing.
And one time when a friend of mine tried to sell these "Miracle cure patches" which he claimed cured stuff including Autism (Said friend is pretty gullible) my Mom bought two of them.
How she also knew to also put me through ABA therapy as a kid to get better is beyond me... :/

 

[Hana]

My parents are concerned with losing weight. I'm urged to try it for maintenance, since, you know how you end up eating more food when you end up in college? Seriously, some of my former high school classmates have really gained weight. It was a surprise to see some of them.

Jeeeez. I just don't get this sort of thing. Aren't humans sort of designed to eat, you know... food?

Like, ok, maybe it's because the only weight problems I've ever encountered had to do with being underweight and not overweight, but like, I just don't see what's good about giving your body less than you feel like you need. We're supposed to eat food. Eat when you're hungry. Make sure you get nutrients and things. Oh, and calories. Calories are not the devil. They're energy and we kind of need them. If you're trying to lose weight, just eat healthier food instead of less food. You just might find that you're a bit more energized and focused throughout the day because you're actually giving your body fuel.

I don't understand how a diet like this can really be substantial. Why can't people just eat food instead of stripping their diets down to these supposed bare essential recipes that give us only what we "should" consume and not a single calorie more?

Augh.

Sorry, Hana, that wasn't directed at you. I'm just ranting in general at this point. >>

I understand, don't worry.

I think the reason people do and try this sort of thing is because they want quick solutions to a longer-term problem or challenge. They don't like taking the more difficult path, so they are attracted by the idea of something giving them a quick and easy way out.

Protein shakes aren't necessarily bad, but they won't help you lose weight if you don't do physical activity alongside taking them. That's what I probably need to tell my mother, since she's under an impression that the lower calories=weight loss.

She does have the right idea in other things, though. We've been making our own mixed fruit and vegetable shakes before this, and they're good. She's also lessened consumption of pork and beef, and moved more to fish and chicken. (I have to admit I miss her great cooking of those, lol. When someone in the family is a great cook, they tend to feed people a lot. Both my parents are good at cooking.)

 

[Mu]

My mother has this bottle of this... powder for a 'healthy vanilla shake'. Strange to me how she can feel full with just a glass of vanilla shake.

 

[Hana]

My mother has this bottle of this... powder for a 'healthy vanilla shake'. Strange to me how she can feel full with just a glass of vanilla shake.

The Herbalife vanilla-flavored meal replacement shake makes me wanna puke o_o Seriously, I could find better protein shakes than this one, but apparently this one gives 'complete and balanced nutrition with low calories'. Lol.

 

[Mu]

The Herbalife vanilla-flavored meal replacement shake makes me wanna puke o_o Seriously, I could find better protein shakes than this one, but apparently this one gives 'complete and balanced nutrition with low calories'. Lol.

Have to admit it does smell nice x w x

My grandparents have a lot of tablets and stuff for so many things I can't even keep count.

 

[Gwazi Magnum]

Technically speaking, consuming less calories than you burn is a way to lose weight.
It's just that once you reach the desired weight you'll need to eat more again to balance it out, and it risks problems such as a lack of nutrition from the reduced food intake.

 

[Hana]

Updating this now:

In the past week, I did go through with this as a trial. I'm not sure if I should blame some periods of dizziness on these products, since apparantly my carbohydrate intake is too low. (note: one serving of the meal replacement shake has 11 g of carbohydrates). I don't particularly feel great or bad, though I think I'm a little sleepier than usual and yes, I get really hungry during meals sometimes.

What I don't know is if it's healthy to consume 1200 calories daily, since apparently that's my supposed intake on this Herbalife diet. >_> I'm 5'1" and 54 kg, but I think my mom wants me to go down to 46 -_- She doesn't remember I used to weigh below 45 kg when I was in my sickly periods. I don't want to go back to that time again.

 

[Mu]

ISN'T 54 HEALTHY DEAR NO STAY THE SAME HANA-CHAN

 

[Hana]

ISN'T 54 HEALTHY DEAR NO STAY THE SAME HANA-CHAN

Lol, yeah, 54 is average. xD

But 'you no slim like twig! disgrace to famiri!'

jk jk. hehehe, but yeah, Asians really seem to like the really thin look, so I'm not surprised.