KNOWLEDGE SHOULDN’T STAND STILL

I read an article recently on the diet of a top athlete, it reminded me of about 20 years ago, when I was first getting into lifting weights and thinking about health; I used to make myself egg white omelettes.  I couldn't eat the yolks of course because they were full of 'nasty' fat!!

There was a time when I can remember eating no more than 10grams of fat in an entire day, I was so good at cutting it out.

This was a response (and a very common one) to the scientific theory at the time - that fat was not good for us.

The thing about science, is that when practiced correctly, it should be about doing everything in your power to DISPROVE ideas and theories.    But arrogance, ego and the financial security researchers need from tenure, often lead scientists to do anything in their power to avoid being proven wrong, and that is bad news for the recipients of that knowledge - us.

CrossFit has done a lot to remedy a lot of the science that has been poorly incorporated into exercise methodology.

Although not a science publication, Time has a lot of influence.
They were one of the first to scare people away from fat, but it's great to
see that they have changed their stance finally.

Nutrition is an area where scientific arrogance is particularly rife.  If someone is still preaching EXACTLY the same message now as they were 10-20 years ago, you should be suspicious that they haven't bothered to continue learning.

But the good news is that the tide is turning.   We have a lot of smart people who are willing to admit that they were wrong about some things, and are keen to keep learning, and developing, so that they may share that knowledge with us.

Tim Noakes - a exercise science professor in South Africa (and long time low fat marathoner) is one of those who was not afraid to stand up and say he was wrong.

In New Zealand we have great people such as Mikki Williden, Grant Schofield, Caryn Zinn, Jamie Scott and Cliff Harvey; all of whom are bucking the system and delivering a message that has developed from critical thinking, common sense and a willingness to be wrong, and keep learning.

Same goes for you.

Keep thinking, keep learning.  There will always be people telling you what is best, but your health is ultimately up to you.