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I have recently changed my diet. I have ruled out red meat of any kind, with the exception of one day a week.
Now, before I start getting called a Marxist, I don't want to mandate that everyone eats healthy. Its a free country, and if you want to kill yourself by eating steak every night, so be it.
My inspiration for changing my diet, came from Clint Eastwood. I watched his biography the other day, and he was asked what the secret to his longevity was. (Come on, the man is in his 80's, and still going strong, and looks great) He said part of it was exercise, but the rest was that he doesn't eat red meat, hardly at all. Once or twice a year he will eat a small steak, but thats it.
Part of my decision also, was because I know whats in hamburger. Especially the crappy ones that cost a dollar at McDonalds and Burger King. Its not meat you're eating, its spinal cord, and connective tissue, and muscle from parts of the body you wouldn't dream of eating. And even the steak you get at the grocers is so packed full of steroids and antibiotics its crazy.
I was raised to believe that you are supposed to eat "meat and potatoes" at every meal. However, this was an ideal because we though rich folks ate like that. However, thats not really true either. Most nobleman and women that we working class looked up to, ate fish, poultry, and various other animals. (by poultry, I mean birds in general, not just chicken)
So why is this still seen as "normal" by society? Its not a normal diet for humans, its part of our obesity problem, and other health issues.
I have dropped, no crap, 10lbs in three weeks of eating a steak once a week. I only eat fish, chicken, and pork most of the time. I have substituted cattle burger, for turkey burger, and I honestly can't taste the difference.
Is it time our doctors start telling us to cut down on the cow? Is it time that we celebrate with a tuna steak, instead of a T-bone?
Again, I'm not saying we should make people eat healthy. It just seems to me that our society expects people to eat unhealthy, because its some kind of status symbol.
You changed your diet? Personal decision.
Are you now trying to force others to follow your diet because it will be good for them and they'll understand once they have to do it? Are you advocating legal penalties if someone doesn't follow your diet?
If no to both of the above, well then fine. If yes to either then I have a problem.
It sounds like you're doing a variation of the Zone Diet. Mrs. NBP did that a few years ago and dropped quite a bit of weight. Cut out rice, potatoes, pasta, portion control, etc.
Maybe we should add a 1% "fat tax" to all fast food restaurant sales. Also add a 25-cent per can or bottle tax to pop, and a 50-cent per can or bottle tax to beer. Maybe more. Somebody has to figure out a way to start coming up with some money for this $940 billion (it'll actually cost way more than that) health care bill!
That said, my family eats very little meat. We had ham at Easter time, but I can't tell you when the last time was that I ate a steak. We're far more likely to eat meat like a garnish atop something else.
Mostly though, the key is "in all things, moderation!"
You changed your diet? Personal decision.
Are you now trying to force others to follow your diet because it will be good for them and they'll understand once they have to do it? Are you advocating legal penalties if someone doesn't follow your diet?
If no to both of the above, well then fine. If yes to either then I have a problem.
It sounds like you're doing a variation of the Zone Diet. Mrs. NBP did that a few years ago and dropped quite a bit of weight. Cut out rice, potatoes, pasta, portion control, etc.
Did you even read my original post?
I said, numerous times, I do not advocate forcing anyone to eat any specific kind of diet. If someone wants to eat McDonalds day in, day out, three meals a day, 365 days a year, thats their business. It'll kill them, but its their business.
My post was aimed at the social standards that we have for ourselves. Seems like Americans feel that you've got to eat red meat, and lots of it, often during the week. Most nutrition experts suggest you eat no more than a few ounces of red meat in the day. Thats somewhere around the size of a childs hamburger daily. I've gone beyond that, I don't eat hamburger, ever. Its disgusting what goes into cheap burger meat at fast food joints. My grandmother was a USDA meat inspector, and I know whats in that crap.
I think we should simply change the moral standards. Eating a T-bone daily doesn't make you rich. Eating sausage every morning for breakfast isn't good for you, even though it tastes good, and maybe your father did it.
Thats my point, doctors need to start telling people what they need to eat, and what their diet will do to them. We need to have education courses showing people how to eat well.
I actually like Omahas idea of taxing higher saturated fat foods, and sugary drinks. That'll never happen though, people would throw a fit if they can't have 6 Mt. Dews a day.
I am really about to hack some people off....but here goes.
I think that people who are morbidly obese (not chubby or anything like that), but people who have a BMI of 35 or over (obese classes 2 & 3) should be charged more for insurance. Go ahead and call me prejudiced, blah blah, but I am not. I am practical. People who smoke are given a monthly surcharge because scientific studies show that regular smoking leads to long term health problems. Thus, smokers cost insurance companies more money. In the same vein people who are considered to be obese will often develop long term health problems (Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and will therefore cost the insurance company more money.
Again, I am not talking about a surcharge for people who are carrying some extra pounds, but for people who have chosen to live a lifestyle that will lead to health problems. Who knows, perhaps the financial penalty will encourage some to eat healthy meals and exercise.
Oh, and here is a few fun facts. I agree with you Memphis, I think it is a moral thing that should be encouraged through social pressure, not legislation.
-- Americans eat 815 billion calories of food each day - that's roughly 200 billion more than needed - enough to feed 80 million people.
-- Americans throw out 200,000 tons of edible food daily.
-- Eighty percent of the corn grown and 95% of the oats are fed to livestock.
-- Fifty-six percent of available farmland is used for beef production.
(These are old stats actually. They can originally be found in Paul Ehrlich's book The Population Bomb. I read recently that the numbers have actually increased, but I cannot for the life of me remember where I read it.)
Honestly Memphis, don't you think people already know what is and isn't healthy? I mean, just how stupid are we?
It's like smoking. Are there really any smokers who don't know that it is potentially (probably) very harmful to their health?
I don't think we have an information problem. I think we have a self-discipline problem.
Now if you'll pardon me, it's Triple Whopper For A Dollar night at BK...
I don't think people do really know. I think they've been told about fast food restaurants, and thats good.
However, people still go to a long horn, or Texas roadhouse and order a 20 oz steak, when thats more than twice their suggested weekly intake of red meat. That on top of hot dogs, sausage, bacon, and other red meat they've eaten during the week, they are more than 30% more likely to develop heart disease, cancer, and die at least 10 years earlier than people who eat responsibly.
And comparing it to cigarette smoke I think isn't an accurate comparison. It took decades to get the message about smoking out. The nutrition problem in this country has really only been mainstream news for about the last 4 years. And its food, we all grew up with eating. My dad used to take me to McDonalds four nights a week, when I was a kid. Most parents don't start their kids out smoking at age 5. Its harder to learn new habits when you've grown up knowing that habit, then it is to stop something you start doing in your late teens.
Maybe charge them more to get on a plane as well.....But yes I agree insurance should be raised for them, and lowered for those of us who eat well and exercise daily
Quote:
Originally Posted by ccr4tigers
I am really about to hack some people off....but here goes.
I think that people who are morbidly obese (not chubby or anything like that), but people who have a BMI of 35 or over (obese classes 2 & 3) should be charged more for insurance. Go ahead and call me prejudiced, blah blah, but I am not. I am practical. People who smoke are given a monthly surcharge because scientific studies show that regular smoking leads to long term health problems. Thus, smokers cost insurance companies more money. In the same vein people who are considered to be obese will often develop long term health problems (Type 2 Diabetes, heart disease, etc.) and will therefore cost the insurance company more money.
Again, I am not talking about a surcharge for people who are carrying some extra pounds, but for people who have chosen to live a lifestyle that will lead to health problems. Who knows, perhaps the financial penalty will encourage some to eat healthy meals and exercise.
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