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Yep, why I buy European cheese, butter, wine exclusively and would buy fresh veggies if it was feasible. We really need to completely change our food chain in the USA. Because I've lived and worked all over the world, I realized how poor ourfood is in comparison.
It won't change unless enough people want it to change, and change the way they eat. Americans want everything to be available 365 days a year (even though it's thrown away by the tons), and they want it cheap.
This means that produce must come from other parts of the world to accommodate our off seasons and to get it cheaply from third world countries where farming practices are not as regulated as they are here. It has to be harvested before it reaches peak flavor and peak nutrition to endure long shipping distances. Then, nutrients that were there degrade each day after harvest. By the time it reaches your supermarket, much of the nutrition is lost, and what little flavor was there has degraded too.
I have always known the difference in quality because of spending time with my grandparents in France where the focus is on quality of ingredients, and my family raising our own in the US. The loss in quality can be mitigated if you eat locally or regionally raised food (which most supermarkets and farmers markets carry), and eat more seasonally. Foods are cheaper when in season also. Support your local and regional food sources before they disappear.
Last edited by SimplySagacious; 11-12-2021 at 11:46 AM..
It won't change unless enough people want it to change, and change the way they eat. Americans want everything to be available 365 days a year (even though it's thrown away by the tons), and they want it cheap.
This means that produce must come from other parts of the world to accommodate our off seasons and to get it cheaply from third world countries where farming practices are not as regulated as they are here. It has to be harvested before it reaches peak flavor and peak nutrition to endure long shipping distances. Then, nutrients that were there degrade each day after harvest. By the time it reaches your supermarket, much of the nutrition is lost, and what little flavor was there has degraded too.
I have always known the difference in quality because of spending time with my grandparents in France where the focus is on quality of ingredients, and my family raising our own in the US. The loss in quality can be mitigated if you eat locally or regionally raised food (which most supermarkets and farmers markets carry), and eat more seasonally. Foods are cheaper when in season also. Support your local and regional food sources before they disappear.
Yep, totally agree. We owned an apartment in Marbella, Spain for a few years and the French and Spanish veggies were fantastic. We grow several of our own veggies and buy as much local produce and eggs as we can from organic growers. I also only eat wild caught seafood and grass-fed meats.
I think it is just a habit or learned behavior. I have never gotten into "convenience or prepared" foods. Always healthy, homemade food. Just as my mother did--she would work all day, commute one hour home and still have a homemade dinner on the table. My adult sons have continued on the path of healthy eating. As another poster said, "it is not that difficult". It is a habit. Just as convenience food is a habit.
I’ve been into health food since the days of Adele Davis. I used minimal mixes or pre made food. I cooked from scratch daily, even after beginning a new career. I have preferred fresh veggies to frozen or canned for decades. So, that way of cooking has become a habit.
As I’ve gotten ever older (that much is a gift) I’ve discovered that putting meal after meal on the table is getting harder, and it has become awfully boring. I’ve begun to simplify many things. I’m buying prewashed greens, for one thing. But please, do not downplay how hard it is to put meals on the table, day after day, doing prep work and cleanup, after working a full day. I’ve done it. It is not easy, nor terribly interesting.
I suspect that employer expectations, long commutes, and kids’ schedules create situations where cooking with fresh ingredients and slow cook times are impossible for many families. I’d like to see more encouraging, and fewer judgmental posts here, frankly.
The entire thrust of the OP is about trying to make a fat body over into a more socially acceptable shape, and how hard it is to do so. Those of us who struggle with this could do with more understanding, and less criticism, IMO.
I’ve been into health food since the days of Adele Davis. I used minimal mixes or pre made food. I cooked from scratch daily, even after beginning a new career. I have preferred fresh veggies to frozen or canned for decades. So, that way of cooking has become a habit.
As I’ve gotten ever older (that much is a gift) I’ve discovered that putting meal after meal on the table is getting harder, and it has become awfully boring. I’ve begun to simplify many things. I’m buying prewashed greens, for one thing. But please, do not downplay how hard it is to put meals on the table, day after day, doing prep work and cleanup, after working a full day. I’ve done it. It is not easy, nor terribly interesting.
I suspect that employer expectations, long commutes, and kids’ schedules create situations where cooking with fresh ingredients and slow cook times are impossible for many families. I’d like to see more encouraging, and fewer judgmental posts here, frankly.
The entire thrust of the OP is about trying to make a fat body over into a more socially acceptable shape, and how hard it is to do so. Those of us who struggle with this could do with more understanding, and less criticism, IMO.
You must be my age. I still have my Adele Davis books and I learned a lot from her. I always cooked a full meal after coming home from work--really, I didn't know any other way. Grew up with a vegetable garden and that's what I learned growing up. Never ate canned but I did use frozen vegetables quite a bit.
Like you, I'm simplifying as I get older and don't feel like planning meals and cooking all the time. I buy butternut squash already peeled and cut up, sometimes will buy a "bowl" of food for dinner, I nuke my potatoes instead of peeling, cutting, mashing, and so on with many foods.
Cooking is fine for those who like it but for the rest of us--bleh. It's boring and time consuming and can be tiring.
I maintain weight as long as I don't eat any extras but if I indulge and eat a bowl of ice cream or a bunch of cookies, I notice practically by the next day that I have gained weight. I can always tell because the inside tops of my legs touch each other and it's harder to fasten my pants. My only exercise lately is a short daily walk with doggie. It's definitely harder as you get older and have less energy and your metabolism slows down.
Another thing: I would LOVE to see some healthy frozen meals. There are only a couple of brands that aren't loaded with sodium and sugar and artificial ingredients. I eat Amy's brand if I am too tired to cook and there's a brand of Indian food that's pretty healthy. Other than that, the frozen meals are taboo.
AND LET'S NOT BE JUDGEMENTAL ABOUT WEIGHT--EVERYBODY IS DIFFERENT. LOSING WEIGHT IS EASY FOR ME--JUST STOP EATING FOR A FEW DAYS. OTHER PEOPLE COULD DO THAT AND NOT LOSE WEIGHT. IT'S COMPLICATED.
The real culprit IMO is the food manufacturing industry. It’s the one thread that runs through it all.
The preservatives, the pesticides, the liquids, supplements, and diet in the animal feedlots (which in turn impacts all animal products in restaurants - not just the fast-foods but also the food purchased when grocery shopping), is garbage.
It has only gotten progressive worse over the past five decades (look at pics of people over the past 50 years and you'll see their body shapes for all ages look much better then than now) which is why the obesity rate is so high.
It’s a reflection of the type of food available for mass consumption. Very few people can escape the results. I can’t believe most people haven’t been able to connect the dots.
Why can't people ever take personal responsibility. Don't blame the food industry. There are plenty of extremely fit people out there, they figured it out, you can too. Reality is ANYONE can lose weight if they want it enough. Yes, it is easier for some than others, but regardless it can happen. 3,500 calories is a lb of body fat. If you want to lose 10 lbs you need to lose 35,000 calories. So you can exercise and burn them off or eat less and essentially starve them off. Regardless, blaming "the food manufacturing industry" is not going to get you in better shape. Standing up and saying "I got this" and really putting in the effort is what will make it happen if you want it bad enough.
You'll find a way to make it happen, or you'll find an excuse not to.
Why can't people ever take personal responsibility. Don't blame the food industry. There are plenty of extremely fit people out there, they figured it out, you can too. Reality is ANYONE can lose weight if they want it enough. Yes, it is easier for some than others, but regardless it can happen. 3,500 calories is a lb of body fat. If you want to lose 10 lbs you need to lose 35,000 calories. So you can exercise and burn them off or eat less and essentially starve them off. Regardless, blaming "the food manufacturing industry" is not going to get you in better shape. Standing up and saying "I got this" and really putting in the effort is what will make it happen if you want it bad enough.
You'll find a way to make it happen, or you'll find an excuse not to.
I think what we are saying here is that it is very hard. No one believes it is impossible.
I think what we are saying here is that it is very hard. No one believes it is impossible.
Also that people broadly don't know the elements of food and eating that sabotage their attempts to lose weight.
For instance, they may not know how detrimental it is to eat while stressed, which in itself will create hunger without burning fat. They may not know that "low fat" means "high sugar" and they may not be aware of how many foods contain a great deal of sugar. They may not be aware of how modern processed foods are carefully designed with scientific research to decrease satiety and create hunger.
They may not know that in many cases, old nutritional guidelines are just plain wrong, counterproductive, and even harmful, like guidelines for people (who are not T1 diabetics) to eat six times a day.
The real culprit IMO is the food manufacturing industry. It’s the one thread that runs through it all.
The preservatives, the pesticides, the liquids, supplements, and diet in the animal feedlots (which in turn impacts all animal products in restaurants - not just the fast-foods but also the food purchased when grocery shopping), is garbage.
It has only gotten progressive worse over the past five decades (look at pics of people over the past 50 years and you'll see their body shapes for all ages look much better then than now) which is why the obesity rate is so high.
It’s a reflection of the type of food available for mass consumption. Very few people can escape the results. I can’t believe most people haven’t been able to connect the dots.
I connected the dots a long time ago and I stopped eating highly processed foods (i.e., manufactured foods).
So about 98% of what I buy comes from the produce department. The other 2% of my diet comes from olive oil and Ezekiel bread. And I use very little olive oil and only one slice per day of bread.
Although I've never been anywhere near overweight, I value my health and the foods I eat are healthy.
Now that everyone knows the secret, there's no excuse for being overweight, right?
...We really need to completely change our food chain in the USA. Because I've lived and worked all over the world, I realized how poor ourfood is in comparison.
Why can't people ever take personal responsibility. Don't blame the food industry. There are plenty of extremely fit people out there, they figured it out, you can too. Reality is ANYONE can lose weight if they want it enough. Yes, it is easier for some than others, but regardless it can happen. 3,500 calories is a lb of body fat. If you want to lose 10 lbs you need to lose 35,000 calories. So you can exercise and burn them off or eat less and essentially starve them off. Regardless, blaming "the food manufacturing industry" is not going to get you in better shape. Standing up and saying "I got this" and really putting in the effort is what will make it happen if you want it bad enough.
You'll find a way to make it happen, or you'll find an excuse not to.
Millions of obese and fat Americans point to a broader problem beyond the typical reasons believed heretofore: "they're just lazy", "they should put down the bag of cookies / Twinkies", or "they should stop eating at fast-food restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner".
The horrible crap that is put in food, by food manufacturers, is having a terrible impact on American bodies, as we can see.
The extremely fit people you speak of either don't eat (starve themselves or lack an appetite), stay in the gym, or subsist on fruit, soups, and salads.
Previous generations of Americans didn't work out 24 hrs /7 days a week, nor starve themselves, nor subsist on bird food. They ate real food and had decent meals. Yet, the obesity and fat rate was nowhere near as high during their times as it is today.
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