A Plea for Culinary Modernism: Why We Should Love New, Fast, Processed Food

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I think that it is inevitable that we are beginning to look at all these chemicals and non-food substances in our food and getting p*ssed off about it being there when the front says "all natural".

I'm 28 years old and I've been sick since I was a teenager and in the past few years I've come to find that it is because of food that I've been sick. Chronic illnesses and cancers are not just for the elderly anymore. We are getting them at all ages and I honestly believe that the biggest reason for this is because of the food we are consuming.

It's pretty frustrating that we almost have to earn a degree in food/nutrition/science to figure out what we need to consume on a daily basis.

Anyways, I'm happy to be on the path of healing and enlightenment. If I had never gotten sick, I never would have gone down this path. So I'm glad because I love food and I love cooking and I love the passion that comes out of me when I get to cook for others.
 
It's pretty frustrating that we almost have to earn a degree in food/nutrition/science to figure out what we need to consume on a daily basis.

You don't, really. Just eat more whole foods than pre-made or packaged foods and you'll be all right. Don't pay too much attention to media reports about food and nutrition research. In the end, most studies say they need more studies to be sure.
 
When talking about what cattle produce for our tables now (agribusiness) if labeled 'grass-fed' then it's supposed to be raised on pasture grass and never 'finished' with grain or corn. (I'm not sure how that's regulated, though---- just like cage-free??)

But back in the day----- range cattle fed on grasses that eventually matured and there was plenty of grain associated with those grasses: oats, rye, wheat etc. That was 'natural' food for them at that time.

Now, because animals raised on one type of food are suspicious of anything else----- I'm sure cattle in feed lots would avoid grain until they were really hungry.

Actually they will go for the grain first, I believe, just because it has a higher sugar content and is more "satiating" - however they would mostly eat grass because that's what was mostly around. If there is grain in the next field they will often push against the fence so they can reach the grain (or if it's a more delicious grass, etc.)

Just like all of us. We will go for what FEELS like we are getting more nutrition out of first. That's why we've generally become a culture that pursues grains and sugars. It really does feel better to eat those things. Our brain tells us "YESS more of that!!", when in the past we would have rarely had access to these things so we would have to return to veggies, meat/game, etc.
 
You don't, really. Just eat more whole foods than pre-made or packaged foods and you'll be all right. Don't pay too much attention to media reports about food and nutrition research. In the end, most studies say they need more studies to be sure.

And that's really where I've landed with life :chef: because I don't trust the processed foods out there. But I like to know WHY about these things, so I read up on as much as I can.
 
And that's really where I've landed with life :chef: because I don't trust the processed foods out there. But I like to know WHY about these things, so I read up on as much as I can.

I do, too, and there's certainly a lot to read! :) I do try to make sure my sources are reliable, though. There's a lot of junk out there.
 
It isn't the corn and the grain per se. It's what "they" add to them - growth hormones, antibiotics, etc., etc.

When our cattle are delivered to the feed lots, it is to fatten them up for slaughter. They are fed corn which all the additives are added to. Corn is not a natural food for beef animals. When they are first put in the pens and the truck comes along to fill the feed troughs with corn, they don't eat for the first few days. It is not their natural food. They are grazing animals. And they don't graze corn. It is only when they really become hungry that the cattle will start eating the corn. It is too expensive to feed thousands of cattle in the pens alfalfa and other grains. And they don't fatten up as fast as when fed corn.

The lucky folks are the families that have only a couple of cattle that they raise for slaughter. Those cattle are strictly allowed to graze for a longer time and then slaughtered for their freezer. Then they purchase a couple more calves from a farmer or rancher that is culling his herd and start the process all over again. Every animal on that farm or ranch serves a financial purpose for the family. :angel:
 
I have nothing against convenience food, as long as it's made of food. We have some Indian curries that just need to be heated. They are made of food and nothing else. Love 'em.

Masala, apple sauce (ingredients: apples, cinnamon.) and chopped garlic are the only processed foods I buy.

Pro tip for the younger guys: Learn how to prepare (from scratch) and cook food. It's a great way to spend quality time with a woman and (BONUS) will earn you a big bag of brownie points.

We make a big deal most of the time about meal prep, excluding times when my son hasn't napped.
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Then again, I grew up in a household where most meals were made fresh, especially at Nana's house.
 
It's possible to have/cook/eat fast food without it being processed...stir fries spring to mind with chinese noodles (the noodles taking all of 3-4 mins).

Pizza is another one, e.g (for fast food) spread topping on bought bases.

I don't use them but microwave ovens make unadulterated/fresh food available fast (i.e without it being processed).
 
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