What's going on with our American diet?

[LEFSElover]

With the issues going on in everyone's life, with the problems that we all face today, I think it's a soothing and easily accessible pacifier to most.
Putting something in your mouth that tastes good, and all that is available and often times at record prices meaning very inexpensive, it's extremely doable.
What baffles me is that these very ones that are overly huge, don't seem to take into account that they're ruining their bodys and the potential for a long and healthy life. Plus, how about trying to stay as healthy as you possibly can for your family?
If it's that you don't have the support you need, that's out there also.
Just my NSHO​

 

[BBQ Mikey]

True.

Many people also frequently eat when they arent even hungry.

Wayy too many "empty" calories.

 

[Caine]

It's all Ina Garten's fault!

 

[VeraBlue]

Well, you're wrong. What's more, some of us are spending our working hours on line. I understand it would be more comfortable and convenient for you if we remained invisible; many will because of hope, denial, or embarrassment. The fact is, nigh on forty million of us interact with you every day.

Uh, you are making assumptions about me that I don't appreciate, Skilletlicker. If I'm to assume by this post that you live at the poverty level, and you have the accesss to the internet at work, well, then, how nice for you. I'm not sure who you are referring to as the forty million who interact with me. I don't actually know what you are talking about.

I disagree that I am wrong. Again, I don't appreciate your assumption about me.

 

[mitmondol]

Now this was an interesting thread to read!
Without getting into any of the arguements, let me just mention a few things I noticed.
I was raised on home cooked food, so were my kids. My first kid, who was thin all his life, started college and lived on the cheapest convinience food he could find. He gained a LOT of weight.
I gave him a hand written cookbook, with all the recipes he grew up on. He started cooking . He lost weight and figured it was even cheaper than all the stuff he used to buy before.
My daughter and her friend had their babies about the same time. The kids had their first birthday party together. The friend's little girl only wanted to eat the cupcakes or anything sweet available ( and so did the other kids). My grandson has not even tried anything sweet yet at the time, so he went for veggies.
That said friend cooks, kind of like Paula Deen. A can of this, a box of that, doctor it up, dinner's ready.
For snacks her kid has every kind of sweets available, along with sodas and juices from the carton.
She is a well educated girl, certainly not poor.
My daughter cooks from scratch, my grandson drinks water, has not tried a piece of candy yet and eats a bit of home made cookie sometimes, not on a daily bases.He is almost 3 now.
Standing in line in the store I watch what ppl have in their carts. Interesting, heavy people have the most convinience food there, lots of chips, lots of sodas, hardly ever lots of veggies.
Don't know what their education or financial cituation is.
I have to watch my pennies and cook from scratch. Not only because that's how I was raised and to me everything I cook tastes better than anything from a can, box or frozen dinner tray, but I find it a lot cheaper too.
Do I have a point? I think the reason is probably old habits. America is about convinience and let's face it, it is a lot faster, easier to get something ready made than think about what to cook and then do it too.
Then put the kid in front of the tv for hours with a bag of something. That's convinient too.
How do you think that little girl will run her life when she grows up?

 

[LEFSElover]

It's all Ina Garten's fault!

no kidding, HELLO? she has no kids tho right? her husband works in the city a lot too and think he only comes homes on weekends. she has nothing else to do but cook for her friends and continue to pack on the lbs herself. often wondered if it's a marriage of convenience there, if so, not my business, just wondered. they seem very lovey...

 

[jpmcgrew]

I think it also starts with the parents they spoil their kids rotten you make them a nice meal and they want pizza or fries etc so the parents give in just to shut them up.Next game boys,tv, internet the kids dont go out and play like alot us older people did heck I never wanted to come inside until I was forced because its dark outside.A steady diet of bad food is addictive no matter what when I was a kid we were did not get sodas and kool aid ,sweet cereals etc but boy I craved all of it.A coke was a treat not part of the daily diet.When I was kid on saturday morning watching cartoons all we got was stupid oatmeal or cream of wheat with apple sauce when I knew darn well all my friends eating all the Captain Crunch they wanted I thought I was soo deprived .We were poor then so milk was stretched 1/2 milk 1/2 powdered milk.

 

[elaine l]

As a teacher in a middle school I see what the children buy with their money. Lots of chips, snack cakes and ice cream with the money given to them for lunch. They become mathmatical wizards with the dollar and buy every piece of junk available.

Breakfast served at school are high sugar cereal bars and a 3oz. serving of juice.

In general adults in this country just eat too much period regardless of status because they can. Shame.

 

[VeraBlue]

As a teacher in a middle school I see what the children buy with their money. Lots of chips, snack cakes and ice cream with the money given to them for lunch. They become mathmatical wizards with the dollar and buy every piece of junk available.

Breakfast served at school are high sugar cereal bars and a 3oz. serving of juice.

In general adults in this country just eat too much period regardless of status because they can. Shame.

Unfortunately, those sugar cereal bars are what the kids will buy. If you put the cereal bars next to a grab and go container of wheaties....what do you think the kid will buy?

 

[Treklady]

I'm with Keltin on the fact that we should all slow down and enjoy our food, but I have a friend, that is morbidly obese and seh eats slower than most turtles I know. So she is definitely the exception to the rule.

And has anyone taken notice that PE (physical education) has nearly been elimintes in our schools? I mean whats up with that?

 

[keltin]

And has anyone taken notice that PE (physical education) has nearly been elimintes in our schools? I mean whats up with that?

We are in a suit happy society where everyone wants to sue everyone for a fast buck. PE involves changing clothes, physical contact, and showers......all a deadly soup for a sexual lawsuit. Sad….so very sad.

 

[malabarcost]

A proper eating schedule and portioning will do the trick. Our ancestor’s says that we have to eat the meals with proper devotion and enjoy the eating in silence. I think we have to go back to the nature from this hybrid and packaged food era. Quality is better than quantity.

 

[GB]

Here is another reason. This was just published in The New England Journal of Medicine and funded by the National Institute on Aging. It states obesity is contagious. At first it sounded preposterous, but it actually made some sense after all.

 

[lifesaver]

A LOT OF VERY INTERESTING READING IN THIS THREAD.

 

[LEFSElover]

being in a part of the country I'm not very familiar with, I'm noticing what is on the menu's at restaurants or eateries. I could pack it on eating here but, being responsible for my own self and own body [as it's no one else's worry] I am still watching and eating like normal. again, if I don't care about my body, who else will? it's up to me to maintain this that I've been given and if I don't, I have me to blame, not the fast food restaurants, not the overpriced diners or Grandma Esther's pie and bake shop, it's all on me.

 

[blissful]

Wow this thread got quite heated.
There seem to be angry people fighting over why our diet is wrong.
All that stress made me hungry. (my way of dealing with stress)
I didn't plan for a stress snack. (which makes me stupid)
Hence 'angry people made me hungry and stupid'.

Oh and don't forget the 'fat tax'.
The Fat Tax | Views | TheRoot.com

 

[LEFSElover]

being in mount vernon over the past few days, they ate breakfast at 7 and dinner at 3 with a light piece of something in the evening but only two meals, that says much.....
also like what MH said on his show last week when asked how he lost his weight, if it wasn't food a hundred years ago, it's probably not food now but a food product. eat as you would have then without the additives etc.

 

[BrazenAmateur]

Yes, restaurants give larger portions, but that's to compete with the demand of customers. A restaurant is not holding a gun to your head telling you to finish all of your food in one sitting. Buffet restaurants don't have their own private militia going out and herding people in, telling them to stuff their face and make sure they eat their $19.95 worth of food. Everyone wants to point a finger. The problem is the PEOPLE. If someone wants to lose weight or change their eating habits/lifestyle, then do it. Are you a lemming or a person? If you have the ability to think for yourself, then you have the ability to make the change and not make any excuses if your goal is to lose weight.

I couldn't agree more.

Portion sizes are the biggest problem, but ultimately a portion OFFERED doesn't necessarily have to be the portion EATEN. The responsibility for what is ingested lies ultimately with he or she that is ingesting.

If Americans stop focusing so much on massive portion sizes, the portion sizes that are offered will begin to decrease.


Additionally, as mentioned above, what we put in our food and what kinds of food are in demand are also very important. All of this ultimately comes back to the preferences of the eater though, that is what drives it all.

I think that food as a percentage of what we spend in America is likely lower than it is in Europe and Japan. This may be due in part to the much higher rate of home ownership here and the size of our homes, and as a result you have more people stretching themselves to live in larger homes rather than just renting in apartments. This means that Americans, due to their own priorities, likely have a smaller percentage of their income left to spend on food and thus cost becomes a greater concern, hence the all-encompassing focus on the price-per-quantity ratio.

We live in a "dollar per pound" food society, we have turned food into a commodity, and this self-inflicted outlook is much to blame for how we eat and, thus, often, how we die.

I think that the "foodie" movement can often border on obnoxious and pretentious, however one of the best things to come out of it is a renewed focus on what is in our food and where it comes from.

Americans have allowed themselves to become more detached to their food than any society in history.


EDIT: I have become very focused in recent years on knowing precisely where my food comes from. With certain items this is impossible, but it's easy to exert control over others.

A buddy of mine, for instance, has parents that own a farm, primarily just as a vacation property. They do, however, raise 30 head of beef cattle on it, all grass-fed and drug-free, and this is where I obtain ALL the beef that is cooked in my home. Additionally, I try to buy as much locally-grown produce as possible and I am now friends with several farmers. I grow most of my own herbs.

I've also kept my promise with myself (made a couple years ago) that unless I wouldn't eat another Rockfish again unless I was on the boat that caught the fish (living near the Ches. Bay has it's benefits). This pact has resulted in both many enjoyable fishing trips and many delicious meals. Having had a hand in catching or growing your food gives you an appreciation for what you're eating, and you're much less likely to just shovel it into your face without a second thought.

Obviously, when I go to restaurants, I tend to forget about all this stuff and just enjoy it. I have other lapses too, such as my great affection for shoyu-fried spam, lol. No one's perfect

 

[sattie]

I think it also starts with the parents they spoil their kids rotten you make them a nice meal and they want pizza or fries etc so the parents give in just to shut them up.Next game boys,tv, internet the kids dont go out and play like alot us older people did heck I never wanted to come inside until I was forced because its dark outside.A steady diet of bad food is addictive no matter what when I was a kid we were did not get sodas and kool aid ,sweet cereals etc but boy I craved all of it.A coke was a treat not part of the daily diet.When I was kid on saturday morning watching cartoons all we got was stupid oatmeal or cream of wheat with apple sauce when I knew darn well all my friends eating all the Captain Crunch they wanted I thought I was soo deprived .We were poor then so milk was stretched 1/2 milk 1/2 powdered milk.

Using food as a baby-sitter for small children. I can't tell you how many overweight children I see these days. I even watch my friend with her grand daughter... constantly giving her chocolate milk, ice cream, cookies... what ever she wants. Here in another couple of years, that girl is gonna be wide as she is tall!

 

[toni1948]

Well, we did a lot of walking when I was growing up, I mean a lot of walking. When I was in elementary school, I walked home at lunch time, too I lived in a pretty hilly part of the city, and one segment of my walk home included climbing 114 steps. I did this twice a day, five days a week for six years.

Then in junior high and high school, it was about a 1.5 mile walk, (we were not bussed), but we only had to climb the steps once a day. We were in excellent physical condition, and we didn't eat fast food. My Mom cooked every day. I probably ate a hamburger or a slice of pizza, once every six months.

The culprit today is lack of exercise and a diet which includes a large portion of fast food. We drank a lot of water, few soft drinks. Kids don't play outside like they used to. They have video games and other sedentary activities to keep them occupied.

Like my doctor says, eat less and move more.