Kathleen
Cupcake
First, a huge thank you to those who opposed the judgmental portion of this thread. That being said, it is an interesting discussion, but I think several things are being overlooked.
For starters, no one knows what or why people buy what they do, but it is not simply food choices that cause obesity. When I was a child, we had home-cooking by Mom and the treat was McD's once a month. In those days, keeping weight ON was the issue. Mind you, we were outside and active all of the time. My parents gardened, took walks, played outdoor games with us, etc. We went hiking, camping, fishing as a family. In the summer time, I would wake, make a sandwich and go to the pool. I was there when it opened and left when it closed. I bicycled everywhere (without a helmet.)
Today, many children are heavily scheduled from the time they wake until they sleep. I work with kids who have zero time to be kids. When they have free time, they don't know how to play. Make a fort from blankets? No, play X-box. Bicycle? Only if mom and dad get their bikes out and they have comfortable helmets AND they do not ride in a street or anywhere out of sight from home. We now have a media campaign trying to encourage parents and children to get in 90 minutes of "active" play a day. To me, that is so disheartening. I am sad to say that I put on the freshman 15 pounds earlier than my friends when I learned that pushing a car pedal was easier than a bike pedal.
Growing up, my mother stayed home and my dad was home by 4 PM. I feel like a convict who just got paroled just before the warden was going to pull the switch if I leave my job by 4 PM. Sixteen hour days are not uncommon for me and unfortunately it is the price of my job. (And I love my job even if I would not wish it on anyone.) I have found among my peers that 12 to 16 hour days are not uncommon. By the time I get home, I'm starving. In this, I am lucky to have someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do.
Between the two of us, we eat fairly healthy food. However, that being said, we both like to cook - as does everyone who is likely posting on this board. We have to remember that not everyone enjoys cooking. Heck, I know people who do not especially enjoy eating and consider fine dining when you soil a plate after cranking open a can of Chef-Boy-R-Dee Ravioli. (The fine-dining part according to this crowd is that they use a washable plate.) My favorite offender of this is a woman who is so into sports that she will eat whatever she can on her way to the tennis courts or what-have you and looks the very picture of health. She keeps herself ridiculously busy. Once when I joined her for lunch, her pantry contained gatorade, twinkies, and protein bars, and she whined about the time it took to go to Subway for a sandwich.
This thread started with the assumption of ignorance and laziness, but really there are multiple issues: Healthy eating, obesity, and exercise to name but a few. We also need to consider finances, genetics, lifestyle, medical abilities, etc. Everyone has 24 hours in a day and we all have obligations we have to meet. For most of us on this board, good cooking is a passion. I am fortunate that is true for me but, with my schedule, if I hated cooking, Twinkies and Diet Coke would be frequently in my shopping cart along with Chef Boy-R-Dee.....and I'd likely eat it straight from the can to keep from having clean up.
~Kathleen
For starters, no one knows what or why people buy what they do, but it is not simply food choices that cause obesity. When I was a child, we had home-cooking by Mom and the treat was McD's once a month. In those days, keeping weight ON was the issue. Mind you, we were outside and active all of the time. My parents gardened, took walks, played outdoor games with us, etc. We went hiking, camping, fishing as a family. In the summer time, I would wake, make a sandwich and go to the pool. I was there when it opened and left when it closed. I bicycled everywhere (without a helmet.)
Today, many children are heavily scheduled from the time they wake until they sleep. I work with kids who have zero time to be kids. When they have free time, they don't know how to play. Make a fort from blankets? No, play X-box. Bicycle? Only if mom and dad get their bikes out and they have comfortable helmets AND they do not ride in a street or anywhere out of sight from home. We now have a media campaign trying to encourage parents and children to get in 90 minutes of "active" play a day. To me, that is so disheartening. I am sad to say that I put on the freshman 15 pounds earlier than my friends when I learned that pushing a car pedal was easier than a bike pedal.
Growing up, my mother stayed home and my dad was home by 4 PM. I feel like a convict who just got paroled just before the warden was going to pull the switch if I leave my job by 4 PM. Sixteen hour days are not uncommon for me and unfortunately it is the price of my job. (And I love my job even if I would not wish it on anyone.) I have found among my peers that 12 to 16 hour days are not uncommon. By the time I get home, I'm starving. In this, I am lucky to have someone who enjoys cooking as much as I do.
Between the two of us, we eat fairly healthy food. However, that being said, we both like to cook - as does everyone who is likely posting on this board. We have to remember that not everyone enjoys cooking. Heck, I know people who do not especially enjoy eating and consider fine dining when you soil a plate after cranking open a can of Chef-Boy-R-Dee Ravioli. (The fine-dining part according to this crowd is that they use a washable plate.) My favorite offender of this is a woman who is so into sports that she will eat whatever she can on her way to the tennis courts or what-have you and looks the very picture of health. She keeps herself ridiculously busy. Once when I joined her for lunch, her pantry contained gatorade, twinkies, and protein bars, and she whined about the time it took to go to Subway for a sandwich.
This thread started with the assumption of ignorance and laziness, but really there are multiple issues: Healthy eating, obesity, and exercise to name but a few. We also need to consider finances, genetics, lifestyle, medical abilities, etc. Everyone has 24 hours in a day and we all have obligations we have to meet. For most of us on this board, good cooking is a passion. I am fortunate that is true for me but, with my schedule, if I hated cooking, Twinkies and Diet Coke would be frequently in my shopping cart along with Chef Boy-R-Dee.....and I'd likely eat it straight from the can to keep from having clean up.
~Kathleen
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