patrick.net

121212 says

Educate the consumer, display the calories, fat, sodium, bullshit chemicals, colorings and dangers!

Honestly, I don't think that'll help. The slight-of-hand in prepared/processed/GM foods that has taken place over the last 30~ years is astounding, and WAY too much for Joe Average to comprehend on a meal-by-meal basis.

I lived with a vegan for four years before it clicked (now my fiancee, so at least that worked out) but it takes a serious--and sometimes expensive--effort to stay off the beaten path (which, ironically, used to be the norm).

The Honey BooBoo set just wants taste and quantity as they've been trained not to worry about the mechanics of it all.

121212 says

Drinking Apple Juice in excess will cause cancer, If you drink it from China you will get Arsenic poising as well.

Plus all the calories that fruit drinks have! I think you are better of drinking Crystal Light.

zzyzzx says

Plus all the calories that fruit drinks have! I think you are better of drinking Crystal Light.

I drink those but again that stuff is no good either.

ASPARTAME

A Dangerous Spin On The Cancer Risks Of A Sugar-Free Sweetener

http://www.world-wire.com/news/1001060003.html

Before 1970, obesity was non-existent. Then the microwave was invented. Beginning In 1995 processed food became glamourized with food labels.
Today, most people don't know what real food is.
hint: don't eat anything with a processed food label and your body will return to normal.

I know the poison I'm consuming daily reading your posts...
121212 says

Do you know the poison you are consuming daily with your toiletries??

I am a pretty slender person (5'6", 112 lbs). I am fortunate in that my natural tendencies are to eat healthy... and I've never been a ravenous person (much to the disappointment of my Italian family). That said...

Because I have always been thin, I never gave much thought to the details of food. Then, when I was 35, I learned that my fasting cholesterol was 220! (my ratios were good). Regardless, I was mortified.

So, I did a lot of research trying to understand why my cholesterol was so high. It's not like I was living on a beer and Cheetos diet! I read an article that talked about processed foods and how certain foods irritate the arteries resulting in higher cholesterol levels.

You all don't know me very well... but I am the last person who would have thought that eating processed foods could be so detrimental to your health. I always thought it was more about quantity than anything else... and I never had a problem with quantity.

Anyway... I started by cutting out things like margarine and my occasional sweet snack foods. In four months, my fasting levels dropped to 180. I never would have thought that such changes would have made a difference, but, for me, it did.

There's some bad stuff out there passing itself off as food.

I started chunking up a little after I hit my thirties. I blame the beer, fried okra, buttermilk, cheese grits and fried chicken by the sackful. I got back to my natural barbarian build by cutting back on the suds and substituting raw onions for snacks (eaten like you would an apple). I paired this new diet with midnight endurance runs through the desert 3X a week. I would ride my bike (a modified Schwinn Collegiate) like all hell for 5 miles, run barefoot in a five mile loop through the beautiful Morongo Valley back to my bike and then cycle back the five miles home to climb rope and jump on my trampoline for an hour. Even with an inflamed hip joint, I still manage to do a modified version of this heroic regimen once a week.

(If you're going to try this program, mouthwash is important.)

carrieon says

hint: don't eat anything with a processed food label and your body will return to normal.

Ding ding!

I wasn't 'overweight' to begin with (6'3" / 190) but as soon as I cut most of that out I went back to my ideal weight (even with a hearty craft beer habit). If I eat out I'm also 'that guy' who saves half for lunch tomorrow. This obsession with clearing your plate has to die somewhere; I hated it when I was a kid and I'm tired of being questioned about it now that I'm an adult.

One thing that hasn't been discussed in this thread are sodas. I stopped that habit five years ago, but it's amazing how socially acceptable it is to pour a half gallon of sugar water down your gullet every day. If someone is already obese it's like watching them beat themselves over the head with a hammer.

it's amazing how socially acceptable it is to pour a half gallon of sugar water down your gullet every day

Ding ding!!!!

You are absolutely right!

The fastest way to eliminate obesity is to stop drinking sodas, especially the diet drinks.

Yes, I said that correctly. Diet drinks are actually worse because of their lethal chemical ingredients.

carrieon says

The fastest way to eliminate obesity is to stop drinking sodas, especially the diet drinks.

So you are saying that obese people should switch to sugared soda???

especially the diet drinks.

The word especially implies moreover.

In other words, no more sugar and or diet sodas.

JodyChunder says

I blame the beer, fried okra, buttermilk, cheese grits and fried chicken by the sackful

That's some good eatin' there.

I always ask the waitress, "So is the Cheese grits on the menu "Cheese Grits" or does the cook just throw a sad slice of American cheese over a bowl of grits?"

I don't know why I keep asking, I've yet to find one single diner in South Florida that makes an honest pot of Cheese grits.

carrieon says

it's amazing how socially acceptable it is to pour a half gallon of sugar water down your gullet every day

Socially acceptable? Where at the FOX nation?

carrieon says

Yes, I said that correctly. Diet drinks are actually worse because of their lethal chemical ingredients.

I agree 100%. I always say the best Sugar substitute is no sugar.
I haven't drank soda, in over 5 years. I've always been a black and straight up coffee drinker. Though I do take partake in a Coloda(Cuban Coffee 5oz serving with about 3 tbl spoons of sugar infused in the brewing process) from time to time. Other than that, I drink mostly ice water or green tea.

It probably helps keep my weight stable. The only thing I notice by not consuming so much sugar anymore. Now when I do splurge on desert, I feel like the energy was sucked out of me, and feel a tad off. SO I generally try to avoid sugar all together, other than my occasional cuban coffee.

zzyzzx says

121212 says

Portion sizes need to be regulated at diners. The calorie counts are out of control.

This country has suffered with massive plate syndrome for years and calories need to be displayed clearer on fast food menus and especially all advertising.

Advertise a Big Mac or Whopper with the Calories, educate first!

Then I have the perfect warning label for them:

I think we just found the solution to our energy shortage. Lipo them whales and burn the fat.

zzyzzx says says

Then I have the perfect warning label for them:

Shit head

JodyChunder says

I started chunking up a little after I hit my thirties. I blame the beer, fried okra, buttermilk, cheese grits and fried chicken by the sackful. I got back to my natural barbarian build by cutting back on the suds and substituting raw onions for snacks (eaten like you would an apple). I paired this new diet with midnight endurance runs through the desert 3X a week. I would ride my bike (a modified Schwinn Collegiate) like all hell for 5 miles, run barefoot in a five mile loop through the beautiful Morongo Valley back to my bike and then cycle back the five miles home to climb rope and jump on my trampoline for an hour. Even with an inflamed hip joint, I still manage to do a modified version of this heroic regimen once a week.

(If you're going to try this program, mouthwash is important.)

Raw onions are brutally powerful - in a good way.

turtledove says

Because I have always been thin, I never gave much thought to the details of food. Then, when I was 35, I learned that my fasting cholesterol was 220! (my ratios were good). Regardless, I was mortified.

No reason to be mortified. There is no evidence that cholesterol at these levels has any effect, there is also no evidence to support a strong link between cholesterol and heart disease (of course there are lethal values for everything). Still good to cut out processed crap.

CaptainShuddup says

Socially acceptable? Where at the FOX nation?

Maybe that was a poor choice of words on my part. I meant that soda has become completely ingrained with our culture and sadly, "diet" soda is considered the "healthy" alternative by many.

It just doesn't occur to a huge number of people that they simply don't have to drink it.

zzyzzx says

121212 says

Portion sizes need to be regulated at diners. The calorie counts are out of control.

This country has suffered with massive plate syndrome for years and calories need to be displayed clearer on fast food menus and especially all advertising.

Advertise a Big Mac or Whopper with the Calories, educate first!

Then I have the perfect warning label for them:

Damn, that would be some defensive line in the nfl!

Call it Crazy says

zzyzzx says

121212 says

What about heart disease and high sodium in DIET FOOD!

Doesn't sodium content need to be displayed??

I'm pretty sure that sodium AND fat content does need to be displayed.

Anything you buy today has to have a nutrition sticker on it...

The problem is, somebody needs to READ it before they CONSUME it....

*

Informationis onlyh as good as ones ability to utilize it. People can read labels all they want, so long as they don't know what the hell they're looking for, it won't matter a lick.

Take this thread, for instance

Potentially intelligible people have displayed their ignorance

Suggesting consuming fat is bad
Suggesting consuming sodium is bad
Suggesting that people get fat, simply from a caloric glut

The reality is much simpler. Fat storage is regulated by hormones. Consuming sugars throws off our internal fat regulation system, rendering one insulin resistant. To fix this, one needs to stop eating sugar and return to a state of insulin sensitivity

Fat storage is an evolutionary trait that benefits survival. Fruits trigger an internal response, signalling winter is coming. The fructose tells the body to store fat. Today, there is no need to survive the winter on stored body fat, however, we eat a shitton more sugar than the human species ever has before. If you wish to lose fat from your body, stop consuming sugar altogether

What? His response was legit, you backwater gasbag!

121212 says

zzyzzx says says

Then I have the perfect warning label for them:

Shit head

Information is only as good as ones ability to communicate it.

errc says

Informationis onlyh as good as ones ability to utilize it.

CaptainShuddup says

I don't know why I keep asking, I've yet to find one single diner in South Florida that makes an honest pot of Cheese grits.

Lester's used to be a pretty safe bet.

Call it Crazy says

Guess what dude, I drove thru your favorite MickeyD's today and guess what I saw??? All the calorie information was right up on the sign board next to all the burger information...

Yes it is. There is a limit on the regulation 50 or more restaurants I believe.

However I would be happier your server tells you the total calorie count (LOL) and that it's on each receipt itemized, with the counts and totals.

I would like to see on the McD's food packaging in big numbers written the total calories for each item.

Also Chicken Nuggets are not Chicken pieces but a pink slime and cannot be called Chicken

I want the fat and calories clearly labeled for kids to see.

Crackdonalds is all about trapping the kids, they spend millions on it.

Would you goto Disney world and see no warning labels? No.

Example: Here kid have a 1500 calorie burger , 1000 calorie drink and you have no idea what it's doing to you or what your intake is for an entire day.

121212 says

However I would be happier your server tells you the total calorie count (LOL) and that it's on each receipt itemized, with the counts and totals.

At a fast food place I could see it being on the menu and receipt. At a sit down restaurant, on the menu. Good idea! In so far as the server or clerk mentioning it to you, that's probably too much to ask.

For what purpose would you like people to be given calorie information?

As far as I'm concerned, its as useless a piece of information as one could come across,,,,

zzyzzx says

At a fast food place I could see it being on the menu and receipt. At a sit down restaurant, on the menu. Good idea! In so far as the server or clerk mentioning it to you, that's probably too much to ask.

California has a law (since '08) that requires caloric/nutritional information on all fast food and chain (over 20 units) restaurant menus. Trust me, nobody reads them.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/30/AR2008093002620.html

California has a law (since '08) that requires caloric/nutritional information on all fast food and chain (over 20 units) restaurant menus. Trust me, nobody reads them.

Great observation! Even the uneducated public knows caloric/nutritional information stated on those labels is useless propaganda to sell processed food.

Here's a few not listed above:

Makes getting dates impossible.
Need two shopping carts in the supermarket to buy food.
Can't fit into standard Movie seats, Airline seats, etc.
No clothes in your size

carrieon says

Even the uneducated public knows caloric/nutritional information stated on those labels is useless propaganda to sell processed food.

True. I think my big take-away on this topic is that even in an age where information is literally at your fingertips 24/7/365.. people are all too happy to remain ignorant.

That being said- I might follow a generally vegan diet, eat non-GM organics, drink no sodas, etc, but still smoke two packs a week. Nobody is perfect (but at least I know what my next step is).

Perhaps food should be priced based on caloric value.

I do read the nutrition information, and I teach my children to do the same.

I don't think printed nutritional information is useless, at all. For example... whenever I went out to restaurants I used to order big salads. When restaurants started printing the calorie information, I was shocked to learn that a full-size CPK cob salad is somewhere around 1500 calories! You think "salad" and you think it must be good for you. I would have kept ordering them thinking I was being healthy had it not been for the printed calorie information.

Just because some people choose not to read the information provided to them doesn't mean that the information has no value. People choose to smoke despite warning labels. That doesn't mean that the cigarette warning labels should be removed.

Speaking of cigarette warning labels... My husband went to the Middle East two years ago. He brought back a pack of cigarettes to show me the labeling. On the package, it had a picture of the most disgusting set of diseased lungs I've ever seen. Certainly nothing subtle about that! Yet, some people over there still choose to smoke.

What is a calorie?

errc says

What is a calorie?

Did you ever see Supersize Me? They asked that question to several people on the street. The answers were pretty funny.

turtledove says

errc says

What is a calorie?

Did you ever see Supersize Me? They asked that question to several people on the street. The answers were pretty funny.

I think I saw it, however I don't remember that bit.

A calorie is a unit of measurement.

When people refer to calories in food, they're actually referring to kilocalories

There are three components to food calories

Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins.

1gram of carbs = 4 calories
1gram of protein= 4 calories
1gram of fat. = 9 calories

Just looking at calories alone doesn't really provide any information of value, especially for people looking to shed weight (fat)

Fat is far more energy dense than carbs or proteins, hence it is much more satiating

Few Americans know how to properly fuel their bodies, so you end up with a populace wholly ignorant on what one could argue is the most important aspect of their lives. Oversimplifying the nutritional contents of what one eats, has led society down a dangerous path, where people are simply counting total calories, without understanding that only the carbohydrates will cause people to get fat. The body breaks carbs down into glucogen/sugars, and when too many calories come from carbohydrates, people get fat. Eating fat and protein doesn't make people fat, because the body breaks fat down into glycerol and fatty acids, and protein into amino acids

As my name says, it's all about moderation.

I can haz cheezburger! Just not every day.

TechGromit says

No clothes in your size

If that were the case, there would be obese naked people everywhere. (shudders).

Homer had no trouble finding a poncho to wear:

Most professional diets include some form of calorie management, with targets on fats, carbs, proteins, etc...
You've obviously never been on one of these...

errc says

For what purpose would you like people to be given calorie information?

As far as I'm concerned, its as useless a piece of information as one could come across,,,,

SoftShell says

Most professional diets include some form of calorie management, with targets on fats, carbs, proteins, etc...

You've obviously never been on one of these...

errc says

For what purpose would you like people to be given calorie information?

As far as I'm concerned, its as useless a piece of information as one could come across,,,,

Au contraire, mon frere

I tried numerous caloric restrictive diets, to no avail. While some of them provided temporary weight loss, none of them worked long term. Likely because I was ignorant, like most americans, as to what a proper macronutrient profile looks like, and how calories in general affect fat retention

So I decided to learn why and how food works as fuel for our bodies. I never understood that it was hormonal. Then I happened upon some good science that finally informed me, and now I know, that the only number that matters on those nutritional labels is carbohydrates/sugars, when it comes to shedding fat and keeping it off.