Be a 'blue zoner'...

lemurcat12

scolaris wrote: »

But it is a TRICKLE of sugar compared to the average American's diet.

The SAD is a poor diet for lots of reasons, including far too many calories and far too much sugar, on average (and far too much sat fat compared to most traditional diets, as well as too few plant foods like vegetables especially). One doesn't need to go all or nothing about sugar to acknowledge that there are healthier ways to eat.

I quite like the blue zone approach, myself.

I also eat very little packaged food.

However, in that lots of newbies to this don't really cook much, I think it makes sense to acknowledge that there are major differences between different "packaged" foods and that they aren't inherently bad for health. Looking at one's overall diet is a better approach to good nutrition than a black and white approach to sugar or packaged food or whatever (and I don't think you were arguing differently, I just think Robert is misrepresenting what the usual argument around here is).

My view is that one of the main issues with the SAD is that calories (including in the form of packaged foods than contain lots of fat and sugar and sodium) are so incredibly cheap and available, so it is much easier to overeat than in most times and places, and add to that that our communal restrictions on when and how to eat (i.e., eating being mostly a communal things or done at certain times only or including vegetables) are basically lost.

scolaris

I agree completely @lemurcat12

Sabine_Stroehm

lemurcat12 wrote: »

scolaris wrote: »

But it is a TRICKLE of sugar compared to the average American's diet.

The SAD is a poor diet for lots of reasons, including far too many calories and far too much sugar, on average (and far too much sat fat compared to most traditional diets, as well as too few plant foods like vegetables especially). One doesn't need to go all or nothing about sugar to acknowledge that there are healthier ways to eat.

I quite like the blue zone approach, myself.

I also eat very little packaged food.

However, in that lots of newbies to this don't really cook much, I think it makes sense to acknowledge that there are major differences between different "packaged" foods and that they aren't inherently bad for health. Looking at one's overall diet is a better approach to good nutrition than a black and white approach to sugar or packaged food or whatever (and I don't think you were arguing differently, I just think Robert is misrepresenting what the usual argument around here is).

My view is that one of the main issues with the SAD is that calories (including in the form of packaged foods than contain lots of fat and sugar and sodium) are so incredibly cheap and available, so it is much easier to overeat than in most times and places, and add to that that our communal restrictions on when and how to eat (i.e., eating being mostly a communal things or done at certain times only or including vegetables) are basically lost.

Nicely put.

senecarr

scolaris wrote: »

See? There it goes....
I have in laws in northern Italy. I've lived with them, marketed with them, cooked with them. They do enjoy a sweet. But it is a TRICKLE of sugar compared to the average American's diet.
But go ahead & think whatever the heck you want in your little bubble sweetie!

So they clearly eat them sometimes, not "do not eat".
You also near verbatim stated what I did with "But it is a TRICKLE of sugar compared to the average American's diet".
So, between the author saying "they do not", Robert's implied agreement with it, and your not even acknowledging my statement by stating the same thing as if it was contradicting me, and myself, stating things for accuracy, who's in a bubble?
I'm certainly over here 'aving a bubble.

Need2Exerc1se

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

alyssagb1 wrote: »

Wiseandcurious wrote: »

alyssagb1 wrote: »

Interesting article. I definitely need to incorporate more plant based food in my diet. -at least more that are not from the frozen section in the grocery store

Absolutely nothing wrong with frozen fruit and veg - they conserve their nutritional value very well, and often they are picked ripe (as opposed to "fresh" produce meant for export which is often picked underripe) and not treated with additional chemicals for transportation, and usually prepared soon after picking.

In fact they might be better than out -of- season imported fruit and veg.

Very good points. I'm not sure chemicals have anything to do with it, but out of season watermelon (imo) is kind of gross. I love it normally, but this time of year in ohio the stuff available is no good. -maybe it is the chemicals used in transport.

I don't know if it is chemicals or what but grocery store tomatoes (especially out of season) taste like pumpkin to me. It is the produce section version of biting into a chocolate chip cookie and realizing the chocolate chips are raisins.

It's because commercial tomatoes are picked while still green and allowed to ripen in transit. This is necessary when they must be shipped a long way but it does ruin the taste.

kshama2001

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

pollypocket1021 wrote: »

alyssagb1 wrote: »

Wiseandcurious wrote: »

alyssagb1 wrote: »

Interesting article. I definitely need to incorporate more plant based food in my diet. -at least more that are not from the frozen section in the grocery store

Absolutely nothing wrong with frozen fruit and veg - they conserve their nutritional value very well, and often they are picked ripe (as opposed to "fresh" produce meant for export which is often picked underripe) and not treated with additional chemicals for transportation, and usually prepared soon after picking.

In fact they might be better than out -of- season imported fruit and veg.

Very good points. I'm not sure chemicals have anything to do with it, but out of season watermelon (imo) is kind of gross. I love it normally, but this time of year in ohio the stuff available is no good. -maybe it is the chemicals used in transport.

I don't know if it is chemicals or what but grocery store tomatoes (especially out of season) taste like pumpkin to me. It is the produce section version of biting into a chocolate chip cookie and realizing the chocolate chips are raisins.

It's because commercial tomatoes are picked while still green and allowed to ripen in transit. This is necessary when they must be shipped a long way but it does ruin the taste.

Ya, the strawberries I pick at peak ripeness from my garden are far superior to out-of-season store-bought ones.

middlehaitch

Good post @lemurcat12. I wondered what Seasonal Affected Disorder had to do with anything- then the penny dropped.

I am so glad the SAD has never held much appeal to me.

Cheers, h.

lemurcat12

Heh. That other SAD has actually been getting to me lately. Once again I've considered getting one of those blue lights (not blue zones). ;-)

middlehaitch

@lemurcat12, I have one of those lights for the winter months. Not sure if I am a little SAD, but it just gives me a boost. (Just got mine in November)
My SO is very SAD and it is incredible how different he has been the past 3 winters. He actually gets off the couch and does things. His is like a ball cap with the light under the peak. He travels a lot and takes it with him.
Costco had/has the table lamp at a reasonable price.

Cheers, h.
Sorry for straying off topic.

lemurcat12

Thanks--that's actually helpful. I really should try it.

robertw486

scolaris wrote: »

See? There it goes....
I have in laws in northern Italy. I've lived with them, marketed with them, cooked with them. They do enjoy a sweet. But it is a TRICKLE of sugar compared to the average American's diet.
But go ahead & think whatever the heck you want in your little bubble sweetie!

Well silly lady, first hand experience means little when someone can Google it! I've always found that there are some people just not worth responding to for such and similar reasons.

But the same was true when I was in Okinawa. The raw sugar sold in most Japanese stores was more in line with a table top dispenser here in the US. Sold in ounces, not pounds. You could buy raw sugar cane, and that seemed preferred by the locals.

And the people were much more in touch with cooking, made it a family thing, and appreciated everything from the ocean. Even on beaches and such, people would often cook from scratch with their family. I had some amazing experiences there with locals, including fresh abalone we found and offered to a farmer that let us dive from his land. He rejected them, and insisted he show us how to make them. We convinced him to let us share them with his family.

We often saw snorkelers, hunters, etc making a ritual offering and teaching the importance of it, similar to Hawaiian native culture. That same farmer shows us how to dispense with octopus in the most quick and humane way. He also told us about teaching his kids about killing animals for food, and it was somewhat a passage to adult life, understanding and respecting that the animal died for the humans.

lemurcat12

"And I'm sure quite a few of the discussions in here would hate to read this article and find the below tidbit"

Claiming that people would hate the quote sure seems like you are claiming to know what others are thinking. Also, seems like a discussion of other discussions, which isn't encouraged.