everything in moderation? i respectfully disagree

twiggyrr

I agree if we were meant to put chemicals into our body than they would have been here for us like meat, veg, grains, and fruits. And not configured in some lab.

I'm trying hard to discipline my self and hope to one day eat clean..and only clean.

peteyTwang

i agree with 'everything in moderation' SOMETIMES - I think it belongs right up there with "delayed gratification"
but like Sarah Silverman says you have to ... "MAKE IT A TREAT"

http://www.nerve.com/entertainment/the-ten-sexiest-celebrity-stoners

zeeeb

Oh that is a very idealistic way to be. Awesome if you have the time and drive and will power to pull it off, but not very realistic (in my world anyway).

We are humans, we are flawed, generally we are far from perfect, and we are tempted for whatever reason to eat cr@p, whether it be from peer pressure, the way we were bought up, what is served to us, via marketing and advertising, pure laziness, or lack of time.

I remember once upon a time, i use to be idealistic, then I got a life, i got busy, i had kids, and have a million other priorities that go ahead of being idealistic.

sometimes it's hard enough just to get the basics done, and the extras, well, they can wait for another time.

Sounds to me like someone who has the luxury of being able to be very single minded and obsessed, and yep, that's a luxury not all of us want or have. I like to be healthy, and it is worth spending time and effort on, but I certainly don't want to live my life in a vacuum of perfection, it's just not for me.

Pebble321

You are quite entitled to your opinion, but I hope you learn soon that most people REALLY don't like being told what to do. I think what you are doing is great - for you. Keep it up.
All the rest of us have to find our own way on our weight loss journey.
I usually cook all my own meals, mostly fresh produce, but last night's dinner was pizza, chocolate and wine I did have everything in moderation (i think I ate/drank about half the quantity I would have had this time last year) and enjoyed it immensely.
I hope you enjoyed that cocktail in your profile pic too!!

FearAnLoathing

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting “Holy s*it, what a ride!”

ilikeflowers

I actually eat like this. It isn't hard. I don't always buy organic, but I buy fresh fruit & veg whenever possible and frozen when I can't. I don't drink soda and rarely buy juices. I was fortunate enough to be gifted a juicer and make my own. I coupon to save. I spend one day a week prepping. It comes to about an hour clipping and sorting coupons and another 1 or 2 hours prepping food for the week, That includes making a pot of beans, a pot of brown rice and chopping veg for salads to grab and go through the week. I grocery shop probably every 2 weeks and try to buy food that's as clean as possible.I still go out to eat but I pick and choice. No fast food, it's too high in sodium and sugars to make it worth it.I invested in several to go bottle so I have drinks with me in the car and I ziplock snack like almonds and cranberries. I buy larabar bars. I even got a popsicle mold from the dollar store and make my own popsicles for sweet cravings. I have been laid off for several months now and honestly my food budget had not increased I actually save money buying dried beans and cooking them myself or quick sale produce that I blanch and freeze or roast myself. I'd say a half a day once a week is not too much time to devote to better health.

Cheers to you, I completely agree. Healthy food doesn't have to take a long time and can very affordable, tasty, and satisfying! It takes maybe 10 minuets to throw some dried beans, brown rice, green onion and water in a rice cooker, add a salad with some veggies, and cut up strawberries for dessert. That can easily be a full meal for 4 for about $10-$15 (I suppose it depends where you live, but I live in LA aka expensive town so I imagine it wouldn't be more expensive elsewhere). Unless you're ordering off the dollar menu, the drive to fast food will take longer and it would be more expensive for 4 people ordering fast food meals.

Nailrep

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting “Holy s*it, what a ride!”

(CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP)...I remember being so sure of everything when I was 25 or so....Then reality hit - a job, kids, mortgage, etc...Healthy living became not killing the soccer mom in front of me while I was picking up my kids!!

UpEarly

Meh... different strokes for different folks. Personally, I think I would find your barley, applesauce, organic chocolate brownie to be inedible. But, I'm really glad you enjoy them and are happy with the way you're living your life and the choices you're making.

I don't eat much processed food at all. I cook 95% of everything I eat from scratch. I buy a lot of organic stuff from the farmers market, and most of my meat comes from an organic, sustainable farm. That said, I don't feel a whit of guilt when I *don't* eat something 'perfect'.

sweetsarahj

man, whiny people piss me off. i think its interesting how many people are posting in disagreement with the poster and have a large amount of weight to lose. correlation? maaaybe.

before you go trip out on me, i ate the same way for a long time. its programmed into us at this point. but you know what? you can change it. stop being afraid and wimpy and whiny and make yourself push past 'moderation' into healthy. i make minimum wage and work less than 20 hours a week and i'm a full time college student trying to pay off debt. guess what? i feed myself organically with no HFCS, enriched flour, or gluten on less than $200 a month. and yes, the chipotle i am eating today follows the same guidelines.

its friggen doable. you just have to stop being afraid.

btw, cranberries are red. i really hope the person that made that comment realizes that.

Wow... seriously? So, I'm assuming you live in a dorm, that is paid for, and you drive a car that your parents paid for (or you don't have one.)
200 dollars a month in food for one person is INSANE. Some people have that budget for two people (like me) and others, for more. You're living the high life, so stop trying to say that those of us who have to work full time on top of going to school full time are whiny.

I don't think $200/month is insane.... the costs of groceries vary significantly depending on where you live. I easily spend that much each month on groceries for myself. But I am terrible at budgeting food... I want what I want when I want it!

marci355

Life’s journey is not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting “Holy s*it, what a ride!”

(CLAP CLAP CLAP CLAP)...I remember being so sure of everything when I was 25 or so....Then reality hit - a job, kids, mortgage, etc...Healthy living became not killing the soccer mom in front of me while I was picking up my kids!!

LMAO!!! OMG, I remember that! My kids are grown and gone, but boy do your priorties change when marriage and kids come along! Thanks for the laugh!!!

sinclare

this reminds me of a story my husband told me. His aunt and uncle came to visit. Knowing they were vegetarian, he cooked some veggie soup and a lentil dish and had it ready for them when they arrived.

Instead of being gracious and thanking him, his aunt told him, oh, we don't eat anything cooked in aluminum cookware.

Butterflynma

I totally agree with Carolyn's post. We are a society of fast and processed foods. And we're a society with high rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, heart conditions, etc. I get that people have families, long work hours, other obligations, and may not me able to afford to eat natural foods. However I think we tend to put ourselves last all too often. Yes we need to go to work to pay the bills, vacation, purchase goods, etc. but why does that have to take precedence over our health? As a society we put so much time and energy into outward things and neglect the most important things, our minds, bodies, and souls. I am by no means making any judgement and if it comes across that way I apologize. I am just speaking based on my own experiences and my observations of others. We have been conditioned to eat fast and processed foods. Just as we were conditioned to do that we can condition ourselves to eat foods that are healthier for our bodies. It's not as easy as it sounds but just like we're all here with the common goal of loosing weight, we can take that same motivation and determination to eat healthier if we wanted to.

Peace

ilikeflowers

Great post! I'm a nurse and that makes me think of the little geriatric patients who are well into their 90s. When asked, on occassion, what the secret was to old age, I don't remember any of them saying "Well dear, I never ate any chemicals..."

I think about this a lot because I come on here and read all of the funny things that people say are bad for us or good for us but then I take 50 diet histories a week from little old (and I mean old!) ladies and you know what they eat (and have always eaten?) - breakfast: white toast with jam, lunch: a deli meat sandwich, dinner: meat and 3 veg, snacks cup of tea with sweetener and milk and a biscuit. Definitely makes me wonder.

As for the original post, well it's an interesting viewpoint. I don't agree with it because I think that people 'decide' what is good and what is bad for them. There is no proof for example that genetically modified foods are bad for us, or about a lot of the things mentioned, so I don't see how anyone could support the view that we should all be absolutely avoiding them.

I understand how looking to the older generation for how foods affect the body seems like it would be a good example, and to an extent I think it is. I wish we lived in the same day they did, where we raised our own chickens, grew our own vegetables, and made our own bread. Or at least very close nearby in a little bread shop, where they put love into their bread. I didnt live back then, so I guess Im specualting, but now everything is so mass quantity, fast, cheap, give the chickens hormones so they grow bigger faster, make the bread in big factories with the cheapest ingredients available (but bread is still freakin expensive, jeez!) but if you watch movies like Food, Inc. you see how the food processing and quality has gone down. I understand the idea about looking to our grandparents for inspiration, but unfortunately our Smuckers jam, Wonder Bread, Hormel Honey Ham etc just doesnt compare to the fresh fare they grew up with. Sigh Sometimes I wish I could go back in time...

Nailrep

this reminds me of a story my husband told me. His aunt and uncle came to visit. Knowing they were vegetarian, he cooked some veggie soup and a lentil dish and had it ready for them when they arrived.

Instead of being gracious and thanking him, his aunt told him, oh, we don't eat anything cooked in aluminum cookware.

:noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway: :noway:

TourThePast

Instead of being gracious and thanking him, his aunt told him, oh, we don't eat anything cooked in aluminium cookware.

So, did his aunt's dress go well with lentils? Because if I'd gone to that much trouble for someone who didn't have the decency to spell out their picky little requirements, they'd have been wearing them! :bigsmile:

Sure, avoid cooking with aluminium at home, but refusing to eat one meal smacks of fundamentalism - and fundamentalism, whether in religion or anything else, is pretty d*mn ugly.

fredd500

Most food scientists would disagree with many of your points. Most of us work at least five days a week, we need food in our refrigerators and cupboards which contain preservatives etc just so we are not poisoning ourselves with bacteria. Fast food is just this type of food cooked for us and served hot at the point we want to eat it. The market has developed because there is a need for it.

Sure, eating it every day without considering it as part of a well balanced and nutritious diet will do you no good. Thats probably why most of us are here in the first place, but in moderation, there is no reason why we can't enjoy these things and learn to do so in a well balanced way.

I say if you want it - eat it.... but eat it in moderation!

Nailrep

Eating 1200 calories a day in organically grown carrots is BAD for you too. MODERATION.

Sezmo83

Okay, it IS more expensive to eat organic. Or it is here anyway. I just hopped onto tescos website and put in our weekly shop exchanging things for organic where possible. My food bill more than doubled! I buy my meat at the local butcher, I bake a lot of my own bread and cakes, I buy free range eggs and I do my best not to eat a ton of processed foods but we're living on a pretty tight budget so doubling the food bill would be a big problem. I'd love to know where those who think it costs no more than non organic shop!

Erindipitous

Bump. I need to finish reading this whole thing when I have time. It's too good!


P.S. If we all could eat clean all of the time, some of us may. But we don't all have the resources, time, money or energy to eat and live this way. Additionally, we all live in pollution and are exposed to the sun (with or without SPF).. There's no way to get around that.

Living in a bubble and choking down organic tree bark smoothies is not a way to live, in my opinion. But since you're gung-ho about it, please do so - Posting an opinion is fair and acceptable; However, we don't want to be preached to about how we're all poisoning our bodies on a daily basis and being accused of slowly killing ourselves. (Hello, this is Life. Have we met? We're ALL SLOWLY DYING.)

So on behalf of 99% of the MFP community: Thank you for being an inconsiderate vegan tree hugger. The next time I'm eating something "processed and poisoned", I'll think of you with each swallow as I wash it down with artificially colored diet soda.

dustyhockeymom

While this may certainly be the ideal situation, for most people it isn't reasonable or practical. I know plenty of very healthy people who eat the occasional snickers bar or other processed food.

I think the bigger issue is that your post is so judgemental. While you certainly are entitled to your opinion, you don't have to condemn everyone who doesn't think like you.