The only difference between a "clean" and "dirty" food is...

tidmutt

Fast food, processed foods are slow killers, as well they up the medical costs from food related diseases etc. I know many parents who give their kids hot dogs at least 4x a week. Sad. All starts at home. Unfortunately, the obesity rate is climbing drastically. Many of today's children won't out live their parents.

Obesity is on the rise, because people eat too damn much. Thats all there is too it. Nothing to do with processed foods.

I don't completely agree. It's a tautology to state that obesity is caused by eating too much, there is little value in it, it's obvious. The problem with many processed foods is the low nutrient density and high calorie content resulting in being able to consume large quantities of calories without what would have been our natural defenses against obesity kicking in. I agree that "clean" food is a bad description it conveys little meaning but if we talk about "whole" foods as being foods that are minimally processed or not processed at all they will often be high in nutrients and low in calories at least relatively. Although processed foods are perhaps not the primary cause of obesity they are a secondary one.

To the point mentioned by the other poster regarding feeding kids hot dogs 4x a week, I agree this is a sad trend. Having a 4 month old I can see the temptation to just stop at a drive through or throw some hot dogs in the microwave, although I refuse to do that myself. Much of it is that people are often not taught how to cook even simple meals. Once you have some basic cooking skills you can see how it doesn't have to be a lot of work to make a healthy meal, can even be less work than going to a drive through, but it takes some learning and time to get to that point.

runs4zen

Quoted from PP:

... Much of it is that people are often not taught how to cook even simple meals. Once you have some basic cooking skills you can see how it doesn't have to be a lot of work to make a healthy meal, can even be less work than going to a drive through, but it takes some learning and time to get to that point. (end quote)


This is so true and such a valuable point you make!

I learned to bake as a child and to cook simple and elaborate meals as I grew older. Having the basic knowledge of baking and cooking is key to weight loss and weight control, IMO. Once you're able to do these things, you don't have to rely on powders and shakes or fast food for nutrition. You're able to plan meals, rework fatty favorites into more healthy meals, add/delete protein and carbs as you desire, control the types of food that go into your cooking, etc.

Pakitalian

There was this girl in high school...something about a hot dog and a teddy bear. Anyway, when she came back to school, her nickname was teddy.

Moral to the story: There's more than one use for hotdogs, and the ending is not always pleasant.

HAHAHAHAHAHA.... LOVE IT!!!