The conspiracy to make (and keep us) fat...

stealthq

If you went by the serving size of the label on a package of regular chips it should last you a while.

Very True.

Admittedly, before I started dieting, I had probably never limited myself to a single "serving" of chips in my life. I'd get a plate, put a sandwich on half and then fill the rest of the plate up with chips...and clean my plate.

...

+2

That's me and just about everyone I know. Worse, I'm not even a big fan of chips. I like them OK, but if I never ate one again, I wouldn't miss it. Now perfectly prepared steak fries - that's a whole other matter. I do get a craving for those every now and again.

2FatToRun

OP never said she doesn't have responsibility for what goes in her mouth. In fact, she said she should steer clear rather than making it harder on herself. I think she understood her own body's reaction better and is then better equipped to take care of herself.

I agree. And some of the snotty replies to her topic are unnecessary, implying that she is stupid or blaming the food industry... you bet it is a multimillion dollar industry, and they don't care if their food is unhealthy. Bullies everywhere, even on MFP.

You are so off base..If they didnt care about their consumers they wouldnt be making the shifts. BAKED potato chips for one example. They see that ppl are catching onto their cheap tricks to make the most money at consumers expense and lack of common sense. If the consumers would stop contributing to the problems (over eating and misusing foods) then it would NEVER be an issue. If you went by the serving size of the label on a package of regular chips it should last you a while. How many of us have sat and ate half a bag if not more? Goes for all food. They did their part to make sure the label said what you should consume how is it their fault that most have no self control and abuse the food? The study itself is ridiculous. So what if they try and make their foods addicting as possible...unless they are tying you down force feeding you the crap YOU are the only one responsible for the consequences of YOUR actions. and back to accountability...SMH

while i agree with you that we're individually responsible for ourselves, companies are only offering "healthy" alternatives because they see a profit in it... it's not out of altruism. they're still making those "healthy" products as cheaply as possible.

Yeah but my point is they wouldnt have to make healthier options if ppl didnt abuse the originals to begin with lol They know ppl that are now acknowledging their health and are going to look at the labels and abide by them. BUT instead of telling ppl that are too dumb to figure it out that ..hey you can still eat all this stuff but you have to follow the servings but instead barely alter the new healthier product throw it in new packaging and mark it up.That is why the newer shift foods are less contents per package but more money to buy then the original.

2FatToRun

They are making money hand over fist due to greedy ppl that have no self control and stupid ppl that refuse to take accountablilty and will pay

mahanaibu

Every manufacturer of everything seeks to make their product more appealing to the consumer. Duh!

Tin hat nonsense does not relieve YOU of the responsibility for everything you put in your mouth. BS like this is soaked up by people who would rather subscribe to mindless conspiracy theories than actually engage their brains or their self control.

No one is suggesting that people aren't responsible for making decisions. But people who are unaware have the decisions made harder for them by food companies that manipulate foods to bring out the qualities that most make people want to keep eating. Thanks to the great reporting by the NY Times article, more people are getting to know that--and can make better decisions.

I don't, however, buy this theory that early man survived by eating as much as he could whenever it was available. Since we know that early man stored food, and that food storage was necessary for survival, it's unlikely that he just pigged out completely at the sight of food. He also had to make some long-range decisions. There is evidence, though, that early man was an opporunitstic meat eater--ate a lot of it whenever it was available, which wasn't often. (Though they also dried meat into jerky.) This makes sense, since we do need vitamin B12, which is only available in its natural form from animal sources--but we don't need it often!

beyondjupiter

I don't know if there is a conspiracy, per say.

However, I do think the USDA has their priorities screwed up while keeping their pockets full.

I think needing meat and milk for example is a pretty big misconception fed to us since childhood.

beyondjupiter

There is evidence, though, that early man was an opporunitstic meat eater--ate a lot of it whenever it was available, which wasn't often. (Though they also dried meat into jerky.) This makes sense, since we do need vitamin B12, which is only available in its natural form from animal sources--but we don't need it often!

I actually talked with this about my doctor the other day when asking him about my current eating style change. He said it was not like our ancestors had cows roaming around on demand. They ate meat when/if they caught a squirrel, rabbit, etc. It definitely was not every day and when they did it was way smaller portions that we have now.

NaBroski

This issue isn't that you talk about eating better and more healthfully. The issue is that you start compiling food into good and bad columns with tally marks that are given based off of your own food phobias rather than a view of moderation.

Most people here would benefit from learning moderation first.

I have NO "food phobias" but thank you for the feeble attempt at psychoanalysis. Just as certain cars are "unsafe at any speed" some foods are really not very good for a body--moderation or not.
[/quote]

^^The very definition of food phobia^^

Alison12121

That's so interesting. There are so many additives in foods that I stay away from processed foods as much as possible. If I don't know what's in it, I don't want it. I like to cook anyway, so I'll make something from scratch if I can.

I've also read about MSG being added to food to make you crave more of it. The food industry wants you to eat more so you buy more and they make more money. They don't care about your health. In the lab, to make mice obese, they feed them MSG, so I definitely don't want it in my food.

I try to get organic food as much as possible mainly because of allergies, and there is a big difference in ingredients. For example, I checked the label on a package of organic bread crumbs and I just saw flour, salt and yeast. When I looked at regular breadcrumbs there were about 20 different chemicals including MSG added.

upgetupgetup

I believe all the big corps do work together to keep people from getting healthy and to keep them fat. It's OBVIOUS. And anyone who says someone is stupid for believing that is just ignorant themselves. I mean think about it, its perfect. Teach children to eat unhealthy foods by making them cheaper, brighter, more "fun", and advertise them on their favorite tv channels (that also have then pretty much addicted to the tv), as they grow up the get fat from the unhealthy food and lack of movement, causing health problems, eventually causing problems that need to be constantly medicated, but the medication is just helping the symptoms, not the problem, so they go on a diet from seeing these awesome diet pills advertised on tv, or this awesome weightloss program from tv. Hooray! They lose the weight! Now they are happy and healthy. But now...they feel left out because their friends eat/drink all the "normal" foods...boom.. new cycle.

Except now it yoyos or just gets worse until they are medicated with pills that are meant to keep them sick in the first place, just not sick enough to die.

Make fun of me, disagree, whatever. But this is the way I see it and I will always believe it.

Sorry if there are typos, I typed this on my phone in the breakroom at work.

It would be handy if it could all be sewn up together like that, but it is just boring old capitalism* - every company (and every one in it) trying to get their own - and yours - with as little cost as possible, opportunistically using whatever medium's available, whether it's TV adspace or the tastebuds etc we've acquired through evolution.

That said, there absolutely is conspiracy going on on a small scale, except it's called 'marketing', 'strategy', and 'R&D'. Food scientists and dirty psychologists, like AlbertaBeefy said.

edit: I do eat foods that are not ideal. The only way I can do that is by using MFP and trying hard to stay conscious about portion, etc, as much as I can. It takes this kind of vigilance, because we make mistakes about, e.g., portion, all the time. And facts like that about human cognition are very well understood when decisions are made about e.g. packaging vs serving size/nutritional info

*but i do not dispute class conflict, which pushes it very much in a directional way

Whitezombiegirl

The one thing that blew my mind? There is an actual term they use, called the “bliss factor” that is the point at which a food triggers a response in your body that makes you want to keep eating. Let me repeat this…they actually create foods with the goal to make it physically more difficult to put it down.Wow, like it isn’t hard enough for me already!

Of course, this is just common sense. If i created a food-product and wanted to get rich I'd ensure it contained all the triggers- sugar/ starch, salt , casomorphins, umami flavours, fats e.g. a big fatty burger with sugary tomato sauce, salty bacon, sweet bread bun and lots of cheese- Oh wait- McDonalds already did that... and how rich are they now???

Fozzi43

I likes all the foodz...nom nom nom.

mistesh

What would happen if people stopped going to McDonald's?

BeachIron

What would happen if people stopped going to McDonald's?

McDonald's would eventually file for bankruptcy protection, stiff it's creditors and lay off a massive number of people, and Burger King and Wendy's would enjoy higher revenue and profitability.

Caitlinhappymeal

so true, i used to work for slimming world in the UK for 10 years, lets cut a long story short, if everyone got to target they wouldn't make the millions a year profit they do, doesn't take Einstein to workout it out,. give members a system that only works in the short term and they'll have to keep coming back. i left in the end, finally the penny dropped and i didn't want to be part of that machine anymore....

WendyTerry420

You know, I have a conspiracy theory about organic foods. Slap a label on anything that says "organic" and certain folks will gladly shell out as much money as you ask - no questions asked. Organic foodies are totes brainwashed.

QFT

Also, when the FDA changed the rules on what can be labelled as "organic," the "anointed" Kraft Foods was leading the lobby charge. They recognized a great marketing campaign when they saw it and used the force of government to get in the game.

I thought there were no conspiracies? or did that only apply to processed foods? conspiracies a-plenty when it comes to organic food!

lol

No conspiracies? Visit Washington DC sometime or view C-SPAN. I'm just saying that you are looking at the wrong place for the root cause.



ETA:The widest conspiracy yet (imo) is the demonization and subsequent prohibition of the cannabis plant.

Oishii

Whether you choose abstinence or moderation, knowledge is power.

I choose moderation. If I've eaten my half a cup of ice cream and I still want more, I need to ask myself why. Am I still hungry or is it 'sugar lust'? Should I give in or should I walk away/eat something more nutritious? What is drawing me towards one food rather than another? Does it matter?

I suppose abstinence from certain foods just reduces the number of questions you have to ask yourself, and some people prefer that.

If everyone understood the issues, and acted on them, would it really harm big business? Not in the long term. They would simply make their products gradually more expensive. Of course they would try to screw over the producers in the process, but in the long run it would lower production, help the environment and save the planet! Yay, for knowledge! :laugh:

songbyrdsweet

I think the larger issue is society's total resistance to personal responsibility. Yes, there are food chemists employed to make food taste good--fast food AND prepared 'health' food. No one is force-feeding you cupcakes and KFC chicken.

It is not the role of the government to tell you what to think or eat. If the government did impose some regulation (like limiting serving sizes...OH WAIT, that happened...) not only would it do very little to improve the obesity epidemic, people would be up-in-arms over Big Brother (or Monsanto, or whomever) regulating their food intake.

It is your job to control your waist line. No one is MAKING you or KEEPING you fat but yourself. Once you accept responsibility for your own health, suddenly no one else is in charge. MAGIC.

jdhoward_101

Brands are in it to make money, not because they give a damn about our health or nutrition. Because of this, i always thought additives in food and what not were a given; this isn't some massive undercover scandal, unfortunately it's just the way the world works now, and you've got to be prepared for it! Yes, it definitely makes dieting and deciding what to eat harder, but there is nothing we can do but grit our teeth and refuse to let them beat us!

CoachReddy

You know, I have a conspiracy theory about organic foods. Slap a label on anything that says "organic" and certain folks will gladly shell out as much money as you ask - no questions asked. Organic foodies are totes brainwashed.

QFT

Also, when the FDA changed the rules on what can be labelled as "organic," the "anointed" Kraft Foods was leading the lobby charge. They recognized a great marketing campaign when they saw it and used the force of government to get in the game.

I thought there were no conspiracies? or did that only apply to processed foods? conspiracies a-plenty when it comes to organic food!

lol

No conspiracies? Visit Washington DC sometime or view C-SPAN. I'm just saying that you are looking at the wrong place for the root cause.



ETA:The widest conspiracy yet (imo) is the demonization and subsequent prohibition of the cannabis plant.

where am I looking if not the gov't and its ties with big food corps like monsanto? please enlighten me.

jen_zz

Whether you choose abstinence or moderation, knowledge is power.

I choose moderation. If I've eaten my half a cup of ice cream and I still want more, I need to ask myself why. Am I still hungry or is it 'sugar lust'? Should I give in or should I walk away/eat something more nutritious? What is drawing me towards one food rather than another? Does it matter?

I suppose abstinence from certain foods just reduces the number of questions you have to ask yourself, and some people prefer that.

If everyone understood the issues, and acted on them, would it really harm big business? Not in the long term. They would simply make their products gradually more expensive. Of course they would try to screw over the producers in the process, but in the long run it would lower production, help the environment and save the planet! Yay, for knowledge! :laugh:

Those are good questions to ask myself. I will try that next time I am on the edge of binging. Btw I like your username!