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

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Replies

  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,782 Member
    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.

    tinhatchick.jpg

    QFT
  • nicolej1016
    nicolej1016 Posts: 89 Member
    People...can we stop being so snarky to each other? Really! Some of the comments on here...

    Sorry teacher, we'll be nice from now on.

    Thank you - you can leave the corner now. :tongue:
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    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.

    tinhatchick.jpg

    QFT

    /thread
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    this thread had so much win the first few posts! knowledge is power y'all.

    Nah, this thread was win-free till this douche (me) added the tin foil hat chick. THAT was win.

    The conspiracy theory may actually have some merit. I heard that Skynet sent some Monsanto reps back in time to the cave man days to get us all addicted to unhealthy foods so we'd be ripe for the picking on judgement day.

    you're only right in that it's not really a conspiracy so much as it is business as usual. companies are out to make profit, and as much of it as they can, regardless of our health.

    it's our job to realize this and do something about it - to be informed consumers that FORCE them to start changing their practices. Unfortunately with the new laws going on the books re: Monsanto, that's getting much, much harder to do.

    The market is all powerful.
    It will do what it will do to satisfy demand.
    Government can only work around the edges of that situation and they usually muck up most of what they do try to fix.

    I have to agree with your implication that they don't care about our health. They exist to sell a product and make a profit. When the consumer chooses a healthy path they will provide for that path to remain profitable.

    Nothing changes till then.

    uh oh... we agree again.

    The think we disagree on all the time is the way we approach these things. I think it's counterproductive to explain things in term of "evil corporations" and the need for government intervention. It provides a nice excuse for failure on the part of the individual. After all, they're just powerless little people up against the might of the evil corps in collusion with the government.
    Not helpful.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    this thread had so much win the first few posts! knowledge is power y'all.

    Nah, this thread was win-free till this douche (me) added the tin foil hat chick. THAT was win.

    The conspiracy theory may actually have some merit. I heard that Skynet sent some Monsanto reps back in time to the cave man days to get us all addicted to unhealthy foods so we'd be ripe for the picking on judgement day.

    you're only right in that it's not really a conspiracy so much as it is business as usual. companies are out to make profit, and as much of it as they can, regardless of our health.

    it's our job to realize this and do something about it - to be informed consumers that FORCE them to start changing their practices. Unfortunately with the new laws going on the books re: Monsanto, that's getting much, much harder to do.

    The market is all powerful.
    It will do what it will do to satisfy demand.
    Government can only work around the edges of that situation and they usually muck up most of what they do try to fix.

    I have to agree with your implication that they don't care about our health. They exist to sell a product and make a profit. When the consumer chooses a healthy path they will provide for that path to remain profitable.

    Nothing changes till then.

    uh oh... we agree again.

    The think we disagree on all the time is the way we approach these things. I think it's counterproductive to explain things in term of "evil corporations" and the need for government intervention. It provides a nice excuse for failure on the part of the individual. After all, they're just powerless little people up against the might of the evil corps in collusion with the government.
    Not helpful.

    meh, that's fair. I'm all for personal responsibility - however I also wish the government wasn't tied into corporations like Monsanto. it just makes a massive conflict of interest and removes many of the checks and balances in our system. People rely on the government for health information, and when that information is produced by the same people that owe their allegiance to Monsanto... there's an issue there.
  • joanthemom8
    joanthemom8 Posts: 375 Member
    I didn't read all of the replies but another way companies get us is with the way food is packaged to look like a single serving, when in fact it's really more than that. For instance, there is a Campbell's microwaveable soup that's in a bowl-type container - so you'd think that it's a single serving. It might even tout on the label something like "only 100 calories a serving", but then the "servings per container" is actually 2. Really. Who's going to eat 1/2 of a bowl of soup? And you probably can't share it because chances are you don't have a spare bowl and who's going to want to eat your left over soup from the same bowl?
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:

    Abundance? Here's what I've been eating daily for awhile now. I think we have different ideas of what abundance is. I'm guessing you'll ignore the fat and sodium, even though that's 2/3rds of your argument against ice cream.

    MintCookieNutri_zpsbbd304ad.jpg
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    It's funny because I watched forks over knives with my fiance and it really really changed our perception of everything. I've been 100% vegan and 90% raw for soon to be two years, my hypothyroidism went away proven by blood work, my acne cleared up, my hair grew faster, and I slept much better and wasn't so drained all the time after I changed my diet around. I think meat and dairy is one big conspiracy and I say this because we're not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from beans which are also very high in fiber, we are not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from greens such as spinach and broccoli, and yet we are constantly told that we need to eat dairy and meat to survive. I have been a full on vegetarian for almost 3 years and a vegan for soon to be 2 years and in the past and I have not gotten sick once, I'm 18...three years ago in high school I missed 26 days out of a 180 day school year because I was so sick and exhausted all the time. I am living proof of how we are brain washed to think everything backwards and how I changed my life around once I realized this.
    Vegans often attribute cutting meat/dairy to any beneficial changes in their life while ignoring the fact that many also cut refined/processed carbs and sugars.

    If you notice, BOTH raw vegan and paleo dieters state incredibly positive changes to adopting the diets they have... and the ONLY thing in common is the elimination of refined/processed carbohydrates and often the introduction of more fresh/whole foods.

    This indicates meat/dairy isn't the problem, but the refined/processed carbohydrate and lack of fresh/whole foods in people's diet.

    This does seem to be the case. I have enjoyed unusually good health since I eliminated sugar and junky food from my diet. Weight loss is just one of the effects.
  • iAMsmiling
    iAMsmiling Posts: 2,394 Member
    this thread had so much win the first few posts! knowledge is power y'all.

    Nah, this thread was win-free till this douche (me) added the tin foil hat chick. THAT was win.

    The conspiracy theory may actually have some merit. I heard that Skynet sent some Monsanto reps back in time to the cave man days to get us all addicted to unhealthy foods so we'd be ripe for the picking on judgement day.

    you're only right in that it's not really a conspiracy so much as it is business as usual. companies are out to make profit, and as much of it as they can, regardless of our health.

    it's our job to realize this and do something about it - to be informed consumers that FORCE them to start changing their practices. Unfortunately with the new laws going on the books re: Monsanto, that's getting much, much harder to do.

    The market is all powerful.
    It will do what it will do to satisfy demand.
    Government can only work around the edges of that situation and they usually muck up most of what they do try to fix.

    I have to agree with your implication that they don't care about our health. They exist to sell a product and make a profit. When the consumer chooses a healthy path they will provide for that path to remain profitable.

    Nothing changes till then.

    uh oh... we agree again.

    The think we disagree on all the time is the way we approach these things. I think it's counterproductive to explain things in term of "evil corporations" and the need for government intervention. It provides a nice excuse for failure on the part of the individual. After all, they're just powerless little people up against the might of the evil corps in collusion with the government.
    Not helpful.

    meh, that's fair. I'm all for personal responsibility - however I also wish the government wasn't tied into corporations like Monsanto. it just makes a massive conflict of interest and removes many of the checks and balances in our system. People rely on the government for health information, and when that information is produced by the same people that owe their allegiance to Monsanto... there's an issue there.

    "When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." P. J. O'Rourke

    That's where you change needs to happen.
  • There's no much to say about the first point, as that's a legitimate survival instinct which is actually pretty useful, (or, at least, would be if we hadn't forced such socialisation on ourselves). The second point isn't really that much of a big deal, though; companies that produce processed foods are in the business of making money, and having all of your customers go off your products is the fastest way to lose it. Making it so that people want to give you more money for what you're giving them is sort of the idea of business.
  • luckyjuls
    luckyjuls Posts: 505 Member
    I didn't read all of the replies but another way companies get us is with the way food is packaged to look like a single serving, when in fact it's really more than that. For instance, there is a Campbell's microwaveable soup that's in a bowl-type container - so you'd think that it's a single serving. It might even tout on the label something like "only 100 calories a serving", but then the "servings per container" is actually 2. Really. Who's going to eat 1/2 of a bowl of soup? And you probably can't share it because chances are you don't have a spare bowl and who's going to want to eat your left over soup from the same bowl?

    This is a valid point. I can understand how some say the big guns aren't forcing us to eat this food, but, knowing what they know about the impact of fat/salt/sugar in large quantities, they sure don't make it easy. They cater to the consumer while still screwing us in the long run for profit. They just do it in very sneaky ways these days.
  • drog2323
    drog2323 Posts: 1,343 Member
    isn't it also about health? i mean not just looking good being fit....but what's going on in the insides. i.e. cancer and other diseases forming.

    hey - I'm all for drinking beer and having junk once in awhile too. maybe too often after looking at my gut right now :-)

    i just see far too often - people on here think about it just as how they simply look. one person could be skinny or look fit - could in fact be unhealthy on the inside.

    just my 2 cents.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:

    Abundance? Here's what I've been eating daily for awhile now. I think we have different ideas of what abundance is. I'm guessing you'll ignore the fat and sodium, even though that's 2/3rds of your argument against ice cream.

    MintCookieNutri_zpsbbd304ad.jpg

    everything's always about magerum... :laugh:
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    It's funny because I watched forks over knives with my fiance and it really really changed our perception of everything. I've been 100% vegan and 90% raw for soon to be two years, my hypothyroidism went away proven by blood work, my acne cleared up, my hair grew faster, and I slept much better and wasn't so drained all the time after I changed my diet around. I think meat and dairy is one big conspiracy and I say this because we're not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from beans which are also very high in fiber, we are not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from greens such as spinach and broccoli, and yet we are constantly told that we need to eat dairy and meat to survive. I have been a full on vegetarian for almost 3 years and a vegan for soon to be 2 years and in the past and I have not gotten sick once, I'm 18...three years ago in high school I missed 26 days out of a 180 day school year because I was so sick and exhausted all the time. I am living proof of how we are brain washed to think everything backwards and how I changed my life around once I realized this.
    Vegans often attribute cutting meat/dairy to any beneficial changes in their life while ignoring the fact that many also cut refined/processed carbs and sugars.

    If you notice, BOTH raw vegan and paleo dieters state incredibly positive changes to adopting the diets they have... and the ONLY thing in common is the elimination of refined/processed carbohydrates and often the introduction of more fresh/whole foods.

    This indicates meat/dairy isn't the problem, but the refined/processed carbohydrate and lack of fresh/whole foods in people's diet.
    That is not true. I eat more carbohydrates than ever with apples, bananas, mangos, melon and so forth. Carbs actually make our metabolism work faster. Dairy and meat slows down our metabolism, slows and thickens our blood flow, and makes us more fatigued.

    In...

    ...to learn more about this "thick blood disease" that I almost certainly have from my dairy and meat consumption. (Guess I should have asked the doc to test for that in the blood work I had drawn this morning. Maybe I'll ask him about it at my next appointment...not that he'll admit to it since he's almost certainly a part of the vast big pharma conspiracy that profits by keeping me sick. (Please ignore the fact that I am and have been generally healthy with solid health markers throughout. It messes up my argument.))
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    this thread had so much win the first few posts! knowledge is power y'all.

    Nah, this thread was win-free till this douche (me) added the tin foil hat chick. THAT was win.

    The conspiracy theory may actually have some merit. I heard that Skynet sent some Monsanto reps back in time to the cave man days to get us all addicted to unhealthy foods so we'd be ripe for the picking on judgement day.

    you're only right in that it's not really a conspiracy so much as it is business as usual. companies are out to make profit, and as much of it as they can, regardless of our health.

    it's our job to realize this and do something about it - to be informed consumers that FORCE them to start changing their practices. Unfortunately with the new laws going on the books re: Monsanto, that's getting much, much harder to do.

    The market is all powerful.
    It will do what it will do to satisfy demand.
    Government can only work around the edges of that situation and they usually muck up most of what they do try to fix.

    I have to agree with your implication that they don't care about our health. They exist to sell a product and make a profit. When the consumer chooses a healthy path they will provide for that path to remain profitable.

    Nothing changes till then.

    uh oh... we agree again.

    The think we disagree on all the time is the way we approach these things. I think it's counterproductive to explain things in term of "evil corporations" and the need for government intervention. It provides a nice excuse for failure on the part of the individual. After all, they're just powerless little people up against the might of the evil corps in collusion with the government.
    Not helpful.

    meh, that's fair. I'm all for personal responsibility - however I also wish the government wasn't tied into corporations like Monsanto. it just makes a massive conflict of interest and removes many of the checks and balances in our system. People rely on the government for health information, and when that information is produced by the same people that owe their allegiance to Monsanto... there's an issue there.

    "When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." P. J. O'Rourke

    That's where you change needs to happen.

    thus why lobbying needs to stop
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
    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.

    tinhatchick.jpg

    It looks like Chicken Little is wearing a Hershey's Kiss if you ask me.

    Wouldn't that be so cool if Hershey's Kisses were falling???
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    isn't it also about health? i mean not just looking good being fit....but what's going on in the insides. i.e. cancer and other diseases forming.

    hey - I'm all for drinking beer and having junk once in awhile too. maybe too often after looking at my gut right now :-)

    i just see far too often - people on here think about it just as how they simply look. one person could be skinny or look fit - could in fact be unhealthy on the inside.

    just my 2 cents.

    absolutely right
  • MelsAuntie
    MelsAuntie Posts: 2,833 Member
    I agree that portion size is a problem. What my husband considers a portion is twice what I consider a portion. He'll eat half a bag of "low fat" pretzels, and I'll say, "There's 14 servings per bag, you just ate 7 servings while playing online poker , do the goddamn math". --- Sad because he is 64, 5 ft.8, 230 lbs, insulin-dependent diabetic with neuropathy, balance problems, chronic bronchitis and sinus infections. ALL the men in his family are either diabetic or have cancer, except for the unlucky few who have both. He thinks he doesn't have that many years left, so he may as well do as he likes and call it quality of life.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:

    Abundance? Here's what I've been eating daily for awhile now. I think we have different ideas of what abundance is. I'm guessing you'll ignore the fat and sodium, even though that's 2/3rds of your argument against ice cream.

    MintCookieNutri_zpsbbd304ad.jpg

    everything's always about magerum... :laugh:

    Naw, I just don't like people senselessly vilifying food. Speaking of which I'm going to be in NYC, on 5th across from the park, for a week or so. Want to go grab some pop tarts? :wink:
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    It's funny because I watched forks over knives with my fiance and it really really changed our perception of everything. I've been 100% vegan and 90% raw for soon to be two years, my hypothyroidism went away proven by blood work, my acne cleared up, my hair grew faster, and I slept much better and wasn't so drained all the time after I changed my diet around. I think meat and dairy is one big conspiracy and I say this because we're not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from beans which are also very high in fiber, we are not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from greens such as spinach and broccoli, and yet we are constantly told that we need to eat dairy and meat to survive. I have been a full on vegetarian for almost 3 years and a vegan for soon to be 2 years and in the past and I have not gotten sick once, I'm 18...three years ago in high school I missed 26 days out of a 180 day school year because I was so sick and exhausted all the time. I am living proof of how we are brain washed to think everything backwards and how I changed my life around once I realized this.

    there's a reason you see baby cows sucking on cow teets and not humans sucking on them. they're made for a calf, not us.
    i love that documenatary as well, its amazing how eating a raw or plant based whole foods diet can totally change your health and reverse some diseases (which most likely were caused by a ****ty diet to begin with).
    also, not related directly but i have heard that companies can have up to a 20% deficit on how many calories are actually in something, so you may be eating more as well without even realizing it! scary huh?
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    um, hi! I was just talking about this at work; after losing close to 80 lbs, i went to walmart for some new clothes. (something cheap since i am continuing to lose, lol) anyways, noticed that i fit size 8-10, when 5 years ago at this weight i was a 12-14. i think clothing sizes have changed to make people feel better, but i think maybe people don't realize, (or want to realize) they are getting bigger. Society is really against losing weight...i dont usually buy into conspiracy theories, but weight management is a billion dollar business, just saying.

    dude i noticed this too. i have some pants from kohls, the SO brand i got in hs maybe about 8 to 10 years ago. they are a 5 and they fit me the same way the SO brand size 1 fits now...
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    I'm so glad that gaining weight was not my fault. It's really convenient that I can blame my upbringing and the Big Food Manufacturers instead of blaming my inactivity.

    Thank you for letting us know that we have no accountability with regards to our own health and well-being.

    :drinker:
  • brynnsmom
    brynnsmom Posts: 945 Member
    Ridiculous. People should be accountable for their own health and quit pointing the finger. Processed food doesn't make you fat. Too much of any food does.
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:

    Abundance? Here's what I've been eating daily for awhile now. I think we have different ideas of what abundance is. I'm guessing you'll ignore the fat and sodium, even though that's 2/3rds of your argument against ice cream.

    MintCookieNutri_zpsbbd304ad.jpg

    The same serving size of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla is 270 calories. Also it comes replete with 17 grams of fat along with 18 grams of sugar and 127 mg. of sodium. And while we are looking at it, really, who eats 1/2 cup of ice cream? Do you?
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    I recently came across two reports that made me realize how much the choices we make affect our success.

    The first one I heard on NPR. It was someone talking about how we’re “hard-wired”, …we’re made to want high fat, high calorie foods (and a lot of it). Our ancestors who ate as much of those things as they could, when they could are the ones who survived. The problem is, our ancestors didn’t have the abundance of these things that we do today. My take away? Don’t start eating these things, because it’s too hard to stop (and not just because I my willpower isn’t strong enough).

    The other was an article in the NY Times magazine, that discussed how food manufacturers make the food we eat. 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! What this made me realize is that I really do need to focus on the items around the perimeter of the store. I have been aware of that for a while, but these two things made the light bulb go off for me…when I eat the things that are processed, I’m making it much harder on myself than it needs to be.

    And why on earth would I do that?

    Yep--food scientist know that humans prefer sugar, salt and fat in that order. And ice cream, because it contains all three in abundance, is the "perfect storm" of temptation. :devil:

    Abundance? Here's what I've been eating daily for awhile now. I think we have different ideas of what abundance is. I'm guessing you'll ignore the fat and sodium, even though that's 2/3rds of your argument against ice cream.

    MintCookieNutri_zpsbbd304ad.jpg

    The same serving size of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla is 270 calories. With 18 grams of sugar and 127 mg. of sodium. And while we are looking at it, really, who eats 1/2 cup of ice cream? Do you?

    Nope, I eat 4. 127 mg of sodium and 18 g of sugar is hardly an abundance by any standard.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    The same serving size of Häagen-Dazs Vanilla is 270 calories. Also it comes replete with 17 grams of fat along with 18 grams of sugar and 127 mg. of sodium. And while we are looking at it, really, who eats 1/2 cup of ice cream? Do you?

    I do...of Breyer's Coffee ice cream...when I have 130 calories remaining at the end of the day. Otherwise, I eat more (or less)...

    ...or at least I do when it isn't GS cookie season. Then, I eat an appropriate number of Caramel Delites instead.

    ETA: But I'm also not scared of eating fat...or sugar...or sodium...because I don't have any medical condition that would warrant being particularly mindful of that. What I do monitor is that I eat at least a certain minimum amount of protein and fats and that I hit my net calorie total for the day.
  • keem88
    keem88 Posts: 1,689 Member
    Well you all keep believing that. I just finished two beers after downing half a bag of chips, 400 calories worth of Heath Bar Ice Cream, and am about to dig into some spicy chicken wings and fettuccine alfredo from the local pizza shop. I'd be happy to compare health stats any time.

    alrighty, let's compare stats (i eat fastfood time to time but mostly live off eggs, oatmeal, fruit/veg, and other tasty vegetarian things).
    which stats would you like to compare?
  • vixen0babs
    vixen0babs Posts: 25 Member
    It's funny because I watched forks over knives with my fiance and it really really changed our perception of everything. I've been 100% vegan and 90% raw for soon to be two years, my hypothyroidism went away proven by blood work, my acne cleared up, my hair grew faster, and I slept much better and wasn't so drained all the time after I changed my diet around. I think meat and dairy is one big conspiracy and I say this because we're not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from beans which are also very high in fiber, we are not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from greens such as spinach and broccoli, and yet we are constantly told that we need to eat dairy and meat to survive. I have been a full on vegetarian for almost 3 years and a vegan for soon to be 2 years and in the past and I have not gotten sick once, I'm 18...three years ago in high school I missed 26 days out of a 180 day school year because I was so sick and exhausted all the time. I am living proof of how we are brain washed to think everything backwards and how I changed my life around once I realized this.
    Vegans often attribute cutting meat/dairy to any beneficial changes in their life while ignoring the fact that many also cut refined/processed carbs and sugars.

    If you notice, BOTH raw vegan and paleo dieters state incredibly positive changes to adopting the diets they have... and the ONLY thing in common is the elimination of refined/processed carbohydrates and often the introduction of more fresh/whole foods.

    This indicates meat/dairy isn't the problem, but the refined/processed carbohydrate and lack of fresh/whole foods in people's diet.

    I completely agree with the statement about the refined/processed carbs. I am not a vegan or vegetarian, but I am a firm believer that processed carbs wreak havoc on our bodies. While it is difficult to completely banish them from our busy lives, I believe we should incorporate more whole/raw foods into our diets!
  • michellelemorgan
    michellelemorgan Posts: 184 Member
    It's funny because I watched forks over knives with my fiance and it really really changed our perception of everything. I've been 100% vegan and 90% raw for soon to be two years, my hypothyroidism went away proven by blood work, my acne cleared up, my hair grew faster, and I slept much better and wasn't so drained all the time after I changed my diet around. I think meat and dairy is one big conspiracy and I say this because we're not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from beans which are also very high in fiber, we are not told about the high amounts of proteins we can get from greens such as spinach and broccoli, and yet we are constantly told that we need to eat dairy and meat to survive. I have been a full on vegetarian for almost 3 years and a vegan for soon to be 2 years and in the past and I have not gotten sick once, I'm 18...three years ago in high school I missed 26 days out of a 180 day school year because I was so sick and exhausted all the time. I am living proof of how we are brain washed to think everything backwards and how I changed my life around once I realized this.
    Vegans often attribute cutting meat/dairy to any beneficial changes in their life while ignoring the fact that many also cut refined/processed carbs and sugars.

    If you notice, BOTH raw vegan and paleo dieters state incredibly positive changes to adopting the diets they have... and the ONLY thing in common is the elimination of refined/processed carbohydrates and often the introduction of more fresh/whole foods.

    This indicates meat/dairy isn't the problem, but the refined/processed carbohydrate and lack of fresh/whole foods in people's diet.
    That is not true. I eat more carbohydrates than ever with apples, bananas, mangos, melon and so forth. Carbs actually make our metabolism work faster. Dairy and meat slows down our metabolism, slows and thickens our blood flow, and makes us more fatigued.

    People are referring to starchy foods not healthy carbohydrates.