TED Talk on Processed Food (short)

I eat almost nothing in the way of processed food and make a point of avoiding any food with added chemicals. The salad dressing that I use has nothing beyond food ingredients and not many ingredients at that. I eat sweet potato chips but all there is in them is sweet potatoes, "cold pressed oil" and sea salt. Other than that, I eat organic vegetables and fruits (as much as possible), organic raw milk cheddar (and some other dairy), organic eggs, "wild caught" fish, and "naturally raised" beef and chicken. Our food bills for my husband and me are not high (but we are not big eaters). In general, processed food is pretty expensive when you account for the fact that it is a nutritional "less than zero".

How fortunate that you are rich enough to eat that way. Some of us have no choice but to eat a packet of ramen now and then. There was a time when I could afford a jar of peanut butter to get me through some weeks, and I consider myself lucky knowing how hungry people are in other parts of the world. I doubt any of them give a flying crap if the apple you hand them is organic or loaded with every pesticide under the sun.

Food is processed to make it cheap and more easily available. Don't look down your nose at people who can't afford better than that. Be glad that your life is so much more... "comfortable."

this is an excuse.

I make a couple hundred a week living in NYC - the most expensive city in the world - and I eat organic, local whole foods.

:flowerforyou:

So, are you paying rent, utilities, clothes (or is that why you aren't wearing any), etc. and buying all this organic food in NYC on $200 a week? Are you self supporting on that amount alone? :huh:

this particular month and last have been slow. usually i make more. but yes I am.

I also freelance as an actor so there are some times where I get big influxes of cash and other times where it's much leaner. quite unpredictable.

So, the answer was no, not yes.

what do you want out of this exchange? to prove that eating well isn't affordable? because it very clearly is. my AGI last year was $16,000 and I was able to eat a diet consisting of primarily whole foods. y'all are funny.

I never said eating well wasn't affordable. I just don't see why you had to falsify information in an attempt to prove it. Organic is not necessary for health nor is it a guarantee that you are eating well. It just means you are eating less or different pesticides.

I'm sorry, listen. 16,000 divided by 52 weeks = $300 per week.

you're really quibbling over $100 when I didn't even SAY $200 in the first place? good lord.

I eat almost nothing in the way of processed food and make a point of avoiding any food with added chemicals. The salad dressing that I use has nothing beyond food ingredients and not many ingredients at that. I eat sweet potato chips but all there is in them is sweet potatoes, "cold pressed oil" and sea salt. Other than that, I eat organic vegetables and fruits (as much as possible), organic raw milk cheddar (and some other dairy), organic eggs, "wild caught" fish, and "naturally raised" beef and chicken. Our food bills for my husband and me are not high (but we are not big eaters). In general, processed food is pretty expensive when you account for the fact that it is a nutritional "less than zero".

How fortunate that you are rich enough to eat that way. Some of us have no choice but to eat a packet of ramen now and then. There was a time when I could afford a jar of peanut butter to get me through some weeks, and I consider myself lucky knowing how hungry people are in other parts of the world. I doubt any of them give a flying crap if the apple you hand them is organic or loaded with every pesticide under the sun.

Food is processed to make it cheap and more easily available. Don't look down your nose at people who can't afford better than that. Be glad that your life is so much more... "comfortable."

Holy Donkey Balls Batman! You got amped up quick. How do you get this poster was looking down on you from this post?

I know, right? Sheesh. Maybe the OP just got a big bill or something.

It is cheaper to buy a case of Ramen then to buy a week's worth of fresh fruit and veg. No doubt about that. There are also ways to eat nutritious whole foods on the cheap.

Buy from local farmer's markets.
Join a CSA. My CSA asks members to help subsidize families who can't afford the full rate.
Volunteer at a CSA. Many will do a work exchange deal.
Buy in bulk. Go in with a friend to split a cow, a pig, a weekly CSA...
Shop for sales. Buy online if it's cheaper (or don't, and support your local economy)
Use coupons.
Ask for samples. Whole Foods employees walk around with "free" stickers and they often use them when you ask a question.
Grow your own in a garden.
Start a backyard coop.
Buy in bulk when veg/fruit are in season and learn canning or freeze to store veg and fruit for later.
Buy frozen over fresh when it's cheaper
Only buy organic for the dirty dozen.
Shop at ethnic markets... sometimes they have great meat and veg for great prices, and cheaper prices on specialty items
Buy cheaper/larger cuts of meat and use a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
Cook a whole chicken instead of paying more for parts. Then use the bones to make your own chicken stock.
If you drink things like almond or coconut milk, buy in bulk and make your own
Blanch and freeze veggies before they go bad
Eat less... I find I do very little snacking now that I eat more nutrient-dense foods.
Plan ahead and make double-batches... it will save you from ordering take-out when there's no time or energy to cook.

Lots of things a thrifty person can do to eat higher quality, nutrient-dense foods without paying Whole Foods prices.

I eat almost nothing in the way of processed food and make a point of avoiding any food with added chemicals. The salad dressing that I use has nothing beyond food ingredients and not many ingredients at that. I eat sweet potato chips but all there is in them is sweet potatoes, "cold pressed oil" and sea salt. Other than that, I eat organic vegetables and fruits (as much as possible), organic raw milk cheddar (and some other dairy), organic eggs, "wild caught" fish, and "naturally raised" beef and chicken. Our food bills for my husband and me are not high (but we are not big eaters). In general, processed food is pretty expensive when you account for the fact that it is a nutritional "less than zero".

How fortunate that you are rich enough to eat that way. Some of us have no choice but to eat a packet of ramen now and then. There was a time when I could afford a jar of peanut butter to get me through some weeks, and I consider myself lucky knowing how hungry people are in other parts of the world. I doubt any of them give a flying crap if the apple you hand them is organic or loaded with every pesticide under the sun.

Food is processed to make it cheap and more easily available. Don't look down your nose at people who can't afford better than that. Be glad that your life is so much more... "comfortable."

Holy Donkey Balls Batman! You got amped up quick. How do you get this poster was looking down on you from this post?

I know, right? Sheesh. Maybe the OP just got a big bill or something.

It is cheaper to buy a case of Ramen then to buy a week's worth of fresh fruit and veg. No doubt about that. There are also ways to eat nutritious whole foods on the cheap.

Buy from local farmer's markets.
Join a CSA. My CSA asks members to help subsidize families who can't afford the full rate.
Volunteer at a CSA. Many will do a work exchange deal.
Buy in bulk. Go in with a friend to split a cow, a pig, a weekly CSA...
Shop for sales. Buy online if it's cheaper (or don't, and support your local economy)
Use coupons.
Ask for samples. Whole Foods employees walk around with "free" stickers and they often use them when you ask a question.
Grow your own in a garden.
Start a backyard coop.
Buy in bulk when veg/fruit are in season and learn canning or freeze to store veg and fruit for later.
Buy frozen over fresh when it's cheaper
Only buy organic for the dirty dozen.
Shop at ethnic markets... sometimes they have great meat and veg for great prices, and cheaper prices on specialty items
Buy cheaper/larger cuts of meat and use a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
Cook a whole chicken instead of paying more for parts. Then use the bones to make your own chicken stock.
If you drink things like almond or coconut milk, buy in bulk and make your own
Blanch and freeze veggies before they go bad
Eat less... I find I do very little snacking now that I eat more nutrient-dense foods.
Plan ahead and make double-batches... it will save you from ordering take-out when there's no time or energy to cook.

Lots of things a thrifty person can do to eat higher quality, nutrient-dense foods without paying Whole Foods prices.

i love you and this post

speaking of which - time to go plant some veggies in pots!

I'm a food chemist and have a biochemistry degree. The author of this video has no idea what she's talking about. What a waste of some interesting resources and techniques. Although I did get a good laugh out of comparing t-butyl-hydroquinone to butane.

People need to stop trying to scare others with chemical names. Here's a fun list of chemicals found in an orange:

Hesperidin, Naringenin, Limonene, Camphene, Terpinene, Ethyl Butyrate, Carvone, Valencene, Citric Acid, Ascorbic Acid, Cryptoxanthin, Carotene, Lutein, Elemene, Terpineol, Phellandrene, Styrene, Octanal, Nonanal, Pinene, Linalool, Linalyl Acetate, Citral, Nerol Acetate, Myrcene, and Caryophyllene.

That's only a handful that came to mind. There's hundreds more I left out.

Remember, the dose makes the poison.

I didn't watch the Ted Talk. I trusted the people above who said it wasn't great.

But I think your post is pretty misleading. When people talk about chemicals used in processed foods, they're not talking about the chemical composition of the foods themselves. They're talking about additives and preservatives used to change the flavor/nature of the food in order to use cheaper ingredients, make them last longer, taste different, look different, feel different, etc.

I have to snicker a little when I hear people advocating the buying of local farmer's produce. I grew up on a farm and helped my grandpa run the produce stand and tend the fields. Our family and all the other small town farm's around us used pesticides on produce.

Also, I knew of a couple of "farmers" who would buy produce in bulk, that was shipped from as far as Mexico, and would sell it as local grown to unsuspecting patrons at the farmers' market.

I have to snicker a little when I hear people advocating the buying of local farmer's produce. I grew up on a farm and helped my grandpa run the produce stand and tend the fields. Our family and all the other small town farm's around us used pesticides on produce.

Also, I knew of a couple of "farmers" who would buy produce in bulk, that was shipped from as far as Mexico, and would sell it as local grown to unsuspecting patrons at the farmers' market.

That's awful. All of the CSAs that I've ever belonged to are from organic farms. You can visit the farm and talk to them about their techniques for staying pesticide free. I also see signs by the farms warning not to spray pesticides near their farm in order to maintain their organic integrity. Our local farmer's market makes the farmer's state that their produce is grown by that farmer/grower, and do not permit reselling. The vendors also must specify if their product is organic or not. Most of them are.

*Yawn* Another post, I'm not changing my diet, good day

I have to snicker a little when I hear people advocating the buying of local farmer's produce. I grew up on a farm and helped my grandpa run the produce stand and tend the fields. Our family and all the other small town farm's around us used pesticides on produce.

Also, I knew of a couple of "farmers" who would buy produce in bulk, that was shipped from as far as Mexico, and would sell it as local grown to unsuspecting patrons at the farmers' market.

That's awful. All of the CSAs that I've ever belonged to are from organic farms. You can visit the farm and talk to them about their techniques for staying pesticide free. I also see signs by the farms warning not to spray pesticides near their farm in order to maintain their organic integrity. Our local farmer's market makes the farmer's state that their produce is grown by that farmer/grower, and do not permit reselling. The vendors also must specify if their product is organic or not. Most of them are.

I agree the vendors lying about being local grown is awful.

I eat almost nothing in the way of processed food and make a point of avoiding any food with added chemicals. The salad dressing that I use has nothing beyond food ingredients and not many ingredients at that. I eat sweet potato chips but all there is in them is sweet potatoes, "cold pressed oil" and sea salt. Other than that, I eat organic vegetables and fruits (as much as possible), organic raw milk cheddar (and some other dairy), organic eggs, "wild caught" fish, and "naturally raised" beef and chicken. Our food bills for my husband and me are not high (but we are not big eaters). In general, processed food is pretty expensive when you account for the fact that it is a nutritional "less than zero".

How fortunate that you are rich enough to eat that way. Some of us have no choice but to eat a packet of ramen now and then. There was a time when I could afford a jar of peanut butter to get me through some weeks, and I consider myself lucky knowing how hungry people are in other parts of the world. I doubt any of them give a flying crap if the apple you hand them is organic or loaded with every pesticide under the sun.

Food is processed to make it cheap and more easily available. Don't look down your nose at people who can't afford better than that. Be glad that your life is so much more... "comfortable."

this is an excuse.

I make a couple hundred a week living in NYC - the most expensive city in the world - and I eat organic, local whole foods.

:flowerforyou:

You need to travel.
http://money.cnn.com/gallery/pf/2013/02/06/most-expensive-cities/index.html

You get used to broad general statements with little to no factual basis. Well you don't but you just stop caring.

I eat almost nothing in the way of processed food and make a point of avoiding any food with added chemicals. The salad dressing that I use has nothing beyond food ingredients and not many ingredients at that. I eat sweet potato chips but all there is in them is sweet potatoes, "cold pressed oil" and sea salt. Other than that, I eat organic vegetables and fruits (as much as possible), organic raw milk cheddar (and some other dairy), organic eggs, "wild caught" fish, and "naturally raised" beef and chicken. Our food bills for my husband and me are not high (but we are not big eaters). In general, processed food is pretty expensive when you account for the fact that it is a nutritional "less than zero".

So frozen vegetables are less than zero nutritionally? Same with meat?:laugh:

A.C.E. Certified Personal/Group FitnessTrainer
IDEA Fitness member

Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

There is nothing in that list that isn't processed in some manner except possibly the fruits and veggies unless the eggs were plucked directly from under the chicken with no sorting, washing or packaging and the fish was still whole and never frozen.

And as an aside and nothing to do with the above - if you know the chemistry involved in food, you're automatically biased!? WTH? Since when does knowledge == bias?

ETA: On further consideration, I guess I must be biased about a whole lot of things. Dratted education. Wish I was ignorant like the rest of the unbiased society.