TED Talk on Processed Food (short)

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.

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

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

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.

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

While you're at it, add some natural fertilizer.: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

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.

Yeah, a common MFP misconception seems to be that farmers market = organic. It rarely does.

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.

Yeah, a common MFP misconception seems to be that farmers market = organic. It rarely does.

Personally I could care less if pesticides are used. I grew up on farm raised produce. Nothing like a fruit or veggie right off the plant!

that's certainly your choice to make, but there are plenty of farmers markets that offer local, organic produce. all you have to do is - gasp - ask the farmers.

Since when does knowledge == bias?

Only to the uneducated.
Here, it seems to be Reddy's Ready Answer to Science™

Farmer's markets really vary depending on city/location....if your city even has one. Where I used to live in the states (Portland, Oregon) there were some great deals to be had on locally grown organic produce at the farmer's markets. There was also a whole lot of really expensive stuff, including all sorts of "fancy" organic food products (anything from sausages to jams to spice mixtures to freshly baked goods). The farmer's markets I went to whilst living in San Francisco were also fantastic.

Here in Glasgow, Scotland, there is a farmer's market down the street every other week....it is full of these expensive food products and doesn't have much (if anything) in the way of fresh local produce, meats, or fish.

There are not CSAs in my area, either. You can get organic produce deliveries weekly, but it doesn't work out to be any less expensive than buying organic produce from the supermarkets. It's nicer, because it's fresh and locally grown...but it's still all very expensive.

I live in a tenement flat that's over 100 years old. There is no garden space. I don't have a balcony or terrace, either. I don't even have a fire escape, lol! One could join the community garden deal...(allotment is what it's called), but that would involve knowing at least a little bit about growing stuff and having the time/desire to get into it.

My point is that not everyone has access to organic produce/meats/etc. and certainly not if they don't have a whole lot of cash. If you've got access to these things, that's great, and you should consider yourself fortunate! I consider myself fortunate to be able to eat as I do, because it ain't cheap. I don't eat all organic all the time. Can't afford it and can't source it here. But I do the best I can with what I've got.

I think everyone should be encouraged to do the best they can with whatever they've got available to them locally and in terms of what they can afford. It's not right to look down your nose at anyone who is saying they don't have the same opportunities to eat as well as you, whether it is due to their location, budget, housing (no room for a garden or planters), etc.

Since when does knowledge == bias?

Only to the uneducated.
Here, it seems to be Reddy's Ready Answer to Science™

nah, it just means that when you work IN an industry, it obviously means you think they do good work since you wouldn't (I assume) willingly work for a corporation that you thought did scary/dangerous/less-than-safe things to its consumers.

it's a conflict of interest thing - that's all.

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