The average person doesn't know what healthy is

Options
12357

Replies

  • BZAH10
    BZAH10 Posts: 5,710 Member
    Options
    earlnabby wrote: »
    youcantflexcardio wrote: »
    @kimny it is mostly roomates, and my neighbor who used to drink heavily with almost daily. I'm 29 BTW

    That explains a lot. Roommates like to comment, criticize, and rag on each other. No matter what you do, if it is different than what they do, they will bug you about it. You don't even have to say anything, just by doing something they can watch you do they will bug you about it. Your choices are to either ignore them or move out on your own.

    Seems to me this is the case, particularly given the fact that the OP recently changed his lifestyle and per his other posts said he used to eat the same way and the same foods that the roommates do, so any change like that is noticeable and people will comment.

    Question for you, OP (don't have to answer), just curious. From what I understand, you originally got healthy and in shape when you were in the military. If you hadn't gone into the military do you think you'd still have the same lifestyle as your roommates? Perhaps they don't know much about health because they've never been in a situation where they've (or anyone else you see as not knowing much about health) needed it. Not saying that's an excuse because as adults we're responsible for our health but maybe it's a reason.

    My family is all unhealthy. I can't specifically say why I've chosen a different route other than I like being active and healthy but for them, they have vague ideas that they should eat less but no one cares to change. If any of them did want to change they'd need to learn quite a bit about calories, energy expenditure, not eliminating food groups, etc. so in my case I'd say the "average" person around me doesn't care enough to learn about being healthy and then follow through.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    Options
    Walking and riding your bike places instead of taking a car isn’t weird, but sadly I feel like it’s not so common anymore at least around where I live. When I was a kid my mom didn’t have a car, we would always ride our bikes to the grocery store. And when I was in elementary school I walked 4 miles everyday to school and back. When I asked my great grammy what it was like back in her day she told me the mileage that she walked everyday just going places and it blew me away... she said it wasn’t all that uncommon for a kid in kindergarten to walk 10 miles to school. Society now a days is so fast pace and demanding, most of us don’t have the luxury to walk everywhere anymore. So now I feel at least in my case I have to make an effort to exercise purposefully.
  • Evelyn_Gorfram
    Evelyn_Gorfram Posts: 706 Member
    edited October 2018
    Options
    I think that most people have a decent-ish idea of what's healthy; with the glaring exception of how weight loss works, and the inevitable skews caused by the latest food fad or food scare.

    I think what the OP is seeing is due to custom and herd mentality. Food behaviors are deeply ingrained, and small deviations are often treated like vast departures from the norm (whatever the "norm" might be).

    When I was growing up, my food was weird to neighbors and schoolmates. It was the late 1960's/early 1970's, but my father had Meniere's disease; and so Mom used very little salt and lots of herbs and even (gasp!) garlic! And it seemed like the only people besides us who ate large kosher pickles lived in ethnic enclaves in New York City, and the only others who ate yogurt were 107-yo goat herders in Azerbaijan.

    My parents also moved in politically liberal circles, and so there were always hippie friends dropping by with tofu-&-something-or-other casseroles to share. The issue of whether sugar should be allowed in the house, much less the body, was so hotly debated that one hippie-esque family friend code-named it "Vitamin S."

    Now that I'm an adult, most of the people who get invited into my home have a wider world view and/or are more accepting of individual differences. But there's still a question of household etiquette that I struggle with: what is the proper point, after letting someone in the front door but before allowing them to open the refrigerator door unsupervised, to warn them not to turn the peanut butter right-side-up?
  • Christinaluvly
    Christinaluvly Posts: 116 Member
    Options
    There is a reason why we have an obesity epidemic. 35-40% of Americans are considered seriously overweight. 35%! It is our biggest issue concerning our health as a nation, and yet a majority of us still think we eat healthy.
  • psychod787
    psychod787 Posts: 4,088 Member
    Options
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Ok. Maybe hamburger helper was a bad example. And it is delicious.

    Neither of my parents had time to cook and I was left to my own devices. Typically frozen pizza, TV dinners, spaghetti-o’s (my fave). So I never learned about cooking or nutrition.

    College thru my 40’s because of time or money I lived on fast food. Literally:
    McDonald’s Monday
    Taco Bell Tuesday
    Wendy’s Wednesday
    Thurs - Sun - a case of beer and peppermint patties

    I wish I had learned the importance of nutrition when I was in my teens, rather than 50’s. I’d like to see today’s kids learn what I did not. That is all.

    Was it atleast good beer? When I was in college the only thing I could afford was old Milwaukees best, aka the beast, pabst blue ribbon, supposedly has bite, but actually bites. Or Busch light if we had a few extra bucks. Funny, I was at a place a while back and saw lots of early 20 somethings ordering pabst. Has it made a come back or something?
  • hroderick
    hroderick Posts: 756 Member
    Options
    I am only responsible for myself and my dependents.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,912 Member
    Options
    nowine4me wrote: »
    Ok. Maybe hamburger helper was a bad example. And it is delicious.

    Neither of my parents had time to cook and I was left to my own devices. Typically frozen pizza, TV dinners, spaghetti-o’s (my fave). So I never learned about cooking or nutrition.

    College thru my 40’s because of time or money I lived on fast food. Literally:
    McDonald’s Monday
    Taco Bell Tuesday
    Wendy’s Wednesday
    Thurs - Sun - a case of beer and peppermint patties

    I wish I had learned the importance of nutrition when I was in my teens, rather than 50’s. I’d like to see today’s kids learn what I did not. That is all.

    I'm glad you mentioned Hamburger Helper because I looked up a recipe for home made, made http://divascancook.com/homemade-hamburger-helper-recipe-cheeseburger-macaroni/ in 25 minutes and it was delicious! (Made a few tweaks, most important one being adding 8 oz tomato sauce.)

    In general, Hamburger Helper can serve as a useful metaphor for people's attitudes towards cooking. This is NOT directed towards anyone on this thread, but rather people like the husband of the author of the link:

    "I wasn’t introduced to Hamburger Helper until I got married. It was part of my husband’s pre-marriage meal rotation which consisted of 3 meals; Hamburger Helper, spaghetti with sauce, and cereal. Seriously, that was his diet. Bless his heart."
  • CarvedTones
    CarvedTones Posts: 2,340 Member
    Options
    Well, here is something that makes that pink salt somewhat attractive:

    https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/microplastics-found-90-percent-table-salt-sea-salt/

    Yikes! Actually it's probably inert and should count toward your fiber goal... :smiley:

Categories