Why? Well it started in Guatemala last week. I was eating in the weightlifting chow hall with Donny Shankle and thinking about the food. The meal that day included a sort of salad. Tasted like it had some kale in it, had some green beans, some corn, lettuce, and bits of bacon. There were diced up potatoes, cooked with onions. Diced up carrots that most people seemed to be mixing up with the potatoes and onions. And chicken. Not fried chicken, just chicken. It was representative of most of the meals, mostly vegetables and meat, some potatoes or rice. Nothing fancy. I remarked to Donny that it would be hard to overeat and get fat on such food. Not that it wasn’t good, it was tasty enough, but it was nothing you would want to go on eating once your hunger had been satisfied. And it wasn’t calorie dense, mostly meat and vegetables. All in all it was pretty damn healthy food.
Then on the plane ride home I was watching TV, and noticing the commercials. At one point, all in a row, there were commercials for Mountain Dew, Kit Kat bars, pop tarts, Pepsi, and frozen pizza. Thats right, 5 commercials, all for shitty sugar filled foods all in a row.
Why do we Americans do this to ourselves? Obesity, diabetes, and just about every other health problem you can imagine that is linked to diet are all sky high and rising. Yet we continue stuffing ourselves with shitty food. Commercials show smiling kids eating toaster strudels for breakfast in front of proud mothers, pizza pockets for afternoon snacks, and grabbing whatever sugar laden drink is popular out of the fridge to cool down from playing in the yard.
And I’m pissed about it. I am pissed that my ex-wife got done with 4 years of education at a state school to become a registered dietician, and wouldn’t eat a pack of mixed nuts for a snack because of the fat, but would instead pick a pack of “Sprees” the hard candy things that are 100% sugar. I am pissed about seeing people buy “light” yogurt, which has the fat taken out of it then 30 grams of sugar added, and think they are being healthy.
I am pissed that there is not a public outrage about the smiling proud mothers on the TV commercials giving their kids pop tarts for breakfast and pizza pockets for a snack.
I am pissed that when I go to Costco on the weekend to buy groceries and eat the free sample, and the lady giving out the little “breakfast bars” that have 1 gram of protein and 30 grams of sugar per serving is telling me how healthy they are cause they are low fat.
I am just in general pissed off that our modern society is so determined to dig our own graves with our spoons and forks. i am pissed that shitty unhealthy food is so cheap and convenient and available everywhere. I am pissed that every child grows up on a steady diet of TV commercials pitching them shitty food that will probably eventually kill them.
So yeah, I’m just pissed.
Glenn Pendlay 
May 20th, 2012 at 6:28 pm
Amen! It is a shame that there is such a plethora of junk food out there. Its so easy to eat healthy at home (because I do not store junk food at home) but going out to the grocery store, restaurant, etc. is such a pain because all that fatty junk food is cheaper and you can easily become a sugar addict! Yikes!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:31 am
Your self control is not out probelm
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:32 am
our*
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:10 am
What a lame comment. Your self control isn’t our problem?!
The point, is that society does not embrace healthy eating. At every corner we are subjected to cheap, sugary and fatty food.
You really should be part of the solution. Keep your lane comments for Jerry Springers blog.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:57 am
Well said
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:11 am
Lame*
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:21 pm
Where is the thumbs down button? How rude, snackcombo.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:58 am
👎
May 27th, 2012 at 8:29 am
AMEN!
May 27th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
To borrow the name of that blog: willpower is for fat people.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:30 am
I agree 100% with you! It’s so sad that the cheeper stuff, really will kill people in the end. It’s ridiculous what we eat and even more so, amazing that our bodies last as long as they do with the junk put in them.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:58 pm
I agree with U
May 20th, 2012 at 6:30 pm
Then don’t eat the shitty food and grow up. You health nuts seem fixated on forcing this healthy lifestyle down everyones throats. I’m sorry we don’t all have the time to fit your awesome workout schedule in and planning our meals to a T. I pull 80 hour weeks supporting my family. I get 4 hours of sleep on average. My wife takes care of two kids, managed our finances and keeps the house straight. I’m sick of tired of you health nazi’s preaching the way you do. Like the rest of us are a burden you’re all carrying. Your ranting just turns me off to anything youre saying. You just sound fanatical. I only read this because someone posted it on fb. I’ll be sure to repost pointing out how you apparently feel your life style should be forced on everyone.
May 20th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
Hey bud, ill respond because most likely Mr. Pendlay won’t even give you the time. You are the failure. You are the American failure. So proud of working to support your kids but have such an unhealthy lifestyle you probably won’t even live to see them attend college. Which also makes me wonder what you’re putting in your kids stomaches that is warming them up for a life full of health problems. You’re telling me you don’t have time? So it takes longer to carve an apple than it does to unwrap a candy bar? No, you’re just lazy. Just like the rest of Americans who are so full of great work ethic but too lazy to take the time to read how to eat healthy instead of checking up on how the Yankees did last night. It’s not about being a gym rat, looking good, or forcing it down others throats, its about being healthy, for the kids. For the first time in American history our next generation has a shorter life expectancy than the previous. Embarrassing. So hell bent on making money and advancing our technology,but were taking a step back in love itself. The American failure.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:49 am
No, you are a failure. You are going against the very point of what the workout and health communities are here to do…help people. Who the hell are you to call someone a failure because they dont have the time, finances, knowledge, or whatever, to live a certain way. People like you are worse than those who dont take.care of yourself. Those people can change, you just think you’re better than everyone else.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:14 am
I’m willing to help anyone who wants to LISTEN. Sad part is too many people are too lazy or dont care enough to listen. I’m no better than anyone, just fed up with excuses and people who are ok with being unhealthy and pushing our country further into a whirlwind of problems.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:39 am
Bravo! Well said!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:11 am
No sense in getting into an argument with someone like Brian. He seems to think he has all the answers and you’re just a health nut, probably stuck somewhere in the 60’s. To set the record straight, I’m 64, still work, and have been a vegetarian for almost 40 years. Shopping may take me longer as I read all ingredient labels carefully. But cooking and eating don’t! OK, maybe cooking does take longer now because that’s how I relax when I get home at night. I do the cooking and enjoy reading and trying new recipes. Ours is a match made in haaven because my wife hates to cook but enjoys cleaning up afterwards. The one thing that bothers me about your lifestyle though, is that you’re concerned about what you put in your body but you’ll sit and watch tv? Ok, so you were stuck in an airplane. I’ll give you that. This time!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:51 pm
A M E N
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:52 pm
Amen to MikEpp* not to the previous asshat.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:28 pm
If you want to help people you have to do more then just tell someone how to live, you must be willing to get involved in their lives and take a proactive approach to helping their situation get better. And I know you may see this and wonder why do you have to do the work for someone else; but that is what it truly means to help each other. And you know words of encouragement go a long way. Next time you see someone who living an unhealthy lifestyle, why not ask them to come running with you once or maybe even cook a healthy meal with you. That kind of kindness and helpfulness will go a long way with that person. And if they say no one day, as long as they are alive there is still a chance to help them change. 🙂
May 25th, 2012 at 2:42 am
well said
May 25th, 2012 at 8:08 am
I’ll go ahead to 2nd what MikEpp said. Great point. To add, your poor diet is destroying your energy levels so it is harder to put in an 80 hour week on crap food. How difficult is it to hard boil some eggs for a quick breakfast? Or take the Salad option with chicken at lunch even Mcdonalds has a salad option (but put the dressing with the least amount of sugar)? And how much time does it take to make some burgers with no bun and salad for dinner? You’re telling me you can’t handle that and work 80 hours a week? That is lie because my wife and I do it!
May 27th, 2012 at 8:40 am
Mr. Epp,
You could not be more incorrect if you tried. I work hard and I do not “eat healthy”, I am 54 years old and my kids have graduated college, without the help of liberal “do as I say’ers” assitance. What I put in my kids stomachs is none of your damned business. I have two sons, one does indeed have health issues, but they have nothing to do with his (or my) diet. Since when is an apple such a healthy choice???? For a person who is fructose intolerant an apple can be poisonous. An apple has, on average 16 grams of sugar. As I have stated on other blogs “all things in moderation” even health food can kill you if you eat too much of it.
The major problem with people who are health food NAZI’s is that you santimoniously tell other wha to eat when in fact you are totally ignorant of what you advocate. As for dying early, again it is none of your business, and even if it were your arrogance at claiming to lengthen life by diet is pure BS since you have no clue as to what hereditary factors come into play and even if you did you cannot lengthen life, you only make it miserble for other in your bnerating them for not being the way you think they shoudl and your demand for compliance.
June 10th, 2012 at 7:43 am
Very well said.
May 20th, 2012 at 8:29 pm
You know what your lifestyle is a burden to us, if you eat yourself into illness that’s a burden on society. Less people to work and more people living in illness. It costs governments to look after the sick and pharmaceutical and medical companies make money off of it. All this money comes out of people’s pockets, so while you’re too lazy to fix your lifestyle someone else with a healthy lifestyle is working more hours than you to pay taxes to the government and over inflated prices on medication that illness has increased demand for, while you whine about how hard you;ve got it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:30 am
Amen, Well said and i comepletely agree… Not only are we destroying our childrens future by being less involved, less educated and less active we are also placing a higher burden on the rest of the population that will actually live past the obese and be forced to pay for it. I recently saw a documentary about how the government was actually ok with people becoming obese bc their life expactancy rte is greatly reduced therefore the gov. wouldnt have to pay out for medicare or pensions.. the problem is that with all the drugs that have been developed to keep these people alive has put a krink in the gov overall plan and now we are all having to suffer for it. i agree 100% with this article and wish others could see what they are doing to their bodies. I live by the paleo diet and although it may be a little bit more expensive, i eat way bettre foods and havent been sick once not even a cold.so the likelyhood that ill need major medical care is unlikely. kudos for those stepping up and speaking out!!!
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:52 pm
ummmm just a quick comment being a medical professional myself, the pharmaceutical companies also create health problems as many medications created to help people with illnesses also create weight gain in the abundance. So not only is it important to eat healthy, it is also important to watch what we injest for medications and what the side effects of certain medications are.
May 20th, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Brian,
I assure you I am not a fanatic, I certainly dont eat perfectly myself. I do try to eat more than 80% good quality food, but I am not fanatical about it. What I am more mad about than people like you is the way food that is unhealthy is promoted by both the government and advertising. Given that, it is a given that people like you who dont really care much about it are going to find it cheaper, easier, and more convenient to eat in an unhealthy manner. What would make me happy would be to live in a society where it was more normal and convenient to eat a bit better.
May 21st, 2012 at 5:48 am
Not to mention this is the reason for the skyrocketing health insurance premiums….All these fat older people who haven’t taken care of themselves physically and are falling apart due to heart/cardio problems,hypertension,hip joint problems knee problems, feet problems, diabetes.If everyone who went to the doctor just lost 5 or 10 pounds their feet wouldn’t hurt, their knees would feel better.. In my own family I can’t believe the crap given to infants to eat..you should check that crapola out…ingrediants..rice flour ,wheat flower, dessicated raisins. This is better than an egg?
May 21st, 2012 at 5:47 am
I love it when people use the term ‘health nut’, is the opposite of that a ‘illness nut.’ Are people who are financially successful ‘money nuts?’ Why is it when people are afraid of something they just insult it? What a brazen and backwards assault on someone who cares so much about the failings of the food industry that he’s sharing his thoughts with others? Are you so sad and scared of the truth that your only defense is to disparage the thoughts and efforts of other people? If you are so busy why even take the time? Everyone can do better, this is your chance.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:02 am
I love your reasoning, Geoff, and I completely agree. (I’m going to use ‘illness nut’ and ‘money nut’ in future!)
I enjoyed the article. It mirrors many of my own frustrations about the food industry. Things aren’t quite as bad in the UK but we’re getting there.
I’m always shocked at how hard it is to get simple food in the USA, by which I mean food that isn’t packed with extra sugar and fat. If I order a salad I want to be able to taste the salad. I don’t want it smothered in gallons of dressing.
In one café I saw the sign: ‘Choose our Healthy Option: Only 800 calories’. If that’s healthy, what on earth was in the other options?
May 21st, 2012 at 7:18 am
like some cheese with that wine
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:14 am
Haha! 🙂
May 21st, 2012 at 4:54 pm
And yet no one forced u to read the post.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:04 pm
I don’t think this post was attacking anyone… rather, it was condemning the companies and marketing executives who have allowed their hunger for the mighty dollar to overshadow their concern for the health and welfare of their fellow Earthlings.
I, however, will condemn…
There were a lot of people who took care of many more than ‘two kids’ and finances and a household not too long ago who didn’t have to resort to feeding their families prepackaged junk… they’re called YOUR GRANDPARENTS.
Not properly caring for yourself is your choice… but it’s bordering on neglect when parents don’t tend to the NUTRITIONAL NEEDS of their children. Your kids don’t need to be “fed”… they need to be nourished. With fruits & vegetables. Organic ones that aren’t covered in carcinogens.
As far as “time” is concerned… it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that handing a child an apple is faster than any toaster treat or microwave pizza could ever hope to be.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:37 am
Love your comment, Amber. Right on.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:14 pm
Very well said and to the point, Amber! I appreciated this post and understood it from the same viewpoint as you. Well-written!
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:53 am
I so agree Amber, ” kids don’t need to be “fed”…they need to be nourished.” AMEN. It IS CHILD ABUSE to neglect their wellness needs for the sake of our convenience. It is our responsibilities as parents to really care for our children, not just tend to them. They are the innocent ones here…and we know better (even if we pretend not to).
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:31 am
That is the LAMEST most pathetic, whiny excuse I have ever read. You think you are the only person working all the time with a family to care for?? You can’t be that busy if you have time to sit down and stuff pizzas and candy down your throat.It’s just as easy to grab fruit or veggies as it is to grab a processed bar. It takes 1 minute to nuke an egg in the microwave or 10 mins. to grill a bunch of chicken breasts for the week ahead. Or a few minutes to throw a bag of frozen vegetables in the steamer.
You are just coming up with excuses. YOU ARE NOT A VICTIM. STOP ACTING LIKE ONE. You’re crying like a little whiny 10-year old. GROW UP and take responsibility for you and your family. It’s disgusting that you’re feeding this mind-set to your kids as well. Take responsibility for your health and get your priorities straight.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:28 pm
It’s so sad to see people arguing against each other. Hurling insults. Accusing each other of making excuses, etc. etc. The problem is society and the system. He is working so damn hard 80+ hours for his family. Why? Why should ANYONE be forced to work so damn hard? Even at 40 hours, it’s enough to allow one to be discouraged to continue growing and consider alternative means, stuck in a cycle of stagnancy. I really feel for him because at that point, everything would honestly sound like a complaint. Just give him money and time and a vision to his situation and he’ll see the merits in our health arguments.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:22 am
You’re coming at this all wrong, buddy. Good — you work hard to provide for your family. Do you think the corporations that produce the kind of food you’re eating care about your health? They care about their bottom line, and for their profits to maximize they use the lowest quality. Corn syrup, additives, etc. Just take a look at what is on that box of frozen pizza before heating it up, then compare it to an actual home made recipe.
Many of America’s health problems are caused by the food we’re being fed. Billions of dollars are spent on marketing campaigns to make you feel like you need sugar and salt.
There’s no reason to become upset like you have. You should, however, take a step back and see what you’re eating. Life is too short to waste it on poptarts.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:02 am
My wife takes care of two kids, manages our finances, keeps the house straight, and works a part time job from home. She somehow also manages to put healthy meals on the table the majority of the time. We also cut back on a lot of unnecessary things so that she could reduce her hours when our second son was born. Things like cable, high speed internet, newer cars, etc. are all a luxury and realizing that has made my life far better than when I had those things.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:11 pm
I’d say that you have taken your health for granted!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:16 pm
He is not trying to force his lifestyle on anyone else. I feel the same way he does. Like a sour relationship, no one is at particular fault. Rather, it is the whole process, the whole relationship, and awareness. You are a great man supporting your family, working so hard. However, health-related issues or not, as a general question, are we satisfied? Do we want something better?
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:29 pm
I work my 60 hour work week and take care of a wheelchair disabled wife, which in itself is a full time job. But both of us work on eating healthy and trying to stay in shape. It isn’t easy, but it’s a hell of a lot easier than trying to support her while undergoing dialysis or some other treatment for letting myself go. My brother just found out he’s diabetic, after all of us warned him to PLEASE lose some of his 300 lbs of weight he carries around. Well now that he is on death’s door he is finally doing something about it. BTW, I get up 45 minutes earlier and hit my cheap treadmill I got off craigslist. Lost 5 lbs last week and I’m eating a lot healthier than ever. As far as staying out of your business, stay out of mine by NOT becoming a burden on our healthcare system and raising my insurance rates.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:08 pm
I feel like he’s not making an attack on anyone here. Before you shoot back a paragraph response next time and waste energy on the keyboard, reread what you just read and maybe then you’ll catch the drift of a person who isn’t shoving a healthy lifestyle down anyone’s throat, but of a person letting off some steam in cyberspace to no one in particular. You also had no obligation to read this piece. I’m sure no one held your head to this article and forced you to read. Use some common sense next time bud.
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:27 am
Respectfully, but you are one of the many people that causes these problems. Keep feeding your family crap, and i’m sure you’re going to have to work 100 hours per week soon to pay for their (and your) medical expenses. If in your mind cooking healthy food requires “planning”, than you have other issues to solve first.
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:40 am
Wow, 80 hours a week with only 4 hours of sleep..?
Dude, I know you want to provide for your family, but at the rate you’re going you’re going to eventually end up in the hospital. x_x;;; Seriously, you may want to look into re-working a few things; your fam needs YOU more than it needs the money you’re bringing in.
*Hoping you’re able to get some relief from such a crazy schedule soon*
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:46 am
Wow, 80 hours a week with only 4 hours of sleep..?
Dude, I know you want to provide for your family, but at the rate you’re going you’re going to eventually end up in the hospital. x_x;;; Seriously, you may want to look into re-working a few things; your fam needs YOU more than it needs the money you’re bringing in.
*Hoping you’re able to get some relief from such a crazy, hellish schedule soon*
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:52 pm
It cracks me up that you think a lard-laden lifestyle is an option worth choosing, and that anyone who says “um, you know, we’re killing ourselves with this” is a “health nut.” So stupid.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:37 am
Brian- you are a burden the rest of us are carrying. Obesity and obesity related illness cost this country $190 Billion a year and the majority of those issues are all related directly to diet. The SAD is full of toxic poison… enjoy.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:35 am
I don’t understand what working 80 hours a week has to do with not eating healthy. I work just as much and am having basa fish, chicken breast, cottage cheese, and brussels sprouts for lunch right this very second. which I didn’t cook or prepare, but got from the chinese buffet 3 doors down from my office. I’m not buying the 80 hour work week as an excuse to eat five guys and krispy kreme instead (which is exactly what I had to walk past to get my lunch).
May 25th, 2012 at 9:56 am
ooh yeah, note that I walked, and didn’t drive. 😀
May 25th, 2012 at 10:54 am
I want to reply to this too. I grew up in a single parent home and my mom had two kids to take care of by herself. She had a decent job but we weren’t living fancy lives and eating the best either, but my mom always had vegatables on the dinner table and fruit in our lunches and we never had pop-tarts for breakfast. Congratulations on working 80 hours a week. I’m sure you miss your kids. Unhealthy eating habits cause health issues and not only do we promote those habits we perpetuate the habits with medicines to hopefully help make it better.
May 26th, 2012 at 10:40 am
My parents pulled the same, except my mom had FOUR kids and STILL managed to make excellent, healthy meals out of whole foods (never anything processed, no matter how we begged for it, and we did because kids WILL choose junk food if YOU let them)
May 31st, 2012 at 10:30 am
Brian, people like you make excuses for their poor eating and subsequent poor health. Then, when pain and a lack of vitality restrict life, you cry for health care to cure your self created failure and beg for compassion from the populous at latge. When your health bills rise to unprecedented levels you will suck life from the health care system by contributing to higher premiums on my part to pay for your exceptional care. Yes the poor eating habbits of Americans like you negatively affect all of us. If you and those like you would spend your hard earned money on truely healthy foods, those of us who care about our bodies would not only be free from the barrage of disgusting products “preached” at us from every angle, we would also be free from the proverbial Albatross men like you have hung around our necks.
August 15th, 2012 at 8:26 am
I don’t believe in forcing anyone to do anythjng which has no effect on me, my life, or family. Call me a cheapskate for not feeling that my tax dollars should be wasted on hospital bills for someone too stupid to realize that all Canadians
eventually pay for self-inflicted health problems. If you want to live an unhealthy life, go ahead, it’s literally your funeral; sign a waiver exempting taxpayers from contributing to your medical expenses.
May 20th, 2012 at 6:48 pm
Good post glenn,
Yes brian we will force you to eat meat and veggies. Get strong and jacked brah!
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Best comment on this ridiculous thread of comments. Everyone stop arguing and be more like Danny. lol
May 25th, 2012 at 7:00 am
Word.
May 20th, 2012 at 6:54 pm
I have to disagree with your last sentence. You should re-word it, at the very least. Not EVERY child eats a commercial diet. My son does not eat processed foods, sweets, sugary snacks or any dairy (due to being allergic to dairy). He has had juice once and that was only because my grandma gave it to him. I spend hours researching healthy dairy free recipes for him. Saying every child eats tv commercial diets is implying that every mother feeds their children unhealthy foods, and as a mother, that infuriates me.
May 20th, 2012 at 9:17 pm
Kaci,
I certainly did not mean to imply that no parents feed their kids a healthy diet. What I was ranting about is the way society promotes such an unhealthy diet. In light of the society we are living in, yo u are certainly to be commended for feeding your kids a healthy diet. As a parent myself, I know how hard it is to get kids to eat a healthy diet when they are exposed to massive advertising that is bent on getting them to eat crap.
And what I actually SAID was that every child is exposed to the promotoion (advertising) of all this unhealthy, crappy food. Unless you don’t let your kids watch TV, look at billboards, or go out in public, this includes your kids too.
May 20th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I’m pretty pissed too that I spend 2 months on a strict paleo diet, and now I’m addicted to cupcakes and i.f.
May 20th, 2012 at 7:12 pm
I can still remember over 25 years ago when “they” were saying butter was bad for you, don’t eat eggs, you’ll get hardening of the arteries due to cholesterol.Who are the “they”,well my sisters were going to college to be nurses and I had to hear this from them all the time. This was the dietary advice of the time.I remember having an argument with a doctor who told me that there was no differance between white sugar and honey, none at all.I recieved my dietary advice from a book written by Jack La Lanne, and from articles in “strength and health” Does anyone else remember Energol…
May 20th, 2012 at 9:21 pm
Daniel,
I know exactly how you feel! I was married to a woman who was taught what our government promotes as a healthy diet. It’s funny how we continue to eat less saturated fat, more Omega 6 dominated “healthy fat” and more carbohydrates and sugar, we keep getting fatter and fatter, with heart disease and diabetes still on the rise. When will we learn>
May 20th, 2012 at 7:17 pm
I agree 100%, but we also have to mention that eating healthy is way more expensive!!!! Salad:$5, burger+soda+fries=$3.21
May 20th, 2012 at 8:04 pm
This is also an American failure. Corn subsidies – the reason an apple is more expensive than mac n cheese.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:09 am
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/16/healthy-food-expensive-junk-food-cost_n_1521882.html
May 21st, 2012 at 7:47 pm
I think that as American we want to receive instant gratification. We want like to see our value up front. Meaning that a Burger King combo is 5.99. It brings burger, fries and soda. If you take the fries and the soda, you might find a great salad or sandwich at your nearest deli and get the nutritional value that your body needs. It will be less food, but you are getting more quality. In the long front you are paying for quality and you will probably save on medical bills in the future. Eating healthy is about educating ourselves and making small changes in our lives.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:40 am
So what? Buy quality fuel for your body, and skimp on other stuff. It can be done!
May 20th, 2012 at 7:47 pm
[…] Rich Froning Training Days (WOW) I’m Pissed Your body’s internal clock is at war with society […]
May 20th, 2012 at 7:49 pm
It may be cheap to eat like crap but crappy food causes many health problems … So in the end you spend more on medical bills. Hey did you know you CAN buy fresh veggies at the 99 Cent store by the way? And to the complainer … I work 50-60 hour weeks, am in the Air Force Reserves, and have a sick dad I take of … And I eat healthy AND workout 5-6 days a week! Excuses don’t get results!!! And we aren’t pushing anything on you. I guess ignorance is bliss …. Until you get sick and find out what you’re really putting in your body. Do your research. Many diseases are linked to what we eat!! I bet you also think are cigarettes and alcohol are good for you too, right?
May 20th, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Kind of ironic in response to this post that “ignorance is bliss” comes from the full quote: “Where ignorance is bliss, ’tis folly to be wise” by Thomas Gray.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:11 pm
You can also get a bag of store-brand frozen vegetables for a dollar– broccoli, green beans, carrots, whatever. Put them in a microwave-safe (non-plastic!) container, add a quarter cup of water, cover and nuke for three minutes.
May 20th, 2012 at 8:06 pm
You shouls also be pissed that WE (All tax paying Americans) are subsidizing all of the shitty food you speak of. Farm subsidies ( that we pay for) is what makes these shitty foods so cheap (well much cheaper) than healthy alternatives…..and the truth is it will probably never change. Taking on the farm subsidy issue and rewriting the existing farm bills is political suicide for any politician. Take on the farm bill then you become “anti-farmer” which is basically the equivalent of “anti American” = dead career.
Amen on your dietitian remark…..so damn sad actually.
Great write up. Gotta keep educating anyone that will listen
May 27th, 2012 at 1:05 pm
Amen to that!! It is our tax dollars that start the talking and of course if we start buying organic produce sooner or later it will be much more cheaper than the crappy food! Awesome!
May 20th, 2012 at 8:15 pm
The reason for this isn’t just because Americans are lazy.
One major reason is because our government pays Monsanto, ConAgra, Cargill, and other Big Agribusinesses $billions every year to overproduce corn, soy, and wheat…leaving us with so much extra that we’re forced to turn corn into alcohol and feed it to our cars at a net energy loss.
This makes corn, soy, and wheat very cheap relative to real food (as vegetables aren’t subsidized) — and it means that food manufacturers have great financial incentive to turn artificially cheap corn, soy, and wheat into foodlike substances such as toaster strudels, pizza pockets, and “breakfast cereal”.
Furthermore, it means that the government must issue dietary guidelines emphasizing the consumption of corn, soy, and wheat so that we, its citizens, will dispose of the massive artificial surplus it has created. Veggieburgers, soy milk, and 12-grain bread are just processed junk food that doesn’t taste as good.
We’re being fattened on grains, just like pigs and cattle. Then Big Pharma sells us metformin and Toprol and Lipitor and Fosamax and Celebrex and thousands of other drugs to keep us alive so we can eat more grains and need more drugs.
A fat, sick America isn’t an accident. The fatter and sicker we get, the more money Big Agribusiness, Big Food, and Big Pharma make.
JS
May 20th, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Great reply. We have a broken system.
May 21st, 2012 at 2:44 pm
*gag* It just turns my stomach.
Thank God for people that share their research and knowledge so we can raise healthier families!!!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:52 pm
Great comment. I have the same theory.
May 20th, 2012 at 8:20 pm
Can’t agree with you more, sir. As for the guy bitching that he’s too busy to eat correctly… well, I’ve done it and there is no excuse because it’s relatively easy to make better choices once you realize how bad the prepackaged crap being foisted on us truly is. David Kessler’s book “The End of Overeating” explains how the food industry has engineered prepackaged foods to appeal to our palates and our baser nutritional instincts. We have to outsmart ourselves and make better choices if we want to live better lives. Simple as that.
May 20th, 2012 at 9:02 pm
[…] Im pissed […]
May 20th, 2012 at 10:27 pm
I think Sugar is fine. Nothing wrong with it at all. but what people don’t understand is that “EVERYTHING IN MODERATION”. And when you see all these fat kids running around. obesity increasing. And people dying just from not being able to control themselves, they need to rethink what they are doing. Ok, once a weekend you can have your favorite snack. But don’t let it hget out of control. Eating pizza 3 times a week. Ice cream, cookies, sugar filled drinks. I always hear guys say things like “im working out so i can eat a ton of food”. thats wrong. You might be able to drink more water and eat more protein, but you should be eliminating all the crap that comes into your diet. AND, if you cannot afford it, than find a different way! there are ,many inexpensive things out there that are healthy and you can fit into your budget. REGARDLESS OF TASTE. So either say hello to a healthy life (of course with some nice snacks here and there), or say hello to an obese, heart problem, early death, diabetes life where you can go ahead and eat all the sugar you want. everything in moderation is the best tip i can give. And not just that, dont do things thats are bad in moderation. Its not like im telling you to get high on meth oin moderation. Or drink 10 cases of beer in moderation. Be smart, have fun, stay healthy, and enjoy a long great life.
May 27th, 2012 at 5:51 am
“EVERYTHING IN MODERATION”?! Sorry, no, that’s a stupid platitude (and wrong besides!). Strychnine in moderation? Cocaine in moderation? Arsenic in moderation? Suggesting a couple hours of self-education by reading online (Mark’s Daily Apple, Dr. Mike Eades’ Protein Power blog. Robb Wolf. Gary Taubes.) will show you (and anyone) just how idiotic that is! (If Mr. 80-hours has time to complain on this blog, he has time to read and educate himself on the right way to feed himself / is kids!) “Everything in moderation” is a “shut-down” comment — just like calling someone a racist or a denier is a shut-down comment. Instead of addressing what is done, or should be done, or could be done, in an educational way — you’re just telling folks to “don’t do things that are bad” — but without helping them to know what IS bad — and what the modern media / govt / medical world / corporate-industrial world is telling us is good actually is bad… Eating *crap* in moderation is still eating crap!
June 2nd, 2012 at 3:44 am
My thoughts exactly
May 27th, 2012 at 7:26 am
Casey,
When it comes to processed, refined sugars even “moderation” may not be a good thing.
Yes, our brain “NEEDS” blood sugar (known as glucose) but for several million years that sugar was provided through real, whole food provided by nature/God such a fruit and not refined sugar products such as Coke, Pepsi, candy, cakes, etc.
With that natural sugar came fiber that slowed its absorption into the body. With processed sugar, even in moderation, comes diabetes and a host of other diseases.
“Unlike with substance abuse, people don’t get the shakes when they stop eating sugar. But people with constant sugar cravings do exhibit one symptom of dependence, Pelchat says: “continued use despite knowledge of bad consequences or having to give up certain activities.” For instance, people who crave sugary, fatty foods will keep eating them even if obesity makes it uncomfortable to walk or to sit in an economy seat on the plane.”
Source: http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/health-effects-of-sugar
“(CBS News) Dr. Robert Lustig, a pediatric endocrinologist at the University of California, believes the high amount of sugar in the American diet, much of it in processed foods, is killing us. And as Dr. Sanjay Gupta reports, new scientific research seems to support his theory that sugar is toxic, including some linking the excess ingestion of sugars to heart disease.”
Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18560_162-57407128/preview-is-sugar-toxic/
Or this from NPR: Should Sugar Be Regulated Like Alchohol?
Writing in the journal Nature, UCSF pediatrician Robert Lustig and colleagues suggest regulating sugar just like alcohol and tobacco—with taxes and age limits, for example—due to what they call the “toxic” effects of too much sweet stuff. Education, they say, is not enough.
Source: http://www.npr.org/2012/02/17/147047545/should-sugar-be-regulated-like-alcohol
In fact, in 2009, Reuters Health reported that “From 2001 to 2006, health care expenditures on obese adults rose from $167 billion to $303 billion, an 82 percent jump, according to an analysis by Marie N. Stagnitti, a senior survey statistician at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Maryland.
“Costs for overweight individuals rose 36 percent, from $202 billion to $275 billion, while spending on normal-weight people rose 25 percent, from $208 billion to $260 billion.”
Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/2009/08/19/us-burden-obese-idUSTRE57I4LK20090819
No, when it comes to processed, refined sugar, “moderation” is not a good fit and most people cannot or will not limit themselves, which may explain why a third of Americans are obese and 75% are fat.
May 21st, 2012 at 2:38 am
i agree that trying to be a health Nazi and eat perfectly 24/7 is v impractiacal and expensive for most people. however, the aproach i have taken is always trying to make the best food choice possible, not thinking that if grassfed beef and kale is not available then i might as well have a candybar. i will have a tuna sandwich, or a natural peanut butter wholegrain sandwich – now i know these are probably a bit grain-heavy, not perfect, but they could be a lot worse!
my $0.02
May 27th, 2012 at 5:57 am
“or a natural peanut butter wholegrain sandwich” Peanut butter — which is (ALWAYS) full of (the health-damaging) aflaxtoxin? Not at all healthy! And the “wholegrain” bread idiocy that the FDA has ‘taught’ (misled) us is healthy?! (The FDA — whose mission is to sell grains — NOT to help us be healthy!) Read “Wheat Belly” by Dr Davis, read up on gliadin and celiac, and the destruction of the tight junctions in the gut — leading to autoimmune diseases… It’s “not perfect”? No, it’s not even close to healthy, so why recommend it? (Read Gary Taubes’ “Why We Get Fat and What to Do About it” — regardless of whether or not your fat: once you understand *how* to eat in a healthy way, you’ll be able to stay healthy and not get fat, or loss fat, without suffering.
May 21st, 2012 at 5:57 am
Greed has poisoned mens souls.- Charlie Chaplain
May 21st, 2012 at 6:25 am
“Brawndo’s got what plants crave! It’s got electrolytes!”
May 21st, 2012 at 6:45 am
Why? Not that I dont agree with you, I do, but its called free choice. People can choose to eat shitty food and be fat or choose to educate themselves, eat good food, exercise and be healthy. That’s what’s great about a free society, nothing to get high blood pressure over.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:15 pm
It’s not what the parents eat that’s the main problem– it’s what they feed their kids. It’s much harder to start eating healthy as an adult than it is to just keep eating the foods you were raised on.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:46 am
The problem is that a lot of the “shitty” foods are marketed as healthy. It’s hard to practice moderation when high fructose corn syrup is in everything. Difficult to make the best choices at a restaurant where the nutritional information is not part of the menu (and the salads piled high with processed shredded meat and drowning in dressing may actually be a less healthy option than the burger). And I think just about everybody now understands that soda is bad for you, but Coke is still omnipresent in restaurants, in media, and in our schools. In 2010, 1.7 billion servings of Coke products were consumed EVERY DAY (http://www.thecoca-colacompany.com/?WT.cl=1&WT.mm=footer1-about-red_en_US)
May 21st, 2012 at 9:06 am
Why am I the only one here who thinks its up to the INDIVIDUAL to eat healthily. Why do we continue to play this blame game. Well they advertise shitty food on tv. Guess what, they don’t force people to walk down to the store, buy it, and then shove it in. People CHOOSE to eat it, and nothing that has been mentioned here will change that. I could eat every healthy food in the books, but unless I eat in moderation and exercise, I’d still get fat.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:06 am
Although I agree with what you’re saying, claiming that everyone should be immune to advertising is being blind to the fact that it works so well that it’s one of the most powerful driving forces in developed countries around the world.
May 27th, 2012 at 6:08 am
It’s not forcing people to eat crap, it’s brainwashing! How many people really-and-truly BELIEVE that fat is bad and grains are good? How many people think that having… say, a peanut-butter sandwich … is eating healthily — when in fact it’s eating toxic legumes on a damaging substrate that the human gut is not designed to handle? But EVERYTHING around them says; “this is how to eat.” “Avoid meat and fat, and ingest stuff the human body (actually) is damaged by!” Unless and until the person gets sick, and does the research (and many never do), they don’t learn that what they’ve been taught is wrong and making them sick.
Eating the WRONG foods in moderation is not healthy, merely *less* damaging — not quite the recommendation I’d suggest: To paraphrase Tom Naughton (see his “Science for Smart People” on YouTube — oh-so-worth your time!) if people who smoke low-tar cigarettes have *less* cancer than people who smoke regular cigarettes — does it then follow that it’s HEALTHY to smoke low-tar cigs?!
May 27th, 2012 at 6:53 am
It is really up to the one who bends the elbow. Are there a lot of bad foods out there? You bet! Our beef is so high in omega 6 that we do not get the proper omega 3, because cows are fed corn (not food good for a cow) and given antibiotics to tolerate the corn. Nonetheless, even though we need to do something to improve foods as well as something to make better foods more accessible to those less advantaged, much of our rising health problems come right back to the consumer.
My wife and I stopped for a bite at a Burger King (shhhh…don’t judge us) a couple months ago. There was a couple sitting at a table a few feet from us, each about in their 60’s. The man was large…about 6’2″ or so, but I would estimate tipping the scale at about 400+ pounds. His wife (lady-friend, sister, whoever) got up 4 times while we were there, going to the counter to get him another sandwich. He was out of control, she was an enabler. Can Burger King be blamed for this? No.
Doctors need to cease starting people on pills and start by giving them a strict diet regimen to treat type 2, high blood pressure and high cholesterol (meds might be necessary if numbers are dangerously high, but should not become a lifestyle). Insurance companies should treat people who have these numbers out of control as they would anyone else whose own decisions and actions put their health at such risk…yet offer discounts if they can bring those numbers under control, avoiding or eliminating need for medications (I cannot afford health insurance because of others’ choices – our premiums are based on the unhealthiest common denominator). The government needs to reign in the pharmaceutical companies, as well as doctors, when it comes to pumping medications instead of finding an affordable way to feed our cattle and farm-raised fish properly, make healthier foods more plentiful (and affordable) and support and expedite more programs to educate more people on healthier choices.
No matter what, though, it is up to the individual. I can choose whether to eat macaroni and cheese or green beans as a side. Oh, I know which one will be calling out to my desire…but I also know which one will have less of a negative impact on my cardiovascular system. It is my choice. I choose, I raise the fork to my mouth.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:11 am
Ok, Jonathan. Let’s just assume that the “INDIVIDUAL” is choosing shitty foods for themselves. Who gets to choose for the child that the “INDIVIDUAL” parents? Surely not the child. So if the “INDIVIDUAL” is choosing shitty foods for their kids, is that not affecting people other than themselves?
May 21st, 2012 at 10:23 am
So blaming the government or others fixes that? Your comment has nothing to do with what I said. Not sure what point you’re trying to make.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:35 am
You are saying that the individual must choose to be healthy… that is ASS BACKWARDS!! People choose to do drugs all the time. However, not doing drugs is the original option. People should not have to choose to not be addicts after lived their entire life as a forced addict. Similarly, people should not have to choose to be healthy after living their entire life in a state of unhealthiness because that is the only option available to them.
That is the point.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:43 am
What, none of that makes sense. Why should they not have to choose…its their life! Its no one else’s business what they do, if they want to eat shitty fine, no-one, including the government should have a say.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:45 am
Johnathan, their point is that in a society where money is important then people have less choices with less money. With gov and business pushing poor quality food cheaply via subsidies it’s unfair to the poor in society that do not have the financial ability to make a choice. If the subsidies were removed then it would be more of a free country (but more expensive). Subsidies and policies changing pricing do actually force consumers to behave in a certain way and do limit choices.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:55 am
I agree with Johnathan here. In the end it all comes down to personal choice (with children that is different case). If no one is forcing someone’s way of life on another why should it really matter what someone does. Yes I would like to see others eat healthy but in the end it really comes down to choice. I am not being “forced” to eat junk food no one is hold a gun to my head and saying “eat it or else”. It all comes down to choice (and what you can afford). Yes people eat junk food and if they choose that life style is fine they just have to accept what happens down the road as a part of that choice. Just like if I would rob a bank I have to accept that I will most likely get arrested, spend time in prison, and be almost completely unable to get a job once I get out of prison.
Eventually those people might get sick of that lifestyle and choose to make a change. I am for the most part a walking example of this. When I was a teen I drank a lot of soda, ate really poorly for the most part, but I also worked out a lot so I did not really have any issues with weight gain. My twenty’s, got a desk job then the weight jumped like up since I went from standing and walking at my previous job to just sitting. I made a change in 2008 or 2009 by cutting soda out of my diet (I do enjoy a Mexican coke or Fanta now and then) then starting in 2011 by cutting out fast food from my diet. I’ve lost most of the weight that I put on years ago, but I was able to do it. I’m still not the best with foods but I did make a personal choice to change that. I made the change as an adult and I had to enough mental will power to say that I did not want that life style anymore.
@Howard – People can get help and stop being a drug addict if they want to get help. A person cannot be forced to stop doing drugs. I know it is not always choice to do drugs I choose not to smoke weed when I was in tech school when I was offered and have not done illegal drugs at all in my life. For a child it falls on the parent to make the choices of what the family including the said eats. If the family can only afford McDonalds to eat then so be it. Yes they should be eating better but if the choices were either eating McDonalds so they can still have a roof over their head or buy food out of their price range and lose their home, I do not think too many people would choose the latter than the former.
May 21st, 2012 at 12:05 pm
Bad enough that people willingly will close their ears to good advice,worse yet one everyone else must pay for it.Why should I have to pay the doctor for someone who willingly puts themselves in danger by not doing the least to keep themselves healthy? Better yet, what if you are driving on a highway and in the other lane you see that the road has sunkenand as you continue on your way you see cars headed for that destination. Do you try and warn them or just let them have an accident?
May 21st, 2012 at 12:17 pm
Reblogged this on shannatothemaxx and commented:
Agree!
May 21st, 2012 at 12:27 pm
You are what you eat…………… People have a choice………………………If you let the government decide, they will surely screw it up…………………….Educate yourselves people………………..living healthy lives & dying, is more enjoyable & cheaper, than being sick & dying……………….I am a mom of 9, we eat vegetables, meat, fruit, eggs, butter. Mostly non-processed foods. My 17 year old son is 6’1″, 180 lbs. Strong, no zits, healthy………………….The rest of the children have no diseases, no serious health problems………………I do not understand parents, that don’t look into what they feed their children & make excuses to keep buying them junk…………..keep up the good work, of educating people. That’s all you can really do, besides praying for them.
May 21st, 2012 at 12:36 pm
“I am just in general pissed off that our modern society is so determined to dig our own graves with our spoons and forks. i am pissed that shitty unhealthy food is so cheap and convenient and available everywhere. I am pissed that every child grows up on a steady diet of TV commercials pitching them shitty food that will probably eventually kill them.”
AMEN
It all rolls back around to greed. We let our need for convenience overtake us and our children. It is up to us to make better decisions and pass it on to the youngsters. It shouldn’t cost so much to eat well. This year, I intend to buy local.
May 21st, 2012 at 1:10 pm
Good read! Totally agree!
May 21st, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Let us not imply that Registered Dietitians are ignorant or the problem….Having been one for many years, I understand your ex-wife made a poor choice. I am confident 100% of RDs (with the exception of your ex-wife) would agree. Let’s be clear- No matter where the excess calories come from- they are excess and problematic.
May 27th, 2012 at 6:31 am
They’re not ignorant of the problem — they’re ignorant of the cause and the repair!! And it’s NOT “100%” — some RDs are finally looking into the actual science, not the ‘crap they’re fed’ in school — and discovering they’ve been taught the wrong things and are *teaching* the wrong things. If you’re an RD, and proud of your knowledge, if you think you’re teaching the healthy way(s) to eat — then have you read Gary Taubes’ “Good Calories, Bad Calories” (written for medical personnel and the educated layperson) to see if your view of the “science” you were taught (i.e., brainwashed with) matches the actual science — or have you swallowed whole the crap you were taught? And before you cry “Taubes is a quack” — on what BASIS do you make that claim– have you actually read and considered his book? Are you willing to self-educate and see if what you were taught is actually state of the art — or state of the propaganda paid for by Big Ag, Big Pharma, Big Medicine, Big Govt? Bet not. Bet you, like so many of your colleagues, refuse to look cause it challenges what you “know.”
May 21st, 2012 at 2:32 pm
Amen! A similar rant goes through my head on a regular basis. When clients ask “how do I get rid of my gut/baby weight/thunder thighs”, I educate them on the importance of healthy eating, staying away from junk food & drinks and living a better lifestyle. Unfortunately changing someone’s diet is like changing their religion and is always met with resistance. Eventually our efforts will take mass-hold but there will be many more deaths from diseases that could have been prevented and treated by a simple healthy diet. it’s all about education – the more we can educate people about their food, the better food choices they can make.
May 21st, 2012 at 2:33 pm
Great read! No more junk!
May 21st, 2012 at 3:18 pm
Reblogged this on Stephanie Madrid and commented:
One word: WOW.
May 21st, 2012 at 3:54 pm
Not only that, the portions. Kids eat everything we give them, please be responsible with forming you kids eating habits. Great read, thanks for sharing.
May 21st, 2012 at 4:05 pm
Honestly, you are ALL missing the big picture. Here you are, sheeple at best, following what you hear, being pissed over unhealthy food and drinking all the Kool-Aid the government wants you to drink. This is how the world works – they tell you what is, get a bunch of people to jump on the bandwagon and the fat cats sit back and bask in the profits that pour in. No shit the world is promoting bad health: bad health leads to heart issues (money for surgeries, tests, physicians, and on and on), to food obsessions (overeating, buying a plethora of sweets, etc), and the list goes on. If people didn’t get sick, there would be no need for doctors… so why fix something that makes the world go round? It’s just like organic food, do some research, there’s hardly any difference between organic food and your regular veggies. Yet, people pay double the price to be “extra” healthy. Think of it this way… have you noticed that 1980-90’s cars are still all over the highway? You can run a 1993 Honda Accord over 200k miles and as long as you take care of it… never have significant troubles. I talked to a guy the other day, bought a brand new VW Jetta, 3k miles later it breaks down. They want that car to break down. They need cars to break down. If cars lasted 20-30 years without problems, mechanics would not be needed. So, slowly over time, our cars have become less and less reliable. This isn’t a matter of health or obesity, it’s a matter of money and fat people spend lots of it.
May 21st, 2012 at 4:08 pm
Love your comment about the RD eating Sprees. Here’s what pisses me off…the ADA trying to make it illegal for non-RDs to actually dispense nutritional advice. http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelellsberg/2012/04/05/american-dietetic-association/
May 21st, 2012 at 8:07 pm
Jen, I’m an RD and for the record, definitely don’t subscribe to most of the viewpoints that the ADA (now the AND) puts forth regarding fats and sugar. However, the main reason for protecting the right to dispense nutritional advice is that RDs receive very detailed and specific training relating to diseases and conditions that have some pretty serious nutritional and medical considerations. I know plenty of people that think they’re helping someone out by recommending one thing or the other, but the fact is that they don’t realize that person has kidney failure or pancreatitis or Crohn’s and can’t just simply eat ‘Paleo’ or ‘Zone’ or whatever it is you’re recommending. It would be like telling someone to take a pill they shouldn’t without knowing their medical history: practicing something you’re not qualified for without a license or the proper training; believe me, I wish it weren’t such a gray area, because I know lots of people that know more about nutrition than some dietitians I know or even trained under, but there’s good reason for the law.
May 27th, 2012 at 6:50 am
“RDs receive very detailed and specific training relating to diseases and conditions that have some pretty serious nutritional and medical considerations”
Do you REALLY believe that changing someone’s diet from modern crap food to what the human (animal’s) body was designed over millennia to survive and thrive on is dangerous?! Most of the diseases “we” suffer nowadays are based in eating crap food! Someone giving nutrition advice is not “practicing something” — it’s discussing choices (and their success rates show they’re doing it well). RDs seem to think they are “prescribing” a diet, rather than educating people how to make their own choices! “Eat what I tell you.” “Do as I say.” “Trust me, I’ve got a degree.” And what’s the current state of America’s health under y’all’s advice?
Using “the force of law” to restrict information is NEVER the right choice — and the law to prevent people from offering information is based in cutting out competition, NOT ‘saving’ people!
May 21st, 2012 at 4:20 pm
So f’ing true! We are killing out kids and our country. I’m pissed and I tell as many as I can how pissed I am at the way we raise our children to eat, drink, think and act like shit. I applaud you for using your voice and wish more would join in. Laughed my ass off that your ex picked sprees over nuts as a healthy choice. Says a lot for the way we educate our nutritional professionals. I enjoy your blog. Keep it up!
May 21st, 2012 at 4:48 pm
Eating Healthy being so expensive is propaganda! Make your own meals, don’t eat as much, grow some of your own foods and learn to appreciate the subtle wonderful flavors of different foods without the overly sweet and salty added to them! go price a bag of dried beans and tell me there expensive. If when you think of eating healthy you think of packaged veggie burgers and the like as your only option then yes more expensive but your not really thinking are you.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:08 pm
You make a good point, and those are great suggestions! However — time is money, as they say. All of the things you suggest are cheap, but they are time-consuming. There are people for whom time as well as money are significant barriers to healthy eating.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:20 pm
i just watched an HBO documentary re: obesity in America and it’s infuriating to see what the food industry is doing
May 21st, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Very well put! As a physician I am overwhelmed by the damage that poor eating and obesity causes. Please check out my blog also. My last post was about a sixty minutes piece on toxic sugar. I explain some of the research from the scientists mentioned. I am trying to spread the truth using only scientific evidence, not propaganda. I need thoughtful and caring people like you to help. Thanks for the great post! (ignore all the nonsense rants from the angry ignorant!)
DG
weightlosscounterrevolution.com
May 21st, 2012 at 6:37 pm
And I thought I was the only one. I often feel “that way” when shopping because it’s supply and demand that determines what goes on the shelves.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:39 pm
There is so much misinformation on nutrition out there, it is ridiculous–and it is certainly a cause for anger. It’s definitely not about forcing anything on anyone–the biggest concern is accurate information. The truth is, the more natural a food is, the better it is for your body. Eggs, lard, meat, etc. are never going to be as bad for you as a chemical concoction cooked up in a lab. Although, part of the problem is the degradation of the quality of our “healthy” foods. Genetic tampering, pesticides, inadequate farming practices, etc. have all reduced the nutritional quality of the food we have available to us to the point where we’re not doing that much better eating meat and vegetables. Compare the nutritional difference between an average egg available at the grocery store vs. a free-range egg from a chicken fed a proper diet. Or, look at the nutritional quality of produce grown on a commercial farm where it was genetically engineered, is then picked before it ripens and is then shipped five hundred miles to the grocery store and sold as “fresh.” By then most of the nutrients, phytonutrients and vitamins that were in it have degraded to the point of being almost non-existent, and in many cases there weren’t many to begin with. Our food supply has been so harmfully tampered with we should all be very angry.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:41 pm
Wow, I had to skip through the 20 post pissing contest above, but great post. I couldn’t agree with your more my friend. I got fed up about 2 months ago and switched to the paleo diet, which is basically what you were eating in central America. I feel so much better its not even funny. Its cheaper, quicker and healthier than eating the American diet, and I got there by getting pissed, just like you. The more of us that get pissed, the more we yell. The more we yell, the more people wake up. Keep at it my friend, we will be proven right in the end. The government and food companies lie to us every day, but now we have the power to find the truth.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Reblogged this on The Amber Light's Blog and commented:
I am SO SO SO SO SO happy every time the Universe wins one and show all of us that the message is getting through….we have choices, and now more people want better ones. Food is our foundation and we are seeing a shift in what we build ourselves our of…The You Creator!!!!
May 21st, 2012 at 6:47 pm
Not only in US but in most countries.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:47 pm
i think you make a great point about “low-fat” foods being sold and heavily advertised as ideal, when the sugar and/or sodium content(s) are often jacked up to make them more flavorful. many times the “regular” version is more natural AND keeps you satiated longer – who woulda thunk!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:55 pm
That is so evident in the current yogurt situation at the supermarket, it infuriates me!
May 21st, 2012 at 6:48 pm
I doubt if the public will ever learn why only in the last decade obesity and diabetes has doubled. I am sure all of us feel really sad for the person who is so obviously beyond overweight to have a new term – obese.
However, I am sure all of us feel equally sad when we see a person who is super wealthy and yet, starving themselves intentionally to look “pretty”. They are skin and bones and practically dying from hunger, and have sunken eyes and chose to skip meals (anorexic) or eat paper or over eat and throw up (bulimic). Either extreme makes all of us sad to watch in this country that has so much to offer, if there was a perfect solution.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:49 pm
I feel the same. It begins at home but schools are not much better. I watch the students everyday feast on junk that the gov’t has deemed healthy. It is full of sodium and empty calories. There is a whole blog you could write about on that issue along.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:31 am
The land of the free, where pizza is a vegetable.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/pizza-vegetable-school-lunches-lobbyists_n_1098029.html
May 21st, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Totally agree!! A few years ago I made the decision, not to go on a diet but to live a healthy life style. I try really hard not to eat anything from a box, bag or can and I stay away from anything fried. Over the years you actually developed a taste for healthy food. I had a sip of my boyfriends pop the other day and it tasted so disgusting to me but 3 years ago I would have loved it. I have more energy now then I ever had. Can you imagine if they banned junk food ads like they did with cigarette ads?? might happen one day!!
May 21st, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Thank you FP for picking this post to feature. The awareness to what we feed ourselves continues to grow and make regular people angry enough to change. We have been slowly changing our eating choices in my family over the past 15 years. And it is getting easier to find good choices, but the mind set is money driven. WE have to change where our money goes in order to get big business to change where they advertise and what they offer us to purchase. Congrats and thanks for expressing yourself so well! I re-posted 🙂
May 21st, 2012 at 6:51 pm
[…] I’m Pissed, Glenn Pendlay […]
May 21st, 2012 at 6:55 pm
Well said, Glenn.
May 21st, 2012 at 6:56 pm
God, you, the makers of “Food Inc.”, and I got to sit down and talk. I’ve been trying so hard here at college to eat healthy and exercise. Eating vegetarian helps because most of the food is meat, but what isn’t has a lot of carbs, fats or sugars. I can only drink soda that’s diet or calorie free, and even then I’m worried I’m ingesting poison.
But then again, we know who to blame for this, don’t we? The corporations who pay off the members of our governments to keep diet and health laws out of our law code so they can pad their bottom lines. Don’t you just love our leaders?
May 21st, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I agree with your analysis of sugar contents. There is another code word for sugar that is used on ingredient labels it is corn syrup. There will come a day when sugar and corn syrup will be linked to many major diseases.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:04 pm
OK, so you’re pissed. Big deal. Last time I checked, our country was free. Yes, you have a good idea. People should eat healthier. But it’s OK to have a cupcake at an elementary school birthday party.
Here’s an idea. People need to exercise. I did, now I do. Most of the crap people put into their bodies can be mitigated by exercise.
Good grief. Just because you think something is “the right thing to do” doesn’t make it right. Settle down some.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:26 pm
This is why things haven’t changed. Everyone thinks it’s okay to let little things slide. And its not. How much sugar did that kid have at home before he had that cupcake? Yes I know we can’t control everyone and tell them what to do. But it is a problem!
And you saying bad food can be mitigated just by excercise? That you are dead wrong about. It’s 80% diet 20% gym. You can’t outwork a bad diet. Maybe for a bit, but your performance wont be as high. Think about things before you say them.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Just one cupcake at the party today. Just one cookie at the b-day party at work tomorrow. Just one handful of fries from your kid’s dinner tomorrow night. Just one Coke on the way to work the next day. Just one slice of pie, cause Grandma spent so much time making it….taking that attitude is what got our country where it is. ‘Well this food is here , I might as well eat it’ is the wrong way to think. That extra 56 grams of sugar in that cupcake just flooded your body with insulin—-> inflammation and your arteries are not thanking you. Good luck with that.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:09 pm
thanks for being so directly p.o.’ed. i share and write about similar sentiments but pad them with way more wording which softens the impact. as a nutritionist (who promotes nuts and good fats) and deals many times a day with the serious ramifications of a nation that has promoted an unhealthy dietary and that has elevated crappy food to the max, i wish we had a good basic national gruel like many countries do that could be served for school lunch. sustenance from basic tasty foodstuffs with a few variations. fortify and gratify. then onward.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:10 pm
I couldn’t agree more with this article. Its ridiculous what we eat. We should be very ashamed with it.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:13 pm
Amen, as far as junk advertising and the food industry, we dont eat what is healthy we eat what is profitable for them. Yes it is up to the individual and since the 80’s we have been following the “low fat high carb” recommended diet, in other words crap diet because the real thing was “bad’ for you. Like lemmings off the cliff we all went. Whose idea do you think it all was to start with? But when the IOM went and tried to change the recommend (WRONG) guidelines for our children because the obesity is soaring out of control, for federally subsided lunches, the push back from the food industry was insane, and guess what pizza is still a vegetable in our children’s school lunch. So how much choice do you think an individual really has when all the “guidelines” for a healthy diet have been controlled by the food industry whose sole mission is to make a profit? You should be FUCKING pissed at these assholes and we need to take back our health from them! Just why do you think pop tarts are cheaper then fresh vegetables?
May 21st, 2012 at 7:21 pm
I wasn’t fed a poptart until I was about 10 years old. My mother raised my brother and I on a very healthy diet, until she married my stepdad (ha. Ice cream every night). I have a tendency to eat bread and fruit, but I’m in excellent shape, as is my brother. Then I look at my fiance’s niece (who is barely over a year old) and see that she is already very chunky for such a young baby. Turns out that her mother feeds her McDonald’s. I was honest-to-god shocked.
My point being: I agree with you. Whatever the cause (government, cost, etc), it isn’t right to be feeding ourselves and children such terrible food.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:22 pm
One good thing — I think that the medical field is starting to catch up (slowly) with what should be common-sense wisdom about healthy eating (namely, that a natural, mainly plant-based diet is best, and that fat is not bad — contrary to what was being taught for many years). In my nutrition classes in medical school, we were lectured about the Harvard School of Public Health’s food pyramid, which at the time was significantly different from the government’s food pyramid — much more focused on a natural, plant-based diet and less focused on minimizing fats (now, they have switched to a plate, identical to the government’s MyPlate). There’s a lot of great information on healthy eating on their website too (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/index.html)
May 21st, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Nice to see a doctor on the right side of this. I know that RD’s and MD’s are not all bad, but I have seen enough who are definately not helping to be very frustrated.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:18 pm
Disclaimer: I still have a few years to go to be a doctor 🙂 I’m just a student now! But I’ve noticed that many of my classmates are very open to a more Michael Pollen approach to food — so perhaps things are changing (albeit slowly).
May 21st, 2012 at 7:25 pm
Great post and I totally agree. The same is happening in Australia. It’s all about changing bad habits and making healthy choices. It doesn’t take that much more effort or time, just a change in attitude. Health food expensive? Cut back on the crappy food and you’ll have more money. Think and eat like your grandmother did. She wasn’t fanatical. We need to go back to basics 🙂
May 21st, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Bravo! Thank you for letting your anger of unhealthy foods shine publically. We all need to take a stand against this unhealthy addictive roller coaster. (standing and applauding… literally! Although I have to be quiet because my husband is sleeping, but I’m still clapping my hands!)
May 21st, 2012 at 7:28 pm
Good post! I read the first few comments and couldn’t believe what a debate had started up. As a non-American, I always enjoy it when Americans challenge what is usually the accepted way of life in your country.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:35 pm
Thank you! This topic has been on my mind a lot lately. I see so much of this here in an inner city. People are eating what they are advertised and recognize. Of course these options are the most addictive and nutritional devoid. Not enough is being done to promote the foods that will actually nurture and support our bodies.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:42 pm
I completely agree; infact my graduate research is based on media messaging and healthy behaviours. The data isn’t good. People need to start making concerted efforts to include healthy choices in their lives to curb this obesity epidemic. There are a lot of excuses that ‘justify’poor food choices (and while we’re at it, this goes for lack of physical activity as well), and very little action on how to just DO what is needed to be healthy.
I have spent – and continue to spend – my career in health promotion & education. From teaching people how to incorporate physical activity to publishing my grocery lists SHOWING people that eating healthy is not expensive, I still hear excuses. So long as people look to place blame on marketers, corportations, government, etc. for their personal, poor choices, this problem is not going to go away.
Thanks for posting, congrats on freshly pressed!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Glenn, I completely agree with you, and am astonished that someone should find in your rant an occasion to take umbrage. People who defend their poor diets on the basis that they have no time to eat better are simply foolish, but to actually adopt an attitude of outrage that anyone should find fault with the fast food and junk food industry I find utterly bewildering. I guess it takes all kinds….. by the way, I conducted a similar rant on my blog back in 2009 and wonder whether you might like to read it.
May 21st, 2012 at 7:43 pm
Thank you for posting this. It’s absolutely frustrating seeing people eat ‘low fat’ when it’s the sugar that actually gets you! High Fructose Corn Syrup is the worst, and it just might be the reason that the bees are disappearing. Where will we all go from there?
May 21st, 2012 at 7:46 pm
It’s great to see everyone fired up on this topic. Now I know I’ll sound like an elitist, but here it goes – don’t get pissed – do something about it. Find the TIME if your life depended on it, because it does. Start with you. Learn to cook healthier. Or, get rid of cable/tv – that will save you about 1,000 per year and take that money and use it for healthier food and make the time that your family spends together more meaningful. Get the kids involved with preparing meals. These are just suggestions. Find your own way out of this mess. Act, act, act. Reject the what our culture of materialism has shoved down our throats and replace it with a healthier lifestyle. Do it now.
May 25th, 2012 at 7:22 am
Amen!!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:48 pm
I had to change the diet under orders. Now I check every label for sodium and sugar amounts. I get “organic” and “low fat” whenever I can but it does cost more. I drink maybe 1 can of regular pop a month. Canned goods cut back to next to nothing due to the high sodium content. Avoid the high fructose corny syrup even though it is hard to find foods that don’t have it as an ingredient. Fast food? Just forget about it. Not even the salad if they carry one.
May 27th, 2012 at 7:06 am
Oh dear. But see? For nearly EVERY human, salt is not the problem (read Gary Taubes); very few people have bp that is sensitive to salt. “Low fat is best” is the propaganda put out by ‘the food industry” — and they usually make up for the low fat by adding sugar (in any of its variety of euphemisms). THIS is why the advertising and easy availability of the wrong foods is a problem — people learn the wrong things. That is not a call for the govt to control speech (although the govt getting OUT of the business of pushing (and subsidizing) commodity grains would be a pretty good start!) but it is a call for self-education! Go watch Tom Naughton’s documentary “Fat Head” (free on Hulu and Netflix, cheap from Amazon and his site) — and see how the food-science works!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:54 pm
First of all, to the guy who hates the ‘health nazi’s’ and doesn’t have time like ‘the rest of us’, shut the fuck up. My husband contracts overseas most of the year, during which I run the gym we own, finished not just a bachelor’s degree, but a masters, raised our son, kept the house mostly clean, organized the finances, etc etc etc, all while training 5-6 days a week and eating pretty damn healthy. If it matters to you to be healthy, you will MAKE fucking time for it. Excuses are for people who need them.
Second, Mr. Pendlay, I can completely sympathize. I also went to school to get a degree and become a registered dietitian and the entire time I kept shaking my head thinking ‘What the hell are we being taught?’ Clearly its not working. I eat a high fat, moderate protein diet, lift heavy and run fast. I don’t have health problems, I’m pretty damn lean and I only gain weight when I go overboard on the carbs, especially sugar. So yeah, I’m pissed too, that we are cramming that nonsense down the American public’s throat and people in my profession are some of the worst offenders. It will likely be a few more decades before low-carb high fat is socially acceptable, from the looks of it.
I have learned the hard way that you can’t change everyone, or even a lot of people. You can just keep being your awesome self and look back at them and laugh at their low-fat, hamster wheel lives of weak, slow decline.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Good for you! I often get pretty frustrated at RD’s for obvious reasons. We have to remember that there are good ones out there!
May 21st, 2012 at 7:56 pm
I can understand your frustration about the sad plight of nutrition in the US, and the entire world. Even in Taiwan where a decade ago, people were very slim, the kids are growing up on sweetened beverages, and they are also getting heavier than kids of yesteryears.
I was a junk food Mama until my husband and I decided to lose weight. I was so bad, I ate burgers and potato chips for breakfast, with a can of soda because “coffee was not good for me.” It was only when my limbs started aching and I had to buy new clothes every 6 months that I decided enough was enough. I saw this ad on TV about a chair that will help me lose weight by moving my bottom around. Desperate people will believe just about anything said on TV. I was so deperate, I told my husband to get me that chair for my birthday. Two months before my birthday, we met our future weight management coach. The rest is history. We were so determined to make healthier choices, we got our entire family to lose the excess pounds we wanted so hard to get rid of. Looking back, I think we succeeded because we worked as a team. We have since then become weight management coaches. I have been observing my clients, and noticed that a person who tries to make healthy choices, but does not have the support of the family will almost always fail. I had one client whose physician sister paid for the program, to no avail. Her husband was always taunting her that she will never lose weight, and kept bringing junk food into the house. It was a nightmare sneaking into the house when the husband away to measure her progress. She finally gave up, out of frustration.
For those who are interested about why people are addicted to junk food, I recommend reading the book, “Fast Food Nation,” by Eric Schlosser. Another good book is “Ultrametabolism,” by Dr mark Hyman.
Contrary to popular belief, people can not eat a lot of fats, but they can eat sugar morning, noon, and night. It’s the sugar that’s the culprit. To start a healthier life style, stay away from these three white ingredients: white sugar, white rice, and white flour.” We still have baked goodies in the house, but we substitute. We use brown sugar, brown rice, and wheat flour. We have flourless chocolate cake. Chocolate at 70% and up is good. If you find this too bitter, start with 62% or less and work your way up to 70%. I’ve tasted 99% Russian chocolate. I did not really like it, but I can accept it knowing it’s healthy and good for me.
I do hope this helps. It was good of you to write about this big problem.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:04 pm
Good for you for changing your life!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:48 pm
🙂
May 21st, 2012 at 7:57 pm
I completely agree. Americans are easily manipulated. We live in ignorance and call it bliss because we rather be stupid unfortunately. I don’t know how someone can pop a McDinalds French fry into their mouth and not realize how harmful it is to their body. My motto is, “If you feel like crap after eating it then it is crap that you’re eating.”
Also, even the “healthy” foods are bad for our bodies. The vegetables and fruits may be less in sugar and fat content, but they are gentetially modified and have pesticides and herbicides all over them. (I don’t even want to get into how bad the meat is haha). And Americans either don’t care or don’t know that these foods are filled with cancer causing pathogens and that’s basically how the government wants it. Organic is the only way to go (and half of everything labeled organic still isn’t fully organic).
May 21st, 2012 at 7:58 pm
If anyone thinks sugar is okay, you are way wrong and “you can’t out exercise a bad diet”. Just my two cents, thank you!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:05 pm
I am not perfect, I don’t eat a 100% healthy, but I try real hard to choose what is best for my body. I was not brought up in eating the most healthy meals, but slowly I am learning and adjusting my lifestyle. I choose to grow old, but I want to do it gracefully. I want to be able to dance to my last breath and to play with future generations. There is a old men in my firm, he is 87 years old, world war 2 veteran and architect for about 60 years. That man is a great example to follow as for these days he still active simply because he have been moving all his life. Similarly, there is a lady that must be around 66-68 year old in my Zumba class and she can move like no other lady in class. Her body is strong and she smiles all the time. I don’t want to grow old and be sick all the time and spend the money that I have been saving for retirement in medical bills. It is our choice.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:06 pm
If you knew about the shit that’s available for our troops to eat, I bet you’d be pissed off about that too. I started volunteering for my husband’s unit a few months ago, and organized a snack table with REAL food like raw fruits and veggies/dip. It was crazy to me that if I hadn’t done anything these soldiers would’ve had to come out-of-pocket for food. The looks on their faces were of gratitude and also confusion (like, “What’s THAT?” as they pointed to the hummus on the table, lol). Anyway, I appreciate your frustration with America’s ignorance about food. I really hope more people take notice (and take action!) so that healthier foods become more accessible and affordable.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:08 pm
Reblogged this on hipriestessluv.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:08 pm
I think my one point of argument would be to say that I would, in fact, totally gorge myself on that salad and chicken. Otherwise, well done and I loved the description of the food!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:08 pm
I completely agree and feel the same way. I have traveled around South America as well and am currently living in Argentina. I have lost a ton of weight here because the eating habits are just so different outside of the United States. People eat less, and way healthier. Plus I feel like the food in other countries is much more natural and is less tampered with.
May 24th, 2012 at 9:46 am
true….our diet should be driven by what we need to fuel out bodies…and the healthier stuff is best for this….when did we lose the culture of knowing what mattered and let consumerism and the incessant nature of choice take over? Post-40s maybe with a serious ratching up in the early 70s? Modern life is…..disappointing.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:10 pm
Kitchen pantry units are commonplace in the united states. The are easy to pack with foods that can be eaten on the go or prepared in minutes. It takes time and preparation to eat healthy. If this is the lifestyle you like then ignore what people around you are doing and eat right.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:11 pm
Reblogged this on hoyesunregalo and commented:
What I constantly try to tell people about the food in the US. We really should be more pissed about this as a society.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:12 pm
So glad something like this is Freshly Pressed! AMEN! Sugar is the problem, not fat. The fact that people go to college for four years and still think that fat is the villain and veggie oils are terrific is criminal. Either that, or it’s a brilliant assault on overpopulation. Thanks for the post and keep being pissed.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:13 pm
great post!!! 🙂 seriously made me feel a little lighter and a lot more satisfied because i felt like you took the words right out of my mouth. Vent it out, brother!! ha ha :p
May 21st, 2012 at 8:13 pm
I think it’s in the same realm as Walmart and buying schlock from 3rd world countries. It’s cheaper. It’s cheaper to buy some “blue box” mac n’ cheese and dice up some hotdogs in it than to purchase produce and chicken breasts. It’s cheaper to buy a can of Dinty Moore Beef Stew than to buy produce and meat. We Americans also are a culture of instant gratification – and they say that we have higher rates of ADD probably because our ancestors probably had the racing thoughts and impulsiveness now known as ADD and were more willing to drop everything and explore “the new world.” We want what we want right now – a microwaved pizza versus waiting for dinner to cook for an hour ……. it’s typical. AND cheaper.
What a great blog this is. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
May 21st, 2012 at 8:18 pm
Being allergic to corn and corn byproducts there are so many isles that my hubby and I do not go down in the grocery store that it is amazing how much of the store that we really do not fully know. I was amazed to see your picture actually and laughed because we went to the store and I peeked down that isle today…wow! It was full…I thought it was tough to shop in produce and meat and dairy which is where I hang out lol…so I guess it is safe to say there is a reason why my hubby and I are not obese lol…and we do not do fast food places due to my allergies either…
May 21st, 2012 at 8:22 pm
Yeah, people eat poorly. But what are you going to do about it? People also drink an unhealthy amount. “They” also watch too much TV. “They” also can name the Kardashians but not who’s VP (now or for a real challenge, 20 years ago) off the top of their head.
The simple fact of the matter is, and hold onto your socks for this one, unless you plan to pass a law you can’t do anything about it, and passing a law telling people what to do for their meals is ridiculous. “Make” things more affordable? How? By controlling the marketplace? The simple fact of the matter is, and people always overlook this, is that the market will give what the people want.
My contention is that the biggest problem is portion control, not specifically what we eat. If I have two Twizzlers, instead of the entire jumbo bag, it ain’t no sin. It’s when I eat the whole bag that it’s an issue.
As far as advertising, that’s a whole other issue entirely.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:22 pm
There are many people here that are PISSED OFF. I totally understand Glenn’s aim in his post. Glenn’s post was all about the food economy that was created as a big business. The agricultural revolution was rooted in and grew out of (no pun intended) good intentions hopefully (who am I kidding), but it has morphed into merely a utility to put edible chemicals and transformed foods into ever-expanding populations’ stomachs with ever-shrinking resources. All real nutrition sense is thrown out the window or rewritten to suit.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:34 pm
Sorry I kinda put words in your mouth. At least I didn’t try to feed you corn syrup.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:39 pm
Kent, you arent putting words in my mouth, read part II of this series.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:25 pm
I agree with your story 100%. I read something from a comedian on twitter: “A burger is $.99 some places while a salad is $4. No wonder so many people are fat.”
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:29 am
Ja, remember that movie ‘Supersize Me’, I too will risk, it’s cheaper to eat junk.
May 27th, 2012 at 7:17 am
If you think “Supersize Me” was anything other than “Hollywoodian” lies and propaganda (granted, not FROM Hollywood, but intended to make Spurlock an insider, which it did…); go watch Tom Naughton’s documentary “Fat Head’ — which points out that Spurlock (still!) refuses to release his food log to prove he actually ate according to his stated plan. Naughton asks why Spurlock blamed the 30 days of meat, and ignored the 30 pounds of sugar he ingested!! (A POUND of sugar a day! Wanna bet that cause his health problems?! ) But he and his (now-ex) vegan girlfriend blamed the meat/fat and not the sugar… {shrug} “Supersize Me” is just so-much-more propaganda! But it makes people who already believe something (wrong) feel confirmed and happy with their (wrong) beliefs!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:26 pm
[…] Pendlay rant […]
May 21st, 2012 at 8:27 pm
I agree. I was just reading “An Omnivore’s Dilemma.” This post just confirmed everything I read.
June 12th, 2012 at 4:03 pm
This is a great read…I recommend reading this book as well!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:29 pm
Love this dialogue going on here! This is what we need: to talk it out, express ideas, and consider each others opinions! I’m glad to read that there is a very clear understanding between what we put in our bodies and how it causes illness. In my opinion, just understanding that *and taking time to consider what it means* represents a shift in our thinking as a society. It is essential to move away from our fast-paced, over-worked, no-time, stressed-to-make-more-money, neglect-our-health, over-consuming approach to living. We can do better than that!
May 21st, 2012 at 8:33 pm
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed. Great “Pissed” article! Bad food is one of my soapbox issues so I really enjoyed your rant.
Shop the circumference of the store, buy food as close to its’ original form as possible, every city and town has Farmers Markets, grow a single tomato plant, then a few radishes and a fistful of lettuce.
If you are Christian and fill your body with poisons how do you justify that? We evolved into what we are because we ate real food not a chemical stew.
I could rant all day about food choices in this country. I visited Greece several years ago and prepared snack foods did NOT have a long list of artificial ingredients. How often does a store need to keep a Twinkie on the shelf for 27 years?
Since giving up canned, packaged and processed food (at least 90% anyway), my food bill has decreased – along with medical bills.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:46 pm
I agree with you about the costing less thing. I spend less on food then my friends who eat fast food all the time.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:39 pm
I completely agree with you. I have always thought we have such a problem with the food that we eat in America. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I look forward to following your blog.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:41 pm
The biggest problem is that healthy food is so inaccesible to many Americans. I’m a college student and have to get most of my food from the cafeteria or convenience store on campus. While the cafeteria food is actually pretty good as cafeteria food goes, it’s not at all healthy, and the stuff from the store is basically candy and chips. Although I wasn’t accustomed to that kind of food because my family loves fresh fruits and vegetables, many of my classmates grew up eating a lot of fast food. Fast food is really the only way you can grab something to eat when you don’t have time to cook or to sit around a table and have a regular meal. Fast food and processed foods are also so much cheaper that they’re really the only option for underprivelaged people in America. And even wealthy people don’t necessarily want to pay high prices for good food when junk food is so easily attainable for so much less.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:48 pm
I know that in our society, it is harder than it needs to be to eat right. Part II of this series is about why that is, Part III will be about how to change that.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:41 pm
My thought here: B/C I think the same way that you do. I always say I am pissed!! One person can make a difference and help others change their lifestyle around and make better food choices. I agree this is crazy, that people in there 40s, 50s are digging their own death beds, due to diabetes type 2, obestity which = Death high blood pressure, total knees, total hips, lazy people. I hope that more people blog and keep things going that we will make a change in people. Have you thought about being a team beachbody coach? I think you would make a great coach and could help thousands of people!!! thanks for readying my post.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:43 pm
You sir, are awesome. This trend is such a bad thing for the whole word – during my sociology studies in the last couple of years, because of globalisation, the trends of eating meat, shit food and related body issues – body anxiety and diseases (anorexia, bulimia, diabetes etc). America is not the only one to blame too. The same issues are here in Australia – shit food is cheaper. I don’t know what the advertising is like (though I don’t think it is quite as bad) because I don’t really watch the TV, which I think helps.
Personally I am in a dilemma because I know I am addicted to sugar and caffeine, and I know that the excess consumption of such is the only really bad thing I do (that I’m aware of). Yet I have been like this for so long I literally feel like part of my identity – both social and individual – would die. I am known for my habits, and it’s sad. I know I use it more and more as a coping mechanism and less and less for the enjoyment factor, and that’s sadder. Then there’s other things, like it being my substitute/excuse to avoid peer pressure and drinking alcohol… I hope that we can escape this somehow, change it for the future. I know I need to work on me, and I challenge anyone else who gives a damn to work on it too, because seriously this is a good reminder.
(And I just bought a 2L Pepsi too…damn -_-)
If only money wasn’t prioritised in this world.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:45 pm
the trends of eating meat, shit food and related body issues – body anxiety and diseases (anorexia, bulimia, diabetes etc) *Skyrocketed, especially in non-Western/European places.
Sorry for the typo :s
May 21st, 2012 at 8:49 pm
Have you seen the documentary Forks Over Knives? I’m not a vegetarian (and never will be) … but it’s a great documentary. It will probably make you even more pissed though, so…sorry.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Reblogged this on My Beaten Track and commented:
This post brought to mind all the things I’ve discovered about food – my personal experience of food/diet in Japan, different “fad” diets and the degree of truth (which varies from none to a lot) which can be found in them, and the habits we keep which are super important. Both my diet and exercising has slumped, especially the last week, and this was the reminder/kick in the pants I needed. I hope you find this as rewarding as I did.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:56 pm
i read today america spends the most on health care but isn’t the healthiest nation, shame really.
May 21st, 2012 at 8:59 pm
You think your diet sucks? The chief scientist of Consumer Reports was recently interviewed on Truthdig radio. He mentioned that calves in the US are raised on a diet of spray-dried bovine plasma as a substitute for cow’s milk, and cows are fed chicken litter, which contains approximately 30% ground-up beef slaughterhouse waste, and 70% chickenshit. Such feeding practices are illegal in Japan and European countries, but not in the good old US of A! Bon appetit!
Good luck finding milk that’s not contaminated with bovine growth hormone in the US. Monsanto, the maker of BGH, sues any dairy that tries to label milk BGH-free.
If you’ve not watched it already, check out the documentary, Earthlings.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:10 pm
And, this is a problem. Hope you read part II, and Parts III and IV which are still to come.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:02 pm
Never in history has it been easier for Americans to make healthier food choices, yet we’re the fattest we’ve ever been. Ironic.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Fantastic post and I am infuriated right along with you!!
May 21st, 2012 at 9:19 pm
I’m in physical therapy school right now. In my “Health and Wellness Promotion” class, the professor was teaching us about the high prevalence of teenage diabetes… As she was passing out sugary treats. I thought it was fucking hilarious.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:20 pm
I recently heard a story on the BBC about how our lifestyle and dietary choices not only affect us, but possibly also our children, that chronic illnesses may in huge part be predetermined– before we’re even born. So we have twice the reason, then, to care about what goes into our body…for ourselves, and for future generations.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:20 pm
I realize everyone has their own path and everybody’s body is different, but I know that my body ached for two years and when I took out wheat, corn, dairy, sugar, soy, caffeine, all junk food, and took some herbs, it stopped aching after a few months. I ate lots of organic soups, greens, meats, and green juices. I think treats are fine (preferably from the health food store so that it has been made with organic ingredients so it’s not pure chemicals).
Namaste and many blessings***
May 21st, 2012 at 9:21 pm
I am a free range goose/duck farmer in Missouri, so a little more deeply involved with food production than most.
If you follow the money you will find your answers as to why we are kiling ourselves in this country via food.
When you connect the dots, it becomes pretty horrible… Start asking yourselves these questions:
Just who allows these “food” products to be put into the market?
Which govt arms are making sure bad food, not healthy, is being funded & grants given to and who benefits from it.
1) Look into the USDA, the FDA and the EPA.
2) Look into who heads them and where they worked before to find their loyalties and lobbying interests.
3) Look in to who nominated them. Just do it……. Im pretty sure you will be appalled and its all public record.
Just google it and find out WHO is making sure we dont get GMOs labeled and we dont have healthy foods for our kids.
If you want to be infuriated about America’s diet, thats fine. But be educated about who is in charge of it all.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:23 pm
[…] good to know that 6 years later I still get humbled…Thank you Dumbbell Snatch. Glenn Pendlay: I’m Pissed. One of the US’ best strength minds on the state of American nutrition. There is a part II […]
May 21st, 2012 at 9:24 pm
I couldn’t agree more with you! I’m from Norway and have lived the past five years in Vancouver, Canada and I’m shocked as what they portray as a healthy snack, like highly processed cheese, and skip the breakfast and have a “nutritious” chocolate shake instead. I recently found out that my epilepsy was a yeast infection on my brain caused by my diet, and I have always lived a healthy and active life. Just says something about what is in our food does to our health. Sugar is the new crack…
May 21st, 2012 at 9:25 pm
Good post — awesome commentary. I recently watched Food, Inc. — left me completely appalled. I mean I know that we are fed a lot of crap, and I have taken many steps to avoid eating crap. But the global domination of our food by a handful of greedy corporations is what truly makes me angry. Many people really are in a financial position that prohibits them from eating healthy food. When a bag of chips is cheaper than a bag of apples, something is really, really wrong with our world. Yes, North Americans have done it to themselves because of their ridiculous desire for fast, cheap, easy and over-sized portions, but at the same time they’ve had much of the ability to make a choice removed from their lives. When corporations control the production, the distribution, the availability and the cost of every scrap of food you put on your table or in your kids’ lunch bags, it’s pretty hard to make healthy food decisions.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:30 pm
Yup, I can’t blame you one bit for being pissed. I’d like to eat less sugar, but when I do it just seems to creep and creep back up. I guess it starts with the coffee and just continues.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:35 pm
And btw? All farms are able to get subsidies, (they are also called grants). You WANT the family farms to be helped by getting grants, believe me. WE need the occasional help, not the big agribusinesses with grant writers & lawyers on staff.
Just think about my spending $40,000.00 on putting fencing in that will protect our free range animals and also help protect the health of the pasture systems and the predators as well… you WANT that type of subsidy, trust me. But can you come up with $40,000.00? Its just what fencing costs nowdays. Its isnt the good ol’ days anymore where we “felled” trees and built fences from them. Different world.
The farming industry is much more complex than people know. And family farms are the ones who need the help. It’s the same as your mom and pop stores being put out of business by Walmart…… just in an agriculturual world instead of housewares. Family farms care about their animals, their products and take great pride in feeding people.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:46 pm
I am sure this is true. I grew up on a small farm. We were pretty self sufficient. We pretty much never bought meat or vegetables, it all came from the farm. I don’t think we ever bought milk from a store. We even churned our own butter by hand. And, we were poor. I am glad I grew up that way.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:41 pm
Want to get extra pissed. Check out the year-by year obesity changes from the Centers for Disease Control (freaking scary):
http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
Great post, incidentally. I arrived at simple diet rules for myself with lots of success. No processed flour. No processed sugar. No fast food. No soda. Read food labels fanatically. Avoid processed foods whenever possible.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:44 pm
Sleep deprivation is number one cause of eating a lot of sugar. It is not a coincidence that the reader who was so against healthy eating slept only 4 hours daily.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:47 pm
This is so true. I like this post, however the sad part is that it’s more affordable for most people to eat unhealthy than it is healthy. Mcdonalds and Burger King, Wendys etc.. all have a dollar menu and the one healthy side is a side salad. Yet the grilled chicken is almost $8. You pay $5 for strawberries and $2 for a bag of chips etc.. I totally understand what you are saying in this post. Unlike some of these comments that have absolutely nothing to do with the message you are trying to send to people. He’s not saying be a health nut people, just more aware. It’s proven that we as americans have the biggest portion sizes, the most overweight people. I to struggle with weight, however i’ve been doing much better because I do want to see my kids grow up without having diabieites etc… I don’t want to be the cause of my own early death. Some of you have over analyzed what he is trying to say I think.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:58 pm
Good for you. Keep reading, there will be several more posts on this topic. Part II is already up, and more are coming. While I had a very healthy childhood, I ate like crap for the better part of 20 years. I have changed things and I want to help other people change also.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:07 pm
:)! I will be sure to look for part two
May 21st, 2012 at 9:49 pm
I love this post! I love that you took the time to rant! I love that you care enough to share your thoughts! I love that you are pissed off!
I’m flabbergasted that some people have actually commented that you are the problem… our current state of health in North America is the problem. We have created a culture that is motivated the easy, fast, highly-marketable food choices and the majority of people don’t seem to see this as a problem. If we all ate more like previous generations – regardless of where they might have come from – we would likely be better off that where we are today.
Food doesn’t need to be a hard, time-consuming, expensive endevour. It just needs to be natural. Veggies, meats, grains… if it was created in some way by nature – then eat it. If it was created mostly by science in a lab… it’s not food.
Good for you for writing this!
May 24th, 2012 at 6:51 am
I have to agree. I, too, am flabbergasted at the venom spewed in most of the comments. Get with the program people! Between food deserts and media messages in the US, it’s no wonder the country is so unhealthy.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:52 pm
Too bad more people aren’t pissed about this. Unfortuntely, we Americans are lazy and eating junk is just too convenient.
May 21st, 2012 at 9:53 pm
well said and your photo makes me wonder how much floor space in today’s grocery stores are dedicated to “real food”
May 21st, 2012 at 10:01 pm
This is a topic that my significant other and I discuss quite a bit. Not to mention being influenced by TV commericals, but think about the crap food that is served to children at schools across the country. I often wonder if this country with our current population could exist without the “laboratory foods”. I often feel that people eating this type of food is giving me an opportunity to eat better, for they do not want to consume the fruits and vegetables, whole grains, rbst free cheese, etc. Nice post.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:07 pm
It is sad that it’s cheaper and easier to eat unhealthy than it is to eat healthy! I miss my healthy diet and easy exercise (walking) when I lived in China!
May 21st, 2012 at 10:11 pm
Too much sugar isn’t good, but kids love sweet things. We can’t help it, but we can inculcate good habits and moderation.
May 30th, 2012 at 12:33 am
I agree with your comment. My kids also have a terrible sweet tooth.However we at our end must start to consciously evaluate the nutritional aspect of the sweet things we serve to our kids. then we can achieve a win win for both kids and us!
May 21st, 2012 at 10:14 pm
Those are nice to look at but not to eat. I can’t even manage a small bag of those.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Wow! I’ve never seen such a long row just with.. CHIPS!
I’m glad to read this from an American himself. Looking on the “alternative media” in Europe that reports about these horrible things too, does often make me think about, how this can work in such a huge land. Well, is it because you’re SO familiar with TV? Are you, or is it a prejudice?
In (middle) Europe it’s also getting worse, as I say more and more really heavy-weight children everywhere. And “Light” food replaces sugar with Aspartam and Xanthan and “With Stevia” doesn’t mean, it has anything to do with the plant.
This leads me to this: Grow it for your own as much as you can only use rare local seeds (not from Monsanto, haha).
May 21st, 2012 at 10:20 pm
The sad part is trying to make a change within your own family when no one realises the importance of eating healthy. Junk is so incorporated in today’s culture, that it is difficult trying to change eating habits.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:24 pm
[…] I’m pissed. You should be too. […]
May 21st, 2012 at 10:28 pm
Great post!
I am always worried about shitty food, my children like the shitty food so much….
Thank you for sharing…
May 30th, 2012 at 12:40 am
Your concern for what our kids eat is so true for so many of us. For this reason I have started my blog, trying to get kids to eat healthy food ….and believe me with just a little bit of an effort on presentation….i did succeed in my goal! Please do take a look at smallmeasuresbigpleasure.wordpress.com I hope you find something interesting for your kids!
May 21st, 2012 at 10:30 pm
Nice rant. I completely agree with you. I’m not American, but even generally, this ‘consume more than you can buy’ attitude is really destroying lives. Everything is made to look and sound alluring – as if you’ll miss out if you don’t buy that junk. What to say, we’re really moving into dangerous consumer societies :/. Oh wait, we are already there. Great post by the way and congrats for being on freshly pressed!
May 21st, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Thank you Anarya. We have a problem, the first step is to admit it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:22 am
Yes, you are right. Admitting it seems to be the hardest thing to do
May 21st, 2012 at 10:38 pm
Why do we Americans do this to ourselves? You hit the nail on the head–advertising. Throughout our formative years, we’re raised on a steady diet of advertising directed at us–children. And as children, we haven’t enough knowledge about food to have enough wisdom about it. This is why advertising directed at children–for anything–should be banned by the Federal Government. Unfortunately, though, this will not likely ever happen–because the Federal Government hasn’t the guts to regulate the corporations that advertise directly at children.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:46 pm
I am pretty suspicious of the government trying to solve a problem that they helped create.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:43 pm
Clearly, you hit a nerve with this one! Like you, living an unhealthy life drives me crazy but I come at it from a different point-of-view. Having just lost an adult daughter who cherished life and worked so hard to get her broken body healthy, it’s mind-boggling to see people willingly abusing themselves. Great post.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Thank you and sorry for your loss. It would matter If I had a million hits, or 10 million. Mostly I am just preaching to the choir. But I am trying, and its a cause I believe in. I am gonna do a whole series on this, so if you can do anything to get people who arent already in the choir to read along, please do.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:46 pm
I just had these same thoughts while in Ireland last week. Organic and healthy foods are so easy to come by, and don’t cost so much more — they’re the standard. Not sure why America, one of the wealthiest countries, has the worst food and healthy eating options. Terrible.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:51 pm
I was in Ireland last year and agree. You guys are doing it right.
May 21st, 2012 at 10:47 pm
Congratulations on being Freshly Pressed!
awesome post!
May 21st, 2012 at 10:50 pm
It is getting the same here in the UK. People can buy £1 pizzas and other cheap junk food but vegetables and more healthy foods are more expensive (that is one of the excuses.). In truth it is largely advertising, poor nutritional education and greed that are to blame. People don’t understand the consequences of what they are doing to their bodies and even when they do, they blame someone else! People have got to take some responsibility for their own health too.
I always think the saddest sight is an obese child. It’s a form of cruelty to let children get fat, they will live with the legacies it brings, diabetes, heart disease, bullying and so on. Shame on Western greed.
Good blog post by the way, these points need to be made.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:10 pm
you’re pissied!
Then what we are doing here
We should do something more!!
May 21st, 2012 at 11:10 pm
“Healthy” Fast Food Is No Better for Your Heart, http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/17/quot-healthy-quot-fast-food-no-better-for-your-heart.aspx
May 21st, 2012 at 11:22 pm
its shopping mall. whats new in it?
May 21st, 2012 at 11:24 pm
Preach.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:28 pm
The phrase is Fresh Cooked food. Packed food is always not good. Sugar, preservatives and what not. The only traditional indian choice has been to eat fresh home made food. But I have to be pissed that India is becoming westernized a lot anyway at least in the cities. I lived there in the states for sometime and sure enough found it disturbing to see packed foods galore and we had to make careful choices. Mostly we stayed with our home cooked food with most of organic veggies.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:33 pm
A decade ago, along with a few partners, I started a nutrition company. I met hundreds of bodybuilders, and have never known a group of people who were so unhealthy. They typically took two to four courses of steroids per year, and ate red meat like they found the last steer. Several times a year they would starve themselves for shows so that they would look great on stage.
The last couple of weeks before a show, they cut out all remaining extra sugar, then sodium. The last week its plain rice and boiled chicken. By the time the show comes, they are a cramping, vomiting, dehydrated mess.
Just goes to show that you can look like the picture of health, and be ruining your body at the same time.
I’m not arguing against eating well. Just suggesting that not everything is always as it would seem at first glance.
Congrats on your selection in freshly pressed.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:35 pm
Nice post. I’m pissed, too: http://paulscollections.wordpress.com/2011/03/05/mcdonalds-the-american-diet-and-korea/
May 21st, 2012 at 11:41 pm
I’ve been sharing the same type of messages & can’t agree more. I was in the doctors office the other day & overhearing a nurse or PA on the phone telling someone what was acceptable for a clear liquids diet. She was saying non-red jello, Diet 7up or Sprite, Gatorade & water…I wanted to run out screaming. That seems more like a sugar & water diet! Also note that obesity rates have increased since Fat-free- Low-fat & sugar free became fads! Aspartame is a neuro-toxin which worsens the symptoms of MS I deal with! Most packaged foods are so cheap because they are made from GMO ingredients. I too, am pissed at our systems & advertising. Drug ads seem to dominate! See what’s wrong with this picture?
May 21st, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Golly ! what rage !
As a child I was brought up on home grown and brown bread and longed for shop food ! If you rant at people they always go the other way.
I eat spinach for supper now, maybe a free range egg on top , but would have hated it when I was a baby !
May 21st, 2012 at 11:43 pm
Hello and congratulations on being freshly pressed. It would appear that some of the comments are not very polite, manners are also going the way of good food.
I agree that the plethora of unhealthy food in the stores is a crying shame. I am sure that were there tasty and nutritional alternatives people would buy them. Unfortunately people want this food. We can’t make people chose healthy food. They want something quick tasty and cheap. Nutritional food can be just as tasty but it takes longer to prepare.
My American friends who live here (I live in France) tell me that when they go home they find the drinks and cakes and sweets so much sweeter there that it puts their teeth on edge. It takes them a while for their taste buds to adjust. Then when they come back to France they have the same drink or snack and is is so much less sweet.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:44 pm
And once more, I’m glad I don’t live in the US. I enjoy traveling your country and have met tons of wonderful people there, but your eating culture sucks. Excuse my language.
There is no country in this world where I have encountered as much eating advice and “how to stay in shape” b.s. and as many obese people or people with serious health issues. The thing is that I feel America has lost its understanding for “normal” food. “Normal” to me is everything that comes natural from our soil and earth. It’s meat and vegetables and bread and butter as well. It’s the balance of it all that counts.
I do hope for this country of yours that somehow, at some point, you’ll make it back to a more natural approach to eating and a healthy lifestyle.
May 21st, 2012 at 11:48 pm
I’m a Brit living in rural France and, when we first moved here, I was dismayed that all the ‘convenience’ foods were missing from the supermarkets. Now I realise that is a good thing – it forces you to buy your fresh ingredients and take notice of what is going in to your meals. If you make a meal yourself you know how much sugar and salt is going into it and you can choose your own meat and be careful about where it comes from . A great thing here is the traceability of the meat which often has a picture of the local farmer and his herd on the packet and you can see the cows with their calves in the fields. Also, because it is a rural society, people take their main meal at lunchtime – they actually go home from work for between 1.5 and 2 hours and it’s not to shop because most of the shops are closed at lunchtimes (another thing I found hard to get used to). They take their meals seriously here and find our habit of grabbing a sandwich at lunchtime and eating our main meal in the evening very bizarre. Of course it is different in the cities but, by and large, the French seem much more concerned with what they eat and drink than some other countries.
Seven years on I see ‘ready meals’, ‘calorie counted’ and ‘low fat options’ appearing on the shelves but I’m used to not having them now and don’t want them anymore. McDonalds is here (although the menu is a bit different) and the subsequent litter has started appearing on the roads. I’ve even started seeing a few obese people. C’est la vie!
May 21st, 2012 at 11:57 pm
I feel your anger. International exposure is critical. I think traveling and living outside of the country gives us a necessarily eye-opening perspective the viscous cycle of food production and consumption in the States. It’s not an easy fix. The corn subsidy is a huge problem that needs to be approached. More importantly though, I believe in leading by example. I think you would be a great leader in some sort of health profession with your passion. What do you do?
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:04 am
I am in agreement with you on this rant.It’s generated a lot of positive comment from comedy to tradegy.It’s not just America it is the wealthy anywhere in the world. I am not the healthiest eater and when I make my stir fry’s there’s more meat or fish than I would get in poorer countries. I love a bottle of wine and/or a few beers.
Your next rant or mine all the bloody mad scientists views promoted by media telling people to love fat, and their fat bodies, and fat kids and dont make them do sports if it cant be done sat down.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:09 am
One of the best posts I have seen on Freshly Pressed in a long time, if nothing else simply for it’s passion. I am Australian, and find that while we seem to eat a much more balanced diet (in general, I may be stereotyping, but it’s only what I have seen), our portion sizing is what kills us on the world scales. The fat-free fad certainly also has people in a twist, with a dependency on sugar staking the claim for their small snacks, when a dose of balanced complex mono and poly unsaturated fats, minerals, vitamins, and fibre in the form of nuts, *shock horror its filled with fats and oils*, would hold them in much better stead.
May you convey this passion and hatred of yours to as many people as possible, in the right way of course that they come away from it of the same passion and outrage. Matt
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:13 am
I feel your pain, Glenn. After exiting denial, our first rest-stop is anger.
I just finished reading the book “Suicide by Sugar” by Dr. Nancy Appleton. It’s eye opening and life altering. But, it’s also discouraging. I recognize that I am a sugarholic, and I desperately need to get sober. But, I live in a society that embraces the drug and pushes it at every corner, social event, family gathering, church picnic and office break-room. The drug is considered not only acceptable, but something we cannot possibly live without, and if you are trying to “quit” heaven forbid you tell anyone, or you’ll be bombarded by saboteurs. And yet, sugar is killing us. Very literally. I recommend Dr. Appleton’s book.
I thought it was interesting to see your post on Freshly Pressed tonight because just today I found myself walking through the grocery store shaking my head and thinking ‘Look at all of this CRAP!’ No wonder America is in the middle of an obesity and diabetes epidemic! They hide all of the healthy food in the far corners of the store, and fill up the middle easy-to-reach areas with nothing but repackaged sugar in colorful shapes and sizes! The more I want to quit sugar, the more I crave it. In Appleton’s book, she tells about the effects on two groups of rats tested for drug addiction. One group was given cocaine for several weeks, and then taken off. Another group of rats were fed sugar for several weeks,and then taken off. Both sets of rats experienced the exact same withdrawal symptoms, heart damage, and emotional suffering. Interestingly enough, the coke rats fully healed and recovered. But, the sugarholics had lasting damage to their nervous system, livers and brain chemistry.
It’s a long hard road for recovering sugarholics in America. Living and Eating CLEAN becomes a daily challenge. If the withdrawals don’t get you, then the advertisers and your family and co-workers will! – Best of luck
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:21 am
Hey there, great post. You’ve certainly hit a nerve and congratulations on being freshly pressed! I’m from the UK and now live in Slovakia in Europe. I also spent last year living in California. I loved many things about America but the bane of my life was trying to find healthy food. I could avoid the fast food and the sweets but it seems almost everything on offer has some additional added ingredient. Two small examples; Milk is not just milk it has to have powdered condensed milk added, Natural Yoghurt is full of High Fructose corn syrup. Not sure why, isn’t milk just milk? I was shocked to hear this generation of Americans will have a shorter life expectancy the the last. I just can’t understand why so many people have found what you say to be deeply offensive. I can see you just want to eat good food. On the other hand if you eat bad food it doesn’t mean you are a bad person…
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:37 am
I believe America is possing an agenda more junk food, more obesity, more people in the hospital more money in the governments pockets. Check out this youtube video in how terrible our heathcare really is share it with others.
part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz8eeZV-4xE
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-dprJxqCWc&feature=BFa&list=UUigVeLA2k7U6Tzms0I1ByWw
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:47 am
I totally agree with you. I find especially find ‘low fat’ foods particularly offensive; Low fat, high sugar and toxins. I lived in the US for two years and, although I loved my time there, I gained 2 kilos. Food has a tendancy to be excessive in the US (portions as well as flavouring). See my blog for more !
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:55 am
America has a agenda and thats is more junkfood, more obesity, more people in the hospital, more money for the govenrment. Check out these videos about our healthcare in America very disturbing. The truth that Doctors won’t tell you.
part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lz8eeZV-4xE&feature=plcp
part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-dprJxqCWc&feature=relmfu
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:59 am
Awesome…needless to say because the comments above already convey what I want to say…Nonetheless, a very honest outpour of emotions that appeals to everyone everywhere…:)
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:07 am
great post!!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:14 am
So sad isn’t it ……. human kind is certainly on a bad path in this aspect. In Japan, as populary known for her health diet, the young generation has more tendency to reach out to the easy way out on food also – burgers, junk, processed dishes in convenient stores……… Yes………it sure looks like many are hurrying to our own coffins. Taxes should be imposed on such food and taken off the pure ingredients to encourage healthier diet.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:14 am
[…] e de aici […]
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:29 am
Hear, hear. Every time I return to the States from my now home in London I am startled at the fresh hell that has cropped up in the grocery aisles. Frozen premade peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for those who are too inept to wield a knife? A dozen new variants of every imaginable candy bar? Bacon-topped maple doughnuts? Plus the mainstream media going out of its way to make wild, unsubstantiated attacks on healthy food – such as the arsenic brown rice ‘scare’. It is sad, and infuriating, given that America is blessed with such abundance. People could eat so well if only they had the knowledge and the desire.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:36 am
THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR THINKING IT. THANK YOU FOR WRITING IT. THANK YOU FOR GETTING FRESHLYPRESSED. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:39 am
stop watching TV …. ( works wonders! ), get rid of your microwave and by a small size fridge! I’ve been TV free for over 2 years and don’t want frozen pizzas with soda..
Anyway, amazing post! It’s about time someone spoke the truth about shitty food that’s being dumped on public.. When I travel around the world, I see that portion sizes are also very small compared to mumbojumbo plates here … Eating an appetizer in US is like having a 2-3 course meal in other countries ..
love & light
el
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:44 am
Nice post bro, I totally agree with you. It’s the same in the UK too.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:50 am
when i went to america there was always enough on my plate for 2 sittings lol, btw is that a wegmans store?
i could never eat a full plateful, plus i didnt know saying no to a doggy bag thingy was rude haha
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:09 am
Está claro de quién es la culpa, ¿no? Un amigo mío, al que le sobran unos treinta kilos, me dijo una vez que “el sabor está en la grasa”. Es cierto que la grasa, el azúcar y la sal potencian el sabor natural de los alimentos. El problema es que esos mismos componentes son dañinos para la salud cuando se ingieren en demasía, algo que no les importa demasiado a las grandes empresas alimenticias, que no tienen escrúpulos a la hora de hacer una fortuna a costa de la salud de los consumidores. Así pues, ¿de quién es la culpa? De las grandes empresas alimenticias, de las agencias de publicidad que les hacen el trabajo sucio, y de todos nosotros, pues es nuestra responsabilidad saber lo que comemos: estamos en la era de la información.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:28 am
I think that happens everywhere, commercialism has reigned supreme in our age today. People are so into the “convenient” and “easily available,” the “no cooks” and “on the go” foods that it’s so hard to convince anybody that these are not healthy, as per content and preparation is concerned. I’m guilty of this in one way or another, but then again, I think I understand more about it than most people.
Great post man!
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:34 am
I’m pissed too and that’s just the beginning of my complaints, I’m sorry to say. I’m sick of commercials telling me that I’ll be happy if I just have such and such product, device, or thing. It’s bullshit. Things might make life easier at times, but they don’t satisfy.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:37 am
Amen, man!
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:38 am
I love good food. But i have found with the crises, I´m having to buy cheap food just to have enough money for the next day and another meal. I have found that cheap food is always bad food. I´m pissed that good food is expensive food
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:44 am
I think the short-term gain for the manufacturers is to turn everyone into mountainous tubs of lard that can’t stop buying.
In the longer term, the obese will clog up the health services – but by then, the CEOs will be living the high-life on a Pacific island somewhere far from what they caused.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:50 am
How about this: when you tell people around you who you care about them being healthy that something isn’t as healthy as the products tell them (i.e. ‘light’ products), and they get angry at you for showing them this. I’m 110% agreeing with what you state here, people get brainwashed into eating shitty products.
PS: The ‘can not eat nuts because of the fats’ is such a perfect example of how f-ed up the common knowledge is about nutrition.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:55 am
I find it interesting that your ex wife would not eat the nuts as they contain healthy fats and protein and also burn more slowly, whereas the sugar snack burns in minutes leaving you hungry again?!!!! I eat mainly healthy food, but I don’t kill myself if I have something unhealthy. Health is not expensive, you can make meals that you can freeze for a while, use left overs etc. I think a lot of problems stem from lack of education, and an inability to then make good decisions. Just because it’s out there you don’t have to eat it!!! I was lucky we did cooking at school before they took it away and learn’t about healthy foods (they are now re-introducing this as though it is some amazing new gimmick!), people don’t just need maths and English they need life skills too.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:12 am
Thanks for the blog, it is exactly what I think. This morning I was child minding an 11 year old. He had the choice for breakfast of sugar puffs or bran flakes. This amazing kid chose the Bran flakes and then I saw him sneak a chocolate cake into his school bag.
That’s Ok as I saw him run off into the school grounds and start playing with friends.
Try and educate them but don’t beat them up if they make some mistakes.
Balance is great and I wish TV would show them that too.
Recovering Me UK
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:19 am
Well said! The same thing is happening all over Europe too. We are bombarded with fast food adverts and then the ‘diet’ products. Even Special K is 17% sugar…
Also, don’t forget about the packaging tricks. Showing calories for a ‘portion’ but the bag is a portion and a bit. I blogged about M&Ms and got a trite email in reply. Trying to gather comments to go back to them so would be interested in your thoughts…. http://wp.me/pSrdG-Fd
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:36 am
Excellent post. It is hard for some people to hear the truth.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:43 am
It is funny you said fried chicken. I eat very healthy especially considering the Southern food my grandmothers made, but I never liked candy or chips. I became dedicated to even healthier eating in college. When I studied abroad, my Norwegian roommate’s brother ate with five other Americans and myself. All of us went to the gym and ate resonably well. We were not perfect. None of us fat. He said to his sister, “Wow, I thought Americans were overweight.” She had to tell him it was not everyone. We have, as a country, developed a bad reputation. It is sad we put too much focus on bad food.
As for fried chicken, I’ve had to do some research and interviews about Brazil for one of my projects. The woman I interviewed talked about how her mom made fried chicken. I had to pause. I asked her how they cooked it. It is done completely different than Southern fried chicken. The chicken is cut, cleaned, and cooks in boiled water first. It is rubbed in garlic, pepper and salt and fried in a light oil.
Good post!
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:50 am
Damn well written article! It´s nearly the same in Germany/Europe, but more and more ppl are aware of grab in food products. The crazy thing is, that most ppl believe that it´s fat what makes fat – and not carbohydrate. It´s not just sugar; it´s patatos, bread, rice. But think about it: there is a large lobby out there that is interested to make ppl ill: the pharmaceutical industry..
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:58 am
i recommend that you all start growing veggies in your own back gardens………..takes a little effort (excersize) to get going but once its running its no sweat…………..pick of the bush and cook eat within an hour….still photsynthesising so to speak……..delicious………dont get any healthier than that………………….to hell with macdonalds…….i took my kids there once and never again……….im not american (luckily)……..tastes like bloody cardboard………………
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:59 am
Agreed. It is frustrating that, even when you’re trying to eat healthy, there are food manufacturers who actually go out of their way to trick you. I am attempting to lose roughly 10 lbs and get a little more toned, and track my calories through an app on my phone. It is AMAZING how disgustingly bad some of the “health” foods are for you. I’m a very conscious shopper, and it honestly should NOT be that difficult to eat healthy. I’m not buying cookies and ice cream and cake or all of the BS that we know is unhealthy, but I am having a difficult time staying in my calorie limit for the day. It shouldn’t take a herculean, Olympic effort and a degree in nutrition to decipher what is good for you and what isn’t.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:10 am
This is too true.
Nine months ago, I became vegan. I had been vegetarian for 14 years.
It can be difficult finding foods to eat, when eating out; I live in the Middle-East so meat is in a lot of things, disgustingly.
I went on holiday to NYC for Christmas and in the fast-food places, there was cheese on almost everything, bar coffee.
But there are AMAZING vegan eateries there!
It’s about moderation, it;s about kindness, it;s about being ethical and humane. It’s about being human – eating actual FOOD and not processed chemically enhanced crap.
It can be tricky at first, but it;s about getting into good habits. 🙂
Thank you for the post.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:11 am
I think your post was awesome! You took the words right out of my mouth! Another thing that I’m pissed off about you see those 2-wheel things that people hop on to get around (don’t know the name of it), but are they that LAZY, they can’t walk? And people pushing carts in the store bent over supporting their upper body on the cart!!! OMG, stand up straight and walk right! It’s not only that our kids are learning the unhealthy ways of eating from us, but now the inactivity!!!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:13 am
you’ve got to watch this. if you havent already.
cheers on writing about something so pertinent.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:13 am
niCeLy saiD….:)
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:20 am
Thank you for the rant.:) I too feel your frustration. I find it frustrating and unconscionable that a country so rich in natural foods and resources found it’s way into a McSizing and creating food addictions at every turn.
The food companies know the addictive nature of sugar (more addictive than cocaine) and hyper-palatable foods – think fat, sugar and salt combinations. They continue to spawn this garbage into our stores and market the heck out of it to our children.
If we continue to eat this way and fall prey to their “marketing” they will do the perfect job of keeping us just above dead…
Keep ranting my friend… We are listening and will do our part to take control of our futures!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:21 am
I could not agree more. Sadly it’s not just confined to the US either, we in the UK seem to be incapable of following our own path and blithely follow suit so our obesity problem is rising fast too. What we do at least have is the government talking about increasing the tax on such foods so they are less affordable but who knows when that will happen or what difference it will make. It’s really an education thing, most intelligent people don’t even realise that unless they buy totally natural yoghurt, there is sugar in it. Soup as well, that often has added sugar. All in the name of preserving things for longer.
Bring back the butchers, fish mongers and green grocers, we had a much better idea what we were buying when we shopped in those stores!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:24 am
Excellent post. Here in Denmark, the government line is to encourage people to eat as healthily as possible, on the premise that the crap that doesn’t go in doesn’t then come out again in illness, obesity, etc. Most food lables carry the legend ‘Statskontrolleret økologist’ which means ‘State Controlled Organic’. This in turns means the product must conform to the minimum standards set down by the government to qualify as “organic”.
I eat well here. There are supermarkets but they have a time of it competing with the local market (held every Tuesday and Friday). Fresh fruit and veg is always available and usually locally sourced. I feel for you, my friend. Shouldn’t be like this for you.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:28 am
I woke up to the local foods movement only about 4 months ago and was asked to write a blog to help market to the consumers (AKA people who eat) in West Virginia. As I became aware of all the farm products that are available, I also started getting angry at all the people eating junk. After about a week of rants, one very nice farmer sent me an email and told me to calm down; that I will win more people over by NOT scolding them.
This is a REAL proiblem. I think many people no longer cook. We have become a society who wants instattn gratification and it seems easiier to get in the car and hit the drive-thru or to pop some cardboard box from the freezer into the microwave. Most people are never taught about nutrition.
But again, if you look at how we have been told for decades now that tobacco is unhealthy, and you see all the people who still chose to smoke, you have to conclude there are a lot of people who do not consider long term effects.
It is scary to think that for much of the population, many people really do not seem to THINK, and the food that they eat may even be part of the cause.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:02 am
Why get angry for other people’s choices? It is their life, their body and they have every right to do with it as they see fit. I do not like people smoking but they still do and it is their choice to do so.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:36 am
Visit other countries and look around at the of the general population. Compare this with what you see here in the US. The numbers of obese men, women, and children are noticeably higher in this same population of the US. Congrats on being Fresh Pressed.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:45 am
Incredibly on point. I work weekends sometimes in a mall in Toronto and man, that’s a sad cross-section of the population. The garbage that people are walking around eating while they breath synthetic air is repulsive (especially when it’s a gorgeous day outside). Fingers crossed for a tun around.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:45 am
Well written, I totally agree. My teenage daughters think I’m nuts for reading labels and not buying stuff at the store with the evil high fructose corn syrup and hydrogenated fat. I grow most of our veggies and herbs, can, freeze, and make most of our food from scratch, using butter, lard, and minimally processed flour, etc. Tastes better than the processed crap, and so much healthier. We get locally raised meat and eggs, whole milk.
The pediatrician told me e few months ago that all fat is bad, and that dairy fat was totally unneccesary. She said skim milk, no cheese (or very minimal), and to use margarine! Milk has essential fatty acids that we (esp. Kids!) need for a healthy brain! I looked at the doc like she was nuts and said we’ll stick with our dairy fats and take the chance. (btw, my kids are tall and thin). Another reason I have so little faith in modern medicine.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:49 am
Excellent post! You are so right. I think the key to all this is education! Good fats are better than sugar. Sugar is better than fake sugar which is just as harmful and unnatural. People are not sure what to put in their bodies! We need education people!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:54 am
I think you hit the mark when you said:
“I remarked to Donny that it would be hard to overeat and get fat on such food. Not that it wasn’t good, it was tasty enough, but it was nothing you would want to go on eating once your hunger had been satisfied.”
Whilst what you eat is important, if you carry on eating after your body tells you its had enough, you are going to get obese almost regardless of what you eat. Of course it is the goal of the food industry to make foods that make you feel you want to go on eating, foods which override the body’s natural stop sign. That is the core cause of obesity. Of course it doesn’t help that these foods are usually things like chips and ice cream.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:09 am
Glenn, if you haven’t already, you might be very interested in reading The China Study by T. Colin Campbell and/or Food Revolution by John Robbins. Great post. It will take time, but this movement is growing. Unhealthy foods will eventually go the way of cigarettes.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:11 am
To be honest, you seem kind of narrow minded.
I used to be a figure skater on an obsessive training diet. And now? Yeah I eat crap pretty much all the time? But you know what? I haven’t gained an ounce of weight. I STILL weigh 40kgs, and yeah? My doctor says I’m much healthier now than I was on my retraining diet.
OF COURSE if you overlay to will get fat, equally if you’re obsessive you probably won’t eat the right food in the right amounts, you’ll eat it in the wrong amounts. Everyone needs some sugar and some salt and some calories or we would all die. Yes you need to eat some healthy food but it’s more about moderation than anything. America is obese simply because most people don’t get educated about the fact that if you eat huge quantities of crap you’ll get fat. I eat normal quantities of these crap foods and I’m fine thanks.
Yu need to look at both sides of things before posting something like this.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:12 am
You’ve been talkiing to my wife, haven’t you.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:14 am
Amen.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:14 am
Right there with you!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:21 am
Preach that! I only hope my generation can realize it sooner that the one before us has… Great post, and so true!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:21 am
What I noticed when visiting the United States was the way everybody seems to be holding something to eat or drink all the time, wherever they are. Also the size of the portions in restaurants. And those wonderful kitchens where nobody really cooks anything. And kids drinking soft drinks instead of water when they are thirsty. In France, a lot of mums (or dads) still teach their kids how to cook (basic things, nothing complicated), and most kids just love it. A lot of people try to take a little time to cook their meals, with fresh vegetables, meat and fruit, and take time to have dinner (at least) together. We have meals 3 times a day and that really helps, I think (4 for kids, with our “goûter” in the afternoon). Most kids are not allowed to grab whatever they want from the fridge or the cupboard. In families where there are no real rules, they are overweight or obese.
May 30th, 2012 at 12:53 am
I genuinely agree with your comment. Food habits have a lot to do with disciplined life style and more important is the fact that we must pass all that knowledge to our kids.
I’ve recently started my blog on cooking for kids….just by being innovative on presentation….i’ve succeeded in making my kids opt for healthy food over junk!!
Do take a look at my blog http://www.smallmeasuresbigpleasures.wordpress.com would be great to get a feedback from you!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:23 am
Yeah! I’m pissed too!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:25 am
I agree with you on all the junk food, but it can only hurt you if you choose to eat it. What about the people who wants to eat healthy and go into the market to buy fresh veggies, fruit, and milk and takes time to make a decent “healthy” meal and all the time the food they’re eating is mutated GMOs? (Genetically Modified Organism or better, Genetically Mutated Organism)
Here’s a link to a PDF on GMOs. http://www.saynotogmos.org/10reasons_need.pdf
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:28 am
Not only is this article great, but is it accurate! We agree, and congrats on being freshly pressed!
2chicgurls
2chicgurls.com
P.S. We’re following! 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:30 am
Hello! It is a great blog post and I totally agree with you. I’m not american, I live in the mediterranean area of Europe, so we do have the mediterranean diet, but I recognise that we are too influenced by the idea of fast food way of alimentation. I mean, it’s very easy to find a. mcdonalds anywhere than a salad or healthiest food restaurant. But it’s not important what you find outside your home, the important thing is what you eat at home. For example preparing a frozen pizza would take you 15 or 20 minutes, the same time as preparing a salad and some meat (not fried) . So to be helthier we all have to start being it with ourselves. Thank you so much 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:36 am
I agree with you.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:38 am
Although we have, as a culture, become increasingly health-conscious over the past 40 years, we have merely gotten fatter. However, that is our own fault. We can educate ourselves and make choices. What other people do is their problem (until it affects my pocket by forcing me to pay for their healthcare issues — another topic entirely!). I was blessed with a mom who made everything from scratch and was willing to try her hand at all manner of new recipes, including various ethnic dishes. I thought that was normal at the time. As a result, I got married and began baking my own bread and refused to buy cake mixes and any processed food items. After a brief season when our kids tried trading their homemade bread sandwiches and homemade cookies to get their friends’ Handisnacks and Oreos at school, even they had to realize there was a good reason other kids wanted THEIR lunches. We continue to eat fresh food made from scratch with fresh ingredients. I simply ignore all the slop on the grocery store shelves. (I have even made my own yoghurt, which is not hard to do.) Oddly enough, I never once considered myself a health food nut, just a weird, bordering-on-snobby foodie. It turns out, however, that good health came with the package. We eat plenty of great homemade desserts, but we load up on salads and vegetables and other delicious homemade menu items. Cooking and eating are a part of our family life and a way we bond with friends. We love inviting people into our home and sharing meals together. Creating our own “food culture” helps us ignore all the garbage out there.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:41 am
First of all I am not from America, but have some experience of commerce. Your desire to see your country do better does you credit, and I agree on the health issue.
Lets be fair to people. Noone asks for the ads on tv. Have a look at a supermarket. What percentage is fresh food – just say veg, staples like potatoes and meat? Nothing like 30%? If everyshopper were to purchase in that section alone, most would go without because it is too small to serve the people in the locality. It is not there because people want it, -most fresh goods are near the entrance to give a good impression. Along the same lines as the colour red is not usually used in shop layouts as it puts people more on edge and they buy less. The businesses who serve the foods make most profits from processed food. This situation is hard to avoid as alongside everything else fat and salt are flavour enhancers. People can not hide from this, nor can they be forced to change. It will take good law makers to see it is far better (fitter, healthier, happier people) and cheaper (how much does health cost and where could it be used in a better way for the American economy?). Simple words for a hard task. I do understand the feelings you have posted about, but people need to be convinced, enough supplies sourced and damaging foods regulated. I have seen some tubes of product where it might be healthier if you lit them and smoked them rather than eat them. It will always be down to what is allowed, what is most profitable, what is available and what is chosen for whatever reason. The change is ongoing as foods are monitored. It can also be pointed out that people who eat healthily now feel better than they would if it was imposed, because they choose to.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:42 am
It’s clear that your post hits a nerve for many people, and I agree that restaurant portion sizes are generally too large, poor-quality food is usually cheaper, and that well-meaning consumers will replace “fat” calories with sugar. For more information about the corn industry in the US, as well as fascinating looks at industrial farming – including “organic” – versus local farming, I recommend reading “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan.
By the way, one of the most ridiculous items I recall seeing in a “gourmet” New York City food store was brewed tea in a box, from Switzerland!
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:58 am
Everyone keeps recommending that book, looks like I am gonna have to read it!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:49 am
Thank you for making the point about nutrition training. It is tragic that we push food that doesn’t resemble its source on people, then ask why it is providing neither real or emotional nutrition. Thank you for being pissed. Now I’m pissed too!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:49 am
I agree 100%. When I watch the people I love whither away because they just keep eating foods that are terrible for them, then complain about all their health problems and how they wish they could change— it breaks my heart. I get sad. You get pissed. What is important is that we at least feel something about it and aren’t just ignoring it. Now we must change it. I hope more and more people will be moved to make a difference in the health and nutrition world because Americans are truly dying from this.
You don’t have to be a “health nut” to be heart broken by this epidemic. And you don’t have to be a “health nut” to do something about it. All you need to do is be a person who stands up against the commericalized food industry and say, “Enough is enough. I will make the choices that are best for my family. I will be a well-informed individual and not just eat things because of the label on them or because everyone else is.”
Great post.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:52 am
Have you considered doing something about it?
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:56 am
You’re not alone. You might want to watch The World According to Monsanto and Food Inc for free on YouTube. Forks Over Knives is a good one too.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:08 am
Good post
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:09 am
Welcome to the power of advertising. At one time in my life, I actually worked to counter it in the grocery store. I would walk by or through the aisles with the chips, pop, cookies and candy and literally keep repeating “This is not food. This is not food.” The owner of Natural Ovens bakery wrote a book and the short, short summation of it is that that the more refined the food is, the higher the carbohydrates and the less nutritious it is, thus a person can eat more of the product, the more profitable it is. Anyone can probably chow a whole box of junk food cereal. I ate plenty of second bowls as a kid. Also, the richer the country, the more white sugar the population consumes. Major agribusiness gets massive government subsidies for making the basic components of the food which increases their profit margin and goes back into advertising. All of the prices of our food in the USA is paid down with tax cuts and direct subsidies. Maria Rodale has called for leveling the playing field and making the same Federal benefits available to family owned organic farms as are available to “conventional” chemical farming. If that is done, organic food will actually be cheaper because it lacks the expenses of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
You’re pissed about food. I’m pissed my identity has been manipulated my entire life. Sexism towards females has hit a crisis level in our nation and advertising is particularly destructive to girls. I grew up in the 80s and what I see going on now socially and politically is appalling. It’s sad that I have to look back to the 80s and realize they were more tolerant and progressive in terms of gender equality than life is now. If you want to conduct your own experiment, go to a toy store or a baby shop and try to buy anything -I mean anything- that would be good for either a boy or a girl; try to find any toy, clothing item, blanket or product that does not immediately alert you to an infant or toddler being either gender. It’s very hard. Cribs and strollers tend to level out, but anything in immediate contact with the child [bibs, sippy cups, clothing, toys] immediately alerts you what gender the child is. Boys and girls are “different” because by age one they have already received divergent influences and treatment. Then take that and look to the messages advertising inundates females with.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:10 am
It’s called population control via early deaths and oh yeah, might as well make some medical profit from it along the way!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:13 am
Excellent post. This is something that’s been on my list to post about. I’m a mom of two and it takes a lot of effort but the best way to avoid all that crappy food is to cook from scratch. I buy some prepackaged foods but we mostly eat homemade meals every night. That way we know what’s in our food. No preservatives, no additives. Why put those things in your body? Not to mention the added sugars and risk for diabetes and obesity. Love your rant.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:00 am
I agree that cooking your food yourself is the only way to go. Preparing all your own food is a hard habit to get into, but once you get into it it’s surprisingly easy. I just had to learn how.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:42 am
further to that ……start growing it too…….you can control it that way….limit fertilizers and eliminate hormones ,pesticides and practices such as radiation and other chemical treatments that are used for shelf life…also keep your own seeds and you can keep genetically altered foods at bay…….ok i agree its not possible to grow everything you require in your own back garden…..but supplimenting the crap food with the fresh food is probably more than a half cure…..balance is the name of the game…..nothing wrong with pizza or hamburgers every now and then….problems come when all you ever eat is crap……..but choose the right things for your particular climates and youll be surprized at the abundance you can produce……i grow butternuts,pumpkin,gem squash,cucumbers,green peppers,beans,spinach,tomatoes……as these grow easily where i live…………..i also experiment with other crops but the list is my everyday produce……..also plant a few fruit and nut trees……i have peaches,pecan nuts,lemon tree (excellent most excellent thing is a lemon tree) blackberries…..and have recently planted almond and apple tree……..all this gives me food from an ordinary residential garden….look into rainwater collection at the same timer….it is the solution to the health and starvation and water scarcity problems this world faces….dont rely on govts …do it yourself…….as our grandparent well knew..
May 30th, 2012 at 12:56 am
Hi there! for more ideas on serving tasty and healthy home cooked food to kids , do visit http://www.smallmeasuresbigpleasures.wordpress.com
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:13 am
You don’t have to be a “fanatical health nut” to be healthy and take care of yourself. To those who criticize this post and defend bad eating habits- you are killing yourselves and the rest of us have to pay for it. Americans, for the most part, eat shitty food and don’t work out. There are fat people all over this country and it is disgusting. On top of that, the reason Americans feel they have to work 80 hour weeks is because people in this country live above their means and have children they cannot financially support. There is a population issue on this planet and people need to stop creating more and more people. We are draining the planet’s resources. Sometimes this country just makes me so sick. I completely agree with the blogger and thank you for an awesome and truthful post.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:16 am
Ditto on the pissed. Until people realize what they are eating they aren’t going to take action. It’s hard to do the right thing sometimes b/c of time constraints (grabbing something quick as opposed to making something healthier), but there are ways to do it. I just watched the first two parts of “The Weight of the Nation” on HBO and I am equally outraged. How bad does it have to get before people wake up and not just feed themselves and their kids crap? Thanks for writing this post and raising awareness, and congrats on getting FP!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:20 am
Reblogged this on My Cranky Gut and commented:
This blog o’ mine mostly talks about SCD. That’s all well and good, but there’s a larger issue at play. What role does the Standard American Diet play in the tremendous rise of autoimmune disorders in the First World? This article got Freshly Pressed today, and I liked it… It’s a rant really, but one I can totally get behind!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:20 am
I alway feel good about our food system when I first walk into the grocery store and see produce. Then I walk two aisles over and see sixteen linear shelf feet of Hamburger Helper. We are so very doomed.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:26 am
You’ve said it well. I agree!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:32 am
Dude you’re an idiot. In America you can eat like that too. You don’t have to gorge like a pig. If you do, its your own fault. If you’re a democrat evil retard who wants to ban food because you’re too stupid to stop eating when you’re full, go freaking live in a cave in Afganistan where you belong you Taliban bastard. Then you’ll lose weight for sure.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:36 am
Why do [we] do this in America? Lack of connection, with ourself, with another and with the food on the end of the fork (er hand as most of these foods you mentioned can be eaten out of the hand rather than needing a fork). It’s good to be pissed, but it’s even better once you’ve moved on from pissed into action, like writing this post and then seeing what you can do to help bring light to this issue even more. It will take a lot of us pissed and then in action to make change, but we can and I feel will. I have a little girl and I work very hard to ensure she eats whole nutritious food rather than fillers and sugar. Thanks for your post!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:37 am
Reblogged this on EDiva's POV and commented:
Food for thought! LITERALLY!!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:41 am
I don’t know about the purpose to much of this post.. You really had to leave the country to experience a healthy salad and have a food epiphany? You really believe that television commercials are so powerful that they have removed anyone’s responsibility for their own choices? That seems a little too tin-foil-hat to me. It’s a nice rant as far as rants go, but a great deal of your ire seems widely misdirected, there’s some self-evaluation missing and a marked lack of resolution suggested.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:57 am
Actually, yes, advertisements are just that powerful. They did an experiment in a theater, just before the movie started they flashed a picture of Pepsi and popcorn, for about a second, and most people didn’t even notice it, and the sales of popcorn and Pepsi rose by 50%.
And I know we’d all like to think we’re in control, but the truth is that the mind is a feeble thing when it comes to things like unconscious signals.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:06 am
And yet despite subconcious urges, all choices are concious. To say otherwise excuses all manner of not just bad choices but also crimes. Just because one wants to do something, or wants something, doesn’t mean that one is no longer making their own decisions. All decisions anyone makes are despite any influences, still firmly in the hands of the people making the choices, to be aware or to walk through life not paying attention to even one’s own actions. If we let individuals duck accountability for their own actions, how does it follow that collective groups such as food and marketing companies still hold accountability when they are comprised of individuals? One might as well erase the concept of responsibility altogether.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:43 am
Okay, so you have the media on one side, promoting this whole ‘skinny’ image and so we starve. And then your body decides it’s had enough, and no matter how strong your resolve, you’re no match against this little monster called ghrelin. And then obviously you have these commercials to coax you into Sugarland. So I’m not saying they’re not responsible, I’m just saying they are human.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:48 am
Get that frustration out! I mean come on, America is the country where if you want an “American Dinner” at a restaurant, it usually is deep fried and smothered in gravy. I mean it isn’t just the food we are surrounded by, it is also just the lack of knowledge people have about nutrition. I mean you gotta live a little and have some cheat foods here and there… but it is the people that have those cheat foods 3x a day, 7 days a week (I should know. I used to be that person). So be angry, but also go out and help someone that seems to be struggling. If people are reading blogs, they are probably willing to listen to some helpful advice.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:50 am
I couldn’t agree with you more. So glad I found this post. As a person who has Type I Diabetes… I do not allow processed foods in our house. The thing that gets me… is other parents/family members think they are “treating” my kids with the processed sugar CRAP when outside of my home. It drives me nuts. So now I’m mean mommy and it is just between them, bullshit. There DOES need to be more public outrage. My only correction is that not ALL Diabetics are such because of their diet. Huge misnomer. Thanks for the read… well done friend!
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:54 am
Great blog. I sympathize with your anger, but I have to ask if you have any ideas for a solution. Personally, I feel that advertising, especially on tv, is the main culprit–doesn’t encourage kids to get out and exercise either. We need to curb our addiction to television, which only exists because of advertisers, and start thinking for ourselves instead of relying on whatever message has been mashed into our brains. Banishing TV might seem like insanity to some people, but with services like Netflix, it’s easy to still watch your favorite show ad-free, while avoiding the abundance of useless distracting crap inherent to television. Everyone should try to do away with it for at least a month. I bet they’d be surprised by how little they miss it and by the amount of positive things they can squeeze into their day without such a dominating distraction in their lives.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:06 am
you are dead right……tv is now limited and controlled in our home…..i hate tv…..the kids are allowed to whatch certain programs and it goes off………they no longer take tv for granted……..and have developed a liking for classical music…believe it or not…….music (not only classic) is far more inspirational than tv and our home is a much more relaxed and enjoyable place without that damn box blasting shit into our heads all night long………….we can actually have a family conversation,lots of laughs and plenty of fun……….. ………
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:54 am
I’m completely with you on this one. I think that the companies out there are making a huge deal about everything being ‘low fat’ which is just code for more sugar, and then ‘sugar free’ which just means its corn syrup instead of regular sugar.
Thanks for this post 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:01 am
Reblogged this on I Want To Live Not Just Survive… and commented:
Just found this while reading, I definitely agree though, I’m not American obviously, but this whole “Low fat” and “Sugar free” shit gets on my nerves.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:04 am
I agree with you 100% dude.i may not be super slim but ive been doing P90X for 3 years now.andl like some before have mentioned eating healthy is expensive.another part of the problem is people working so much tht they dont have time to cook properly so they use that microwave garbage or send them to those fast food heart killers.i eat as healthy as i can on what little money i have for my family.ut what realy pisses me off are these kids in school who weigh so much they could almost make two of me.my daughter had went to school with one who graduauted last year and this grils calves were as big as mi thighs,granted my thighs have no fat on them but still thats way to bog for this girls calves.i say if a child becomes that obese the parents should be held accountable in court,that is child endanderment child abuse and child neglect.our chldren are our future if we don tget them into some kind of decent shape we are doomed.and no im not a health nazi as some have sid earlier i just think we need more healthy eating and exercise.im not against the occasionall pieece of cake or candy bar in moderation.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:06 am
True words. Much more people should be pissed like you.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:07 am
It is embarassing the way we eat, and unfortunate that the cheapest food (which is the only thing some people can afford) is often the worst. I don’t have much money to spend on expensive food myself, but I find that meat is cheaper when you buy local, and frozen vegetables are a blessing.
I think that people need to be educated about how to buy healthy food on a budget, and why “low fat” means nothing if the product is also high sugar and low protein.
I’m with you, Glenn, I’m pissed. (And embarassed.)
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:07 am
It’s just “miseducation” love. You see, it’s easier to chuck a ready meal in the microwave instead of cooking a proper one; so we can safely say that part of the problem is laziness too. It’s good to see that some of you over there understand the importance of healthy eating. Maybe you can channel your energy in a more positive and proactive way: raise awareness, beginning from your friends and family. The media there won’t do it any time soon (as seen on TV) and actually are insisting on promoting stuff that knowingly will end up killing many. Food and healthy life style are always good subjects to talk about; you could gather people that think alike you and join your efforts, campaigning on Internet. That would really make a difference.
Wishing you all the best!
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:07 am
I see where you are coming from and understand why you are so pissed. There are so many health issues and no one wants to correct their health issues with cooking healthier foods and watching, sugars, calories and carbs. They want to cheat and eat out and also don’t want to take the time to read the ingredients in the items that they are buying. Another thing that gives me crazy is that parents buy all this junk food and they allow their kids to eat it when ever they want. I buy one bad item and its given to them once in a while. They get it when I say so not when they want it. I have been finding new ways to cook healthier and take the time to produce a healthy meal for my kids. It stinks at first because you are not use to taking the time to prep the food but you get use to eat and also love to see the smile on my families faces when hey take their first bit.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:11 am
I find it interesting that so many people believe a person has such a thing as an “independent” choice in food consumption that is somehow separate / superior / not influenced by the domination of advertising and the trends of greater society. The ideas of “independent” and “individual” are such sacred American ideologies / mythologies that a dialogue goes nuclear the minute someone invokes them. Sut Jhally was correct when he asserted that advertising has pulled off its greatest feat in making the public believe advertising is innocuous. Neuroscientist David Eagleman shows in his book _Incognito_ that a majority of our brain is not under our conscious control despite our illusions to the contrary. Yet so many people cling to the magical idea of free will, its existence and its superiority, and view society as background noise rather than a dominant influence.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 am
Noam Chomsky says all this very well in Manufacturing Consent
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:15 am
I left advertising for a similar reason – marketing a headache pill as a beauty aid (it will help you sleep better and make you young and beautiful!) was the final straw. I’ve had medicine that was supposed to help me make me worse and what was ulimately wrong was my diet. I can’t imagine going back to a way of eating as proposed by commercials. Knowing how the process of “truthful” marketing works, I now just skip the packaged goods and go straight to the farmers market. Saves a lot of money, a lot of trouble, and my kale shake for breakfast takes less time to make than heating up the toaster oven.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:17 am
I do think, or rather hope, that people are starting to wake up and eat better.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:21 am
100% agree. Thank you for this. I wrote about something similar yesterday and am amazed at the “dietitians” today who select fact food over real based on fats, etc…like they would eat one of those fake 100-calorie packs instead of an avocado.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:23 am
I’d just like to say that a bag of celery and a bag of carrots is cheaper than a bag of Tostitos… In my personal opinion, the problem isn’t that you aren’t rich enough to spend the money on healthier foods for your family. The problem is that Americans choose to spend more money than they bring home. I am a young woman, I make a decent salary and I support myself which includes my living expenses, student loans, etc and I still save money every month. I belong to a gym, I eat healthy (with occasional indulgences), and I pay off my credit cards every month. I highly recommend mint.com for anyone who is struggling (and/or making excuses). Its a shame that we not only no longer teach our youth the importance of getting enough healthy food daily, but that we also don’t set a good example for our children to follow.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:37 am
you too are dead right……..we go to a large fresh veg market regularly and the in season produce is so cheap when you buy it bulk it is almost laughable….as an example i bought a 40kg bag of avos for R100 a few months back………that works out to about 12,5 USD…..also a huge bag of butternuts about 20 kg for 3.75 usd…..buying like this is so cheap its scary……remember masons jars?….they still exist……..this cheap in season surplus that you cannot immediatly eat is easily pickled to become longer life food supplies with nothing more than a little vingar and pickling spice………….HOW MUCH IS A HAMBURGER?………..There is a whole sale butcher next door and this weekend i bought half a pig (yeah i know not the healthiest) it cost me 61 usd…….8usd per kg…………..
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:27 am
Congrats on being freshly pressed and I am on board with your rant. Your comment, ‘ the way food that is unhealthy is promoted by both the government and advertising.’ is the key. It takes more effort to be informed about good food on your own so people just eat what they see. Where are all the marketers and money and advertising for real food??? Unfortunately healthy food can be more expensive, but I always say, buy the fruits and veggies instead of the bags of chips and it should come out even, right? SUGAR is the huge culprit and people who eat too much of it can’t think clearly enough to have a good conversation here.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:35 am
I find it amazing that foods that are good for you…. produce, lean meat, whole wheat, anything organic is almost 2X as expensive as all of the processed, easy to make foods. Yet, we’re all supposed to make healthy decisions and on a budget. If more people would take the time to make a good, square meal for their families instead of just microwaving some junk…. we’d all be better off. (not to mention the quality time we would get to spend with our families while sitting around the dinner table) Great post!
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:48 am
LOVE THIS POST!!! So true. Go you! =)
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:51 am
I agree and you did not even write anything about salt. All the salt in fast food and most everything else that is not fresh, or that is not made from scratch at home really pisses me off.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:53 am
Secret: modern American food mostly isn’t food at all. I had a professor once who summed up how to eat healthy and sustainably. Like most modern issues if we all followed these guidelines and actually thought about what we scarf down our gullets, we’d be much better off. The rules: eat lots of vegetables, don’t eat a lot, and if it didn’t exist before 1900, don’t eat it, because it’s probably not really food.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 am
Awesome! Finally someone with a sense for the good things! I am going to publish a post on food in New York because ever since I got here I had such a hard time to what is “normal” in other countries, especially Europe: Healthy food at a reasonable price. It makes me sick to see the prices Whole Foods offers claiming that all of their products is organic when more than half of their shit is not. And that people think they are healthy because of low fat. Thanks for pointing out the downside to it: Too much darn sugar!
Also, how can unhealthy food be so cheap compared to healthy one in this country? Are you insane, America?
Yes, yes,yes, I love this post so much and I really think you have some great points.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:56 am
Fuckin’ right. I live in Alabama, one of the most obese states, and I regularly shop at Sam’s Club for FRUIT and VEGETABLES because they have good fruits and veggies. But seeing 99% of the customers there I want to vomit. Punch, soda, chips, pork, it’s ridiculous. Fortunately I married a half-Italian who picked up her cooking and eating habits from her full Italian mother, and the typical meal is simple yet satisfying. It is not uncommon for my wife to just make a soup with random vegetables, making it up as she goes along, and it is 100% veggies (well maybe tomato too which is a fruit) and it is always fantastic. We make everything so complicated here in the U.S. Also, watch “The Business of Being Born” on Netflix and you’ll be pissed about that too! We are all so ignorant and we don’t even know how ignorant we are!
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:57 am
Be the change, care enough about yourself, your health, your childrens’ health, your grandchildrens’ health ect ect. Quit living in the mindset that you have to work yourself to death to survive. CHANGE your lifestyle. Pare down. Do you need all the material crap you are buying that ends up in the overfilled landfills? Do you need to live like this? NO, YOU CHOOSE TO. Choose differently. All those processed foods are straight up POISON, please DONT take my word on it, do your own research just as I have done. Sugar is the most addictive substance on earth, hence why it is placed in most every processed food. GMOs will lead to the dumbing down and death of your genetic blood line if you dont not stop eating them (90% of processed foods are filled with genetically modifided wheat, corn and soy). Look at the amount of OTC and prescriptions drugs you consume daily because you diet is so lacking in any real foods and nutritional content. Grab the hand that is reaching out to you with love not judgement, you cant change what you dont know or acknowledge, educate yourselves! Doctors told us cigarettes were healthy years ago! Do you think the disinfo has changed? Only when health and wellness become the priority over money will that occur and WE HAVE TO BE THE CHANGE. love
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:48 am
and this all ties back into the advertising that was mentioned earlier…..most of the processed foods are cheap,crap non nutritional filler that is in fact worth less than the packaging you throw away…..the packaging may actually be more nutritional……………….but the packaging is the advertizing …..thats what superstores are….advertizing……………you are basically eating propaganda………………as the guy said a few comments back….”if it didnt exist before 1900 dont bother eating it”…….
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:50 am
and that applies to non food as well…..90% of the crap the modern world manufactures is not needed………………especially the electronic crap……………
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:57 am
What will you do with your anger, aside from stating it here?
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:02 am
Well its not really different in Germany… Small local stores just have a smaller choice but in total we eat same stuff…
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:05 am
I used to be 350 pounds and reading this reminds me of the time I didn’t even care about low fat/low carb/low whatever. I just ate what I wanted, because I thought I would be fine. And then when I started losing weight, I realized that I wasn’t fine and a lot of people don’t realize they’re not fine until they experience some sort of illness and realize it. Thanks for this.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:06 am
I’m pissed too, baby. As a bonafide member of Overeaters Anonymous, I can tell you that it is downright terrifying to see what we are doing to ourselves here in the great wild west. About a year ago, I cut out all processed foods, and I have lost 75 lbs and feel great! Interestingly enough, the hardest part to giving up the craziness of eating boxed foods and fast foods… is peer pressure! My friends and family just don’t know how to act when I decline to take part in the food frenzy that exists around every single social event they have. When I pass on the dessert, it’s like I’ve insulted them personally! Makes it hard to be around, really. Same at work, when the break room is overflowing with everyone’s leftover goodies from home… I get the raised eyebrows and upturned noses when I simply choose not to partake.
It is sad that we exist around food… if you can even call what most are eating, food! It’s skillful chemistry, right? And it’s building addictions nationwide, just like alcohol and tobacco. It’s just more “acceptable” cuz we all gotta eat! Sigh…
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:06 am
Man, you got the point. I am Brazilian and I constantly travel to the US and I get astonished with the low quality your food has. How can a superpower country like yours treat your own people so badly? How can a whole country eat so bad?
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:11 am
Reblogged this on Eliza Shane and commented:
Glenn makes some great observations here, and in his follow up post the next day. I wish more would wake up to these realities… and succeed in staying awake!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:11 am
Most of the job to do is at home. If you taught your children to eat in a proper way they’d do it, commercial or not; and I think another very important thing is to prepare our food at home, I do not mean produce our own vegetables or so, it’s good but not everyone can, but to cook real meal, with real and healthy recipes. I do it and it’s terribly tiring but it gives you a feeling of satisfaction because you cook a warm meal, ideally even tasty and because you can see the result of you work and of all the time you spent in the kitchen.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:16 am
That’s funny because I wrote a similar rant on my blog just this morning! http://morningwarmup.wordpress.com/
Anyway, I just want to say in my rant it was mostly about what some of us are offered. How much out of our way sometimes we have to go to get healthy food! I don’t blame the individual as much as I blame the manufacturers, marketing this crap, the government for not banning more harmful ingredients. Sure, the individual has some blame. I have to go out of my way to eat healthfully though, grow my own garden, drive an hour to the city to shop at places that have good produce and healthier options. Sometimes people in 3rd world countries have better diets than we do. Just look at our poor…they are often obese, have bad skin, teeth, suffering from lots of health problems. They eat poorly and it shows, same with anyone of any class here if they don’t eat fresher more natural foods. A lot of foods shouldn’t be allowed to make claims about being “natural”, “organic” and otherwise good for you. Just check out the chip aisle, many make the claim of being “whole grain” and lower fat, etc. HA!! People believe it. My kids believe it so it gets sold, it’s easy to find junk than it is to find good stuff. No one is making commercials for lettuce and green beans.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:19 am
When I visited Florida 15 years ago I was amazed at just how fat everyone was. A few years later I was in LA for a conference and saw plenty of people who didn’t look fat, in fact they looked quite slim. But STILL there were far more bulbous, pendulous arses waddling around than back home. I said to my wife, “you can never imagine the size of some of the people I saw, they can’t have seen their feet in years with using a mirror, and (say it quietly) how the hell do they have sex?”
Ten years ago it spread to our neighbourhood. The local politicians are now making the same noises about sugar being sneaked in to everyday food like bread and pasta.
Big industrial giants pumping out wheat based, salt encrusted, sugar laden crap – and with hydrogenated trans fats that are so bad for you that in some countries they are banned. These corporations are always schmoozing politicians, oiling elections and spending a fortune on advertising, all to just keep their factories churning out ingenious new “fun” foods.
I’m not pissed, well, I won’t be until after about 9pm, but I am really ‘pissed off’ [ some phrases don’t travel intact across the Atlantic to my home country]
We thought we were different, but ‘oh no’! We’ve gone the same way and we’re now squeezing in to airline seats that are ‘too narrow’, buying jeans mad with elastic denim… and telling everyone we don’t have time to cook decent, healthy food.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:20 am
Awesome post… and totally agree. The one thing that i cant stand is going out for a nice meal to find my food drenched in butter and fatty greases. Or the portion is 3x what i can eat. Resturtants need to have more options to alow consumers to choose healthier portions
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:22 am
Reblogged this on Staying busy with pets and commented:
I love this article. Hits so many important points. Pay attention to what is in your food. ANd also what is in your pets food. You may think you are feeding them a heathly food but is the main ingredient is something you cannot pronounce chances are you are not.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:23 am
As a parent to a 2 year old who doesn’t watch TV, I find it amazing how quickly she can latch on to certain types of food packaging. Its so hard to give her a treat on a summer day, like a cookie here and there, since she will somehow instantly memorize the packaging and ask for it for months (seriously, Im not joking). Kids are drawn to the sugar, colors and characters of packaging, even if they have never had it. I think thats the biggest problem. Thankfully some healthy snacks are starting to get on the band wagon (like the superfood kids packets)
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:25 am
Well spoken and hopefully heard! You have a right do be pissed! It drives me nuts as well! Thanks for expressing your point of view. Some may not agree but many of us do!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:30 am
You know the real shame is all of the people who really believe that eating “unhealthy” foods is cheaper and easier than eating “healthy” foods. That is the shame, That people actually believe that. I cut my weekly grocery bill for 4 people from ~$150 to ~$120 by switching to whole fresh foods and cutting way back on meats. People do have the right to eat whatever they want. I don’t want to take away that right. I don’t think that’s what the author intends either. I do want people to stop handing my kids b.s. snacks without even asking at other’s homes, stores and worst of all SCHOOL! I also think there needs to be more truth in advertising. I think that’s the big one. If you want to market toaster strudels, market them as technically innovative tasty treats. Do NOT market them as a healthy wholesome breakfast. It is not faster or cheaper to make a strudel than it is to eat an apple or banana with a cpl crackers or toast.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:33 am
Hey!
Great post.
I’ll help you answer the idiots who cried they have the right to choose whatever they want to eat:
“…that’s a pretty brazen mix of cruelty, self-destruction and naked idiocy.
Responsibility is constantly deferred downwards to us as though the food system is a benign force simply there to offer us choice and let us get on with it. But those decisions are impossible ones to make in a deceitful system like this. Take for example the report by the Pesticide Residues Committee, which states that wholemeal loaves contain significantly more toxic residues in them than white loaves due to the milling process. Yet nutritionally, brown loaves are much better for you. Less toxic, or less nutritious: how are we supposed to make that choice? We shouldn’t even have to.”
From the Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/may/21/control-food-resources-supermarket
Cheers!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:33 am
well if all the veggies had brand names with flashy product logos on them it might help the people selling theses products to brain wash people into eating more of the things they should.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:18 am
this is true… look at “cuties” advertising tasngerines to children, now one of the most popular kids treats.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:34 am
This is not only affecting Americans. I live in Kenya and eating junk food has now become the norm. I am also upset. Seeing as I am also affected – have been obese for a whiiiiilllllllleeeeeee. Anyway, it is all good as I am making changes in my lifestyle and diet, one step at a time!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:35 am
Personally I’m pissed at the plain COST of food in this country! How about an article on that? I’m done with the “food police”, I’m an adult, I don’t want to be TOLD what to eat or what others think I should eat. I would just like to be able to AFFORD a week’s worth of groceries without going into hock.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:40 am
People have the right to choose whatever they want to eat but I also have the right to choose. And also I have the right to have a healthy life.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:43 am
I don’t know if this has been mentioned here because I did not read all the comments, however, there is a movie out called “Hungry for a Change” and it speaks to all the sugar and other unhealthy things in our American diets. The line I remember the most, the one that made the most impact on me is, “we are no longer eating food but rather food-like products.” Ever since seeing that movie I do most of my shopping in the produce department. Another good movie to watch is “Forks Over Knives.”
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:44 am
Exactly on point. I wish more people were as aware as you are. What can we do to change the direction America is going in terms of food and health, in your opinion?
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:45 am
Yeah, it sucks man. It’s all trash and for the purpose of someone making a buck. Great post. Glad you wrote it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:46 am
Reblogged this on L.P.'s and commented:
A great post about the trash the country feeds its citizens.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:50 am
Good post tat2girl. Trouble is though that the advertising spend slopping around this industrial mega business is scary – and these guys know all the right buttons to press.
PS I wonder if they regularly eat the stuff they’re selling us …??
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:53 am
”I am pissed that shitty unhealthy food is so cheap and convenient and available everywhere.” I have this conversation everyday with my friends. Even though I’m not from America, I can relate to this. Specially being a student makes me want to get a quick and cheap bite, which usually isn’t healthy. But at the end of the day it’s something every person can control. It’s one thing that he unhealthy food is all over tv and easy to get but if we really want to be healthy it’s on us, we can decide to be more aware of what we eat and don’t let ourselves be so easy to influence.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:57 am
My father is a surgeon and he makes fun of my healthy food choices. He thinks that there is absolutely no difference between white flour and whole grains, that sugar doesn’t hurt you, and that there is nothing wrong with processed foods. Did I mention that he’s had 2 weight loss surgeries??
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:58 am
I feel the exact same way as you do. I get pissed when I go to the grocery store and their shelves are stocked with foods that are all modified and loaded with chemicals. Our society thrives on commercial goods and what ever is cheapest and easiest. Last week I wanted to pick up some bacon to make a quiche and I stopped by the grocery store, there was a wall of bacon, yet there was not one straight from the pig, why is there a need to add all of these chemicals? Everyone wonders why Cancer, ADD, etc. are so prevalent in our society, it’s the way we eat! You are what you eat. Wonderful article, I truly appreciated it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:59 am
It would help if we stopped subsidizing all of the most nutritionally empty products. I know things are always more complicated than a solution that can be stated that easily, but honestly I don’t think tax dollars should go towards making soda and twinkie production costs lower. When I’ve written to politicians about it they respond that America needs to keep our agriculture competetive. What’s the point of being competetive and earning more money if all that money goes right back into treating millions of sick/overweight people?
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:07 am
Thanks for the article. I wrote about corn subsidies and what they have done to American people:
http://swissecon.wordpress.com/2012/02/29/corn-subsidies/
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:12 am
Amen brother. It seems American’s take better care of their car than they do their own body. The only people benefitting are the manufacturers of sugar induced foods, dieticians and funeral homes.. America needs to get back to good eating habits that help our bodies and minds to remain a super power.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:16 am
I wont judge this post, although a bit extreem, I belive, in a way, you are right. The thing is that it starts with information and patience. It is kind of like religion (not religious myself) but people get turned off from the lifestyle because of how judgmental it can be. I myself live on a 70/30 diet. 70% home cooked 30% restraunts. What i do is yearly major physicals and keep in the gym. But to each is own, it would be grand if everyone could be healthy and fit. It would be amazing if there was better regulation on the foods and the advertisments for them to not steer them to children. It would also be super if we had sustainable energy, and if i could come up with propetual motion.
Now although I try not to get in the middle of disputes on WordPress, but to Brian (the guy with the obvious self confidence issue) I used to feel the way that you do, being a father working many many hours and coming home not having the time to cook and be healthy. But i determined that in raising my daughter(4) that way i was giving her permission to be lazy, so what we do now is cook and do yoga together this way we can spend the time we need and it is helpful, healthy and bonding. You have to weigh what is imprortant not what is the easiest. It seems to me that anyone who has that much stress and not enough time to cook doesnt have enough time for themselves let alone their childred or wife/husband.
Cheers on the post
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:23 am
We are all to blame for the problem… To some extent we all purchase, or allow those close to use to purchase these horrible products. I, myself, have succumbed to the siren’s call of Little Debbie on occasion or an ice-cold can of sugary beverage. So, since we are all part of the problem, then the only way that I can see we can make real change, is for enough of us to simply vote with our dollars. If enough of us in the U.S. stop buying certain products, their marketing and sales departments will move on to different products, looking for more fertile sales regions. We will never eliminate bad, processed, preserved foods, but by controlling how we shop for OURSELVES, we can eventually have a cumulative effect that cannot be ignored by those who produce these types of products. They want to be profitable, and also want to spend as little as possible to produce what we want to buy. So, eat up those of you who feel junk food is your right…. as the majority of people slowly pushes away from the junk-food trough, you will eventually be forced to either eat more healthy foods, or drive 300 miles for a Twinkie™ – in which case, the argument of time-saving convenience will evaporate. I am not saying it is right, or that it is good that this could happen… I am just saying that it is the way society works: The overall, money-spending, majority dictates what is offered by companies. For now, it is cheap-and-easy crap foods. Companies make their product choices based on sales. Period. They will create products of whatever types that are the best sellers. It is not about giving us what we want… it is about giving us what we are buying the most of. They don’t care about us one bit. They don’t hate us, they don’t love us, they are ambivalent — we are a segment, a statistic to them. Companies would sell us blue-cheese covered chocolate cake with pork-rind crumbles, sitting on a bed of beef tallow if they saw there was a demand for it by the majority of food-buying people. So, for me, all I can do is minimize the crap I buy but also accept that this is the way that the majority sees food for now… but the wheel always turns, and I have hope for the future.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:26 am
I love this post. Kudos to you for standing up to multi-million conglomerates whose goals are to not only make their wallets fat but our kids, too. I hope people become more educated about what they serve their families. I am a single mother trying to work and provide for my 5yo daughter and I thought that was enough to justify the box meals I put on our table. But then again, i started making home cooked meals and realized it doesn’t take a lot to nourish your family with nutritious foods.
I guess my only complaint would is that healthy food can be kind of expensive, sometimes.
But thanks for this post and the discourse you have stirred up is pretty interesting.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:29 am
Agreed. It’s really sad that there is not enough regulation on our foods (as well the chemicals in the cosmetics and personal care products) and that these companies can basically advertise whatever they want. Look at Kashi — marketed as “natural,” but packed with more genetically modfied soybeans than most competitors. Any company can say “natural” or completely greenwash their products, which makes it hard for people to figure out what exactly they are eating.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:29 am
Don’t be pissed Glenn. You only have control over your own actions so there is no use getting pissed ’cause you can’t change what others eat (short of imposing some kind of authoritarian govt). Yes, I suppose the unhealthy eating is costing us all in terms of public health care expense but I would submit to you that the insurance companies and law-suit-fearing doctors are contributing far more to our sky-rocketing health care costs. I believe that as each one of us learns to eat healthy (and btw, to love it) we become an example to others. At some point there may be a critical mass and all that junk food just won’t be appealing to many any longer. At that point the junk food purveyors lose much clout. I live in coastal California, which for better or worse often swings the nation, and I can tell you that there is a lot of awareness here about healthy eating.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:30 am
Simple solution: if it has a label, don’t eat it. Actual food doesn’t have labels. I’m lucky — I was raised by a mother who was the child of Italian immigrants, and to this day when I shop, I do most of it in the meat and produce aisle where I can at least tell what the food was before it was killed. I’m not a “health nut,” either. I don’t exercise aside from a daily walk, and I eat my share of crap, too. But I will not cram garbage down my gullet that is spelled wrong for legal reasons. It’s not even hard to cook healthy stuff — just get a crock pot for gawdzsakes.
Reading some of the outraged commenters above is pretty sad. If the only American liberty you value is the right to eat and act like an unsupervised bratty 6 year old, that’s a pretty pathetic life. The best they can do is deliberately damage themselves and their kids to prove that they’re Big Boys and that “da gummit’s not the boss of me!” Sad.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:33 am
Very true, and quite scary at the same time. It is turning into an epidemic. Have you watched the documentary by HBO called Weight of the Nation? It apparently gives an interesting perspective on eating in America. Non-processed food, good wholesome fruits and veggies and turkey meat seems to be working well in our family!
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:43 am
Well said Witchita, The food industry and the drug industry would like nothing better than to keep feeding the BS to the American Public, after all as long as their wallets keep getting as fat as everybody else, they don’t see a problem!
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:48 am
I totally agree! We became an organic household and haven’t turned back since. I try to educate my children on the nasty facts of all the bad food that they think tastes so good.
I feel pissed as well over all the easy, packed foods. I was shopping for bread recently and as I read the labels I couldn’t believe how many of them that claimed to be “whole Wheat” were made with high fructose corn syrup. I can’t believe how many items this ingredient is in and all the sneaky ways they try to hide that by calling it by different names.
We need a change in this country!
May 30th, 2012 at 1:02 am
The problem is not only there….the problem of junk seems to be Global….all we need to to at our end is to take a few initiatives ourselves and educate our kids on healthy eating habits. I my self have recently taken a small step towards it ….
this is my blog http://www.smallmeasuresbigpleasures.wordpress.com please do take a look at it, hope you find something interesting.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:50 am
Great post! I enjoyed the mention of your ex-wife ‘dietician’. In my opinion, this ‘nutritionism’ fad is what is contributing to the production of bad food and enabling unhealthy lifestyles in terms of food consumption. It’s not difficult to eat right. It doesn’t take any more time than NEEDED. It certainly isn’t more expensive and you don’t need to read the back of your chocolate bar to see if it contains any vitamins or that you’re eating too many calories.
You know what pisses ME off? People who don’t know anything about how their food is produced or where it comes from. We’re too distant from the food we eat and it’s really sad.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:54 am
how bout an MRE? i dont have a choice they make us eat them. all this talk about food is makin me crave a cheese burger. you guys are making me want to go eat!
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:55 am
I’ve certainly not read all the comments that came before to see if someone else already said the exact same thing, but as you might guess, this is not only an American problem but a problem in many wealthy western countries. Here in Finland, for example, the trend is pretty much the same, only we’re dealing with a much smaller nation with much less overall people – nevertheless, we are dealing with an unnatural and plain unhealthy way of living being the “normal”, accepted and most promoted one.
Anyone openly defending the junk food lifestyle and bad-mouthing “health nuts” is not going to be taken very seriously. I am aware that since I gobble down gallons of ice cream during the hot summer and sometimes buy a huge pack of candy on a whim, I am a hipocryte to some extent. However, I like to think that the guilt I feel for buying and eating crap stems from the fact that I know it’s not a very smart thing to do – not because the more healthy-eating people are forcing their ideals on me.
No matter how bluntly they put it, they’re right.
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:10 am
you will be very surprized by this……i live in south africa and last year we were voted the 3rd fatest nation in the world…google it…….macdonalds,kfc and all the other shite knows no particular race ,culture,demographic or social class…………….truely multinational are they.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:24 pm
I am a little surprised, but more than that, disappointed. At any rate, I didn’t mean to come out as exclusive in my statement, although I guess I was wrong.
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:57 am
I just finished being angry myself when I came across this post. And though I don’t normally read the drivel that accounts for most comments these days, I made the effort to read what people where saying about your post. A lot of good arguments on both sides of the fence. Often I think there are fanatics on either side of the health discussion, either too lazy or too aggressive. The good thing is you’ve gotten another discussion started.
In my opinion, anger is only useful as an awakening. And I’m speaking from my own personal experience. I’ve been angry, but have come to realize it in itself isn’t healthy. Just being upset with the way the system is meaningless. You’re blogging about it isn’t meaningless. For me it helps to remember that we didn’t get fat as a society overnight. It took years. We struggled with ignorance or denial for some time and we’re still seeing those effects. But I think the awareness bubble is growing. It’s probably going to be a few years still before we see a real philosophical change in marketing and advertising. Being angry is good if if means action. If it means those of us who choose a healthy lifestyle keep actively promoting that, while at the same time not patronizing the unhealthy foods out there. I also have to remember as a former smoker that people are only going to change when they want to. Unhealthy lifestyles don’t necessarily mean unhappy lives. How many times have we met that stubborn old codger that smoked three packs a day, drank like a fish, loved fried foods and sat around playing Bridge for decades, only to live until he was 98 years old? As long as there are people like that out in the universe there are going to be companies that are going to cater to that. Which means you and I are going to see it in marketing.
We don’t have to like it. But…we can do everything we can to counter the knowledge with information of our own that promotes viability, energy and generally longer lives. We can start by pressuring companies to lower costs and make it easier to afford being “green, organic and healthy”. We can promote new recipes that make vegetarian meals pretty darn tasty. We can do everything we can in a positive manner to help influence. And then ultimately, be happy that we’ve made our effort and let the chips fall where they may. Because remember, anger isn’t any more healthy than fatty foods…
I loved this post and the discussion, thanks for sharing!!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:03 am
agree
but it’s not just US. look at this: http://www.fastcodesign.com/1669761/infographic-when-the-lights-go-out-the-world-eats-junk
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:03 am
I understand why you are annoyed, while I do love my chips and chocolate I also don’t buy ready made meals … cook and back most things from scratch and buy things on the market. but i have always wanted to go to an american mall and see the rows and rows of food, must be sight worth seeing, even if not worth buying
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:03 am
I must say, thoughtful thoughts
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:04 am
I agree the American diet is mostly horrible and the commercials want to keep it that way. My son used to be jealous of the neighbor kid that had a steady diet of fast food brought home by his parents. Now that he’s older, he appreciates food made from scratch that is much healthier. I’m happy I kept up the struggle to feed him better foods.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:05 am
Glenn, absolutely love this, and will use as inspiration for a blog post of my own. Will link back when I’m done!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:05 am
I absolutely hate the fact that junk food is so cheap and convenient & healthy food is so darn expensive. I am guilty of loading up on things that are bad for me. Occasionally I try to eat healthy but if I kept that up, I’d probably be broke. It sucks and I share your anger.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:06 am
I oouldn’t agree more…
Unfortunately it happens here to (I live in the UK). I am a Mum of 2 and I make sure we eat a well balanced diet. Yes I let them have treats, but in moderation. If I fancy some shitty food (usually when i’m hormonal) then I may have a packet of crisps or chocolate bar (1 not 101).
Whats wrong with some fruit and yes nuts as a snack. Around where I live the local shop mainly sells utter junk. All the healthy food such as fruit and veg goes off as no one (apart from a small minority) will eat it. Yes round here the people are on the larger side. You see them with their baskets full of crisps, pop, sweets and of course pizza). The shops always put the rubbish food on offer and the healthy they wack the price up.
Great post and congrats on freshly pressed. It’s nice to see someone actually doing something about it 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:08 am
My wife and I eat primarily natural and organic food that we buy from Sprouts or Trader Joes. I hope that makes you feel better that there are too people out there that don’t give into the “Junk Food” nation.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:11 am
ITA. It comes down to priorities. Is it a priority to put actual food into our family’s bodies? or is it a priority to have the latest cell phone, cable package, shoot even gym membership? When it comes to money and time regarding food choices the best is not the easiest, fastest, or cheapest; so unless it’s a priority American diets will never change. I’m outraged at the ingredients in products that we simply overlook; and I agree with just about everything in this article. If I could make just only one change, I’ll start with sugar. Eliminate sugar and go from there. I think if I can completely eliminate any processed sugars from our diets then we’d be one step closer to healthy. I can’t afford all organic even though I prefer the taste, but i can afford to switch out sugar for liquid stevia in my iced tea and choose dried fruit or a Lara bar over a snickers next time. If I start there I might have a chance. Thanks for the eye-opening rant, a great reminder for me and my 4 year old daughter.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:12 am
Your right and as a society we should be pissed, We as a family made a choice to eat cleaner 2 years ago including buying our meat from organic growers, yes the expense has gone up but my wife, kids and I have never felt better and I also dropped 30lbs. There are a ton of these quick and easy smoothies out there but once you read the labels are loaded with unnatural ingredients that do more harm than good. We have found a product that is 100% All natural and safe for our kids. It gives us all our vitamins, omegas, and servings og vegetables as well as anti-oxdiants, fibre and protein just click the link hit products and read the labels my contact info is on the site. Great blog, keep up the good fight it’s worth it! http://www.brycebowers.youthjuice.com/products/reshape/nutrition_facts_usa.html
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:15 am
My husband and I were just talking about this last night. Great post!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:17 am
I’ve been screaming this for years but no one listens. Well said!
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:22 am
Me too 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:27 am
Wow, hot topic. Congrats on your FP status. I’m with you Glenn and I can say my husband, who is a food nazi, works in the natural foods industry, would agree with you about being pissed – but people just don’t get it. I do agree that the eating habits of this nation contribute to the high cost of health care ~ food needs to be nutritious as in nourishing to the body – I’ve given up talking about it – people are lazy and don’t care – they would just as soon take drugs to fix something that could have been prevented with good nutritious food. I spend all of my free time, planning nutritious,meals and snacks and shopping for them and cooking them – I have no free time because I prioritize mine and my family’s health. Geez I make my dog and cat’s meals from scratch because of the crappy food sold for them too – I take responsibility for my lack of free time because it is My Choice but I’ll tell you that I don’t incur many vet bills and my dog who just turned 11 had blood work equivalent to a 4 year old dog. My husband is just shy of 53 and his doctor told him he has never had a healthier patient his age. My son is 15 and while I do allow him to eat what he wants when he is at a friends, etc. – he chooses healthy food pretty much all of the time – it is what he knows and he has experienced not feeling good from eating crappy food. Thanks for your great post Glenn, a subject near and dear to my heart – but my advice is to not stress over the fact that other people want to kill themselves….
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:34 am
You are right to be angry, There are a lot of unhealthy foods being offered. People have the free choice to accept them or reject them. You can only take responsibility for what you put in your own body. Connie
http://7thandvine.wordpress.com/
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:41 am
sugar is evil and ruining this country — there’s the real health-care problem. me and my wife are angry too. and SERIOUS label-readers. thanks for writing.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:44 am
It’s about personal responsibility. There will always be unhealthy options, but that’s the beauty of choice. Remain educated about the foods you choose and move on.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:45 am
as a moderately well traveled italian living in rome, i can certainly agree with you: america is now facing two problems combined – the bad food and the unconstrained, aggressive marketing aimed especially at youngsters. to get them hooked early, i guess.
i enjoyed this piece – thanks
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 am
I agree with the marketing towards kids. That is going to be what “I’m pissed PART III is about, how hard it is to keep my kids away from sugar when they go to a public school. And I am not just talking about school lunch. I am talking about all the various ways and invented reasons to stuff extra “treats” down them out of the lunch room.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:49 am
Reblogged this on Reanna's Thoughts and commented:
You are not alone. I’m pissed too.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:51 am
😀 I’ve been pissed about that for a while too! Nice rant.
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:54 am
I am pissed too..
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:55 am
My latest health post- feel free to comment. http://wp.me/p1ci55-by
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:59 am
Great Post! It’s all about awareness. And it’s all about chooses.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:21 am
Unfortunately its the same all over the globe – in Europe too. I write from Serbia, and I can only repeat your words “… our modern society is so determined to dig our own graves with our spoons and forks, … unhealthy food is so cheap and convenient and available everywhere… “
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:21 am
Excellent blog! I agree 100 percent. It slays me when the local Whole Foods have companies pushing their “fat free” products that are loaded with sugar! I’m always saying, “Fat is not the enemy.” Then they look at me quizzical and ask, “Well then what is the enemy?” DUH! Sugar, artificial ingredients, hormones, etc!!!! And don’t even get me started on those who FEAR the avocado, yet don’t think twice about eating two slices of pizza!! I am pissed too! Let’s be pissed together because it just keeps getting worse. They just don’t get it!
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:27 am
I have to agree with Glenn but can also sympathize with the other half. I own a business and probably put in around 70 hrs a week and I can speak form personal experience, I don’t always make the right decisions when it comes to my food choices when eating. Furthermore, I don’t think that Glenn is attacking Americans for eating or feeding their kids sugar, but rather saying with a projected 46% obesity rate by the year 2020 it’s time to wake up America. First, let’s look at what we’ve been told. For about last 40 years in American medicine, doctors have been telling patients and society to eat a healthy low-fat diet for a heart healthy lifestyle. I think that its fair to say that we now know this information is invalid. Unfortunately, most not all dieticians follow this way of thinking. If we’re going to change the way we think and eat food, we must first change the way we educate the dietary and health care professionals in this country. Secondly, I think that its fair to say that most people age 32 and up probably grew up on reasonably high carbohydrate based diet as a child without becoming overweight. I’m no expert, but I feel part of the problem with food today is that we add too many chemicals and preservatives for longer shelf life, equaling more profit for the food manufacturers.On a final note. I think that most professionals in the health and fitness industry and warehouse training facilities understand that when you shop at a grocery store, you always shop on the three exterior walls, the “Horseshoe” of the store. This is where most of your wholefoods can be found, Never shop in the interior aisles. Great rank Glenn, sorry about the chapter reply.
Dan
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:32 am
I really enjoyed reading this piece. After working in a conventional supermarket more many years, I grew to loathe many of the food choices that were available. I eventually went to work at an organic market, where the selection was much healthier, but very expensive. I wandered into a Whole Foods in NYC several years ago and gawked at the overpriced junk food.It really sucks that big agriculture gets all the government subsidies, while small scale farmers, and vegetable farmers get squat.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:37 am
What it all boils down to is that something is just fundamentally broken. This has to be true, with 23% of teenagers showing prediabetic symtoms, teenage obesity approaching 50%, and heart attacks in CHILDREN on a steep rise, no one can argue that something isnt broken when it comes to our eating. The question is how to fix it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:29 pm
I agree. 99% of the US population eats meat from a factory farm,which is bad for the animals, the environment, and us. Also, Americans eat way too much dairy and sugar. The whole situation regarding the way we eat is complicated. Most of the problems have to do with policy making and greed…
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:33 am
My mom instilled the healthy eating habit into our home. For snacks we eat rice cakes and we make cereal by breaking the rice cakes up and putting soy milk in it lol.
My mom raised me right by feeding us vegetables and fruit every day. Occasionally I do by the little candy bar. I jusst feed the slight crave and move on. But healthy eating is by far the best thing you can do to your body ever.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:55 am
Glad your rant was freshly pressed. America is living off of Genetically Modified Organisms (mostly corn based). GMOs are banned in Europe! So yes, America is failing to eat REAL food and in the process is killing the next generation.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Really Awesome post! Good it was on the freshly pressed!
http://journeythroughhtml.wordpress.com/
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:12 pm
Reblogged this on Nourishista and commented:
This was shared on the Facebook page of one of my favorite bloggers, and pretty much sums up exactly how I feel about the current state of our food system.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:14 pm
This is an important post. I’m pissed about the American diet too. I watched the movie Forks over Knives last month and have been trying to eat more plant-based foods since. What I’ve noticed is exactly what you noticed when you were in Guatemala – that after I’m satisfied I don’t feel the need to keep eating. Processed foods destroy our relationship to the food, it’s almost like the communication is severed and we must simply followed the tyrannical dictates of the tongue only. Our tastebuds are so over-stimulated, they are spoiled from tasting real food.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:16 pm
You’re not alone my friend….you’re not alone….
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Back in the day, my grandmother made 5 hamburgers for her family of 5 out of one pound of ground beef. Now days, people think that only makes 3. I think there are a lot of factors at play here. Money is tight and food is comparably more expensive than before. So people on tight budgest get boxed meals that are not so good for you. People think they know about portions but marketing gives a false perspective on that. I keep up on nutrition but am still overweight. I’m always hungry. If I eat something good. Two hours later I may go back and get the portion I make up for my work lunch the next day. The doctor doesn’t listen to my when I try to tell her I’m hungry ALL the time and want help. There is a point when will power isn’t enough. She also ignores the sleep issues I’ve had since I was 19 and a tiny little thing. So my weight did not cause my sleep problems. And sleep is vital to proper weight loss. I am trying to find a new doctor that is willing to work with me and not blame everthing on my weight. Even the things that predated my weight gain.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:10 pm
Try to concentrate on veggies if you are hungry all the time. I would imagine you could eat veggies non-stop and lose weight.
Microwave fresh broccoli in a glass dish with a lid (but burped open) for 1-1:30 minutes (2 minutes if frozen). It steams in the dish. I have it at least once a day with one meal. Carrots are good. Green beans, peas, etc (no corn – its a grain, not a veggie).
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:22 pm
Wow! I am impressed by the most of the comments and saddened by the few that seem to have the additude that what they do doesn’t affect others. Our health system is being overextended because of the rise of diabetes and other prevetable diseases that have been exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles.
People eat an unhealthy diet because it is less expensive. Eating healthy does cost more, 30% more, which is sad. Every family should be able to afford a healthy diet, but big corporations that put out the empty calorie foods create foods that are addicting. They have the money to advertize and people, not just american, respond to it by thinking they are buying something good for thier families. A few years back, Snickers was one of the larger sponcers for the Olympics. It showed athletes eating a Snickers bar like it was an apple or carrot. “Snickers satisfies you.” So, people started to grab snicker bars thinking it was a healthy snack. Ugh!!! The sad part, people get used to the flavor, so when given fruit, vegetable or something natural, they don’t like the taste.
What should be considered a treat, something eaten on a special occasion or rarely eaten has become something people eat everyday. It’s in abundance and so people buy it. Go back one hundred and fifty years and that was not the case.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:25 pm
Walk through a Walmart and look at all the poor choices…isle upon isle of high sugar processed foods. Barley a half a shelf of anything worth putting into you mouth. I’M PISSED TOO.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:26 pm
*BARELY 🙂
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:25 am
haha…yes barley is a grain too….lol
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:30 pm
This is so true. I refuse to eat those sugary snack foods unless it’s the full flavor yogurt (the light stuff has that evil ingredient aspartame) or all natural applesauce. I don’t even drink soda anymore unless I’m having a drink with friends or I’m nauseous and need a ginger ale. Other than that, I stay away from artificial processed foods.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:35 pm
You said it! When I first came to live in this country from South Africa I couldn’t believe the scary ingredients in your food – even in the healthier stuff.
I try stick to vegetables because the meat here is loaded with hormones and antibiotics and the animals are subject to extreme cruelty prior to slaughter – but your veggies are coated in up to 50 pesticides!
Even your organic food is dodgy and not guaranteed to be organic. And it all tastes awful. When I go back home to see my family I’m always amazed at how good the food in Africa tastes.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:37 pm
Reblogged this on The Starving Journalist and commented:
This blog is completely and utterly true. When I saw this, it reminded me of the documentary “Super Size Me,” my health class in college and all the reasons why I try so hard to stay away from over-processed foods. But it’s hard to do when your mother has a digestive problem with wheat and gluten and you have TMJ disorder (in other words, clicking-locking jaw problem).
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:39 pm
Thank you so much for this article!! I recently started a healthy lifestyle in February and by April I had given up all meats except for fish. (not to say you can’t be healthy eating lean meats) I live and work in NYC and it has actually been both a killer and a lifesaver for my healthy living. They have fresh juicing carts, organic businesses, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, there are just so many options. On the down side, they are all ridiculous prices so I’ve resorted to trying to pack my own lunches and cook my own dinners. It takes a lot of will power to walk from work to your apartment, pass 2 dollar pizza places (with pizza that’s amazing by the way), 5 McDonalds, 10 Starbucks/Dunkin Donuts, etc. Good example, yesterday I decided to make fish for dinner. Across from the dollar pizza place I love is a fresh fish market. 2 fillets cost me $16!! I could’ve eaten for $1. However, I saved myself the fat that came along with that slice. It’s so hard to be a healthy american….
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:45 pm
I’m a junk food consumer. It’s all about quick and easy and inexpensive in my world. But I started to feel awful. ALL THE TIME. So last week I did a veggie fast. It was amazing how FAST my body responded to it. I felt better within 24 hours. But I found that it was very hard to eat that way. It was hard to find the foods. When I found them they were expensive. There were very few “convenient foods” (read: frozen or prepackaged for eating on busy nights when we need to run out the door).You are right. As a society, we need to make some very basic changes to our thinking. Many of the comments I read above show me how very far we have to go! In the meantime, my family is striving to do better. But some days we still grab pizza pockets because we’re hungry and poor and that’s what’s available and cheap. Sad but true.
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Absolutely agree with you!!!! It is a travesty and a dangerous one at that. Don’t stay silent…….keep speaking up as you are doing………..Way to Go !!!!!
May 22nd, 2012 at 12:55 pm
Hi…you are right on, but the machine that drives people towards this type of food is so big…the pharmaceutical companies are rubbing their grubby little hands together…Great! Eat crap! We can sell you more drugs! How do you stop this process?! I’m in the alternative health biz and I see it all the time and people are so unwilling to change. I’ve always ate quite well but recently I cottoned on to raw foods and realized that despite the fact that I’m eating pretty well, a good portion of minerals and vits get destroyed by cooking. Anything we buy in a jar or canned is cooked, by the way. I did an article a while ago for our enews subscribers talking about how “An apple a day (used to) keep the doctor away’. Well, 100 years ago an apple had almost enough iron in it for our daily requirement…now, you’d have to eat 26 apples a day to get the same. This is due to the farming practices…they don’t add the minerals back into the soil. AND of course that’s just one mineral…it’s the same for all the others. So although I’m not a fan of fanaticism, I am eating WAY more raw organic food. I bought a dehydrator and now can make stuff without destroying the goodies with high heat. So I’m doing what I can and sharing my ride with clients and folks that are following my blog. Will I ever have poutine again or a big fat T-Bone on the BBQ? Probably, but not near as much and everything I do in between is high quality and I love it. Believe it or not…raw food is addictive. I think my body is crying out..Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Regarding getting people to wake up…I don’t know what to say except, you can lead a horse to water…
I think most people are so stressed out running around trying to keep up and make a living that changing their food is tough. Maybe if they get really ill they might change, but I’ve seen many a person with serious issues (terminal cancer etc) and they won’t change either so what can you do? It really troubles me that companies lie about the quality of their food products too. Commercials saying some crappy cold cereal can lower cholesterol…absolute BUNK! I had a stronger word in mind but I’m trying to keep it clean…
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:01 pm
Reblogged this on glutenfreebunintheoven and commented:
I completly agree with this post. I also get pissed at peoples ignorance when it comes to what they put in their body’s and especially in their childrens body’s. It is rediculous that people care so little about educating themselve on something that has such a dramatic impact on not only your physical health, but your mental health, your emotions, your energy levels…everything! Ugh!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:06 pm
This is unfortunately getting fashion all around the world. England has also huge problems and in the rest of the Europe it is getting more and more present.
I always thought I would get as old as my grandpa’s sister: 93. She walks by herself without stock and keeps sheep everyday without any problems. Only thing she complains about is that she cannot see that good like she is used to. Not to mention that she is thinner than the rest of us who live in a society with lots of money and freedom buying whatever we want. Only not good and healthy food.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Reblogged this on terrejd and commented:
I feel this same way!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:11 pm
We can do two things (well, three, if you count taking a deep breath and not engaging the trolls). One, BUY GOOD FOOD. I just got in on a cow share and will pack my freezer with a 1/4 grass-fed cow for a reasonable price. Support what you say you care about. Two, right now the government is mis-applying our tax dollars to support Big Ag wheat/corn/soy and the best way to change that is VOTE and write your representative. The US government ought to be subsidizing well managed pasture farming operations. It ought to be subsidizing lettuce. ORGANIC lettuce. As long as the government is going to subsidize, we the people can tell them where to put the $$. If we down out the money from Big Ag.
My kids never go to Safeway. We drive past a McD on the way to swimming class. I review why that food is unhealthy every time we drive by. I explain they give toys away to make you go even though the food will make you sick. We have toys at home and can buy more. We have grass-fed beef burgers that taste awesome. Why would we want to eat there?
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:15 pm
I’m thinking I’m pretty late in this game as far as anyone honestly paying attention, but here goes anyway. I’m a tall woman at 5’9″ and in 2002 weighed in at a hefty 308 #s. I was 38 years old and felt absolutely awful…physically…let’s not go into the emotional and self-esteem issues. I could not sleep through the night because I could not move my body without waking up to lift and then move….and I had to move because it hurt to stay in one position. I finally gave in and talked with my Dr., yes, I said ‘gave in’ because there’s a sense of pride that is attached to the self-esteem issue. Not that I felt proud of being so fat, but that I did not want to face being told what to do by anyone. If I’m hitting a cord with anyone yet, then great. Anyway, my Dr. told me to do two things: see a nutritionist, and sign up with Weight Watchers. And no, I did not have a whole lot of money to my name…I was living on a teacher’s salary and my marriage was failing. I still had health insurance which took care of the Dr visit and nutritionist. What I found out from the nutritionist was this:
I was not eating enough protein, or vegetables/fruits – she recommended the book, “The Insulin Resistant Diet” which explains how protein helps with combating sugar highs.
At Weight Watchers, I learned how much protein and vegies/fruit I could eat in a day and still be healthy, satisfied and still lose weight.
It took me 2 and a half years…i went through divorce, bankruptcy, completed my masters degree and a dealt with a near foreclosure…but I lost 112 #s.
Although I’ve gained some back because of other things I needed to learn, the bottom line is that I found how I can eat healthy even on a meager income. The thing is that protein provides satiety better than anything else out there for a much longer period of time. Adding the veggies (aka fiber) helps with that ‘full’ feeling as well. Then you get the added bonus of actually getting the vitamins and minerals your body craves. The other thing I’ve been able to do on a regular basis without spending a ton of money in a gym, is exercise. I did spend money on a mtn bike, but bought it at Target instead of a bicycle specialty store. So, I did not spend an arm and a leg. I ride 5 to 6 times a week for 3 – 9 miles at a time. Cheaper than this, walking is free and people could get their whole family in on the action…it just takes breaking down some walls that we all tend to put up to protect ourselves.
Anyway…I want my kids to feel as good as I do when they turn 48, 58…68 and older. I don’t want to have to bury any of them before me. This one thing is my driving force for healthy eating habits.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:21 pm
That is so true! I live in England but when I went to America I saw a kid eat 2 portions of buffalow wings, 3 servings of fries and a burger. And the kid was only about 12 and deffinatly obese!
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:32 pm
Great post! Congrats on getting Freshly Pressed! We don’t eat as healthy as I’d like but I do limit what we bring into the house as I have no self-control when it comes to chocolate. I do not want my kids to become sugar addicts so we have “Sometimes Food” that we eat once in a while. It didn’t happen overnight but my kids love to snack on fruit, help me cook (we discovered a new parmesan cheese asparagus recipe via Pinterest), and prefer to eat Grandma’s Filipino homecooked meals than McDonalds! There are so many choices for junk food! When my kids and I went to a friend’s house for dinner, they were suprised she had more than one carton of ice cream, more than one brand of chips, etc.! I vary it and say things like, “We got chips last time we were at the grocery store. Let’s wait a while before we get chips again.” Like I said, it doesn’t happen right away or automatically but in the end, it will be worth it. 🙂 Alma
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:38 pm
It’s unbelievable the stuff people eat! I go to University in England and never cease to be shocked by what people my age feed themselves- crisps (chips, in America) are seen as a normal side-dish or snack, and they drink soda like a regular person (me) drinks water. I’m all for having treats in moderation, but it worries me that these people aren’t getting any nutrition at all, will be prone to all sorts of diseases, or at the very least, a lower quality of life, and that they’re doing it to themselves.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:45 pm
I totally agree with you, but if you wish to get your point across to a wider audience you need to use professional language that is more acceptable. I would have posted it if you had. Sorry I try to teach right and wrong and can’t use it if it is full of expletives. You make a good point with what is wrong with commercials and too much junk food, but make it more acceptable to wider audience.
May 22nd, 2012 at 1:52 pm
I couldn’t agree more. I am from Germany and I have NEVER seen so many fat people like I see here in the US on a DAILY basis and unfortunately LOTS of heavily overweight kids. Really scary and sad! Lots of parents don’t seem to care much about their kids health.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:12 pm
…wow a plethora of mixed ideas here which is great, debates lead to changes. this is not just a monopoly that the US has, we have the same happenings in NZ, its cheaper to buy a 2 litre of fizzy drink than 2 litres of milk. and i thought NZ was the guinea pig for new trials. people have choices….but in reality we think we have choices. “healthy” choices do cost more and sometime takes a little more time to prepare…but who misses the bloating, flatulence, bad breath, heart burn, sluggishness, aches and pains, dentist bills, doctors bills, medications over medications plus plus, when they happen to change their diet and omit processed foods??! who here is addicted to sugar?? think about it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Ok, you’re pissed. Go to Japan where elephant tusks, shark fins, and dogs are delicacies. Maybe you’ll like it better there. BTW, if you are pissed about what we eat, study the educational level of our children. They are rank 17th in the world. Something else you can get pissed about.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:16 pm
Haha I’m not from America, but we have this idea of America as a country with lots and lots of fat people. Is that true? :O hahah
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:39 pm
sooooo true….funny
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:17 pm
I’m pissed that I have to pay for the health care costs of those blubbering lard asses and their fat kids. People have choices. I chose to never let my kids see the inside of a McDonalds or any other fast food dump. It only takes a few cents more to eat healthy. It’s not that people don’t want to eat healthy, it’s because they are usually too lazy or just ignorant to make the right choices. Some folks say they just don’t have the time. I work my ass off but I always make time to insure my family eats healthy. Ever heard of left overs?
Good post, and congrats on winning the FP lottery.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:24 pm
Just as there is an excess of eating fat, there is an excess of denial. I feel sorry for your kids. It wouldn’t hurt to treat them to a Big Mac once or twice a month, especially if you continue your rugged “boot camp” policies with your kids. Did you ever think your extreme measures might negatively affect your kids in their adulthood? There are bad parents, good parents, and parents whose intentions are good but “go over the edge”, so to speak. My parents didn’t “punish” me as you are punishing your kids, but none of us are fat. Our parents just taught us better.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:00 pm
What boot camp policies? Punishing my children? Are you really that damn stupid? Where the hell in my comments did I say anything harsh about the way my children are being raised? You may not be fat, but unlike you I’m happily married! So hows your failed divorced life working out for ya you moron!
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:19 pm
Ok, you’re pissed. Go to Japan where shark fins, elephant tusks, and dogs are delicacies. You might like it better there. BTW, while you’re at it, study the educational level of our children. They are ranked17th in the world. U.S. kids are, apparently, pretty stupid kids. Something else you can get pissed about. Too much X-box, not enough homework.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:25 pm
Amen brother. Its time to grow our own food!
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:29 pm
Excellent post. I can’t add anything that has not already been stated. (10 thumbs up, Glenn!!!)
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:38 pm
Reblogged this on Courage Challenges and commented:
One of many reasons why I had decided to eat healthier. Great post!
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:43 pm
Guatemala does not yet have the problem of excess like in the US mostly because they cannot afford it. Once you import processed food items they go up in price and become unaffordable to most of the population. I live in Chile and used to think the same thing about Chile. However, Chileans are quickly becoming the fatest country in Latin America, next to Mexico. Part of that is the growing middle class and the access to quick and easy processed foods either imported from the US, or made here under the same brand. I used to think that immigrants in the US would maintain their same eating habits (fresh fruits and vegetables) once they arrived in the US. Then, I worked at a clinic for Spanish-speaking immigrants and found that most of our patients were suffering from the excess that is modern US life. It’s a world epidemic. While I liked your post and I agree that the US diet SUCKS, don’t kid yourself that it doesn’t happen in other countries.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:45 pm
Reblogged this on Belinda Laurie.
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:45 pm
BUT KROGER CARBMASTER YOGURT IS LOW IN FAT AND SUGAR!! Well said, though! =)
May 22nd, 2012 at 2:55 pm
It comes down to money. There’s money to be made selling pop tarts and mountain dew. Those commercials are in prime time slots, and they cost money. They aren’t many commercials for vegetables. Like it or not, you are affected by commerical, jingles and marketing.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:02 pm
Traveled to America from Italy and whoa did we have to diet when we came home. We went to the grocery store and the availability of fresh fruit and vegetables was lovely yet people were walking by them to the processed crap. It made us sad. Too much fast food and too many processed foods.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:05 pm
I was thinking the same about Ireland & the UK recently after spending a while in mainland Europe. They don’t go out of their way to make healthy meals, they just naturally are. Pity that our ‘cuisine’ doesn’t amount to much! 😛
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:40 pm
First of all, congrats for the great post!
It´s amazing what you north americans have been doing to yourselves. I think it´s time to say no to BigMacs, pizza and Doritos. You are absolutely right.
I would like to share something that´s going on here in Brazil.
Our most typical meal is rice+beans+steak+salad and although the fast food chains are “still” strong here they have been changing their menus to add healthier food suchs as salads and fruits. Additionally, as the country grows, more and more people are going to “slow food” restaurants and high quality food. The result is that the kids are starting to dislike fried food and are adhering more and more to light meet like roast beef, salads, fruits and fresh juices.
My 14 years old daughter just don´t like sodas(pure sugar)! That´s great.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:46 pm
I feel the same way. I am really into fitness and lifting and I believe that humans have distored the way food should be eaten. All through out human history, at least most of it, humans have been eating “clean” healthy food. our bodies are not supposed to be passing breaking down processed foods and so much fat. Humans, like animals, eat to stay a live. At least this is the way it should be. Americans specifically have taken this concept and twisted it inside and out. Now it is all about what we like and what taste the best. It is a shame but it is reality now.
May 22nd, 2012 at 3:47 pm
I agree with you on all accounts except for one: the US is NOT America. It is only a part of America. Don’t say American.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:17 pm
Congrats on FP! You hit a nerve it seems! I didn’t read all 435 comments but wanted to say you’re obviously not the only American who feels this way.
Why is it okay to have toxic chemicals and invented nutrition in our food?
Why does the average “US” American (for the sake of the previous poster clarifiying American) feeding their family not question what’s in the food and why, for the love of all things, does the FDA/USDA, etc allow the crap in our food?
Why are we buying our “fresh produce” from Chile, Mexico or even from somewhere 500 miles away?
Why are we allowing the food industry to make huge profits while processing our food to oblivion?
I’m frustrated I can no longer trust what I buy in the supermarkets and have to become a Police Investigator/Chemist just to get down to what it is I’m really buying. So, ya, I’m pissed too!
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:22 pm
Europeans focus on healthy foods. Here in the states, its all about the money….and people are dying from it.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:26 pm
You can’t really blame Americans. It’s not that we, as Americans, WANT to eat shitty food. It’s more or less shoved down our throats every second of every day and healthier options are less convenient, less available and sometimes less affordable. Our whole country is basically ran by corporations who make billions off us being dying, fat, unhealthy people who spend all our hard earned cash on crap they pitch to us. But it really isn’t ALL of our faults. Partially, it is, but a lot of it is lack of moderation of the federal govt. to make sure food ingredients are properly labeled and CLEARLY labeled and that people are not so misguided. Because the govt. is basically in bed with the FDA and all the corporations and their circle jerking ways, no one cares about the American people. Please write a post about how we can take America back from these greedy sons of …yeah. I’d love to read it and share it with everyone I know. Thanks for posting this.
May 22nd, 2012 at 4:55 pm
Oh my gosh! I am so with you. Our 10 year old had to write a discussion paper for school on the topic of “Is Junk Food Bad for You”. He did a great job saying that it is – we have taught him well! But he was far too well aware that it was cheap, convenient and often tasted ok. I read labels, eat additive-free and steer away from what my Dad used to call ” modern day food inventions”. Shame on those who make and market high sugar, additive-laden foods, I say! Great post! Congrats!
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Oh boy, after reading the first 30 responses, I stopped, because it would take too long. But here’s some good news for you: not everyone is feeding their kids junk, and not everyone is susceptible to the commercials. Our kids both went to Montessori schools, which emphasize healthy food. In fact, at many Montessori schools the parents will get in trouble if they send unhealthy food to school with their kid. They are now in a middle school where health class spends a lot of time talking about healthy vs. unhealthy food, and what commercials do.
As far as cooking is concerned: I never spend more than 20 minutes making a meal. In fact, I usually spend ten minutes cutting stuff up and throwing it in a pan with some olive oil, and then stir it a few times, and ten or fifteen minutes later I’m done.
The problem is trying to get everything organic. It’s still so much more expensive than “regular”, that I do it kind of half and half. And people with a really limited budget can’t afford all organic food. But if enough of us who can, do buy organic, then at some point it will make sense for companies to go all organic. And then it will also be cheaper. So what we can do, depending on our income, is voice our opinion with our pocketbook.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:12 pm
Yeah, great post! and yeah, we all are pissed as you are, when we are considering health and food in this country. Junk food is hard to escape, but it is possible to avoid, it takes just a longer time to adjust and get the right reflexes. You teach yourself and change, you also teach your kids by the example given, that’s the good news! On netflix you can watch with the kids : “Forks over knives”,” Fat, sick and nearly dead”, and”Food, Inc”. And read : “wheat belly”. Utterly instructive.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:14 pm
I’d rather have a junk food commercial on TV here, and the freedom to not eat it, than trade it for a failed, drug infested, poverty-stricken society such as the one that produces only the food you describe in this post.
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:34 am
Yes, because that society is correlated to healthy eating. You’re saying a higher standard of living is impossible with healthy eating? Get out of here.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:20 pm
Good post; too bad some of the discussion was so negative. Hmm, maybe they ate too much sugar 😉
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:23 pm
What I find interesting is the belief that convenience food is cheaper. A small box of sugary cereal is regularly priced at $5. A bag of slow oats costs me $1.75. It takes 10 minutes to mix up, and hour in the oven with one or two stirs, and I have granola for a week. And I get to control exactly what is going into my food.
This was a great post. I’m angry too. Congrats on being Freshly Pressed.
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:23 pm
So agree The comercial issue is why we don’t have Tv in y house and that the kids should be going out to play, it’s better for them. And even living on an organic farm with out tv and knowning what we should eat, it’s still hard to pass up all the tasty looking ( not tasting) foods that fill the grocery store aisles…
May 22nd, 2012 at 5:33 pm
This is hilarious! I’m really pissed as well because the entire concept of advertising junk food as something that all children should consume is completely contradictory to all the efforts to prevent childhood obesity.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:08 pm
OMFG I’m pissed about this too! I am definitely going to write an entry for my blog entitled “The high price of cheap convenience food” I don’t entirely blame the average consumer, because let’s face it….the average American (HA! I’m not American, I’m Canadian) is very stupid when it comes to fitness and nutrition…..and to be honest, quite stupid in general when it comes to anything that’s not the “American Way”…..and yes, before you start bashing me, I have visited the US many times and observed the higher number of fat ugly people in comparison to Canada…..excpet for LA and Miamai where people actually try…..Anyway, enough of my Americans are stupid rant. What really pisses me off is the fact that the food manufacturers place a much higher value on what’s going to fly off the shelves and get people addicted rather than what’s going to help people feel satisfied, be happier and healthier. Sure, gobbling down twinkies might feel good for a few moments, but the aftermath of eating any of these highly processed sugary foods is always awful….and the worst part is refined sugars always keep you going back for more due to the way they spike the blood sugar giving you a brief rush……and then leaving you hungrier than you were before. What pisses me off even more is that due to globalization, the “American Way” is spreading to other parts of the globe. In a lot of places it’s like “F*CK America!!! oh man….I could go for a grande macciato right about now” LOL
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:15 pm
I started eating what I call whole foods about 5 years ago. I don’t even buy junk food so there’s no temptation to eat it. The year I stopped using sugar in my coffee and eating sweets, I lost 40 lbs. Now that I eat healthier, it’s the only food that really does taste good to me. Combined with fitness, my newer healthier way of eating have resulted in me being in the best shape of my life. It’s a pity that I had to be forty something when I finally did it. 🙂
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:36 pm
It is amazing to see what the licensed RDs and other practioners recommend as healthy. I’m always amazed at the amount of high fructose corn syrup or artificial sweetner that can be recommeded in one day. Let’s not forget about all of the products that have enough added chemicals in the ingredients to call for a toxic waste site. People you are responsible for your food and your children’s nutritional needs. Food can be your best medicine or a slow toxin, chose wisely.
May 22nd, 2012 at 6:37 pm
The priority in the U.S. is always, first and foremost, TO SUPPORT CORPORATIONS– in this case, food corporations and all of their cheap “creations” set out for us in brightly labeled, attractive packages, sold in brightly-lit, cheerful stores. Who cares about the nightmare source and manufacturing methods used, the nutritional value of the things (and I do mean ‘THINGS’) we eat, or the carcinogens used in their creation? Most of it doesn’t even resemble real food. And people keep buying it. Go figure.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:23 pm
I do not understand why protein bars and shakes masquerade as health food when they are so highly processed and can lead to elevated cholestrol levels. Or why it is apparently in vogue to shun carbohydrates and red meat when they contain vital nutrients.
People need to realise that what is truly healthy is the ability to everything in moderation, instead of doing your body a great disservice by consuming exclusively vegetables or coca cola for every meal.
I mean, for goodness sake, full cream milk has less than 3% fat and lots of calcium.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:23 pm
governments should come forward to educate people about the side effects of this fast food and sugar rich candy. May be there should be a law which forces all food corporations to show side effects of their product in their product packaging itself.
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:35 pm
I agree 100%. Check out what Dr Lustig says about sugar. This may already have been mentioned in one of the other comments but I’m not reading them all to find out. It’s called “Sugar: The Bitter Truth”
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:51 pm
Love it…
Proper diet and nutrition alone would solve this country’s health problem and fix the stinking economy along the way –
But, unfortunately, it is considered abnormal and we’re way too busy to even think about it!
I spent my first 33 years being lazy and eating like a fool, and the past 6 months eating right & exercising – feeling great, looking great & living great!
Good post, glad they pressed you!
May 22nd, 2012 at 7:55 pm
Reblogged this on Eva Santiago and commented:
I agree with this blogger 100%!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:25 pm
When I moved to Poland I had a friend tell me even the vegetables in the US make people fat. I laughed my ass off, because she was so right.
You should be pissed. We should all be pissed. I’m glad you blogged about it. More people need to.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:27 pm
A good friend of mine lived in Brazil for seven years. When she moved back to the States her observation was simple: it is backwards here. In Brazil, fresh produce and meat are accessible and affordable while processed foods are rare and expensive. Not so in the US. I appreciate your rant, and agree fully.
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:30 pm
A lot of Americans complain that they don’t have the time to prepare healthy meals. It really doesn’t take THAT much effort…you just have to plan for it. When I lived in Taiwan, people there worked 12-hour workdays, but most of them still maintained active lifestyles and ate a balanced diet.
You’ll be surprised how much of a difference it makes when you don’t consume as much processed junk and sugary drinks!
May 22nd, 2012 at 8:59 pm
It is shameful. I almost feel revolted in going down the middle section of our stores. All junk!
May 22nd, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Reblogged this on jennyforum and commented:
Recently I moved to Austin, TX where the food scene is very good. You can easily find vegetarian, healthy, organic foods. Food here tastes like food.
I visited my mother in Phoenix over the past weekend and was dumbfounded at what people in Phoenix eat and what these crappy chain restaurants serve, its all I saw out there. How are people who live in places that are not forward thinking ever going to be able to make good food choices when its nothing but processed, misleading junk everywhere??
Thanks Glenn for saying what I have been saying for a few years now!!
In fact I am so upset about what people are eating that I co-founded a non-profit that is aimed toward getting salad bars in schools.
We have got to re-teach people how to eat.
We want vitamins and nutrients in our food and we want less chemicals and no genetically modified ingredients!
May 22nd, 2012 at 10:19 pm
Reblogged this on 206 from 961.
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Bloody brilliant! Well done for having the kahunas to stand up and say what people need to hear. Eating well is not hard. In fact it’s pretty simple to do the right thing by our bodies… but hang on, that would mean taking some responsibility wouldn’t it? I could harp on from my soap-box all day (and probably all night too). You are on the right track.
All the best from a fellow foodie
PS Have you read this? http://michaelpollan.com/books/in-defense-of-food/ (I’ve been harping on about this stuff for years, this guy does a great job of making this philosophy digestible)
May 22nd, 2012 at 11:21 pm
Totally deep. Totally on point.
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:20 am
Hear, hear – there are plenty of people who agree with you! It’s just as bad in Australia. Blame the so-called ‘Healthy Eating Pyramid’ and the Age of Convenience. And as another person above said, read Michael Pollan’s works – particularly In Defence of Food.
If we stop eating/buying that sort of food, they will have to stop producing it. Grow your own, make your own – food should be simple and natural, not manufactured!
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:36 am
I’m not surprised we eat unhealthy. The US promotes a culture of people who love destroying their bodies. Excessive alcohol consumption, overindulgence in certain drugs, using a pharmaceutical for a problem that can be fixed by other means… It’s all just a bunch of balderdash. We as a collective culture have zero regard for what goes into our body and the outcome later. I have coworkers that LOVE eating at McDonalds everyday. They don’t care what happens to them when they’re thirty.
We work 40 hours a week, sit in an office chair all day, come home and sit down some more. Little hours of sunlight combined with high stress and lack of time to pursue hobbies such as working out and other healthy activities = unhealthy people. What a surprise.
We’re also very dumb compared to other civilizations because the food we eat isn’t giving us enough brain power to succeed. It’s a vicious cycle and we fuck ourselves at every single turn.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:32 am
I’m with you kid and I think I am almost as ‘pissed’ as you are. But what are we doing about these adds!.We should stand together and petition against all advertising that encourages children not to mention adults, to continue to eat rubbish. This is a good start.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:35 am
Reblogged this on glimmeringlight and commented:
It is good to know that I am not the only one who sees the irony and what America calls “healthy” eating!
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:47 am
Well done Amber!
Just testing.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:58 am
Reblogged this on thephilthyway and commented:
Proud to reblog Glenn’s post here on the Philthy Way – refreshing to see the fastfood, sugar-soaked companies getting a spray.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:02 am
Reblogged on the philthyway, and added that it was time for the sugar-pushers and fastfood shit producers to realise they are slowly killing the population. Absolutely agree that you’re completely on point.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:14 am
I lived in the USA for 6 months and got FAT!!!! Portion sizes and “fake” food were the main reason. All my food now is cooked from scratch, which is pretty normal in NZ. I thought most Americans thought their portion sizes were out of control!
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:23 am
Oh God! The food in USA is really bad. I don’t live there. I live in the opposite side of the world, but I read and I love watching the news. Obesity is the biggest problem. They should really give up on all the fast food and fatty, weird foods. Cook food, low fat. It’s better, you don’t gain weight and you’re healthy too!
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:28 am
Having and eating healthy good food is not all that it takes to be healthy. God in your life and not making judgements for or against anything can help your health more than eating or not eating anything.
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:37 am
Its criminal. In my opinion, people at the top are VERY good at advertising and marketing to people. They have figured out how to trick our taste buds with chemicals and addicting sugars and high-heated fats and oils. We are so busy in our lives that we think we don’t have time to make real food when it really doesn’t take that much time.
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:40 am
You know what I’m pissed about? People blaming food for other people getting fat. Perhaps if you put down the damn remote or stepped away from the computer for awhile and went outside to exercise more there wouldn’t be such a huge problem. But no, that takes effort and people now-a-days are too damn lazy to take responsibility for themselves and would much rather blame someone else.
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:46 am
It’s all part of Money & Control! Profit-driven organizations don’t give a shit about what we eat or how much sugar or fat does junk food have. It’s only up to an individual to be enough educated and aware about all this shit food so widely available in the markets.
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:26 am
Respectfully, but you are one of the many people that causes these problems. Keep feeding your family crap, and i’m sure you’re going to have to work 100 hours per week soon to pay for their (and your) medical expenses. If in your mind cooking healthy food requires “planning”, than you have other issues to solve first.
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:42 am
Fully agree with your sentiments. It’s not only America. We’re heading the same way here in Australia. I give thanks for ‘Subway’. At least I can see mostly what I’m getting and that it’s fresh.
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:55 am
Yup, American food for the masses has crashed to the point of obscene, yet most Americans continue to eat processed foods. The small token of organic foods offered at big box stores is a joke. American priorities are in the toilet. Food should be fresh, local and organic and prepared lovingly at home. If folks would get off the cell phone obsession and instant satisfaction mode, all would benefit. Everyone should watch FOOD, INC and then consider how to eat. If this lifestyle continues, the grim reaper will just have a picnic. See my world/blog…Congrats on FP.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:04 am
Reblogged this on rekikiker and commented:
I agree 100%
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:05 am
God has given us wisdom for life, and health. What He created for us to eat is good. What we do with that can be good or bad. It is our choice, despite the absurdities and insanities of our culture, to follow God’s wisdom or our own.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:21 am
You’re right. The food here is crap but most a lot of peope can’t eat any better because they’re either addicted to it or can’t afford anything better. It’s a shame. I’m having to grow my own food to combat the unhealthy eating habit in my household, and to be honest, I don’t have a green thumb. I got a good crop of lettuce yesterday, but that’s only 10% of my garden.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:23 am
Sorry for the spelling. I’m extra tired this morning.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:43 am
lol “shitty sugar filled foods” priceless statement !! and people wonder why they are so unhealthy and why diabetes and cancer run on a rampage ..good point of view
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:01 am
Reblogged this on Smiley's Healthy Way of Life.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:12 am
After reading this, I’m going for a walk! 🙂 I work two jobs, eat a whole foods diet and walk three miles a day. It can be done, it’s just a matter of where you put your priorities. For me, it’s a no-brainer. But that’s where individual choice comes in.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:20 am
America wants to make food into a product and succeeds. Although i find myself as frust rated as you at times, the best thing to do is open your eyes to price qualitnd quantity in the grocery store. It is cheaper to buy produce than snack bars of even the least expensive snack bars. It helps create healthy eating habits and a happier wallet when you fill your cart with fresh fruit and veggies instead of boxed products.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:29 am
Reblogged this on My Eat Clean Journey and commented:
I feel this way every day, but Glenn has articulated it beautifully. This really is an American cultural (and health!) issue, and one that we in turn gladly pass on to other cultures.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:35 am
WELL SAID! I never by low fat because it is worse then the regular. It is very true that groceries at the store are much cheaper then healthier food locally grown. I always try to teach my children that most of that food is yucky…ha! I never buy soda so it’s never an option in my home. Water or milk and if juice it has to be watered down. I think more people need to get pissed about this subject. We take what we are given and we stay quiet about it. More people need to stand up and make a difference with the food system. It’s terrible that those who have lower incomes have to make unhealthy choices in food selection to get by. Thanks for blogging on this. Great subject!
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:44 am
WHY? WHY?
Not to be a conspiracy theorist, BUT…….. control over a mass population is intoxicating. Control over a mass population in the digital age is both simple, and very complicated. Sugar stimulates economic growth -people buy more products when they “CRAVE” them instead of need them. The cycle of fructose products has a snowball effect, essentially a drug. Now you have two markets of infinite proportion – the need for more food and the sickness cures that will inevitably follow. Engineer the drug and the cure, then make it just innocuous enough to be legal and common, then spread it using proven psychologically tested methods (advertising) and the result is a population that is docile and dependent. Both the dying and those willing to change before they get sick are dependent on the purveyor of the “cure”. In the end – some people are massively wealthy and the governing body has more docile people the contend with.
THAT’S WHY!
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:46 am
Preach! I can say it’s so hard to stay away from processed foods or those claiming “low-fat” on their covers since the price is just right. I’m a college kid and whatever is cheapest is what I buy and I don’t get it. Most of the lower-priced foods are the worst for you, if we want to see a shift in the “dieting” or “food-intake” of America, why don’t we just drop the prices on healthier food and make the over-saturated sugar filled foods more expensive like other countries. Thank goodness one of my favorite restaurants locally will upcharge your meal $3 if you want fries instead of the apple slices that come with your meal.
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:56 am
The worst part is that so many of us (in both US & Canada) are over-weight – the last thing we need is food that is high in fat and kcals always being pushed in our faces everywhere we go.
http://www.karmacopia.wordpress.com
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:03 am
A sad commentary on our society. Now that we have been told we are fat, we gravitate towards blaming others for our own lack of accountability. This problem isnt caused by Agribusiness, Psychographic Marketers, Lack of Government Regulation, Secret Government Plots, Evil Wealthy Conspirators or anyone else. Look in the mirror folks. Our doctors have been telling us this for decades…read the full labels, dont buy those chips, cookies, and fries, and control your own portions when dining out.
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:14 am
I just returned from two years in Northern Italy. No, I’m not wealthy. I’m a U.S. soldier, and I was stationed at Camp Ederle in Vicenza. The reason I mention that is living there was an incredible eye-opener. The Italians have the eating thing solved. Farms are mixed in with malls and office buildings. People see where their food comes from. Food is fresh, all the time. Everywhere. If it’s not, somebody’s going to go out of business, fast. The country is set up that way. You can buy fresh milk that goes from the cow to whatever container you bring to carry it home. Markets are everywhere selling fresh veggies. Italians aren’t inundated with the relentless advertising of food-flavored garbage we put up with (and welcome) in America. Fast food isn’t popular because 1. it doesn’t taste as good as real food, and 2. it’s not good for us. It’s the ‘slow food’ movement in action. (Google it.) Italians have their entire society set up to allow them access to the most basic human need: good, healthy food. It doesn’t hurt that they walk and bicycle all over the place rather than drive. I saw almost no fat Italians over there in two years–I mean, literally like two of them.
What we need is to change our culture in America to promote a healthy lifestyle rather than mindlessly supporting huge companies that produce junk food at huge profits. If the ingredients include more chemicals than food ingredients, perhaps that bag of crap doesn’t belong in my stomach. Wake up, America.
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:15 am
I couldn’t agree more!
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:29 am
[…] a better job of laying this out, and his blog has attracted a lot of commentary. Check it out at https://glennpendlay.wordpress.com/2012/05/20/im-pissed/ Share this:TwitterFacebookEmailMoreStumbleUponRedditPrintDiggLike this:LikeBe the first to like […]
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:43 am
Yeah, it’s kind of discouraging, especially after eating well for so long. I felt similar when I came back from teaching overseas.
(Isn’t Reverse Culture Shock AWESOME? XD )
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:57 am
Glenn, Congrats on being Freshly Pressed! I agree with you! Check out this blog: http://www.100daysofrealfood.com/ . I think you’ll enjoy what this mom has to say.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:06 am
Amen!
Stick the word “diet” in front of anything and people fall for it. LIke for example, Diet Soda is worse than regular.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:08 am
Wow, I don’t have time to read every response to this article, but I’m really surprised at all the negativity! If wanting to live longer and live well means being labelled a “health nut,” so be it!
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:27 am
so great to the point..
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:47 am
I enjoyed this and have a link to article I wrote along these lines if you have chance to read it: http://saymberblondi.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/are-scientist-and-the-food-police-focusing-their-attention-on-the-right-villians-in-our-diets-is-there-a-corporate-motive-for-it/
A documentary I found very informative was called Fathead:http://www.fathead-movie.com/ (link to blog page)
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:57 am
I completely agree with you! People have to wake up and realize that less fat is not always equals healthy! Laziness is not an excuse to eat shitty food! Bringing home cooked meals to the office is way way better than eating Pizza Hut!
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:04 am
AMEN! Why even go to the store you cant find anything decent to eat. I live on hummus half the time. I send emails to the companies that are making decent food items. I recently sent an email to a soup company about the pathetic fatty pieces of chicken in their soup. Make it real if your gonna advertise it to be healthy. What’s even worse is the prescription drug commercials and the pet medications that are lethal. I used to visit Costa Rica every year and healthy eating there was joyous. Here its just expensive.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:10 am
I agree with you. But it’s not just Americans, we Canadians love our shitty junk food too. People (myself included) lack the motivation or the knowledge to become healthy eating indivduals, and as far as I’m concerned it’s not a disease, it’s a personal lifestyle choice. I don’t understand why there is so much negativity around this, it is your opinion (and clearly others share it) and it’s the truth. I battle with food all the time, and I used to make excuses about how junk food was cheaper so I bought it. Yes, it is cheaper, but if you budget for fresh veggies (or even buy them frozen) then it makes no difference price wise. I have stopped buying certain foods and I already see a difference, not just in my budget, but in my waist size. I think more people need to be educated on healthy eating and label reading. Maybe the US should put laws, programs, and professionals in place to help (but not force) people to learn how to incorporate better food choices. Companies obviously need stricter guidelines and society needs to learn how to choose better foods. People will always buy junk food, but it’s the moderation part that gets forgotten.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:12 am
I see a lot of Amen’s so I am adding mine – Amen. I am pissed too and could not have said it any better.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:19 am
In the words of Blind Willie Johnson and, later, Robert Plant, “Nobody’s fault but mine”. We’ve done this to ourselves by allowing society to prop up a guy or gal with a few key initials after their names who tells us we should reject our traditional foods/diets and replace them with state of the art factory farmed, genetically altered, shiped from timbuktu foodstuffs. Many of us are only a couple generations from eating mostly what we’ve grown or traded our neighbor for. We’ve traded that ideal for the dual income household and are stuck with the results.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:23 am
All I had to do was read the title of this post and I knew I’d love it.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:36 am
Everything that you said is true. Mostly, what angers me, is that they advertise all of these things as healthy, and those things that are “low fat” actually have additional ingredients that are bad for you. It used to be that poor people ate the brown bread, because that was all they could afford, and they ate more vegetable and chicken, because that was what they could get. Now, all of those things that are the healthiest for you are much more expensive, and some people just can’t afford it. It’s a shame.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:52 am
I’ve worked out and eaten relatively healthy for years, but recently came to an epiphany. Yes, I’ve seen Food, Inc. and Super Size Me. I’m a foodie / food snob / slow movement prophet. And I believe in starting with myself and leading as an example. But if more individuals (forget organizations, school / institution programs) don’t change their own lives, their families lives, the lives in their community and begin teaching kids about nutrition and exercise earlier in life, I think we may be destined to continue down the same path we’ve been on. Mind you, I grew up basically in the outdoors in my youth. Always outside at the local community pool, exploring on bicycles, front yard Nerf (remember that – anyone?!) football. Kids today see these commercials while exercising their thumbs in front of an Xbox, unfortunately. Parents wake up! Great blog.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:53 am
Everyone has the choice to buy and eat what they want; no one is held at gun point to go out and purchase Kit Kat bars and mountain Dew…another attempt to blame someone/thing other than ourselves and yes, self-control is key. I like butterfinger and peanut butter cups, and ice cream, but only eat them a few times a month and in small portions (half a candy bar instead of a whole one). Where does it stop if people are trying to blame food ads for unhealthy eating habits? Salaries, houses, cars etc?
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:01 am
To be glib, it all comes down to money. And not to say that money is evil, but when the value of money is made greater than human dignity (the right to truth, the right to liberty of choice, and not being financially punished for making healthy choices due to government subsidizing of unhealthy practices) then the societal dynamic has become twisted and perverse.
The only way I know how to correct this is through two action steps 1) more people get pissed and the crucial second step 2) people start acting on their anger.
This might mean voting with their money and depleting the profits of doctors who are “treating” over healing, buying all natural foods and leaving the chain grocery stores in droves. Unfortunately, change takes time. There are some people who have replied in comments here who are extremely resistant to change. Even when we’re talking about someone taking better care of their health so they can stick around this earth longer, it’s not surprising that they have such a revolt against this movement.
As Arthur Schopenhauer said, truth enters through 3 stages: “First it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed and finally it is accepted as truth. It seems we’re somewhere between step one and two and will just have to keep fighting.
Just like liberty sometimes requires fighting for, we are learning so does our access to life-giving foods and choice in health.
If Martin Luther King Jr.’s followers sat around complaining all the time about how unfair things were we would have never broken through that civil rights paradigm shift. Unfortunately, the only thing that will correct this situation is the same. Organized action in the spirit of fighting for truth and what is right.
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:18 am
This is a good post.
And a good point of view.
There are a lot of way to eat well, not also in Guatemala on in Europe (like here in Italy or in Greece) or in China and so on.
You can also find the good way of eating in USA, but you have first to know what to eat, than you can find it also in normal restaurant or you can buy and cook it your own.
Of course you can find a lor of junk food, Mc Donalds (here we are used to say MerDOnalds… something like ShitDonalds) sugar filled and so on… these things may have a really good taste for a lot of people and this is the reason they sell well.
You have to learn the right way to eat, just this and learn to cook without fats.
Obviously tell this is simple for me here in Italy, but also here that we have a lot of healty foods, we have junk food, McDonalds, fried chips ad so on… like a mode.
Take care 🙂
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:39 am
Yeah i agree, you will get no argument from me, things is its easy and Americans seem to think that there lives are so busy that they can stop and eat right. America is obese because as a whole we dont listen to each other and we are too lazy to excercise…..great post…….excellant post for the newly pressed page…zman sends
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:40 am
I understand your frustration. However, I would like to point out that until this country becomes a totalitarian state and you are named the Secretary of Food. What I eat and why I eat it is none of your damn business. I would also like to point out that anyone who writes their grocery list from TV ads gets the health they deserve.
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:51 am
Nailed that one.
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:59 am
Keep writing. Great stuff. Turn off your television.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:14 am
I love the subject! I want to raise it in Russia, too! Pls, see Jamie Oliver, Engliish famous healthy food ideologist and well-known chef! He is continuously doing his aim of teaching the World to eat healthy, espesially at schools! It has to put long years of education, day by ay convenience that we have to eat healthy to live longer! Everhting depends on us! I have chenged my eating pattern 360 degrees and feel myself fubulous! Former times candies, cakes and snacks with coke (stupidly, thought, – diet!, my fault!) – now oats (full grain!), greens, sour milk products, lotsa vegies, and healthy olive oil! Pls, lets take care about us ourselves!
Love,
Svetlana Bekhtereva from Russia, Moscow
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Nice to hear from Moscow, one of my favorite cities.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:18 am
YES! A food revolution can only truly begin if we continue to educate people on this subject. Thanks for sharing.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:19 am
So true. Most of the food in the stores is not even food. I ventured out to a firepit in the country recently where someone had left an open package of Hostess doughnuts sitting unattended. It had obviously been there a couple days. Normally raccoons or something else would’ve eaten. But the wildlife didn’t even identify it as food. If they won’t eat it, why on earth would we?
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:22 am
Amen! Yet I get looked at as a freak cause there’s nothing on a menu or in a store that meets my nutritional needs and I tell them so. Sometimes I carry around fresh veggies and cook them in my hot tea as i’m out cause i can’t get them anywhere… I get people who say when I complain about the sodas and shitty food oh come on, it’s about choices… really, cause i’ll i see are choices between shitty foods – where i my choices if I want to eat healthy??? Not so many. this is also my biggest pet peeve.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:27 am
Reblogged this on xxculture and commented:
I think not enough of us say that we’re angry…he sparked quite a debate!
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:27 am
I am totally with you! And I too am pissed. The more research I do about modern/processed foods the more pissed I get. I stopped eating processed foods three months ago and I’ve not only been amazed at how much better my skin looks and how much more energy I have … but I’ve dropped 15 pounds (without dieting). It’s not always convenient to cook meals from scratch, but man is it worth it.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:46 am
I agree with you completely! I fell for the “healthy” labels and pre-packaged breakfast foods for years. . It is amazing what we put in our bodies and allow our CHILDREN to put into theirs. I was introduced to AdvoCare and it changed my life more because of the education about food that came with the health and wellness supplements than the vitamin supplements themselves! I have been able to put that education to good use to help my ADHD son.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:52 am
I’m pissed that companies are allowed to mislead people by claiming something is “low fat” or “low trans-fat,” while at the same time it’s got 50g of sugar. It /is/ technically low fat, but we need to realize that doesn’t mean healthy.
I’m pissed that some McDonald’s salads have similar calorie counts to their burgers.
We need to wake up.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:53 am
I forgot to mention those stupid “thins” or whatever they area. Eat 10 mini cracker-like, dry oreo-flavoured chips, or just eat one goddamn oreo. You’re not doing yourself any favours by buying that pre-packaged crap!
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:09 pm
It’s insane how easy it is for us to be tricked into a media or rather marketing concept of healthy rather than listening to what our bodies really want. When did a list of ingredients on a package become more believable than logic?
We’ve been having a few similar conversations on our #TopicsToDiscuss on our charity’s twitter page and it’s clear that we have so much work to do to combat the effects of eating disorders. Thanks for sharing and standing up for health wise common sense ❤
AM
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:11 pm
Reblogged this on Sharingmyview's Blog and commented:
If you’re going to listen to the marketing hype, at least take the time to read the label too….
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:18 pm
Unfortunately it’s not just the US. I think it’s endemic across far too much of the “developed” world. I don’t know if it’s laziness or what but it’s getting to be a real problem. Apparently in the UK, there is serious consideration being given to a Fat Tax on unhealthy food but then they decide to whack 20% VAT on sports nutrition ???? I mean, wtf???
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:19 pm
Reblogged this on TwistedGothic and commented:
a depressingly common problem.
May 23rd, 2012 at 12:57 pm
Wanna know what pisses me off? – Armchair bloggers and couch complainers.
The world is full of people who point and complain, look and criticize, write letters and grumble.
What we need is heroes. People who actually do something. There is only one weapon that fights darkness and that’s light. Be a light and the darkness dissapears.
Stop wasting time watching other people lives on tv and the web. Stop reading about stuff that doesn’t matter. Ask yourself ‘what am I living ‘for”.
I’m also pissed that I waisted two minutes to write this.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Reblogged this on ifeperita and commented:
i have always wanted to do a write like this.Could what we eat in american be a recipe for slow death?
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:43 pm
Totally agree with the article. I see the science of mass marketing for “big business” as America’s #1 Obesity Enemy. Big business can afford those marketers who have the ability to do the scientific studies for commercials, placement, packaging, voices, music, etc. All the psychological things that can pull us in when we aren’t even consciously looking or listening. Like testing brain waves for reactions when the subjects are stressed, in a hurry, or tired. And, yes, even lazy. There are many things that can weaken even the strongest person’s ability to make the best choice. Some people get past the weakness, some don’t. Nobody is perfect, and that’s what they are counting on — just a large percentage.
May 23rd, 2012 at 1:58 pm
i think the issue at hand was completely blown out of proportion here. it’s not that the food shouldn’t exist or be eaten, it’s that it needs to be eaten in moderation. some of the things you condemn (like chocolate) actually can be good for you. IN MODERATION. that’s the key to everything. in moderation. i can’t say it enough. there’s really also not much wrong with eating pop tarts either, so long as you aren’t eating the entire box at once.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:38 pm
I couldn’t agree more. I think a lot of Americans are just ignorant to the issue or just don’t know where to start. It’s all about research. I’m as pissed as you are, Glenn!
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:39 pm
I agree with you 100%, I could go on and on about what adults & children are eatting today. This crap that we eat has made us addictive to it. If you don’t grow it yourself then it’s likely to have been grown in the lab or the animal was doped up on hormones. The FDA knows what we are eatting and allows it because it’s cheap. I highly suggest watching the health shows on Netflix like Food Inc, if you want to start eatting pure foods watch Fat Sick & Nearly dead. I have watched it twice and have told everyone I know to watch it. We also need to cut dairy out of our diet (I can’t recall the name of the show on Netflix) the guy did a research for the past 20 years and proved that dairy is causing heart atacks and other health conditions.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:50 pm
While it’s entertaining reading everyone’s argument on here, I think it boils down to this: unless you’re an idiot, you know what food is good for you and what isn’t. People who eat unhealthily either 1) don’t care (so they’re not going to listen to advice/ranting) 2) are lazy (see the previous) 3) are poor/can’t afford to eat super-healthy all the time (that would be me, hello struggling post-college grad!) or 4) have an eating disorder (cue me again, inwhich case they need a lot more than just advice thrown at them). I wish to eat healthily-while still eating my normal junk food fixation-but I know I can’t just jump right into it. As much as I admire the willpower of those who NEVER eat anything “calorific,” I do NOT admire the snide comments they often make and, yes, the superiority/making one feel like a failure which often does accompany such comments.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:51 pm
Moi aussi as they say in France. Pretty much the same rubbish dominates over here in the UK too!
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:56 pm
Me too and I changed my lifestyle because of it. Whole plant based food diet is the way to go for me.
May 23rd, 2012 at 2:58 pm
The problem isn’t really the food we eat, it’s the sedentary lifestyle that most of us lead. I live in Chile and people here eat much worse than Americans could ever dream of, but there isn’t quite so much obesity (granted, there’s still quite a bit by international standards) as in the USA because people generally have much more active lifestyles. They walk more, they tend not to have jobs where they’re sitting down all day, they play sports more often. Those little slices of physical activity really make quite a large difference in the long run.
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:06 pm
I couldn’t agree more. Well actually I’m not angry… I’m sad. And afraid. When did we decide it was better to open a package than to cook and eat real food? And when did sugar become a food group?
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:23 pm
I am pissed there are so many fat people. It looks miserable. And its easy to be fat with all that we have in front of us. I agree with your post
May 23rd, 2012 at 3:42 pm
I agree that America (as well as Canada and many other countries) have problems when it comes to what people are choosing to eat. I once heard somebody say that if your food looks the same as when it came out of the ground, it’s probably good to eat. Maybe that’s why Mountain Dew now has a commercial where they are pulling bottles of soda from the ground.
May 23rd, 2012 at 4:34 pm
It surprises me what people eat on a day to day basis. My children are very very low weight (but have tons of energy, are very smart, and happy) and the doctor was very very concerned about it but I really think it has a lot to do with the fact that we are just very healthy eaters. He suggested giving my children ice cream everyday along with things full of saturated fat. The nutritionist thought we were doing fine.
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:02 pm
This is so gross. What’s up with people that they feel the need to dictate to others how they can live, and what they can do with their body? In America you supposedly have the freedom to live the way you want to live. If you want to eat healthy, eat healthy. If you don’t, don’t. It’s your choice, and not someone else’s to dictate to you. Maybe you can tell woman if they can get abortions, or use birth control next,
May 23rd, 2012 at 5:55 pm
LOVE this post!! It’s not about ‘health nuts’ trying to force healthy eating down people’s throats, it’s about trying to raise awareness of what has become our food supply. Our society is forcing UNhealthy lifestyles down our throats with the constant barrage of commercials for fast foods and sugary treats. Where are the commercials about fruits and vegetables? The marketing is not balanced and it can lead people to make unhealthy and uninformed choices. I earned my doctorate in a health care field, yet did not realize that ‘low fat’ really doesn’t mean that it’s healthy until I looked into it myself. It’s hard enough to try to be healthy on your own – it’s even more difficult if society and marketing campaigns are misleading you. I too realize when I travel how much healthier the food is just because it’s more simple. Going back to basics instead of eating heavily processed foods is so much better for you. You really are what you eat and your health depends on what you put into your body!
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:03 pm
[…] Why Do We Promote This-Glenn Pendlay […]
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:53 pm
This post is so on the money that I can hardly stand it! Yes, there should be a huge OUTRAGE here but there is none. While we are estimating that over 50% of us will be obese by 2030 no one seems to even care. People eat junk and pig out at McDonalds, and what makes me even angrier is that they even feed it to their children causing a never ending cycle of obesity which will only make our health care system worse. I exercise every single day, eat healthy and feed my kids good food. BUt it gets so hard when you go to the store and all they sell is processed, sugary junk. It is amazing that no more people are outraged in this country about what is happening! Every time I travel abroad I am amazed by the lack of processed food and the healthy diets. The moment I land back home in the states, it is a huge shock to see how obese we are. It is crazy and I really hope something changes!!!!! Thanks for writing about this important issue and I was in Guatemala too and loved the food! 🙂
May 23rd, 2012 at 6:54 pm
I am so on board with your views. As a Mom trying to get you kids to eat “real” healthy and fresh foods, it often feels like a war between me and all the food marketers. I always tell my kids it is food “business” not a health business – they are in it to make money, not ensure your health. So, we have to do that on our own.
May 23rd, 2012 at 7:26 pm
Brilliantly put. I’m going to scope out the rest of your blog!!!
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Reblogged this on Pamela Zmija Photography and commented:
I am a strong believer in a very low sugar diet. Yes my kids get treats but they do not get them all the time nor expect it. Myself having major health issues with PCOS I cannot and will not allow my children to grow up indulging in unhealthy food. Having children has not only been a blessing for me but for my health, afterall if it wasn’t for trying to conceive I would have never found out I have PCOS and wouldn’t truly understand how vital it is to eat real food (with the odd healthy indulgence)! It is so important. If I cave to my cravings I pay and it’s hard to get back on track with how the sugar does affect my body in many more ways than one.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:08 pm
It doesn’t get any more straight up that’s how it is, and were being stupid for letting it happen. I love your post!!
May 24th, 2012 at 9:42 am
yes we are…but as individuals we may make our own little revolutions of change…but those fat cats are gonna keep grinding us down. We need change..is it realistically achievable? I hope so.
May 23rd, 2012 at 8:20 pm
You make a very valid point, even if it does spark anger in some people. The generation that invented things like Twinkies and Ho-Hos may not have known what a bad legacy they were introducing to our future generations. That is not an excuse, just a very brief explanation. The string of events that led from the first mass produced sweets and the first TV ads to promote them were far from the innocent little cartoon characters created to promote them. Quite sad when you consider how out of control it has all become. We can only hope healthy food and a healthy lifestyle eventually becomes as “cool” and convenient as hard working parents trying to support their families need them to be.
May 23rd, 2012 at 9:34 pm
Yeah, it’s true of what you say.It has been quite the reality nowadays.
May 23rd, 2012 at 10:13 pm
Glenn,
I think the fact that at this point you’ve gotten 578 responses (almost all supportive) is a good sign. People are sickened by all this crap we’re offered. I am, too. I shop the periphery of supermarkets, shop at farmers markets weekly, cook from scratch. I breast fed my kids until they weened themselves at around four (Yep, just like the woman on the Time cover) and made all their baby food. The taste of real food informed their preferences as they grew. I’m not an activist but I do promote good food in my own way by blogging. I eat everything, just no junk food, no crap. And let us not forget that eating good food is one of the joys of life. My philosophy is simple. Get the best quality food you can find and prepare it well. Excuse me now while I uncork the Kool-Aid. lol
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:07 pm
Are you really pissed that I am eating a frozen pizza and drinking a 2 liter bottle of coke, or are you pissed that you have to spend 5 hours in the gym to do what I am doing, or are you pissed because your conscience won’t let you do that to your body, so you want to take it away from me?
May 24th, 2012 at 5:26 am
I dont want to take anything away from anyone. I am absolutely against any type of governmental control of our diet. But, I do wish Americans would eat better, as a whole, and I wish our whole food industry made that easier. But I do NOT want the government to mandate anything, or to force you to do or not do anything.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:14 pm
Love the start of what appears to be important dialogue. Having a child made us much more aware of our choices and the machinations behind things that were being marketed as food. Even if you can afford organic foods, a lot of it is processed as well. Keep it simple and the cost and health savings are impressive.
May 23rd, 2012 at 11:36 pm
Reblogged this on The thoughts of Craig A. Simons and commented:
Truth! My wife reversed her autoimmune disease by eating a plant based diet and treating an underlying massive bodily infection that was causing the autoimmune response. Functional medicine! I’ll bet it all started with the “wonderful” foods you have picture in your post.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:45 am
i wholeheartedly agree with the sentiment of this article. here in the uk the government is currently in the proceed of devising a ‘fat tax’ on some process and fast foods, which i am hoping they use to help subsidise healthier foods and make them cheaper for the general public- whether they will use the ‘fat tax’ revenue for good or not is another story! but it would certainly be advantageous for our society, not least cutting down medical bills etc. heres hoping.
May 24th, 2012 at 2:12 am
everyone pissed..but barely anyone tries to avoid these ‘health foods’! !
May 24th, 2012 at 2:33 am
Yoh! A lot of comments. And here comes mine:
Mind if I link to this & discuss? Great post. There are a few things we can do in self-defence, but the most important is the lifestyle we teach our children…
May 24th, 2012 at 3:25 am
I understand that you’re pissed, BUT because my mom is getting her PhD in Nutrition, I also have a few opinions. Right now we’re living in Tanzania, where there is not a very diverse choice of foods, kind of like Guatemala perhaps. Lots of Americans come here and actually GAIN weight because of the amount of carbohydrates and oils used in the cooking. Also, just because we are lucky to have choices in America doesn’t mean this is detrimental to our health. We don’t have lots of other problems, such as high levels of stunting/wasting or micronutrient deficiencies. What Americans need is to make better choices when it comes to food!
May 24th, 2012 at 4:11 am
100% agree. We’ve started raising our own food because we don’t trust the food industry! But I’m sure my kids will get sucked in just because of the commercials!
May 24th, 2012 at 4:58 am
The thing is the man has a valid point…studies have shown that foreigners that move to American GAIN weight, and that Americans that move to other countries lose weight after moving. Personally, I also think there should be zoning of fast food restaurants….and don’t ever eat Taco Bell because it truly is SHIT
May 24th, 2012 at 6:28 am
I try to buy food that actually is food. You know, food that has actual ingredients in it — not chemicals. It costs more and I have to go out of my way to get it. I’m hoping that it pays off in the end.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:00 am
Reblogged this on Crazy Normal – the Classroom Exposé and commented:
Ah, I’m not alone in what I think about the average American diet. However, the reason people eat like this is because of profits and jobs, and the government will do nothing about it because that might cause jobs to be lost and no morally corrupt politician would want that because then he or she might get tossed out of office in the next election and miss out on all those gifts and perks from corporate lobbyists. _______________________________________
It’s all about the money and a lot of people that live to eat instead of eat to live. _______________________________________
This also has a lot to do with the quality of public education in the US where teachers cannot teach kids that do not feed their brains the proper nutrition needed to make that brain work. In fact, sugar really messes up short term memory and causes energy spikes along with mood swings. _______________________________________
For example, when I was still teaching (1975 – 2005), each year, I asked my students, “How many of you eat breakfast?” The answer was usually two or three raised hands out of a class of 34/36 students (on average). _______________________________________
A nutritious breakfast is the most important meal of the day—especially for children who are still growing and that growth includes the brain. The brain does not stop developing until they are about age 25. _______________________________________
Then I asked, “What do you eat when you eat?” The most common answer was a bag of greasy French fries, a slice of cheese pizza and a soda (often Coke or Pepsi) and that soda or sodas was usually the first thing most of the students consumed because it was the easiest form of food or drink available since there were vending machines in the schools halls. _______________________________________
Since I arrived at school early, soon after the gates were unlocked at 6 AM, I had the opportunity to ask the man stocking the soda vending machines how many cases of sodas did he deliver to the high school each week. His answer, “About 2,000 cases,” which translated to about 3 sodas a day per student since the school had about 3,000 students at the time._______________________________________
What was the motive for the school district to have those soda machines in the halls? The Coke Distributer paid the district 50% of the gross take. Each bottle cost $1.00. _______________________________________
In addition, scientific research has proven that drinking one can of soda will suppress the immune system up to 50% for several hours besides messing with brain cells from the overdose of sugar.
And we blame teachers when kids don’t learn!
May 24th, 2012 at 7:08 am
Studies show that people that eat a healthier diet (on average) live longer than those that eat the average American diet. In fact, whole-foods vegetarians have less disease and live (on average) several years longer than the average American.
I’m a vegan. I’m not overweight. I’m in excellent health and take no meds—at all. However, that is no guarantee that I will live longer than the average American but the odds are in my favor that I will if I don’t get bit by a disease ridden tick or mosquito, hit by a bus or killed when an earthquake hits.
In addition, since I converted to this healthier diet in 1982, I haven’t had one cold or the flu. That doesn’t mean I cannot get colds or the flue but it seems my immune system is more than capable of protecting me against those very common American illnesses.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:34 am
You pretty much summed up my feelings too. It is ridiculous the crap that people put into their bodies these days and call it food. We wonder why the US is the fattest country in the world…come on. Indulging from time to time is just fine, I do it, but there is no excuse for eating processed crap all the time. It only has to be more expensive to eat healthfully if you make it that way. Frozen veggies are cheaper than a frozen pizza. Water is cheaper that soda and juice.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:50 am
so with you my friend and you just earned my follow with that! it’s bs, but i suppose it’s all just feeding the machine of capitalism and obesity. there’s no easy answer, but it is very easy to see that the wheel is broken…
May 24th, 2012 at 8:19 am
And I am Pissed too! You’ve pretty much articulated my concern with society here in your post, thank you!
May 24th, 2012 at 8:41 am
You are so right! The media and the food industry which are driven by profit can’t and won’t ever change. Mountain Dew and KitKats pay the bills for putting programming on the air. Unfortunately there is little money available from local farmers/co-ops to advertise so main stream media will always take ads from whoever foots the bill.OH – and the corn industry that lobbied that HFCS is a natural product because it is made from corn. Please, don’t insult my intelligence…. It would be nice if people reacted to junkfood ads and fake food ads with the same disgust as they do to condom ads. our food came from, what ‘factory food is’ and how to read ingredients labels.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:47 am
i’m another one of those people who believe that healthy eating is the responsibility of the individual. but, it is also something that is part of the culture. we are not taught enough about nutrition, which is why “low in fat” or “100% real fruit juice” sound great. because we don’t know that sugar content and often times sodium content are through the roof, so we still shouldn’t be eating whatever it is. here, i’ll take the rare opportunity to congratulate websites like Yahoo! that repeatedly publish health food items that demonstrate what exactly people should be looking for when they read the nutrition contents.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:58 am
Tell it like it is!! This is very true and extremely sad. Deception is the holy grail of America’s “nutrition” Great post!
May 24th, 2012 at 9:04 am
Right on! It is so sad to see our reliance on fast food and processed packaged food products. So very sad and then also makes me very angry as well. Wish we would all take the initiative of taking care of ourselves and our families. I’m an accountant and during tax season it is hard to find any extra time to prepare fresh healthy meals and snacks but I know that I need to in order to work the long hours as the processed foods just make me sluggish and tired. It’s taken me a couple years, but I’m realizing the importance of what you put into your body. Thank for this post.
May 24th, 2012 at 9:39 am
it pisses me too. What kind of a situation do we found ourselves in? Why do we encourage and reinforce this culture and circumstance? It is shit…and so much of what we now class as the norm – ya know – the stuff we have turned around and thought “WTF..how did i get here?” (like David Byrne in Once in a Lifetime)…..we need to de-normify. Stay pissed….I’m with ya kiddo!
May 24th, 2012 at 11:17 am
Yes, I have been frustrated by America’s diet as well. It’s convenience food and it is easy to be lazy. I have a 2 month old daughter and as a stay at home mom I do have the time to feed my family well and hope to accomplish this. I am starting by breastfeeding and will follow up with making my own baby food instead of starting her early on the American sugary diet. I too walked into Target the other day where they were handing out free breakfast bar samples and I declined because I knew they would just be full of sugar. As a college graduate with a degree in health promotion I am glad to see that others are beginning to pay attention to the lies we are told about our diet. I hope that as a nation we continue to grow more aware and begin to buck the system and start living a lifestyle that will prevent chronic illness.
May 24th, 2012 at 12:04 pm
We have the same thing over here in the UK- dare I say it I think women are worse for buying into ‘low fat’ foods myself included. I think we all know what the right choices are but just want the easy option. Not caring about how we fuel ourselves really says something about society in general, do we just not care about ourselves?
May 24th, 2012 at 12:05 pm
I think the snack and fast food industries are in bed with the pharmaceutical industry. Get ’em fat and on the verge of death and real ’em back with expensive meds. What makes me angry is that most people have put so much faith in medicine, they wont take responsibility for their own health!
May 24th, 2012 at 12:24 pm
This blog post reminds me of how I watched the four parts of ‘The Weight of the Nation’ documentary by HBO a few days ago. When I was done I went and looked at everything in my pantry. I wanted to toss practically half of it then and there after I read carefully the labels on the food. Why is it so much more money in this country to produce healthy things and to promote a healthier lifestyle but junk food is what’s killing us, is on practically every block, and cheap? We’re willingly killing ourselves and it’s beyond sad.
If anyone hasn’t seen The Weight of the Nation yet I highly recommend you watch it. It might make you sad and it might even piss you off but it will open your eyes.
May 24th, 2012 at 12:53 pm
Fast food is cheap because people like to eat it. More people like to eat it because it’s cheap. But eating small portions and exercising regularly takes care of most problems. In America, most portions are too large. Even the French eat rich food, but they eat small portions.
Genes play a big role too. Some people are just healthier than others.
I liked your original point about how it’s hard to overeat on some food.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:33 pm
I’m ok with all you fat-asses continuing to eat yourself into the grave. As for me and my family, we will eat healthy and live long happy lives. To all of you who condemn those of us that care about our health, you are your own problem and you will end up with cancer, heart disease, and live a mediocre to shitty life. But again, I’m fine with that. People like the below that work 80 hours a week – you are indeed a failure. If you haven’t figured out how to provide for your family working a regular work week, it’s probably because your brain is full of toxins and lacks the energy it needs to get anywhere. You are in a trap that makes you believe you are doing the right thing. You are not. You are killing yourself in more ways than one. I’m sure your family will love you for dying earlier, placing burden on them to take care of your rotting ass before you do kill over, and you will be remembered well for being that guy whose heart exploded from being way too stressed and way too fat. You need an education man. On life and on health. Then you can choose to continue eating yourself to death or understand why those of us that preach health do it. It’s not to help ourselves, we are already healthy. It’s to help the poor fools who don’t understand how bad they are treating themselves by eating the garbage they eat.
May 24th, 2012 at 1:37 pm
Great post! I think it has to do with a number of things. For one, like liberalcynic says, it’s cheap. It’s also fast and easy. The food industry produces mass quantities of food for cheap to people who are always in a hurry and who have grown used to unhealthy food. The more we get used to unhealthy food the more it becomes acceptable, and people love it. We’re a nation addicted to sugar and fat. But once you get used to not eating all that junk, you realize that it makes you feel sick. I felt sick all the time and was totally unaware that my eating habits had anything to do with it. But gradually I changed my eating habits, and now I feel better than ever. I believe that not only do refined sugars and flours play a role, but the pesticides and GMO foods cause food intolerances, diabetes, and cancer. I can’t eat gluten anymore–I only eat organic meat, veggies, and gluten-free grains now. What really outrages me is how difficult it is to eat this way when dining out–even just to get some green veggies at a restaurant is a challenge.
May 24th, 2012 at 2:43 pm
I’ve been pissed about this for awhile…I always tell people who say they want to eat healthy like me to eat clean…no one really knows what “healthy” is anymore it’s sad
May 24th, 2012 at 2:46 pm
I eat Twinkies and salads. Yin balances the Yang.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
I agree with your post 100% except that I would replace the word “pissed” with “saddened”. If it weren’t for me developing food allergies over the last few years, I would still be eating like the typical American. Changing my diet has changed my life tremendously and has forced me to learn how to cook better. Even after watching the 60 minutes special titled “The Flavorists” I learned that anything that says “natural” on our food labels is a lie.
Going through any “inner” grocery store aisle disgusts me, and when I see unhealthy people buying more unhealthy food I really feel sorry that they’re not educated enough to know how to eat properly.
May 24th, 2012 at 3:38 pm
Reblogged this on Sharing Closet Space and commented:
Amen! I found myself nodding and saying, “Yep. Yep. Uh-huh. EXACTLY!” the whole time I read this…
May 24th, 2012 at 4:16 pm
I am currently traveling through South East Asia and have also noticed the abundance of good food here. The people here are poor. Much poorer than the poor in USA but they eat free range, organic food every day. Real food isn’t and shouldn’t be for the rich. How did it get so bad?
When at home, I cook. The more you cook, the less sugar and corn-based rubbish you eat. A diet of corn and sugar? No thanks.
May 24th, 2012 at 4:31 pm
I’m not sure that this comment will be read, but my wife has been suffering from chronic pain for 5 years now. Countless hours of doctors and chiropractors and physical therapists have done little to help her. Recently, she made a drastic diet change. No more refined sugars. No more white flour. No more dairy. Minimal meat. And she now has 1% of the pain we figured she would live with for the rest of her life. Seeing the dramatic effect it had on her health, I have cut a lot of the same things from my diet.
We have the power. We CAN do it. But no one can force you. You have to want to.
May 24th, 2012 at 4:55 pm
So am I. And I’m pissed that big corporations are allowed to fill our kids heads full of those commercials that tell them they too can be happy if only they eat this sugary treat, then they want to blame those same kids when they grow up to have a problem with weight. Yeah, you would think we’d know better, but brainwashing isn’t undone so easily.
May 24th, 2012 at 4:57 pm
i think you have to find your own balance. no one forces you to watch tv, or commercials. no one forces anyone to buy junk. you make your own choices. i love that we have options. not everyone wants to be the healthiest at all times. in fact, there is a disorder for that now too. i’m not trying to be rude, just open up and give a new perspective.
May 24th, 2012 at 5:41 pm
But i love kit kat,mountain dew and lots of cup noodles 🙂 It’s lifestyle that influence our eating habit. Nice blog, tho 🙂
May 24th, 2012 at 6:00 pm
Our current eating habits are not only killing us, but killing the planet. Global warming could be greatly reduced if we changed the way we farm, back to a way supported by nature rather than fighting against it. Factory farming of both vegetables AND animals introduces chemicals and drugs into our systems that are only required because of the way we do it. Added to that the vast amounts of fossil fuels being inputted into the system, the huge amounts of waste, it is plain to see that this is not a sustainable system.
This system continues so long as we, the consumers, allow it to. By putting our dollars into more local, environmentally sustainable farms we can enact change. But it doesn’t stop there, the government continues to subsidize these large companies, making it possible to be more competitive in the market and undercutting the food that is better for us, our communities and our planet.
I am not a health nut. Fuck the sports clubs and gyms. I grew up eating bad, bland food, and since have discovered the rich variety of flavors and textures out there beyond the processed food aisle.
I am an environmental nut though, I won’t deny that.
May 24th, 2012 at 6:04 pm
It seems that people don’t want to accept that the low-fat products they’re getting still come at a cost to their health, if the fat is gone then naturally there’ll have to be something put into the product to replace it.
May 24th, 2012 at 6:49 pm
Then you would love Michael Pollan’s books, who makes the same arguments against the American diet that you do. I stopped watching television in 2000 (yeah, 12 years without the idiot box), so I’m not harrassed by the junk food companies. However, now I see why so many Americans eat this unhealthy diet and it’s even sadder that they’re sitting in front of a television eating it because then they’re not getting exercise either.
My advice: Shop at food coops and farmers markets, avoid GMO ingredients and other unnatural ingredients, and be the change you would like to see in the American diet. When we look healthy and thin, people ask how we got that way, then we say, give up the foodlike substances and eat whole foods.
I will say, I ate those unhealthy foods you mentioned during my childhood, but my mother wasn’t standing around smiling while I ate this food. Both of my parents worked and I hardly ever saw them. Junk food was convenient for a child and the hippies in my neighborhood weren’t talking organics back then.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:07 pm
That’s why I cook my Italian food!! The Mediterranean diet is the BEST in the world!!! Nice post and congratulations!
May 24th, 2012 at 7:20 pm
We were just talking about this in Bio this week! It’s pretty sad. I was shocked to know that yogurt has been contaminated by the sugar hell spawns. IS THERE NO DECENCY ANYMORE GROCERY STORES?!
May 24th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
The peppy pineapple loves this article. You all say things I have thought. Things that my husband feels. Society kind of sucks. The dictate everything from raising your child to health care and retirement. Is it really freedom then?
May 24th, 2012 at 7:33 pm
Wow! what a lot of comments! I will have to come back and read them all later. Anyhow, I just want to say that your rant about food is well justified. There is too much of it available and of course the kids are addicted to it. We never had all the choice when we were kids, we couldn’t afford packets of chocolate biscuits, they were a treat and the only take out was fish and chips. My mum baked but we didn’t over indulge. The companies are making so much money out everyone buying sugar filled foods and takeaways, I don’t think it will ever stop. I’ve heard a lot about the Mediterranean diet lately and I’ve just seen it above. I am definitely going to look in to this!
May 24th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
Reblogged this on thepeppypineapple and commented:
OH SO TRUE!!!! Glad to find that people are really thinking. This guy is so right.
May 24th, 2012 at 7:38 pm
I reblogged this 😉
May 24th, 2012 at 7:51 pm
I read about half of these comments. The point is, our society has evolved, here in the US, to a place where it costs less to be unhealthy that to be healthy. Where the economy has brought us all to the edge of our limits and we’re just trying to survive, yet the “big business” can give us a better deal on “frankenfood” produced in a lab than on REAL food. (really, it’s not a judgement or telling you how to live, I’m a single mom here!!!) They have a bigger ad budget than a “real” farmer, and can therefore convince the masses that what they sell us is a healthy alternative. And we wonder why so many ailments thrive in our culture. High blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, ADHD, fibromyalgia, I could go on for days. I fear for this culture I was born into. It saddens me that a post like this draws so many negative comments, when it only points out the truth…
May 24th, 2012 at 7:53 pm
It not just America dude, I found New Zealand and Australia being just as bad. It is good that some of us get i thought. Unsalted nuts for my movie nights a must! Along with a slices veggies dipped in natural Greek yoghurt.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Reblogged this on Lil monkey's mama and commented:
This is phenomenal, and something I need to remember every day.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:00 pm
Great article. I recently lost my “job” and am now getting food stamps. Not a lot, but it helps. So, I started buying bulgar, polenta, a good steak now and then (that makes 3 meals), and fresh veggies and fruits. The job I was fired from was a cooks position, so I have learned a few licks about cooking. I feel like I am eating better now because I have to stretch every dollar that you all have contributed and convenience foods are just too damned expensive.
I will tell you this… I use olive oil, canola oil and butter. These are the main fats (plus animal fats of course) in my diet. The human body likes fats. If it doesn’t get them, it thinks it is still hungry. So eating more is inevitable.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
Reblogged this on Lster921's Blog and commented:
it is good to get pissed from time to time, to let the bad out and glean the good from it all. Glenn Pendlay does a great job with doing just that in this article.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:42 pm
great post!! I cant believe it either. I am a pharmacy tech, and I know that this stuff is poison. be careful, its all about the money in america.!!
May 24th, 2012 at 8:49 pm
I just had to comment because my husband is from Guatemala. He gained 30 pounds when he moved here thanks to our diets. His mother comes to visit and not only can’t believe what we eat, but how much we eat in the States. Great post. I agree that it is alarming more people aren’t concerned with what they put in their mouths every day.
May 24th, 2012 at 8:50 pm
Fabulous and true. Thanks. It’s the same thing up here in Canada. My favourite quote comes from a reality TV show I caught a few years back about people who had the lapband procedure done (or something like that). As the gentleman was coming back for his check up, he wanted to make sure he ate his “protein snack” – yup, Cheetos. Let’s start with education before we move onto the procedures, shall we? Thanks for getting mad.
May 24th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
So true. Companies are cutting down fat, but simply adding mounds of sugar to make up for it. In fact, sugar is probably even worse than fat.
May 24th, 2012 at 9:04 pm
Truth! Tell ’em Glenn! Time for a real food revolution!
May 24th, 2012 at 10:16 pm
I agree with you. One of my more infuriating experiences was going to a dietician and her telling me to start using sugar substitutes (not agave, but equal and the like) rather than having sugar. I told her I think I’d just stop eating sugar all together rather than poisoning myself with chemicals. Look, I’m all for a shortcut, but it’s absurd to think diet food has all the bad stuff taken away and nothing put in its place. What’s that law of physics – every action has an equal and opposite reaction. I’m annoyed that the companies with all the power, junk food companies, aren’t doing more to clean up their food. You can still make chips, but you don’t need all the salt and chemicals in there. People will still buy them if everyone else is doing it too. I read an article today about how most meals at chain restaurants aren’t just high in calories, but almost all of them exceed rdv for other things like sodium, fat, etc as well. The problem is no one will make a shift because they’re worried the competition will beat them if their flavors change. It’s not okay that our fruits and veggies are mutated to look prettier rather than provide nutrition, but if it’s cheaper than the alternative, people will still buy it. Hopefully our priorities in this country start changing and something is done about what’s being fed to us (yeah, yeah – I know people have a choice in the matter and still aren’t making the right ones – myself included sometimes). But I’m sick of the junk companies trying to make the extra buck rather than realizing they won’t have a population to feed after a while.
May 24th, 2012 at 10:54 pm
Far too many comments for me to read through, so if someone has touched upon this, forgive my repetition…
I find it disgusting that all the healthy food is 2-3X more expensive than all the crap food. I would eat a LOT more healthy food if it wasn’t so much more expensive. It seems like our country really doesn’t want us to be healthy….
Food for thought: http://www.zeitgeistmovie.com – This isn’t spam by the way, this is a genuine link to something that I think many of you will be very interested in. 3 movies that tell a story that EVERY US citizen needs to know. Just… don’t go start a riot after you’ve watched these movies… there’s a time and place for everything. 😉
May 24th, 2012 at 11:10 pm
There is a completely accurate assumption you have made linking issues with our society and sugar together! And I’ve been pissed for years now!!! I think that we have become so “sweet tolerant”, we have lost the “sweetness” to life. Before refined and processed sugar, it was a delicacy to have chocolate or a sack of sugar, now its in everything and our whole god damn sense of reality is being skewed one fucking snicker bar/coke at a time! We have so much sugar in our daily diet as Americans, we are becoming numb to the “sweet beauty” of life. I once fasted from all sugars for 30 days as an experiment, and my palate completely transformed into a more sensitive and awakened version of what it should be. Everything I ate, no matter the object of intake was filled with life! Give it a shot if you dare, you’ll see how it feels to truly appreciate food the way it’s meant to be!
May 25th, 2012 at 9:18 am
I like this comment.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:01 am
AMEN! My husband and I feel the same exact way.
May 25th, 2012 at 12:37 am
Explain to me this. Think back to the late 70’s, early to late 80’s and think to yourself this… Were there many cases of peanut allergies or food allergies, were there high cases of obesity and major health issues like diabetes even though the same foods were available (i.e. fast food, pizza, chips, sugary snacks and fried foods). What is the one thing different about foods today compared to yester years… It is not coincidence that when the FDA and nosy consumer groups started to decide that steroid injections in meats and real sugars and all of the other additives that once resided in foods, is when most of the health issues from foods started to rear their ugly heads. Don’t hate the foods nowadays, hate the changes that were made to the foods that are causing these epidemic health issues.
May 25th, 2012 at 2:02 am
How do you feel about Monsanto?
May 25th, 2012 at 2:36 am
Reblogged this on Healthy living and commented:
this is a very well rounded article worth a read
May 25th, 2012 at 3:34 am
Great article! I’m European and have just spent two weeks in the US. Advertising is all about food, indeed. One can eat very healthy and well i.e. in NYC and many of the bigger cities. As soon as you hit the countryside, especially in the Midwest, food choices become very poor when it comes to restaurants. I was always looking for the small family-owned businesses, not the regular chains. Then again, even in the bigger cities it’s the choices you make. If you grow up with a certain food culture and are not used to health food, chances are you don’t even like it in the beginning. I feel a lot is in the hidden ingredients they use to make you addicted to their food, all the sugars in ready-made salad dressing, fell-well carbs where you don’t need and expect them.
As for TV, I’ve skipped it almost completely. Advertising has taken such a big place.
May 25th, 2012 at 3:43 am
That was amazing. I don’t think anyone could have said that better!
May 25th, 2012 at 3:49 am
I have writen about this a lot myself. I have lived in Europe for the past 6 years, and whenever I go back to visit the US I cannot believe whatI see people eatting. YUCK. – Alicia http://alicia-prague-blog.com/
May 25th, 2012 at 4:17 am
Ugh, I couldn’t agree more.
May 25th, 2012 at 4:52 am
Wow! Who knew that writing a post about food would garner so many aggressive comments?! Taking a trip overseas is a HUGE eye-opener. I always hear people talking about the obesity problem in America, but when my husband and I traveled to China, we realized just how bad the problem is. Everyone in China is so skinny, and they’re always snacking on apples and oranges and even raw cucumbers! But apparently we have a lot of minds to change and a lot of damage to undo before we can get Americans to the same place as Chinese, diet-wise.
May 25th, 2012 at 5:06 am
Love this blog. This will make me think twice about eating my junk food now, lol. And you are so right about the Light yogurt…it has a ton of sugar.
May 25th, 2012 at 5:11 am
Great post! I couldn’t agree more with how frustrating it is to hear and see people making the wrong dietary choices when it should be so easy to choose.
May 25th, 2012 at 6:07 am
*pissed off. Fructose is addictive. That’s why people prefer sugary crap. In the body, fructose gets converted to lard (natural sources of fructose, like fresh fruit are also high in fibre, which makes the fructose move through the body too fast to get absorbed) and therein lies the problem. Good on you for taking a stand though.
May 25th, 2012 at 6:07 am
Wow! Seems you have quite a following 🙂 Well done on your outrage – we need more of it 😉 Kim*
http://www.100days100ways.wordpress.com
http://www.travelphotographyblog.wordpress.com
May 25th, 2012 at 6:18 am
My mother fed me all that junk growing up. Hamburger helper, mac and cheese, cereal ect. It wasn’t until I got much older that I had the chance to try most veggies and fruits. The only fruit offered in school that I can recall is fruit cocktail, and applesauce. As an adult, I have the choice to feed my body what I want. As a parent I have an obligation to feed my children a balanced diet. Our families meals consist of veggies, fruit, potatoes, rice and meat. Meat meaning mostly chicken. We never rarely do anything else. With that said, if my children want a slice of pizza at a friends birthday party I won’t throw a stink. There are going to be times they will eat a bit of junk. When we come home we go back to eating the good food.
May 25th, 2012 at 6:42 am
What upsets me the most is that the healthiest, least processed food is the most expensive. Seems backward.
May 25th, 2012 at 6:53 am
Well said! Here in England, UK, we have similar issues, mainly eating healthy being so expensive. I’ve switched a lot of my eating habits and work out a lot more. It actually makes other parts of your life easier because you sleep better and have more energy. It’s a shame that a lot of the restaurants etc are yet to jump onboard, for example the School I work at, the canteen only serves white bread! People look at me funny when I refuse it, I’m not being stuck up I just don’t eat white flour. I’m glad more and more people are jumping on the healthy eating, hopefully the more ppl do it, the cheaper it will be to buy organic, healthy foods.
May 25th, 2012 at 7:24 am
I’m from the UK also and complete concur with what you’re saying, it takes simple steps to eat fresh produce which actually tastes a lot better. The subsequent response should be a more accessible pricing bracket for local or organic foods.
May 25th, 2012 at 7:43 am
You’re right to be upset about the state of food in this country. Though, not all of us have our children on a steady diet of TV and crap food. At my home, my children eat home cooked meals, that are often sourced directly out of my own garden. We very rarely eat “insta foods” but when we do it’s out of necessity rather than the norm.
The reasons we have all this crap in our grocery stores is because we are told to crave it through our interactions with media, how we were raised, and what foods were available to us when we were learning to eat.
But there are many places to acquire food that are not the grocery store. Farmers markets, the actual Farmer, growing your own, getting involved in a coop, etc will help get you in touch with your food. The more real food I eat, the less I like anything that comes out of a box with instructions on the back of it.
God all this talk about food and all I want to do is go make a homemade pizza now.
May 25th, 2012 at 8:01 am
Preach it brother! I simply could not agree with you sentiments any more.
May 25th, 2012 at 8:29 am
And all that packaging. Start a local ‘Park Slope (Brooklyn) Food COOP!
May 25th, 2012 at 8:35 am
i think once were adults – regardless of upbringing, media inundation, etc. it’s really up to us to take 30 seconds to read a label & another 5 minutes to google ingredients if we really want to be responsible. i grew up in a pretty nutritionally-unaware household in upstate new york, and while both my parents are intelligent people, they were feeding me bullshit. is this their fault? of course it is, because again, they didn’t even think to do the research. that was 25+ years ago – so i can give them the benefit that they didn’t have the technology of today which makes pretty much any information only seconds away.
the excuse that it’s parents or media or whatever really only goes so far – take initiative, take control and take responsibility – period. i eat amazingly nutritious foods now (i.e. chlorella, colostrum, bee pollen, etc.) no tap water, no processed stuff, etc. & i found everything out just by being curious and open to new ideas. if anyone out there wants some good information, resources, ideas, etc. please feel free to contact me – i’ll be more than happy to help. you can find my email in the about section of my blog.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:33 am
I’m not sure where you live but where I live the tap water is significantly better than bottled water. We actually lab tested the “spring water” that comes in the big blue bottles once and from a health perspective (TDS, bacterial counts etc) it was worse than the water pulled directly out of rivers…tap water was significantly better than both.
May 25th, 2012 at 3:17 pm
i just prefer my water without much heavier than needed doses of fluoride, chlorine, etc., etc.
i drink mountain valley, and no treated water could ever compare.
May 25th, 2012 at 8:48 am
glenn, are you an Olympic style lifter, a power lifter, or a body builder? The term “weightlifting” is used to describe all three, so it can get confusing, LOL! I’ve done a fair bit of Olympic style lifting and am a Level One coach, too. At any rate, it pisses me off, too, that people are so addicted to their gross, processed, unhealthy food and find all manner of excuses for their behaviour. I am a VEGAN, have been for six years, and have never felt better or healthier in my life. I am always amazed at what people are willing to put into their bodies….and then they wonder why they feel crappy, so off to the doctor they go, hoping for pills to fix it all! Yet we vegans get called “extreme”!!! Bleah…
May 25th, 2012 at 9:02 am
Reblogged this on alyxluck and commented:
About.. sums it all up. Truth.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:05 am
I’m pissed, too.
There are SO many reasons for our health problems, but one that no one seems to look at is in regards to “Commercials show smiling kids eating toaster strudels for breakfast in front of proud mothers…”. The role of parenthood has changed so drastically in the past 50 years. It’s unfair to blame it specifically on mothers, but taking the parents (and, yes, mothers specifically) further and further away from the home has resulted in a culture of convenience. Who has time to make a real breakfast?
I’m not trying to get down in women’s lib..I mean, a stay-at-home Dad could prepare a delicious breakfast, too. But somehow we’ve skewed our definition of success, so that parents’ priorities are no longer their children. Not only are both parents working – the jobs themselves are far more demanding in terms of working after-hours via the internet, putting in hours on the weekends, etc. Unintended consequences, yes, but consequences nonetheless.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:13 am
wow … some serious vitriol in the comments. let’s get this straight: marketers spend billions per year ($9.2 billion in 2002 – compare this to the CDC’s nutrition budget, which was $34 million) on advertising junk food, most of which is subsidized by government farm programs, which in turn are propped up by lobbyists’ payments to members of congress. food industry lawyers have managed to prevent any significant regulation of advertising to children. and when glenn pendlay posts this, people say he’s a “health nazi” who’s trying to “force his lifestyle down our throats”
May 25th, 2012 at 9:22 am
Also, about eating healthy being expensive:
It’s not really that expensive. Organic, processed Lean Cuisine meals, etc. are expensive. If you’re willing to put in the WORK and actually cook vegetables and meats that you buy for a few dollars at the farmers’ market, it’s much less expensive than buying crap from the grocery store. Packaged foods that add vitamins and minerals and Omega 6’s aren’t really healthy – the fact that we have to “add” these things into our foods is a symptom of how fake the foods we are eating really are.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:25 am
So many fine comments! I read a LOT of them. It boils down to taking responsibility, which so many of us don’t want to do. But we must at some point in time. There’s a lot of money to be made by keeping America ill. Poisoned but alive drives a huge amount of commerce. I think I’ll re-blog and paste to my FB page.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:38 am
Reblogged this on Moonmooring Grub and commented:
Good blog post. I’ve been thinking the same thing for years and posted similar thoughts myself on Moonmooring Grub, http://mymoonmooring.wordpress.com/2011/04/15/what-the-hell-has-happened-to-food . I keep coming back to it to read some more comments. Enjoy.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:39 am
LEARN HOW TO COOK!
That’s a start to healthy life, most people who lives in third world country MUST have cooking skill to survive their economic problems, because by cooking your own food you can save more money than eating out And by cooking your own meal you can process healthy food into your own favorite meal. Being Healthy isn’t expensive at all, american people like anything instant, and anything instant isn’t healthy at all and that’s a FACT.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:51 am
This article made my day.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:52 am
I think we’re all just a little bit brain washed and confused on what is deemed healthy or not. We need to go back to basics and maybe start offering health classes again that cover the basic nutrition of food. Instead, we’re following fad diets, calorie counting, and going for things that are full of sugar but has less fat. We just all need to go back to basics.
May 25th, 2012 at 9:53 am
i agree. D:
May 25th, 2012 at 10:25 am
Reblogged this on Homemade Wellbeing and commented:
Love it!
May 25th, 2012 at 10:26 am
I don’t think the point was that Americans are eating unhealthy foods. I think the point was that corporations are begin allowed to advertise food that is not at all healthy as being healthy. Poptarts, pizza pops etc. are not healthy but companies are advertising them to people as healthy foods for their kids and advertising them directly to kids when realistically no one should be eating these things.
People are fooled into thinking that these are actually healthy choices.
Of course some of the blame is on the consumer who doesn’t bother to investigate and learn for themselves. Apples and bananas and carrots are cheaper than chocolate bars and pizza pops any day, and just as fast.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:57 am
Reblogged this on rural herbivore.
May 25th, 2012 at 10:59 am
Groceries cost a lot. The dear spouse and I make enough to get by. So, I buy meat and produce and cook my own meals because buying food in a box is not cost-effective. And besides I know what’s going into my meals and it’s healthier.
May 25th, 2012 at 11:05 am
Unbelievable, isn’t it, how easy it is to promote what is wrong, rather than right. I have similar sensations of repulsion whenever I see the menus in America, or when I go to see a movie, and the sales-whatever-he-is tries to convince me to buy a large popcorn because it’s a greater value for money. It should be the opposite – higher prices to eat higher levels of garbage.
May 25th, 2012 at 1:24 pm
The physical world and the foods we consume is one part of the equation of a quality life. The other half is the mental world, which is more deep than many of us can imagine.
If you want a quality life you need to excel in both worlds.
May 25th, 2012 at 1:51 pm
i see thin people all the time in the chips section all time
May 26th, 2012 at 4:07 am
If only more people were thinking critically about marketing messages, the problem would be solved already…
May 26th, 2012 at 4:57 am
I agree completely. I recently cut out most processed foods and have never felt better.
May 26th, 2012 at 5:40 am
I don’t blame ya!
I have witnessed and heard from others who have friends or relatives who have Type 2 Diabetes who continue to eat in the same poor manner that got them there in the first place. It has been proven time and again that Type 2 is preventable and can be cured by diet change and exercise (doesn’t have to necessarily be a full blown gym membership – for some it is a matter of just taking a daily walk).
How many dollars are spent by insurance companies (don’t get me started on medicare/medicaid clients) on medicating people who continue on their self-destructive trail? Yes, I said it…self-destructive. In all fairness, there is a percentage who, due to other health issues, wind up with Type 2 – I am talking about people who spend years eating too much of the bad foods, wind up with Type 2, the doctor gives them a script for magic pills and they continue eating crap.
And, speaking of fairness, the sad fact is that the more affordable foods are not good. In some people’s cases, it is a matter of crap or no food at all. No one has come up with a comprehensive plan to make better foods available to people and there is very little education for these folks on the matter. Yes, we have a Food Bank here in south Jersey, located pretty far away from the people who need to get there. As for other places that get donated foods, guess what winds up in those pantries.
I’ll admit – I likes my chips and cookies. I love a good cheeseburger. But, I make sure that this is not my daily chow routine. As it is, even what is supposed to be good for us is not as good as it once was, considering corn-fed beef (check out the book, Omnivores Dilemma – what an eye opener that is), cloned and otherwise enhance fruits and veggies (have you ever noticed that Red Delicious apples are not so much delicious, anymore?) and even what is called “organic” cannot be trusted, since there is no regulation and monitoring standards for the truly organic.
The Bible says that the stomach is for food and food for the stomach, but I will not be mastered by either. The worst problems are due to people whose master is their stomach. Once they yield to their stomach, food gets placed upon a throne. We were created to eat. We were created to enjoy foods. We were not created to make food our master.
Insurance companies need to force doctors to give their patients a strict regimen before putting them on sugar balancing medication. My personal opinion is that these meds should not be paid by insurance or Medicare/Medicaid at all, since Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented or cured, but I suppose we have to have a little grace for these folks. The same goes for cholesterol medications – diet can lower cholesterol, too.
I guess some of the underlying problem is that people will eat what they want as long as there is a pill to maintain the aftermath and they have insurance to pay for it.
May 26th, 2012 at 7:53 am
May be a rice is new way to select eat. With green vigietible s.
May 26th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Really bad press for the food industry out there, but really good highlights for the healthy food denizens of the earth!
May 26th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Great post. Some of the comments are unbelievable! Go to work as a cashier in a place that sells food and you’ll see that Americans do have terrible eating habits. What’s worse is they pay for a lot of this “bad food” with food stamps in a lot of cases. (See my latest post.) The big thing is though, People are who they are, and it doesn’t matter how much you fuss about it, they are going to do what they are going to do.
May 27th, 2012 at 9:47 am
It annoys me that I waited until I was 37 to get my eating habits under control, and that I don’t really know why now as opposed to 5 years ago or 5 years from now. I just don’t know why it suddenly matters to me, and why I suddenly value a healthier life more than I value the taste of pizza and onion rings.
May 27th, 2012 at 12:13 pm
YES! I’m with you. Pissed. Trying so hard to teach my kids to eat a healthy diet—also limiting their tv–which helps them avoid those commercials for junk, but they will eventually see them at friends’ houses, etc. And their dad isn’t even trying to kick his Mt. Dew habit (the kids call it “yucky drink”). GRRRRR!!
May 27th, 2012 at 1:11 pm
Obviously you haven’t seen the documentary Super Sized Me. But it gives you perspective on how our country eats and what effect it has on on long term. I don’t consider this blog an article but just a mere rant… but I do agree with it. Good post though.
May 28th, 2012 at 10:44 am
Liza,
Spurlock is misleading in that ‘documentary’. He refuses to release his food log because he was dishonest in what he was actually eating in order to put on the kind of weight he did over one month. I would recommend you watch the documentary Fat Head, its on Hulu free and gives you an alternative view on SSM. I’m not saying fast food is good for you, just that SSM was about as honest of a documentary as any Michael Moore flick.
May 28th, 2012 at 12:00 pm
Regardless of rather or not he decided not to give out that information, it still shines some light on what our culture is like. And I’ll look into it. If it’s subtitled, I’ll watch it. Thanks for the suggestion.
May 28th, 2012 at 3:30 pm
Ok, so I managed to watch most of it without captions (forgive me, I’m deaf) but from what I understand other than the fact that it is possible to lose weight eating fast food. I understand why you’re saying the importance of withholding the food log is relevant. It does make sense, I’d like to see what he ate too and compare it to what he ate as well and counter all the colories he ate. And he is right, if he did record it, then he should be able to figure it out even if they didn’t have a nutritional menu in their area back then. But I’ve worked in fast food for a long time, he’s an idiot and if can’t figure out how to obtain information on a simple menu!
I do like how he got information, although half the time I was screaming about racial issues and calling the minorities stupid and lazy. I mean, not every minority is lazy and study. In this economy, most of them can’t afford food. It would be interesting to see what their take was on international studies of fast food though other than the pedestrians. If you look at McDonald’s Menu, in Egypt, it’s legal to sell a certain kind of hamberger that you can’t eat here. But in India they don’t sell red meat but do sell curry and their menus are more colorful… makes me question our advertising.
May 27th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Amen, Brotha…
May 27th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
How right you are! I like your rant / blog / article. The junk processed foods causes tremendous health issues for people of all ages. Thanks
May 27th, 2012 at 6:45 pm
c c c
May 27th, 2012 at 9:10 pm
For a nonsmoker, it is not all that difficult to walk by the cigarette counter, is it? For someone who is health conscious, it is not all that difficult to walk by the unhealthy food in he store. Perhaps the most common argument for eating heedlessly is that it is cheaper. Is it really? I went camping last week, so I bought some instant oatmeal packets because I would not have access to a stove to cook the old-fashioned kind…It was $4 for 10 pouches that were about 1.5..ehh…we’ll say 2oz a piece. Now, for a 3lb container of old-fashioned oats, it’s a little over $2. The latter is far healthier, with no added sugar or sodium, and it is half the price for more than twice to amount. Hmmmm…
Head to the produce section and just try and find a vegetable or fruit that costs a much per pound as a box of cookies, a bag of chips or a frozen dinner. EXTRA! EXTRA! When you get your oil changed, the filter and oil cost about $6 total, give or take, and yet the oil change is anywhere from $25 to $30. What gives? Labor!!! You are paying high, high prices for assembly. Now lemme walk you through this next part, because I know its coming…”But but but but I am too busy to cook for myself. I have a full-time job.” Okay, so figuring conservatively, one pays 4 to 5 times more for someone to prepare their food in a restaurant. At a grocery store, it is probably closer to 3 times. Try to stay with me…If you work to make money, leaving no time to cook your own food that costs 1/3 the price, and you pay 3 times as much for your food to be assembled for you, at the additional expense of compromised quality, freshness and nutrient content, then theoretically, couldn’t you work less, make less money, make you own food, come out financially equivalent, but have the bonus of higher quality, better tasting, healthier food?
What’s more expensive, a big stack of shingles, or having a new roof put on?
How about a small pile of lumber, or a wooden dresser?
Shall I keep going?
Trust me, you might think you’re getting away with something because you can get an entire double cheeseburger, processed, cooked, assembled and handed to you for $1.
…But Your Not!
May 28th, 2012 at 10:07 am
Good comment!
However, for those people that say they don’t have time to cook, I say “not true”.
It’s all about time management and priorities. Most people do not work 24 hours a day seven days a week. In fact, after work, some drop by a bar for a drink and most people turn on the TV when they get home or log onto the Internet and spend a few hours social networking, etc., when they could cook a large pot of steel-cut oatmeal on a day off from work that would last a week or more and take less than five minutes to add water to and heat up in the morning before going off the work. To cook a fresh batch of organic steel-cut oatmeal takes less than 30 minutes. It takes less than five to add water and heat it up on the stove.
In addition, it doesn’t take much time to peal a banana and Trader Joes and other markets sell organic bananas for about 19 to 29 cents each. In fact, old fashioned steel cut oatmeal and bananas are both listed as healthy foods that help with energy.
Then there is the evening meal. Again, all one need do is give up some video game time, Internet time, TV time to cook a large pot of tasty soup made from natural ingredients. This will take longer than 30 minutes but again, it only takes a few minutes each evening to heat up a bowl. For protein, organic free range chicken, legumes, tofu, etc. may be added to the soup. Studies show that all the average person needs a day is 6 ounces of protein to give the body what it needs in that nutrient.
For lunch, there is always an organic apple, maybe another banana, a few ounces of nuts such as almonds, cashes, brazil nuts, pecans, walnuts, sunflower seeds, etc., which all provide healthier protein that most meat, fiber, calcium, and other nutrients. In fact, my lunch for years was an apple, a small serving of mixed, unsalted, dry roasted nuts, maybe another banana and a Lara Bar.
I also drank only water. It’s easy to substitute water for soda and other sugary drinks such as fruit juice, which isn’t all that healthy because the pulp/fiber was removed and fiber is crucial to slow down the absorption of sugar of any kind.
By eating this way, I had more energy to get through the work day.
When people claim they don’t have time because they are too busy, that is just an excuse.
May 28th, 2012 at 1:34 pm
I am with ya! Granted, I have the advantage of being a cook, and therefore, I am knowledgeable on both what is healthy, cheap, and quick to make. There are literally dozens of healthy food options that will match up with any budget, from going completely organic, grass-fed, and free-range, for those without a constraining budget, to lentils and brown rice for the poorest of the poor…the poor have been surviving on lentils for millenia.
The sandwich could possibly be the most undervalued and misunderstood food item in modern America. There are weeks when I will visit a grocery store every day, grab a roll for 50 cents, half-pound of meat (the real kind, smoked pork loin or smoked turkey breast) for $4 (I exercise a lot!) and some spring mix, cucumbers, and onions from the salad bar for about a dollar. knick packets of spicy mustard if necessary, and you have Subway, only you spent less and the quality is vastly superior.
I honestly believe it really does not occur to people that they can go to a grocery store and get just what they want for a single meal. The indoctrination people have become victims of is just short of the brain-washing that takes place in a cult.
…Don’t drink the ‘punch’. 😉
May 28th, 2012 at 5:04 am
[…] “I’m pissed” was a blog post a friend on facebook linked to. And it’s not super friendly. But it is […]
May 28th, 2012 at 8:08 am
I agree wholeheartedly. Like you, I didn’t realize this until I went out of the country to Mexico. They eat so healthy! They don’t really pile cheese on top of everything nor do they drown everything in high sodium taco sauce. Everything is healthy.
May 28th, 2012 at 8:52 am
I love this Our I totally agree http://www.scentfuldiscoveries.wordpress.com
May 28th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Reblogged this on freethewick.
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
44549
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
79406
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
61018
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
48873
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
45046
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
95847
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
91042
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
42410
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
23660
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
3745
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
65101
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
45006
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
57504
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
34094
May 28th, 2012 at 9:40 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
48405
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
60329
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
20546
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
61152
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
30392
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
4100
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
45564
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
51677
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
55874
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
33319
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
39531
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
25132
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
73042
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
6044
May 28th, 2012 at 9:41 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
82577
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
60291
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
34954
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
94863
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
9614
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
80571
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
18882
May 28th, 2012 at 9:42 am
are you GAY? are you a NIGGER? are you a GAYNIGGER? if so, join the GNAA today! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay_Nigger_Association_of_America
5422
May 28th, 2012 at 10:16 am
Reblogged this on Dt2358.
May 28th, 2012 at 10:40 am
Don’t ya love it, Politics, Religion, and now Diet, things you don’t talk about amongst friends. How pathetic we all have become.
Mr.Pendlay, excellent post, spot on and I agree with you 100%!
May 28th, 2012 at 4:33 pm
Reblogged this on ifitcomestakeit and commented:
Oh how I have thought this many a time myself..read and see how you feel..
May 28th, 2012 at 6:58 pm
Clearly, you should poison all unhealthy foods in America.
It is obviously the best solution.
May 28th, 2012 at 7:32 pm
But it’s cheap, accessible and convenient. Not saying I agree with it – am actually working on providing the alternative. But majority doesn’t want it. I’ve showed fast, inexpensive breakfasts that are cheaper and faster than drive through fast food, but not as convenient. The bulk eggs are cheaper so why pay more for outdoor produced fresh eggs? It’s all the same right? *sigh* there’s no convincing some. They’re are alternatives but it takes wanting it, and sadly most don’t. It’s easier to reach for something to pop in the microwave. And when the crap hits the fan there’s many who will be in serious hurt once the prepared food runs out.
May 28th, 2012 at 11:25 pm
I definitely agree with this post, but having said that I’m not impartial to a pack of salt and vinegar chips/jellybeans/pizza etc etc – I once read a great chef was being asked by the audience “how do I read food labels better?” and he replied – “if it has a label, it’s not food.” I don’t completely subscribe to this, but it is something to keep in mind – is there a less refined version of the product in a can or box?
May 29th, 2012 at 10:13 am
From a fellow American WordPresser-Redditor, I agree that it’s part of our eating culture, but I believe that the biggest part about it all is being aware of what ‘bad’ food vs ‘good’ food you are eating. Great post!
-Tina (from http://mindsome.wordpress.com)
May 29th, 2012 at 2:06 pm
If nothing else, the negative responses to this blog posting have proven that a poor diet laden with sugar, other refined carbs, fried crap and prepackaged junk foods turns people into tired, cranky, defensive and openly hostile people who behave like paranoid addicts whenever someone even mentions taking away their drug. As a former obese person who once was quite like the ill tempered hysterics showing themselves here, I can tell you that the poison we are programmed to consume is damaging not only our bodies but our brains. I was fat b/c of several factors: 1) thyroid disease then cancer, 2) poor diet, 3) high levels of stress, 4) lack of exercise, 5) emotional eating. Once I addressed each of those issues, I began to LIVE, not just survive until things finally killed me. There are no quick fixes, no pill, no Dr. Oz recommended food item that is going to save you. You have to do the work and educate yourself (this does not mean reading a diet book.) That, and quit whining. If you’re fat, it’s your own fault. If you develop type 2 diabetes it’s your fault. If your kid is hyperactive, it’s your fault. Screaming at someone who is fed up with watching the self-induced suffering doesn’t absolve you of that. Nobody wants to watch addicts die from their addictions. If they choose to vent their frustrations and you don’t like it, then look at what it is about yourself that you hate so much that it sends you into a rage whenever anyone shines a light on it.
May 29th, 2012 at 6:33 pm
nice article
May 30th, 2012 at 1:08 am
A very well written post . Junk is one of the biggest problem that today’s generations fall for. I truly wish your article spreads well and educate many across the globe.
May 30th, 2012 at 8:32 am
I love when I go to Canada that most every person has a garden (excluding the bigger cities). Too bad growing our own simple and healthy food isn’t on the minds of more people. I doubt that many people would even know what to do if you gave them seeds and water. 😦
May 30th, 2012 at 9:15 am
I get your anger and really respect that you’re doing your part to do something with the anger. I too get worked up about Big Pharma and government food subsidies that sponsor corn growth (and therefore high fructose corn syrup) but I opted to act on that anger by studying nutrition and now I try to help people by sharing what I’ve learned. I see from the comments here that people get unbelievably angry about the “food and health nazis” so my mission is to make healthy eating and exercise practical and doable for regular working folks who are just trying to make sense of the ways in which to feel better, live more healthfully without deprivation and with some fun along the way. But, this is a fascinating post any way you look at it.
May 30th, 2012 at 4:41 pm
Reblogged this on How to crave nutrition and commented:
Interesting post; A very common point of view (that i happen to agree with); there is a sequel to this one so if you like it, click on! stay GMO-free!
June 2nd, 2012 at 3:18 am
I hear you loud and clear! AMEN!
June 2nd, 2012 at 5:40 am
Lovely language I might add. I try to eat healthy and go for a short workout to relax me and as down time. Reading this, it appears; there is a lot of rage and anger. This is what we want. If you wish to eat healthy food, please do. If you wish to eat pre-processed food, that is your choice. I for one always had the time to fix a good healthy meal. If you have the time to watch “married with children” you have the time to cook or fix a meal. I think its ok to get a pizza or an ice cream scoop. So, after all, we live once, enjoy life.
June 2nd, 2012 at 10:20 am
me too!
June 7th, 2012 at 3:05 am
Good info. Lucky me I ran across your blog by accident
(stumbleupon). I have saved it for later!
June 8th, 2012 at 9:29 pm
I too have traveled abroad, and I have noticed a HUGE difference in the foods. Meals abroad are made with simple ingredients, which I have adopted the same lifestyle. I highly recommend canning your vegetables for the winter. My friends call me a squirrel. I have turned canning into an entire party and family event. Sadly, many Americans know do not what a real meal stands for. I hope that you embrace your experiences and continue to share them with others.
June 10th, 2012 at 5:03 pm
Reblogged this on Redick211's Blog.
June 11th, 2012 at 2:20 pm
Thank god I am not the only pissed off one. Cheers mate!
June 12th, 2012 at 3:47 pm
I absolutely agree with you…as an American living in Europe, visiting America for a bit made me realize how American society is surrounded by unhealthy food options, advertising, etc. Not to mention the sedentary lifestyle that plagues Americans as well. It is an unfortunate situation.
June 14th, 2012 at 9:06 pm
Steen
Being a vegetarian, you’re in no position to comment, either! Being veggie is – marginally – healthier than being vegan (but not much!).
Lloyd Lofthouse: – you are a fool. A deluded gullible FOOL! Being vegan – or fruitarian – is the unhealthiest lifestyle choice ANYONE can make! You’re eating no fat (and our bodies NEED fat – see below) and I’m REALLY surprised you’re not diabetic by now, the amount of carbs you’re consuming! I’m guessing you eat a lot of grains, yes…? And you believe you’re healthy…? Grains are just about the most toxic substances a human being can put into their body!
Our bodies NEED fat – particularly saturated fat; it’s essential for healthy sperm, healthy brain cells and, along with cholesterol, a healthy heart!
If you look at the death rates from heart disease now, and 60 years ago, you’ll find the difference is dramatic; it’s almost FIVE TIMES now what it was back then – and it’s the same with cases of dementia. Why…? It’s simple – back then no one was being told that fat was unhealthy, and the consumption of carbs was FAR lower because of this.
I eat a diet high in fat (particularly saturated fat) and very low in carbs, eating just vegetables and berries. I consume no grains, legumes, starchy root veg (and that includes potatoes) or sugars, other than that which is contained in the fruit and veg I eat.
I was a 24 stone (336lb) diabetic. In 3 years, I lost 16 stone, now tipping the scales at 7 stone 12 (110lb). I don’t over do the exercise either, as ‘chronic cardio’ (i.e. pounding the treadmill or bike at the gym, or pounding the pavement) is just as unhealthy – maybe even more so – than no exercise at all! It puts a strain on the cardiovascular system, and causes the catabolism of lean muscle mass. The number on the scales may very well go down, but you’ll have lost muscle and probably gained fat.
June 15th, 2012 at 7:53 am
Sarah,
Who is the fool? Who said I was a fruitarian?
A fruitarian is someone that only eats fruit. A true vegan does not eat only fruit. Where did you read that I said I was a fruitarian and where did you get the idea that being a vegan meant you had to be a fruitarian?
A vegan has more than a thousand foods that he or she may consume—nuts, legumes, and vegetables of all sorts besides fruits.
There are bad fats and good fats and it is possible to consume good fats with a vegan diet. In fact, scientific studies show us that protean and fats from vegetable sources (beans, nuts, vegetables, etc) are healthier for our bodies than most animal fats that are consumed today.
Some of the best fat that is bioavailable to the body comes from nuts and I eat a variety of nuts (almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, cashews, etc.) on a daily basis besides legumes such as soy beans, black beans, pinto beans, etc.
Studies have proven that it is harder for the body to digest and absorb animal fats and animal proteins. In fact, the best source of calcium is not milk or cheese but comes from green leafy vegetables such as spinach or Kale, which is a regular part of my family’s diet.
My medical provider is the VA since I am a former US Marine and Vietnam Veteran and have a service related disability. Medical care is not a problem. When I want to see a doctor for any reason, I make a call and make an appointment. In fact, I had one last Monday and on May 9th, I had a colonoscopy where the doctor said my colon was in great shape while I watched the procedure.
I have annual checkups, which include blood tests. I have been a vegan since 1982. Do the math. That is thirty years. I do not have heart disease. I am not diabetic. I have not had the flu or the common cold since I have been a vegan that eats a balanced vegan diet. My primary doctor says I’m in better health that 80% of the people my age who take one or more medications to control their lifestyle disease caused mostly by eating a diet based on animal fats and proteins swallowed by sodas such as Coke and Pepsi.
In fact, I take no medications—none.
In addition, there are supplements, which I take. I take a B-12 supplement suitable for vegans and vegetarians and I also take Flax Seed oil in addition to other supplements to make sure I’m is getting what my body needs.
As for your 60 years ago diet, meat was healthier before the feedlots where cattle are fed corn to fatten them up. When most cattle were free range, they ate grass and the fat content in those cattle was a healthier fat that from corn. Meat eaters may still buy grass fed, organic beef for the healthier fat if they are willing to pay more. Whole Foods Markets offers this healthier meat.
Just because I eat a vegan diet does not mean I do not exercise. I follow a regular routine that includes walking several miles a week and lifting weights. I have maintained the same lean weight between 180 to 190 pounds for thirty years. Recent bone density tests show my bones are healthy and there is no risk of bone loss or muscle mass loss. I stand almost 6 foot 4 inches tall and have weighed between 180 and 190 pounds for thirty years with no weight problems.
Again, Sarah, I ask, who is the fool here? Fools are people that do not know what they are doing or what they are talking about. Since I became a vegan in 1982, I have read more than a dozen books on the topic of diet and health besides hundreds of articles. I know what I am doing.
June 15th, 2012 at 8:00 am
Sarah,
As for grains, about the only grain I eat is organic, gluten free steel-cut oatmeal four times a week for breakfast. The other three days, I have one slice a day of toasted hemp bread, which is loaded with fiber and seeds. I do not eat processed whole grain noodles or pasta of any kind and I stay away from most processed whole wheat products due to the gluten. I also avoid even whole grain rice most of the time and avoid the “white” foods as if they are poison—sugar, milk, cheese, white rice, white flour.
June 15th, 2012 at 10:49 pm
Cheap crap like Big Macs and Quarter Pounders should thrown of the market. Kids, Ronald McDonald is not a good influence. Ronald McDonald is a prime offender of this non-healthy cheap food act!!! 😛 🙂 Unfortunately though, as it is, we all some what offend this… we’re all worried the economy and money, so we go out and buy this stuff. I’m pissed about this along with you! 🙂 This is what makes people obese!
June 15th, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Reblogged this on bashshinycap and commented:
This here is Glenn Pendlay’s opinion on USA’s poor food choices, and the facts that back it up. I personally agree with this, as I really want the message spread.
June 26th, 2012 at 7:31 pm
well i’m sorry you feel that way, but its what sells because it tastes good. i hate eating most things labeled as “healthy.” They are stripped of flavor/sweetness, unpleasant to eat, and just make you want to starve instead. On top of that, it costs more. You see the “healthy & fit” celebrities in their bikinis. It is because they deprive themselves of good food and are usually really upset about their new diet. And whats wrong with eating pop-tarts. I love those. Kids usually don’t eat what they don’t like anyways. Not like you can FORCE veggies down their throats. Although I LOVE vegetables.
June 27th, 2012 at 7:48 pm
couldn’t agree with you more. How can we make informed decisions if we are being bombarded and fooled into buying ‘healthy’ food when it is in fact the opposite. I wrote a piece on my blog in a similar vein (are we doing enough to tackle obesity).
July 1st, 2012 at 5:23 pm
[…] Try to NEVER make Coach Pendlay Angry! […]
July 9th, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Reblogged this on °ღ•ŚÚĴℐŤ●•٠·˙ Blog and commented:
Great
July 23rd, 2012 at 7:40 pm
Well said. These hateful commenting idiots can fuck off. After traveling to other places and seeing not only how people there eat but how much easier it is to be healthy there really makes me feel the same way.
July 26th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
This is why I never discuss, Politics, Religion and in recent years I have added Nutrition.But I read in a journal many years ago that “bread made you fat and stupid and sugar was poison.” Maybe they knew what they were talking about even back then.
August 1st, 2012 at 2:17 pm
Great article. I agree with your stances. Everywhere you go, people are faced with poor food choices masked with sneaky marketing. It is a shame that our society is being overtaken by what I think is an epidemic.
The posters giving you a hard time are missing the point.
August 9th, 2012 at 8:50 am
Good article! I´m sure that the attitude concerning a good and well based diet in general will change within the next years. Ppl are getting more and more aware of what they eat each day.
September 1st, 2012 at 1:32 pm
It’s awesome designed for me to have a site, which is good in support of my know-how. thanks admin
September 18th, 2012 at 4:13 am
Well-written article with a nice picture added…
December 2nd, 2012 at 1:26 am
[…] I’m Pissed At What Food American’s Most Eat – A very interesting, and very true, article, on the kinds of food Americans consume and the […]
December 28th, 2012 at 11:47 am
This is my experience with this issue…my mother – 105lbs, very rarely ate “junk food”, never drank pop and didn’t smoke or drink alcohol died at 64 of a brain tumour. My mother-in-law – obese, eats junk food more than she should, smokes a lot, drinks pop and doesn’t exercise ever is still ticking at 60. How does that compute? I, myself, don’t have the healthiest eating habits and drink more pop than I should. I don’t smoke or drink, at all, but I don’t exercise more than regular walking and carting my kids around. I could definitely lose about 40-60 lbs, but my heart is perfectly healthy, cholesterol is normal and my blood pressure is pretty much perfect too (even when 9 months pregnant). My only “chronic” issue is my asthma which is environmental. I could probably easily lose the weight if only I could eat certain foods that are “healthy” – I’m severely allergic to apples, plums, walnuts and almonds. Now, try to tell me that I’m a burden on society and “have” to change my lifestyle to match yours. PS. Our children are 6 & 2 and we do our best to make sure they eat healthy and they don’t ever have pop and both are exactly where they should be height and weight-wise.
December 28th, 2012 at 1:47 pm
Jennifer,
There are many factors involved in why one person may live longer than another. There are lifestyle factors, DNA differences, environment both at home and work, etc.
When we read about people that make unhealthy lifestyle choices, all of those studies are based on results/averages. To understand what I mean, you may want to read this piece in AARP Magazine about “The New American Diet”.
http://www.aarp.org/food/healthy-eating/info-11-2012/the-new-american-diet.html
For example, the AARP piece says, “About 70 percent of the over-50 population in America is overweight, with about a third classified as obese. Health complications from obesity cost the United States $190 billion in medical expenses each year. Obesity also shortens lives: An Oxford University study found that an obese person’s life span is three to 10 years shorter than that of someone of average weight, about the same loss of life associated with smoking. … More than 80 percent of all cases of type 2 diabetes are related to weight. One out of every three cancer deaths is linked to excess body weight, poor nutrition or physical inactivity. Moreover, your risk of dying prematurely increases even if you’re just 10 pounds overweight.”
Are there going to be exceptions? Yes.
Pointing to exceptions to justify an unhealthy lifestyle does not guarantee who will be the next exception.
Last year a neighbor age 58 had a massive stroke and died in minutes. It shocked his family and everyone on the street, because he was not overweight and he did not smoke. A friend of mine who ate basically healthy had two parents, still alive, who are in their 90s and he thought he would live as long as they have lived so far but then a few years ago, he passed out and they discovered he had cancer spreading everywhere and he died two weeks later. When I was still teaching, at lunch one day, an artery burst in the brain of a young teacher in her 30’s and she died in minutes leaving behind a husband and two young children.
I’ve lived long enough to learn that people have a way of justifying everything they do if they do not want to change a lifestyle.
Regardless of how good you feel, hundreds of studies going back decades tells us that the way you are living comes with a high risk factor for lifestyle diseases and an earlier death after lingering illnesses.
When we go to Vegas and play the tables or slots, each game has different odds. Some games have better odds than others. Life is a crap shoot and we will never know what the next moment holds for us.
December 28th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
I forgot something. If you play Blackjack (21), a card game, there are strategies that boost the odds of players to beat the casino, but that does not guarantee a player will walk away a winner. All it does is shift the odds in a player’s favor. We do the same with the way we live our lives.
January 22nd, 2013 at 11:09 pm
Lloyd,
I’m not saying that there aren’t exceptions, God knows I’m one as far as “risk factors” go. My issue is with people who try to force their “healthy” lifestyle on others – as you say, a healthy diet/exercise doesn’t guarantee a long, healthy life. Just because I happen to not have chronic illnesses or other health problems now doesn’t mean I won’t in the future. I know that. I will live my life the way I want and if you (meaning those in the general population, not you in particular) don’t like it, too bad. I will do my best to be a good role model for our children and hopefully pass on better habits than I have (I was very active as a child/teen, but as I got older, I got lazy as far as healthy eating/exercise goes). I know I’m not an ideal weight, but I don’t need anyone to tell me that. I’m an adult and can figure that out on my own. Now, should I get any heavier and become obese for my height, then yes, I may become a burden on society. However, I will not allow that to happen because I want to live a long, happy life and hopefully will have the chance and not be “an exception”. As an aside, my mother’s oncologists believed that the cancer that eventually killed her had been present for 10-15 years and something unknown precipitated its sudden growth. We believe it may have been stress – retirement after 35 years of teaching, an ill and ageing mother, mentally impaired sister who she was responsible for since my grandmother had been moved to a senior’s care home, two weddings in two weeks (mine & my brother’s) and two children still in university. So, yes, there are lots of factors involved in one’s health, just don’t try to convince me that your way is better than someone else’s – it’s not necessarily true. Thanks for your dialogue; it’s insightful and refreshing to have intelligent discussions about such a hot-topic issue.
January 13th, 2013 at 11:27 am
[…] I’ve never been to this page before. I saw a post called I’m Pissed (About What We Eat in America) that immediately caught my attention. I loved this post. It was funny and sad and true all at […]
January 20th, 2013 at 12:01 pm
I’m not sure where you are getting your information, however great topic. I must spend a while studying much more or working out more. Thanks for wonderful info I was in search of this info for my mission.
January 30th, 2013 at 11:52 pm
Why is there a label involved in a vegetarian diet? Want some cereal? It takes 1 second to see brown rice on the package. Want some dried beans? Another second to see if it is one variety or a simple mix. Vegetables have a band to keep the leaves together or several pieces to be sold as a unit. Wheat should be easy: stay away from all of it. It is not real food anymore since the scientists got a hold of it.
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:41 pm
[…] of what you might hear from the Sarah Balfours of the world, more than one reputable study proves that vegetarians live longer, healthier […]
February 2nd, 2013 at 1:43 pm
[…] recently, I left a comment on Glenn Pendlay’s Blog and someone identified as Sarah Balfour called me a fool in a comment, because I am a rare, alien […]
March 27th, 2013 at 7:56 am
Reblogged this on thepowerofgreyskull and commented:
This.
May 5th, 2013 at 7:35 pm
[…] and processes in the production, preservation and preparation of our food. Another great blog article I found on a fitness website demonstrates how the author is also incredibly frustrated with the […]
May 23rd, 2013 at 7:16 pm
Wow, wonderful blog structure! How lengthy have you been
blogging for? you made blogging glance easy. The total look of your website
is wonderful, let alone the content!
May 25th, 2013 at 9:46 am
magnificent post, very informative. I’m wondering why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You should continue your writing. I’m sure, you have a great
readers’ base already!
June 24th, 2013 at 1:09 pm
MinecraftForFree was created so that people can try Minecraft before they purchase it to make sure
they like the game.
July 4th, 2013 at 5:26 pm
[…] and processes in the production, preservation and preparation of our food. Another great blog article I found on a fitness website demonstrates how the author is also incredibly frustrated with the […]
July 10th, 2013 at 9:30 am
It’s an awesome post designed for all the web users; they will get advantage from it I am sure.
August 10th, 2013 at 2:23 pm
[…] I’m pissed. by glenn pendlay____________________________________ […]
September 26th, 2013 at 2:08 am
Amen!
March 25th, 2014 at 5:55 pm
Thank you for the auspicious writeup. It in truth was once a enjoyment account it.
Glance complex to far delivered agreeable from you!
By the way, how can we be in contact?
June 24th, 2014 at 8:13 pm
Hi there this is somewhat of off topic but I was wondering
if blogs use WYSIWYG editors or if you have to manually code with HTML.
I’m starting a blog soon but have no coding know-how so I wanted to get advice from someone with experience.
Any help would be enormously appreciated!
August 10th, 2014 at 12:43 pm
This is hilarious, someone writes a blog post that simply says we eat way too much sugar in this country and it creates an 800 post firestorm.
September 12th, 2016 at 9:07 am
[…] recently, I left a comment on Glenn Pendlay’s Blog and someone identified as Sarah Balfour called me a fool in a comment, because I am […]
August 21st, 2017 at 5:20 pm
Reblogged this on Glenn Pendlay.
November 17th, 2017 at 12:48 am
A very enjoyable article. Well written, honest and wise; if only it could be read by Everyone.
April 19th, 2024 at 7:58 pm
Take your
Five times in a row!!!!