Good Thing... at least we are being told, so we have the choice. Bad news, even the "healthy" drinks and foods, like juice have something like 2.5 servings in a bottle. I thought I was making a better choice than soda, drank the bottle, then looked to realized I had used up a meal serving because I wanted something different than water!!!!! Make sure to read the bottle, before you buy!
At that time U.S. food prices were becoming a political hot potato. At the behest of Richard Nixon, Ag Secretary Earl Butz (Mr. Get Big Or Get Out) revolutionized grain production in the U.S. He's the father of so called "Cheap Food" and industrialized factory farming. We can thank him for HFCS
So now a days, instead of spending more than 30% of our income on food we spend less than 10%.
Yup. My dad remembers that. He said they were told to begin planting "fencerow to fencerow." The current food policy, which is basically from the early 1970s to the present, is focused on making food as cheap as possible — more calorie bang for the buck, no matter the nutrition content. Why? People don't complain too much politically if they can afford to put supper on the table, that's why.
It's also designed, after a fashion, to keep family farming sustainable as a profession, but I think a lot of that vision got eaten up by conglomerates like ADM taking over and running the show, and getting themselves a lot of the benefits intended for small family farmers.
HFCS sucks, but my dad grows corn that goes into it. Just remember not to blame the farmers, but to blame the policy that paints farmers into corners!
Health and nutrition education is a tough topic to tackle. It could backfire like abstinence-only sex ed programs, with people feeling rebellious and angry ("I don't care if it's bad for me, it tastes good" etc) and disobeying what they're taught. I remember in school we had mandatory health class and they taught us all about the food pyramid, balanced diets, and how most of what we eat should be "real food" and not junk. But it went in one ear and out the other. At that age my bad habits had already formed. I craved full-fat chocolate milk and fettucine Alfredo and I never worried about my weight even though P.E. was humiliating because of it.
Some people are willfully ignorant or refuse to believe the truth or simply lack the willpower to change their habits. Others may change their minds more easily if they were to read statistics on nutrition, calories etc. in beloved restaurant and fast food meals. I have no potential cures for this ailment, but I'm really worried about the state of the nation. How can everyone get help that will work for them?
You know, I couldn't have ranted about this better myself............ my feelings exactly Matt H! It's just... MIND BLOWING.
I marvel at the people (mostly young guys) that come into my store and buy these absolutely horrible foods and are stick thin. Like I'm talkin 2 for $1.00 honeybuns that are 600 calories a piece... and they'll eat both! Heck, in the past..... I probably did too!!! It's CRAZY.
Today was my pre-op checkup before my surgery Thursday. We had to be there early, and being the AWESOME morning person I ain't, we ran out the door without breakfast. We're sitting in the waiting room and across from us was a cafeteria, so I sent my hubby over for coffee. He brought back a HUGE blueberry muffin with crumbly brown sugary stuff on the top. And a knife to halve it with. I didn't eat it. I had a sausage/egg/cheese/english muffin sandwich that was probably every bit as fattening, but at least it had protein and not all sugary carbs. It was filling, it was delicious, and I didn't eat that damned sugar pill, yay me! Gave me some wicked gas, but that seemed par for the day I was having, lol.
That egg sandwich was the closest thing to healthy that cafeteria had - it was all pastries and sugared cereal in little boxes. And all three of the nurses I saw today were obese. :-(
Today was my pre-op checkup before my surgery Thursday. We had to be there early, and being the AWESOME morning person I ain't, we ran out the door without breakfast. We're sitting in the waiting room and across from us was a cafeteria, so I sent my hubby over for coffee. He brought back a HUGE blueberry muffin with crumbly brown sugary stuff on the top. And a knife to halve it with. I didn't eat it. I had a sausage/egg/cheese/english muffin sandwich that was probably every bit as fattening, but at least it had protein and not all sugary carbs. It was filling, it was delicious, and I didn't eat that damned sugar pill, yay me! Gave me some wicked gas, but that seemed par for the day I was having, lol.
That egg sandwich was the closest thing to healthy that cafeteria had - it was all pastries and sugared cereal in little boxes. And all three of the nurses I saw today were obese. :-(
I totally agree with what everyone is saying!
BUT THIS makes me the most crazy! The hospital where my children are seen (on the American military base) for medical and dental is over an hour away. Often we run out the door before 5am for appointments and I'm not always a great planner when I have to be awake and driving that early. It would be nice to arrive and have some healthy options for my kids available at the Cafe at the clinic... but NOPE it's all donuts and crap food. WTH?! This is a hospital... would it kill them to have some bananas or heck, even something reasonable like cereal? It blows my mind. Usually we end up waiting it out and hitting the grocery store on the way home. When my daughter had her surgery the cafeteria was awful too! I don't understand how a medical facility can serve such awful food. I just wanted a salad... but there was nothing available for me to eat that day. It is totally unbelievable to me.
