21st century and we can't afford proper food? That would be even more worrying than this report then. I hope it's just people not prioritizing food
More Than Half of What Americans Eat Is 'Ultra-Processed'
- Thread starter entremet
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entremet
Member
The article follows a very clear logic chain though.
Processed isn't bad by definition and includes tons of foods>It creates and define a new term--ultra processed>it shows that the problem with those foods are the added sugars not simply that they're ultra processed.>Added sugars are behind the increase intake of calories.
rofl
Emerson's Essentia
Banned
The answer to the problem is education. The average person has little to no real understanding of nutrition to make informed decisions and the problem gets worse as you delve into the lower classes. You know the problem is education when people working in nursing, a dominant aspect of the health industry, haven't a clue about nutrition and runs among the highest obesity rates in the country.
Were I running things, nutrition courses would be mandatory by 9th grade, the latest. There would be urban programs that offered free, basic nutritional guidance and education.
Of course, modern corporations in many industries don't benefit from a population educated in nutrition and that makes this partly a structural issue.
Were I running things, nutrition courses would be mandatory by 9th grade, the latest. There would be urban programs that offered free, basic nutritional guidance and education.
Of course, modern corporations in many industries don't benefit from a population educated in nutrition and that makes this partly a structural issue.
I think americas biggest problem is serving size. We dont realize that many things as a serving size is way way way smaller than what we consume. Like i used to think i had to eat like 6 oz of salmon when a serving size is really just 3oz. like stuff like that totally messes people up.
My biggest issue is that I feel like I have to fill my plate, and that i dont waste food when really i should just be buying way smaller portions of food. Restaurants are notorious as well to give people huge servings of food as well which i think is apart of the problem.
My biggest issue is that I feel like I have to fill my plate, and that i dont waste food when really i should just be buying way smaller portions of food. Restaurants are notorious as well to give people huge servings of food as well which i think is apart of the problem.
entremet
Member
That is an issue if you do eat out of lot.
Splitting entrees is a good habit. You also get to try new tastes, so it's a superior way of dining.
A load of people at work have starting buying this stuff called Huel recently, you might be interested. It's a powder you can add water to, and it apparently contains all the nutrients you need.
Personally I think it's revolting.
I can see that it's doing a decent job at trying to suss out the core issue, better than most, but dont you think that this is going to be hard to communicate to the general public? Maybe I'm a bit pessimistic about this.
If it's not a wide-spread issue, why are YOU spreading "alarmist crap" like "always check the labels"? Because it IS actually such a big problem. Yes, not all processed food is bad, but enough of it is that informing the public about the possible negatives of a large portion of processed foods is just a wise thing to do, especially when we move from the "chopped, frozen vegetables" end of processed foods to the "creamy sauce with pre-cooked vegetables" side of it. Just saying "read the labels" isn't necessarily all that good of an advice since most people don't have encyclopedic knowledge of what kind of amounts of different things are/aren't good for you.
entremet
Member
I don't think so.
I think the issue is perceived food costs and time to prepare meals. Those are biggest obstacles honestly.
Walter White Walker
Member
A few years ago I threw out all of my plates and replaced them with smaller ones. It helps on portion control, plus I needed new plates anyway.
Emerson's Essentia
Banned
This is so contrived you should feel embarrassed. Burn your straw men, instead of giving them nice clothes.
You need to stop taking issue with me and take issue with what's in the OP. The new classification being proposed shows you might be wrong and actually does exactly what you claim it should do, in terms of warning people about the negative potential of processed foods. It's just evident that the class of processed foods is quite a bit larger than what people like you initially assumed, so assuming that "most" are "bad" for the average consumer is nonsense.
So the dial is being moved on the "processed food debate". There's a sect of health conscious people that like to employ the naturalistic fallacy in a way that would make some think that any kind of food processing is the devil. That's alarmist and this distinction addresses that.
Teaching people how to label read is good advice because it allows them to understand the fundamental "what's" and "whys" of what they're avoiding so they can make truly informed decisions. That doesn't require hyperbolic, "encyclopedic" knowledge, just the basics of how to be a mindful consumer in regards to nutrition.
A Fish Aficionado
I am going to make it through this year if it kills me
heh, a little satire from The New Yorker:
This is why you two are great posters when it comes to this stuff.
But i do share Kinitari's skepticism. Food manufacturers adapt and things such as "natural" "organic" "minimally processed" can still lead to the myriad of health problems we see today.
I’m Finally Taking Responsibility and Blaming All My Problems on Processed Foods
This is why you two are great posters when it comes to this stuff.
But i do share Kinitari's skepticism. Food manufacturers adapt and things such as "natural" "organic" "minimally processed" can still lead to the myriad of health problems we see today.
hydragonwarrior
Member
Phew - totally gave up on microwave meals and cereals ages ago. That much salt and sugar might be okay when it young but def not when ur older.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Really this right here. Buy mostly whole ingredients and make food for yourself.
I agree with Kinitari that the label itself may not necessarily be helpful and that food companies will always find a way to take advantage of the latest "villain" in popular nutrition by making shit products to sell to people who are lazy and not well informed.
It really comes down to people desperately needing better education about food and nutrition as well as needing to carve out time in their day to actually prepare food for themselves. The modern food culture being centered around convenience above all else has had terrible effects on society and people's health.
Razzorn34
Member
Honestly, nothing much will change overall until crappy food costs more than nutritious food. The biggest change when trying to eat clean is seeing how much more that actually costs. It's a pretty big change if you were living on pot pies, tv dinners, jenos pizzas, and oatmeal cream pies. Your average American doesn't have time to make everything themselves, and healthy options are always premium priced.
Emerson's Essentia
Banned
That eating healthy is expensive is largely a myth. You may not be able to enjoy the diversity of Dwayne Johnson at a 6000 calorie/day intake, but you can definitely eat healthy, for cheap, with a caloric range of 1000-3000. The average person, basically. You just have to have the nutritional know-how to finagle the principle of thermodynamics into your favor a bit. Don't look to have the fitness regimen of a body builder or a professional athlete if you're a meager college student that can't devote resources to those types of fitness goals.
And now that you know that not all processing is bad, you have some convenience to work with as well.
Walter White Walker
Member
That's the thing, though - at least where I live (i.e. not a food desert) nutritious food is cheaper than the heavily processed crap. Produce, dairy, eggs, chicken - all of that is inexpensive. Most produce is only $1-2 a pound. Even stuff that usually costs more is on sale in that range - I just bought an Eggplant today where they're normally $2.49 but it was on sale for 99 cents. I buy chicken regularly on sale for 99 cents a pound. I can and do put together entire dinners for myself and my two kids that cost less than $3 total, or less than a single serving Hungry Man frozen dinner. Maybe it's just anecdotal but I don't get at all the widespread belief that healthy eating is more expensive than crap food eating.
Razzorn34
Member
Only if you are preparing all of your own food. Anything healthy off the shelf isn't going to beat 50 cent pot pies in price for a meal. It's not even a contest. Your average American family struggles with cooking more than a few times a week these days.
johnnywheels
Neo Member
Most definitely, I can count the amount of raw meats/vegetables in my fridge on my two hands...
Walter White Walker
Member
But that's more an argument of "People are too fucking lazy to cook for themselves" instead of "Healthy food is too expensive". I manage it just fine - breakfast and dinner most every day - and I'm a single parent with two kids and the martial arts, homework, reading, yada yada going on. Of course I do enjoy cooking so there is that.
edit: Or even better they should get a slow cooker - spend ten minutes in the morning and you'll have a great dinner waiting for you. No one can claim they don't have time for that.
LucidMomentum
Member
Are you well off, work wise? I mean, a lot of people I know are literally exhausted after work most days and that's just to make ends meet. They turn to processed / packaged foods just to have time to unwind / sleep.
Sometimes it's not about being lazy so much as it's about that being their only margin to save time without losing income.
Username1198
Member
Look around, we need it.
Bad diets leads to bad health problems leads to higher health care costs.
But seriously, next time your anywhere with a crowd, look around, it's like 1/4 are obviously overweight and unhealthy
Looks delicious.
MrChocolate
Member
It is not so simple.
Brown sugar is healthier than white sugar. Yet, white sugar is cheaper than brown.
You'd think that white sugar is cheaper to produce, yet it is not.
A few decades ago, brown sugar was way cheaper than white sugar, since the former was labeled as a low quality sugar (it is indeed "less" sweet)
But no one bothered to inform the consumers, that white sugar is a lot more complex for your body than brown sugar.
The same could be said of other products, although this is the only one were I can use life facts.
D
Deleted member 17706
Unconfirmed Member
Brown or white, you're not doing your health any favors by eating sugar.
Walter White Walker
Member
Nope - I'm not part of "Rich, tall, enormous dick" GAF. I just put a priority on trying to eat healthy (with the occasional McDonald's etc). Of course it helps that I really enjoy cooking, but I just don't buy the excuse that it's too hard, or too time consuming, or really any of that for a lot of people. Like I said I'm a single parent so I'm busy most days doing something from 6 AM or so until 9 PM at night, so it's not like I'm a single guy with few responsibilities that can just cook all day.
Its quite funny when i have some american friends who ask me ( french) how i, or a good part of french people too, can stay slim eating 10 times more sweets than them
i told them exactly that, we don't have every dish, drink, bread so sweet and /or fat. its sickening in every sense.
And yes, cook your own meals, do your own cakes as often as you can. its better, healthier, cheaper, more social, and keep you fit eating whatever you want.
And processed food ( the already prepared meal) is a commonly accepted rule here that it's only for emergency. A lot of time in a couple there's always one of the two cooking, the other one washing behind.
FallingEdge
Member
Calories and protein. The rest is negligible.
Even IF you want to argue that junk food is cheaper than healthy food, or you don't have time to cook, just eat LESS of the CHEAPER junk food, save money, time AND weight!
I used to eat 2 double cheeseburgers all the time for lunch, now when I have them I combine them together and remove 3 of the 4 pieces of bread to lower carbs from 80g to 20g, prevents spiking insulin and hunger coming from the crash a couple hours later. Since I don't eat breakfast usually the 610 calories from that lunch will tide me over until dinner. That gives you a lot of room to breathe, you can splurge your 1k Cal surplus on a pig out dinner and not go over your daily needs, eat a normal dinner and have a net loss for the day (weight reduction)
Try ordering a diet soda and not getting the large fries with your burger. Try getting JUST the burger without the combo, sure you get a lot of cal extra for a little more money, but you don't have the problem of needing more cals, you need LESS. Order the Son of baconator instead of the Baconator, the Quarter Pounder instead of the Double QP, the Mcdouble instead of the QP
I used to eat 2 double cheeseburgers all the time for lunch, now when I have them I combine them together and remove 3 of the 4 pieces of bread to lower carbs from 80g to 20g, prevents spiking insulin and hunger coming from the crash a couple hours later. Since I don't eat breakfast usually the 610 calories from that lunch will tide me over until dinner. That gives you a lot of room to breathe, you can splurge your 1k Cal surplus on a pig out dinner and not go over your daily needs, eat a normal dinner and have a net loss for the day (weight reduction)
Try ordering a diet soda and not getting the large fries with your burger. Try getting JUST the burger without the combo, sure you get a lot of cal extra for a little more money, but you don't have the problem of needing more cals, you need LESS. Order the Son of baconator instead of the Baconator, the Quarter Pounder instead of the Double QP, the Mcdouble instead of the QP
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