How do all of the warnings about "bad" foods/drinks influence our eating habits?
Nowadays every food can be seen as “bad for you” depending on the way you look at it with very few exceptions. From red meat and apple juice to dairy and starches I feel like everything has a huge warning label on it and some where down the line an invisible person will write a book about “the danger of eggs”. -now I know that seems a little over exagerated but things like weight watchers and ab twisters are million dollar industries right now so people are clearly afraid of gaining unwanted pounds.
So where does that leave us? Do you think that all of the “new research” about the secret behind foods is really helping us? Do you listen to these supposed “scientists”? I just feel like if someone produced an article saying that dihydrogen monoxide caused an increase in body weight (say the makers of this website: http://www.dhmo.org/facts.html) people would never drink water again. So how much is too much, and how much do you let all of these warning signs effect your eating habits?
I know we should all keep in mind general ideas like eating a stick of butter is probably not the best idea, but sticking to an all soup diet doesn’t sound good for us either. I’m not saying I reject the information either, I’m just wondering how everyone else is effected by this overload of red tape in the grocery store.
Observing members:
0
Composing members:
0
13 Answers
Moderation… Avoiding the worst should be a priority like Hydrogenated and sucrolose. there are many things that will get you right now but eating your veggies and drinking good water will keep you going for a good while- unless you forget to look Both Ways even in a Crosswalk!
Do not worry about all the bad reps particular foods get even healthy foods that have been known to have certain problems at times. The bottomline is everything is fine in moderation. Yes, this includes some foods with bad ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated soybean/canola, etc oil. Moderation, as you expect, is eating the right amount of portions of the main food groups. Believe it or not the fewer calories you consume, the better. The calories that you do consume should be from nutrient dense foods however. Humans are not meant to consume a bunch of calories day in and day out.
Moderation in all things. Unless your health situation requires something different. We should eat a variety of all different types of food, but preferably food that was not created in a chemical plant.
It all changes every 25 years or so. You know things that are bad for everyone-high sugar and fat goodies so have them only as a treat. Try to make cakes and cookies frm scratch- easy and better for you- eg. oatmeal raisin cookies- almost healthy!
1. Consider the source. Not all “scientific-looking” studies are real science. Just because a guy on TV wears a white lab coat doesn’t make him a disinterested scientist. And not even all scientists are right, so you have to develop your own judgment about their methods and conclusions, even if you believe their objectivity.
2. Take everything with a grain of salt. (So to speak; I’m cutting down on my sodium intake myself, so I tend not to take that literal grain of salt. But I still use salt on french fries; I just don’t have them as often as I used to.)
3. Moderate all of your appetites. “Exercising all the time” isn’t healthy, either, nor is “fasting all the time”.
Ohhhh @faye…Oatmeal, Raisin DARK Choc Chip Coooooooooookkkiiiiiieesssssssss- Yyyyuummmmmmm… love to bake from scratch- then you can use a half White/ Whole Wheat Flour Mixture!
I eat what I please, exercise vigorously and don’t worry about it. I have enough problems without getting anal retentive about my diet. When my time comes, it comes. Screw it.
Are these rules that you all personally live by? What I’m essentially asking is how you eat, and if/how it’s influenced by all of the bad things being said about everything we eat.
@CyanoticWasp – I totally agree on the scientists, which is why I posted that website, total hoax but people will believe anything that is “research”
@stranger_in_a_strange_land – you just described my life to a T
I agree with moderation. What I pay attention to is my own experience and my own body. I was thin most of my life, but had/have very high cholesterol. I learned how to control my cholesterol through diet (I don’t always do it though) and currently I weigh 15 pounds more than I want to, but I don’t buy into any of the bullshit diet information out there. I simply have been eating too much and have not been getting off of my ass enough to burn the calories. There is no real secret. It seems obvious that chemicals probably are not a good thing to put in my body, so better to cook from scratch (I wish I did this a little more than I do).
If somebody is selling a book or diet, I ignore. If somebody is too specific about what is allowable, or goes on about cleansing and toxins, I ignore.
Rules for me are low fat, low cholesterol, not a lot of meat, favoring fish and chicken. I eat all the vegetables and fruit I want. Processed foods are generally more expensive, less nutritious and not as tasty as home-cooked.
DHMO.org, I like that web site, lol
It’s really quite simple… If it’s processed food, don’t eat it. Our roots come from hunter/gatherers. It has only been in the past 10,000 years that our we are able to consume grains like wheat without adverse effects. With industrialization came processed foods. Do you really believe a chemical based diet is healthy?
And with corporatism being our current form of government, we have no control over our food supply unless we take back our government. Just look at what the government has allowed Monsanto to do.
Our eating habits aren’t necessarily influenced by food warnings. They are manipulated by the giant food corporation that consists of 3 or 4 key players. But none of this really matters because when the oil supply dwindles away, so too will our way of life change. Be prepared to grow your own food. When? Who knows. We are lied to by our government on a daily basis. But some scientists predict it could be as soon as 20–50 years. This is not new news. This has been known since the 70’s, or earlier.
So, if you are concerned about what you put into your body, consider our own evolution and biology. Eat fresh fruits and vegetables (the only way to guarantee they aren’t processed with oil through fertilizer and pesticides, et al is to grown your own), seeds, nuts, and berries, and wild game. If you can walk up to it and shoot it, you probably shouldn’t eat it.
Now, will you listen to this advice? Of course not! It’s inconvenient.
Smart and head-strong folks will follow some of the good advice. Our urges are very powerful and the result of tens of thousands of years of evolution. Looking at and eating good food activates our brains’ reward system. But nature didn’t expect to end up with giant grocery stores.
Answer this question 
Composing members:
0
