What Americans Eat

Discussion in 'Recipes and Cooking' started by marlingardener, Jan 14, 2016.

  1. marlingardener

    marlingardener Happy

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    I stumbled across this article by Michael Pollan (have no idea who he is) and it gave me food for thought (pun intended, I just couldn't resist!).
    I disagree with a couple of his points. For example, "don't eat what your grandmother wouldn't eat"--my grandmother was a terrible cook, fried everything, and her house always smelled of boiled-to-death turnips. She would eat anything, especially if it were free, someone else cooked it, and she could complain about it later.
    Also, "make your own treats." I can't make Kalamati olives, nor can I manufacture those lovely water crackers from the UK. Thanks Michael, but some treats are just that--a treat!
    I don't mean to start arguments, but really, is American food so bad, or is it the choices some of us (ahem) make?
     
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  3. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Actually according to the site below, the suggestion is "Don't eat anything your great-grandmother wouldn't recognize as food" and "Buy your snacks at the Farmers Market" and "Limit your snacks to unprocessed plant foods" and "Eat all the junk food you want as long as you cook it yourself"
    I have heard him mentioned on a few gardening and cooking programs on PBS lately.
    http://globaleuropeans.com/foodandthought/?p=215

    American food is not all that bad, it's the amount some eat...even potatoes fried in lard are good for you when eaten in moderation. But who am I kidding, when it comes to fried potatoes I am going to eat the whole batch....the large fries from Wendys being my downfall.

    Most of his points are meant to help people use their heads when choosing foods. Not go with the 'trend' of the day or start eating something simply because some health group has decreed it to be the best thing since pockets on a shirt. The health groups are the ones who blindly followed the joker who claimed to know about high cholesterol and the vegetable shortening manufacturers skewed tests convincing people that using a product made from crystallized cottonseed oil was better for cooking than an animal product like lard.
     
    Last edited: Jan 14, 2016
  4. Netty

    Netty Chaotic Gardener Plants Contributor

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    I think that as long as we stay away from processed foods we will be fine. Sometimes this is easier said than done ... have you seen the price of 'real food' these days? On my shopping trip yesterday I wanted to buy some cauliflower. The small heads they offered sure left something to be desired, and they wanted $5.99 each! At $4 for a head of romaine lettuce, $2.75 for iceberg lettuce, it is getting harder and harder to eat 'real food'.
    It's all this 'man made' stuff that is killing us.
     
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  5. 2ofus

    2ofus Hardy Maple

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    Our prices here are high but not near as costly as yours, Netty! :eek: I think a prices depend a lot on where you live. 40 years ago our oldest son was diagnosed ADHD. I asked the Dr. what I could do to help him. He told me that preservatives in food, artificial fertilizer, and red food coloring seems to have something to do with it. I changed our life style and went back to growing most our own food. We were lucky and lived on a few acres so I was able to do it. I kept him off medication and I feel we were, and still are, a lot healthier. It's become a way of life.
     
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  6. Netty

    Netty Chaotic Gardener Plants Contributor

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    I am able to grow most of our produce during the warmer months, but this time of year I am a hostage to the grocery stores for things like lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and fruit. I discovered years ago, that my health suffers this time of year ... diet and fresh air (and vitamin D!!) make a HUGE difference!
     
  7. cuatro-gatos

    cuatro-gatos In Flower

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    My background was a meat and potato kind. My husband was raised with a daily dose of rice. After being married for 6 months I said;
    ' I've eaten more rice in the last 6 months than in my whole life; what have you done for me?' Hubby calmly says,'I've eaten less.'
    (My favorite advice)
    Chocolate comes from a plant; guess that makes it a vegetable!
     
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  8. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    Also, remember that when you lick the icing off of a cupcake, what you have left is a muffin and everyone knows that muffins are good for you.
     
  9. dooley

    dooley Super Garden Turtle

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    It is not easy to eat "fresh" food in the winter unless you live in a climate where you can grow your own. In Texas we still had indoor farmer's markets. Cost was a bit higher though. In Wisconsin in winter everything comes from a store. I saw an advertisement for a farmer's market on a local tv channel the other evening and thought, I wonder how far it is to it. It turned out to be in California. Why were they advertising it on our local tv channel? I really have to shop around for vegetables here in winter.
     
  10. toni

    toni Mistress of Garden Junque Staff Member Moderator Plants Contributor

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    The TV channel may have been local to you but the programing was most likely national and if the company pays the price their advertisement will be shown nationally. And even if it wasn't a national broadcast, the California group probably bought commercial time on several stations around the country to get a wider customer base for a mail order business.
     
    Last edited: Jan 24, 2016
  11. Clay_22

    Clay_22 In Flower

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    I think that's the reason a lot of us Americans are overweight is because processed foods are cheaper than fresh.
     
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  12. Cayuga Morning

    Cayuga Morning Strong Ash Plants Contributor

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    My parents were adventuresome eaters & 2 of 3 of us offspring have followed suit. I love food!!! But yes, fresh fruits & veggies taste so much better.

    I am blown away by how much sugar is in everything now (everything processed that is). Jarred spaghetti sauce, salad dressings, hamburger rolls, etc. And I am blown away by how much aisle space is taken up by candy, cookies, etc in food stores. I am also blown away by how many places now sell candy, soda, etc: drug stores, hardware stores, gas stations, dry cleaners, etc etc. Almost every retail establishment sells candy/cookies now. That was not the case when I was growing up. I think that is why Americans are getting bigger, sweets have become the norm.
     
  13. CJay

    CJay In Flower

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    I don't think that "American food'' is bad. Like some said in this thread, it's the amount people eat. And in this go go go world I don't think a lot of people take the time to make meals. With the availibility and price of fast food a lot of people simply take the easy route. Couple that with the sheer amount of sugars Americans take in every day and it's a recipe for obesity and health problems. Heck one cappuccino from the gas station has like twelve times the daily recommended amount and I see people at work drinking them all day long then complain about not loosing weight at the gym.
     

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