NY Times opinion: A Seismic Shift in How People Eat

[closeupready]

As a general rule, if I can't pronounce something in the ingredients, or if it's an ingredient referred to as an acronym, it goes right back on the shelf. So yeah, I don't consume much processed food.

IT’S easy to make fun of people in big cities for their obsession with gluten, or chia seeds, or cleanses.

But urbanites are not the only ones turning away from the products created by big food companies. Eating habits are changing across the country and food companies are struggling to keep up.

General Mills will drop all artificial colors and flavors from its cereals. Perdue, Tyson and Foster Farm have begun to limit the use of antibiotics in their chicken. Kraft declared it was dropping artificial dyes from its macaroni and cheese. Hershey’s will begin to move away from ingredients such as the emulsifier polyglycerol polyricinoleate to “simple and easy-to-understand ingredients” like “fresh milk from local farms, roasted California almonds, cocoa beans and sugar.”

Those announcements reflect a new reality: Consumers are walking away from America’s most iconic food brands. Big food manufacturers are reacting by cleaning up their ingredient labels, acquiring healthier brands and coming out with a prodigious array of new products. Last year, General Mills purchased the organic pasta maker Annie’s Homegrown for $820 million — a price that was over four times the company’s revenues, likening it to valuations more often seen in Silicon Valley. The company also introduced more than 200 new products, ranging from Cheerios Protein to Betty Crocker gluten-free cookie mix, to capitalize on the latest consumer fads.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/11/08/opinion/a-seismic-shift-in-how-people-eat.html

[Archae]

1. "Cheerios Protein" is a scam.

It has a marginal addition of protein, and several times more sugar than "regular" Cheerios.

[MuseRider]

2. We still have to watch them

as we know to no longer trust them. Our health is up to us.

[jwirr]

9. We can no longer trust them. If anyone has the chance to

Watch the video from Thom yesterday on the effects of the TPP on food safety. If we think we are in trouble now wait until they pass the corporate power bill. We will not know what has been imported and we will not know how it is grown.

[Hissyspit]

7. Can you school me on where the protein fad came from?

Seriously, was there a study or something? Is it related to the Miami Beach diet or the paleo-diet or something? All of a sudden there were all these labels touting protein in products. My understanding has always been that Americans consume too much protein. I confess I must have missed something.

[jeff47]

11. It's an offshoot from low-carb diets.

Since "carbs bad", protein must be good.

[DetlefK]

3. Non-allergic gluten-sensitivity has been debunked.

The researchers who originally found it did a second, more rigorous study. They found that the digestive-problems don't stem from gluten but are a Nocebo-effect.

[Warren Stupidity]

4. Many people who go gluten free reduce their

total carb intake, which by itself may be a general health benefit.

[JRLeft]

5. I do not care about gluten, but I am a vegan.

[restorefreedom]

49. me too, and i have noticed

that the soy/almond drinks and yogurts as well as the mock meats are flying off the shelves.

[JRLeft]

51. I've noticed too, the mock meats tend to be very high in protein.

[restorefreedom]

52. yup. the hot dogs are great

always good when i need a protein hit.

[JRLeft]

53. I workout, so I consume mock meats, beans, nuts, kale, and protein powder.

[restorefreedom]

70. me too..i do weight work

so i am always craving protein. kale and tofu with cashews in olive oil and garlic....yum

[JudyM]

73. What's your recipe? Sauté them all together? Nt

[restorefreedom]

80. as rachel ray would say,

i start with some good evoo....then i toss in the sliced or chopped garlic. then the tofu chunks (extra firm), the kale can go in if you like it softer, toward the end if you like it more al dente with a bit of stiffness left. cashews can go in toward the end (unsalted cashews are better since the salted ones have a ton of salt and thats all you will taste), sprinkle over some black pepper, paprika if you like paprika (just a pinch) and i have it with a grain like rice or quinoa.

yummers!

[KamaAina]

87. Alas, quinoa has beome a victim of its own success

We're eating so much of it that it's become unaffordable for the Andean people for whom it is a staple.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11311661

Perhaps farmers in other high-altitude places like Nepal could grow it. Some people in Colorado are trying, but that's not nearly enough.

[JRLeft]

74. I love kale in smoothies.

[restorefreedom]

79. you know i have never tried that..

i tend to go for spinach but you have given me an idea...do you have a good kale smoothie recipe?

[JRLeft]

81. Yeah, I do.

Kale, banana, peaches, limeade, pumpkin seeds, apples, and almond milk. I like to add a scoop of Vega Sport protein powder too.

[restorefreedom]

82. thanks! nt

[JRLeft]

83. No problem

[JRLeft]

84. By the way, you should consume more pumpkin seeds they are high in

good saturated fats, and protein.

[restorefreedom]

85. excellent. roasted pumpkins seeds are great! nt

[JRLeft]

86. Yes they are.

[JudyM]

88. That is one different-sounding smoothie. Love limeade, so that's a start ;). Nt

[JRLeft]

98. That smoothie has about 35 g of protein.

[mucifer]

56. I'm vegan too. The dairy industry is in freak out mode because

more people are cutting down on milk and fake meat products are everywhere. It's awesome for us and although not many people are vegan lots of people are cutting down on the cruelty animal products. It also makes it easier for vegetarians who do as much as they feel they can. I'm in the every little bit helps mindset.

[restorefreedom]

71. yes every alternative purchase is a victory

esp since most people will stay somewhere along the veg spectrum. but the soy and almond milks are very popular and now there is coconut and cashew..and since WHO came out and said that processed meat is a class 1 carcinogen and regular meat is class 2 they are having a shit fit. after that study came out there was a woman from the beef industry who said "there is no evidence of this"

nope, just the 800 studies that were anaylzed

[jeff47]

10. Gluten is a protein. So going gluten free to reduce carb intake isn't particularly sensible.

(Technically gluten is a protein complex, but close'nuf for DU)

[Warren Stupidity]

40. Sure, and as many advocates of gfd note, you

can continue to carb up on the plethora of processed gluten free crap sold in stores, but if you do as they actually suggest and don't just substitute wheat based carbs with corn etc. you will be on a lower carb diet that happens to be gluten free.

[closeupready]

6. About the only allergy I've ever noticed is chocolate,

which doesn't keep me from having once in a while, lol, but with - for example - truffles, I can't eat more than about two at a time, and even then, I'll have such time-warping GI distress, it puts me off further consumption for a time.

White chocolate, no such problem, though. Happily.

[erronis]

24. Poor baby! But truffles, really?

I think really dark chocolate should do the trick for you. I heartily recommend Trader Joe's 72% is the best - not very sweet but not bitter.

Life is way too short to give up on the good stuff.

[closeupready]

31. The darker the chocolate, the more distress!

[erronis]

33. I shouldn't talk about that which I know little. Aren't truffles loaded with other ingredients?

Don't really need to dialog - just wanted to commiserate on your problem reaching nirvana.

[jeff47]

32. Chocolate allergies are generally caused by the proteins in cocoa.

Suggesting a chocolate that has even more cocoa is not a good idea.

[bbrady42]

39. Indeed

(though I have to agree that TJ's Orgainc 72% is the bomb)

[haydukelives]

34. for what it is worth

"time warping G.I. distress" is not an allergic reaction.

[closeupready]

35. Oh yes it is.

One common chocolate allergy symptom is headache or migraine. Other possible symptoms include itching or swelling of the mouth, tongue or lips; skin reactions, such as eczema, hives, swelling and redness of the extremities or face; gastrointestinal symptoms, such as abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea; respiratory symptoms, such as runny or stuffy nose, coughing, sneezing, wheezing and difficulty breathing; and cardiovascular symptoms, such as drop in blood pressure, lightheadedness and fainting.

http://health.howstuffworks.com/diseases-conditions/allergies/food-allergy/other/chocolate-allergy-symptoms.htm

[haydukelives]

44. um, no its not

From WedMD
"Many people think they have a food allergy, but in fact they have a food intolerance. Food intolerance is much more common. It can cause some of the same symptoms as a mild food allergy, like an upset stomach. But a food intolerance does not cause an allergic reaction. A food intolerance can make you feel bad, but it is not dangerous. A serious food allergy can be dangerous."
I deal with this all the time, (I'm a nurse), an adverse reaction is not an allergic reaction.

[closeupready]

45. Wow. You really need to be right, don't you?

I mean, it's like you're going remember this 50 bazillion years from now, an exchange in a DU thread.

Whatever, I'm done here. Have fun.

[haydukelives]

46. no, just trying to educate

Part of my job as a nurse. Wasn't trying to elicit a nasty responce.

Go Bernie!

[closeupready]

47. Ok. I apologize. I misunderstood. And thanks for the

edumacation.

[laundry_queen]

75. GI symptoms are definitely part of an anaphylactic reaction

I've watched my brother have near-death reactions now to his one severe food allergy - fish - when he was a child. First, he would clear his throat, then complain his mouth is itchy, then the tummy ache and vomiting would start, then the hives, the facial swelling, the gasping for breath comes soon after.

If he didn't actually consume fish but it was being cooked in the room, he would get a stomach ache and severe nausea.

GI symptoms can definitely be a reaction to an allergy. It can also be an only reaction to a severe allergy. My co-worker's children have severe allergies and they found out her youngest was allergic to bananas when she would vomit after eating them every time. The doctor, like you, thinking it may be an intolerance not an allergy because there were no other symptoms, added it to her allergy tests. Her tests came back with 'severe' anaphylaxis to bananas. So it happens.

[Sanity Claws]

104. A food intolerance can make you feel bad

Isn't that enough reason to want to avoid the food?

I have intolerances for certain foods; they tend to cause me migraines. I get over the migraines, do not take meds for it other than pain relievers, and become fully functional again in a couple of days. I know I want to avoid these foods regardless of whether you call it an intolerance, an allergy, or a sensitivity.

[Warpy]

41. Exactly, but I'm deeply grateful to the faddists

because their increased demand has brought out a bunch of very good no wheat products.

Yeah, I developed an allergy to wheat, the wheezing and rash are just bad enough that I want to avoid it. Wheat allergy is extremely rare in adults, so imagine my disgust.

[restorefreedom]

48. it was a small study paid for by a large baking company

and many people have non celiac gs....maybe those 37 in the study didn't

[KittyWampus]

62. You have that entirely backwards. The 2nd "study" was small and done after scientists

went to work for a company that sells bread.

Some people absolutely ARE sensitive to gluten but not suffering from celiac disease.

[DetlefK]

78. Maybe we should compare studies. Here are mine:

http://www.gastrojournal.org/article/S0016-5085%2813%2900702-6/pdf

A double-blind study from 2013 with 37 test-subjects with self-diagnosed (as there is no medical way yet to diagnose it) "non-celiac gluten-sensitivity".

Conclusion: It's definitely not the gluten, it's most likely the fermentable short-chain carbohydrates in wheat.

--------------------------------------

omniascience.com/monographs/index.php/monograficos/article/download/261/164
Non-Celiac Gluten Sensitivity
Javier Molina-Infante, Santos Santolaria Piedrafita, Fernando Fernández Bañares

A topical review on "non-celiac gluten-sensitivity" from 2015. It mentions a double-blind placebo-study where 70 people were identified as having NCGS via a wheat-study. And out of those only 30% turned out to have celiac-disease. (page 449)

[Fred Sanders]

8. Is it just me or do the cured and red meats bins at the supermarkets seem really full lately?

Have folks already and suddenly changed meat eating habits because of the widely publicized WHO research report?

Because this folks has!

WHO doesn't lie.

[dorkzilla]

12. I wonder if they (food companies) are doing this as a preemptive strike?

I’m wondering if they’re trying to change things before people get wind (officially) of how bad these ingredients are? Meaning, is there some sort of bad press coming down the pike they’re trying to get ahead of?

I don’t mean to sound like a CT devotee but these companies are not exactly altruistic...I don’t think they’ve all just had an epiphany.

[jeff47]

15. No, they're just well aware of just how little most people know about biology.

Low-fat diets became the rage. So we got low-fat Pop Tarts.
Now, low-carb diets are the rage. So we now have low-carb Pop Tarts.

[Marr]

36. It's so absurd.

How about just eat real food, and don't count on Pop Tarts to help meet your nutritional goals? lol.

I mean, I'll happily eat high sugar/fat cookies, candy, whatever-- but the bulk of my diet is lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts, etc. Food companies are always putting these fad-of-the-moment labels on their products, but when you actually look at the nutritional changes, it's a gram here or there. It's nothing.

[niyad]

16. nah, they just are targeting other countries now, according to "globesity-fat's new frontier"

watched it on linktv while visiting a friend the other day. it is available on youtube:

[closeupready]

19. Hmm, that's an interesting theory. Would not be surprised if some

of them are trying to get ahead of the curve.

Look at McDonald's. It did so well for so many years ... and now they are losing market share, profits tumbling, stores closing, etc. The numbers got so alarming that last year they announced an end to publication of their internal numbers, which they had voluntarily published to date.

Part of their decline (and others like them) lies in the fact that consumers have drifted towards food producers who cast appeals to those who want to eat more naturally produced burgers and fries and even hot dogs (non-GMO, no antibiotics, free-range chicken, etc.). For example, Five Guys - they have a placard next to the cashier in their restaurants indicating the geographic area where their potatoes (for fries) have come from (i.e., "Ketchum, Idaho&quot . While in isolation that doesn't tell you much, the theme here is to address questions, 'what is this? what are its ingredients? does it have preservatives? is it pink slime or grade A?'

So I do think that the emerging consumer alarm over potentially harmful food additives is driving some (or most) of these changes.

[dorkzilla]

27. Agreed but I’m suggesting something more sinister...

What if someone like the WHO is about to come out with a list of carcinogens which absolutely cause cancer (not as tentatively as they suggested with beef - - something more hardcore) and are regular additives in food AND that these big food processors knew about for years? Think tobacco, that sort of thing. Or that they’ve actually traced the uptick in autism and its not vaccines but some kind of hormone they use in pig farming or cows or something.

Forgive me if I’m starting to sound like I listen to Alex Jones but I don’t trust these big corporations as far as I can throw them. I just cannot believe this is some sort of “we heard you consumers”...you may be right, it may be because they’ve lost market share and are re-thinking their business model but I just think these corporations wouldn’t suddenly be listening to people’s concerns about food if it contradicted their bottom line. Oh sure, maybe they’d offer “gluten free” options and the like but I don’t think they’d change their “tried and true” formulas just to appease some latte-sipping Volvo drivers who shop in the healthfood store. And like Jeff47 suggested above, people really don’t know all that much about biology...i don’t think it would occur to *most* people to question what is in their food to begin with.

[hifiguy]

94. Mickey D's has never been "good" much less good for you

but the quality of their burgers has dramatically plummeted in the last 5-10 years. There is literally no flavor to them at all. Not good, not bad, just nothing at all any more; they used to taste at least vaguely beef-like. Even the fries aren't what they used to be. Which is an excellent reason to avoid it altogether even though I was at most a very occasional patron.

[tobefree]

21. Here's a good read.

Salt, Sugar, Fat
By Michael Moss

[jtuck004]

22. and a couple of links along that same line.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/18/books/salt-sugar-fat-by-michael-moss.html?_r=0

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/23/health/23well.html?

[wordpix]

58. it's all about the $$$ the companies are losing--people are starting to "get it"---case in point:

I am a cancer patient and have gone completely organic for 2 years and have no recurrence of my St. 4 cancer (yet). One of my former students in her 20's called me recently b/c her 24 y.o. sister has been diagnosed w/cancer and my student wanted some cancer advice. She is low-income, poorly educated (did not take education seriously until senior year so is behind in many skills), and had a baby as a teenager. She is African American living in a low-income, crime ridden district of a large city. You look at all this and you might think that such a young woman wouldn't care about healthy food, but she called me because she is concerned. We talked for an hour about recipes, community gardening and cleaning up her diet and her sister's. She said she's going to check out the health food store in her neighborhood and get started on the new diet and speak with her sister about changing hers.

Point is, word is getting around and people are getting educated about food. The biggest problem for my student and her sister is the affordability of organic food. My girl is probably on SNAP but that doesn't go far when you're buying organic.

[dorkzilla]

60. If she is in an area that has a Trader Joe’s its a good place...

to get healthier food a lot less expensively than, say, WholeFoods.

I’m glad your in remission. My mom also was diagnosed with Stage 4 (non-Hodkins Lymphoma) and she’s been cancer free for 6 years. Tough going when she was being treated but she’s back to being her ornery old self again. I was recently diagnosed with MS and have been reading a lot about diet and how small changes can make a difference in the severity of the symptoms.

I’ve always been a label reader and my hippy father insisted on getting our groceries at the local health food co-op, so I am perplexed at how long its taken people to “get it”.

[Bucky]

13. So where am I gonna get my polyglycerol polyricinoleate emulsifier fix now?

[jeff47]

14. It's a demonstration at just how bad our science education is.

You have people avoiding gluten (a protein) in order to cut down on carbs.

You have people saying "I can't pronounce this!!!" when the ingredient is actually natural.

You have people turning away from those horrible artificial dyes so that they can eat a dye from crushed beetles, extracted by rather unhealthy solvents.

You have people claiming they only eat "natural" food, when absolutely no food is natural. Every single food crop has been massively modified by humans. Including "heirloom" plants.

But fear sells books. And secrets that big ____ doesn't want you to know helps big _____ sell you "natural" replacements.

It's a bit like "I only drink craft beer!!" when their favorite beer is made by the people who make bud light. It just has a craft beer label.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

25. +1. Pronounceability is a stupid determinant.

We can do both:

We can learn how to pronounce chemical names. It's not hard, but it does require an education.

We can avoid overly processed food and overly artificial ingredients. I do not buy sucralose foods (ex. Splenda) and I buy brown sugar instead of white sugar. Yes, I can pronounce "sucralose".

[jeff47]

26. Adenosine triphosphate must be absolutely horrible!!

Oh wait...it's the chemical that powers everything in your body. All carbs, fats and proteins used for energy are converted into ATP in order to provide energy to your body.

But that's nowhere near as evil as deoxyribonucleic acid!!!

[Bernardo de La Paz]

30. +1 :p

[uppityperson]

76. I never eat deoxyribonucleic acid because my health coach told me I am too acidic, or was it eat

more basically??

Oh well, whatev's!!!



Joke

[yellowcanine]

102. My favorite is dihydrogen monoxide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dihydrogen_monoxide_hoax

An absolute killer. Will suffocate you in minutes.

[HuckleB]

90. +1,000,000 ... 000

And then there are opinion pieces written by individuals who own organic companies. Oh, goodness.

[randome]

17. It's too confusing. Obviously we need a platoon of celebrities to tell us how to be healthy.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]“If you're not committed to anything, you're just taking up space.”
Gregory Peck, Mirage (1965)[/center][/font][hr]

[Arugula Latte]

38. WWGPE?

What Would Gwyneth Paltrow Eat?

[zentrum]

18. I don't believe the one

…..about removal of antibiotics from Big Chicken, for one minute.

Their whole profit model is based on it. There's no way to force-raise the huge numbers of chickens they do and keep them from all getting sick if they didn't pump them full of anti-biotics.

The biggest, newest thing may be the big new PR campaign they feel compelled to put forward. And if a Republican gets the WH and keeps the House of Representatives—rules for the FDA can be weakened and Corporate Food will again have its way.

These mega-guys will not give up without a huge underhanded fight. They're all like big Tobacco. Willing to pump us full of poison for decades and to lie and lie and lie about it. "The science is unclear" is all they have to say.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

28. Yes, there is

I don't believe the one about removal of antibiotics from Big Chicken, for one minute. Their whole profit model is based on it. There's no way to force-raise the huge numbers of chickens they do and keep them from all getting sick if they didn't pump them full of anti-biotics.

There are ways. First, there are natural antibiotics. Then you can keep their living conditions cleaner and a little less crowded. You can do other things too.

The yields go down (a little smaller chicken or a little longer to reach a certain weight) but the companies can charge a higher price for premium products. This has been proven by the success of organic foods.

They don't have to, and won't, stop antibiotics on all their chicken operations. Just enough to satisfy the market for a better quality chicken.

[zentrum]

42. Of course, there are ways

…to raise chickens without antibiotics, but the more humane and safer and heather ways all are more expensive. My point was that to raise a chicken more ethically, they'd have to cut into their own profits and I simply can't believe they'd ever do that.

They'll just ship the anti-biotic chicken to China or bury it under some loophole that allows fast food outlets to use it.

I have nothing but cynicism towards them. Not to mention how they contaminate rivers. Profit trumps everything for them.

[skepticscott]

93. Yes, you can charge a higher price for premium products

to the Volvo drivers who frequent Whole Foods and will pay far more than what most people can afford to indulge their white, suburban, upper-middle class, organic, non-GMO, gluten-free, additive-free lifestyle. But most of the people that Big Chicken currently sells to can't afford that.

[jalan48]

23. Wasn't Kraft Foods bought by a big tobacco company years ago? (RJR?)

And we are supposed to believe they have the best interests of the consumer at heart?

[yellowcanine]

103. I take it the tobacco flavored cheese curls were not a big hit with you?

[byronius]

29. Being vegan insulates me from this thing entirely.

Most vegan-friendly food companies are scrupulous; the ones that aren't are ruthlessly outed by more-scrupulous vegans, and in general I'm forced by my own choice into much more fresh-vegetable cooking than I ever did before. I try to stick to local organic produce, and avoid any company I've heard the slightest crap about. Eden Foods, for instance. I will never trust any company with a right-wing religious bent, not, ever, period.

Fuck do I feel healthy. Powerful. I don't get colds anymore. No skin problems like I used to have. I still weightlift, and I snap back much faster now. I'll never go back. Sautéed kale is God Food.

I'm sure twenty years from now when the number of vegans have multiplied by several orders of magnitude someone will manage to fool me once again. For now, being one of the small minority, I'm sort of safe.

[restorefreedom]

50. and the kicker is

you don't have to try and remember whether you just wiped the counter or if the spatula you just used on the veggie burger is teeming with salmonella from touching dead chicken. i find it very freeing, and i feel better too. eating greens or drinking a green smoothie is better than any vitamin pill

[wordpix]

55. vegan and organic, yes, but vegan non-organic, you're ingesting chemicals

that the crops are grown with. Things like glyphosate in Roundup.

[mucifer]

57. I don't care so much about my health I'm a vegan for the animals. Lots of us are.

So sometimes I eat very healthy and sometimes I eat crap. But, it's always vegan.

[Major Nikon]

72. Sure, because no chemicals are used in "organic"

[yellowcanine]

101. I am assuming you are being sarcastic.

Because of course it is just a question of what chemicals, or in some cases, whether the non-organic chemicals are acknowledged or not, when non-organic foods get exported and then get imported back as "organic."

[Major Nikon]

105. You assume incorrectly

But you are exactly correct in that it is a question of what chemicals are used, rather than the amount which is frequently cited by obviously organic biased scare mongers. Many chemicals used by the organic industry are far more toxic AND less effective than their synthetic alternatives, which leaves the obvious appeal to nature fallacy as to why they are favored in the first place.

[GreatGazoo]

37. There is a shift away from big brands. Transparency is replacing trust.

US food is $1 trillion business and they have lost their footing in this new world. For decades they need only to follow the buzz words and write them on their packaging -- low fat, low carb, low salt, etc. More recently they have renamed HFCS to avoid listing HFCS as an ingredient so they changed the packaging but not what is in it and the consumer is walking away. They write healthy sounding stuff on their package while they donate to the effort to keep GMOs unlabeled -- they are killing whatever trust is left in big brands.

Big old brands are desperate now so they buy up newer brands. Land o Lakes bought Earthbound two years ago. Consumers are shopping more on the perimeter of the supermarket and less in the middle where the high margin processed foods are so the big brands are buying smaller brands to get position on the perimeter of the stores.

Great article on the transition here:
http://fortune.com/2015/05/21/the-war-on-big-food/?src=longreads

[cui bono]

43. I just noticed that Kelloggs stopped using high fructose corn syrup in their Nutri-Grain bars.

I had given them up since they had HFCS in them and there was a box of them at work so I looked at the ingredients again and no more HFCS!

I guess the ad campaigns trying to tell us all sweeteners are the same failed.

[wordpix]

59. it's so easy to make your own granola/granola bars and they're far better

I dislike most commercial bars compared to my own. Very easy to make, it only takes minutes, really.

[cui bono]

64. Have you got a good recipe?

I used to make raw brownies but lately I've been eating 100% cacao together with dried blueberries to help satisfy my chocolate needs. Unfortunately, the blueberries I get at Trader Joe's do have sugar added to them, can't tell how much, I'm sure it can't be that much though.

I'm thinking of going back to raw brownies... it's just dates, almond meal/oatmeal and cacao. Really good!

[Major Nikon]

66. More like the ad campaign claiming sweeteners were different failed

Anyone who thinks they are more healthy for consuming sucrose in lieu of HFCS simply bought into a myth that had no basis in reality.

Our consumption of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) has soared since around 1980. That's because this sweet syrupy liquid is cheaper and easier for some companies to use than sugar. HFCS has been blamed by a few people for the obesity epidemic, because rates of obesity have climbed right along with HFCS consumption. But that's an urban myth. HFCS and sugar are equally harmful. We're consuming way too much of both.

http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm#hfcs

[wordpix]

54. as long as crops are GE and grown with toxic chemicals, it's still crap food

Glyphosate in Roundup, a popular herbicide used for growing GE crops, can change cell structures when used at levels 100,000x more diluted than shelved products.

Due to the "conditional registration loophole" passed by Congress in 1978, there are 11,000 untested or undertested pesticides on the market representing 65% of all pesticides.

Buy organic or get cancer and other diseases. I'm a Stage 4 cancer survivor who always had a healthy lifestyle with top quality (but not always organic) food, exercise, a non-smoker, light wine drinker...so where did I get this cancer?

I am 100% organic now following surgery and chemo and the cancer has not recurred in two years. Get the chemicals out of your diet, don't buy processed food, eat lots of fruits and veggies and see your health improve 100%.

[Omaha Steve]

61. Thanks for posting

K&R!

OS

[closeupready]

67. You are very welcome, my friend.

[Aerows]

63. A huge bonus

is that many young Americans are learning how to cook for themselves. If you have nieces, nephews, cousins or their friends that want to learn how to prepare real food (i.e. dry beans, rice, vegetables, fish and meat) it's a great way to spend time with them. Teaching our youth a valuable skill such as *how* to cook is as important as how to eat properly. They also get the esteem boost of knowing how to take care of themselves

[closeupready]

68. This x 1000. There are times when I feel lazy, and

I don't want to cook. But then I think about how food is produced in the US, and I get off my duff and make an omelette or something, where I know - as best as possible - where all my stuff is grown, how it's grown, what additives/preservatives there are, etc.

And after some time, you get really good at cooking. Takeout pizza or Thai sounded really good this weekend, but I cooked instead, and you know what? It's relaxing, I have lunch for several days this week, and IT TASTES BETTER! Curried eggplant with rice, boiled egg, and pickled veggies. I mean, a home-cooked meal doesn't get better than that, IMO.

[Aerows]

69. It truly doesn't

and if you help those around you learn the skills to make their own great meals, it's a net positive all the way around .

[Mariana]

77. My stepdaughter requested a pressure canner for Christmas.

She's been canning fruit and jams for awhile, but now she wants to can her own soups, stews, and veggies. She's about to have her 2nd baby and she figures she'll need some convenience foods, but she wants to make sure she knows exactly what is in them. Good for her.

[Retrograde]

89. Great!

I don't can stews or vegetables, but I make and can chicken stock every 3 months or so: it's handy to always have a soup base at the ready. Just make sure she follows the Blue Book or similar directions to the letter when preserving meat-based and low acid items!

[Aerows]

97. I've hulled more peas than anyone ever should, along with my cousins,

so that my aunts and my grandmother could can them.

Every time we went up there for the family reunion, my poor cousins and I were put to work shelling peas of some damn sort. I guess it kept us out of trouble.

[Aerows]

96. It's a fantastic skill set to pass on to

the next generation. If you know what you are cooking, you know what you are eating.

[Eleanors38]

65. Hope so, because the obesity rate keeps rising.

[HuckleB]

91. 5 Foods You Can't Eat Because A Third Grader Can't Pronounce Them

http://www.theskepticsguide.org/5-foods-you-cant-eat-because-a-third-grader-cant-pronounce-them

[closeupready]

92. Cherimoya seeds are highly toxic. So that's another reason.

You're welcome, Huck.

[HuckleB]

95. No one said anything about eating the seeds.

[yellowcanine]

99. "Consumers are walking away from America’s most iconic food brands."

Wishful thinking, NY Times. In the same paragraph they note that General Mills bought up organic pasta maker Annie's Homegrown - in other words, an iconic food brand just captured a trendy brand and few if any consumers will even notice. Same thing happens with "craft" beer, "small batch" whiskey, and "estate" wines.

[closeupready]

100. While likely true for most consumers, I do happen to notice these buyouts.

Part of it is because I know that after the brand is bought, they are likely to make changes, altering not just the flavor, but the nutritional profile, and also adulterate the product with sneaky Frankenfoods.

I used to be a devoted consumer of Rolling Rock, until they were bought out - I noticed a flavor change, and the thrill died.