Interview with Michael Moss author..Salt, Sugar Fat How the Food Giants Hooked Us

[Stuart G]

[Kalidurga]

1. I quit most processed foods...

It is not easy at all. I have health issues which is part of the challenge, but also an incentive to not eat processed foods, because they only compound my issues. It shouldn't be difficult to find food at a grocery store yet it is. If they separated food from highly processed foods that will kill you the section of food would be at least 10x smaller than the section of foods that will help you maintain your health or help you recover your health.

I like when he asks "Is it even fair to still call them food" It is a fair question. We should call them obesity delivery systems or heart disease promoting or this will really help you get cancer. But that would bum people out. But, I don't see it as being different from labeling cigarettes with health warnings or pictures with skulls and bones on them.

[Moostache]

2. Don't be fooled, its all part of the same treadmill...

Food and crap that we eat is driven by lifestyles and choices.

The fact is that our government stacks the choices against us at every turn:
- against our best interests in educating our kids (by mandating teaching to the test and failing spectacularly),

- against our best interests in feeding our families (by subsidizing the least beneficial options the most because they have the best lobbyists and most sweet, sweet campaign cash),

- against our best interests in buying and paying for our homes and using our purchasing power (the amount of grovelling and subservience to the banks would take MONTHS to cover),

- against us in our energy generation, consumption and future (XL pipeline? Oil and Gas forever? Under-investing in renewables and conservation?),

- against us in our long-term health care options and viability (every time I hear about "entitlements" as a budget buster, I want to beat my own head with face palms; the sacrificing of the social fabric to corporate and 1% profiteers is unconscionable and wicked...those who do not need the security and dignity of Social Security and Medicare are the most vocal and powerful in voting and shaping the votes),

- against us in our liberty and freedoms (Patriotic Act? NDAA? Drone policy? Police-state like uniforms and riot gear? Militarizing law enforcement...and COMPLETELY forgetting about the 'serve' part of "Protect and Serve"...)

This entire system is rotted to the core and needs to go before any real progress can be made. We have a litany of failing systems, but really only ONE root cause - GREED.

Corporations are institutionalized greed machines, existing only to provide cover to callous and evil people who only wish for the "fiduciary responsibility" card to justify why they can support the insanity that they do...destroying the planet's resources, destroying the lives and futures of countless millions, decimating the wilderness and wild life.

With all of this shit going on, is it any wonder that the machine shoves out shit for us to eat too?

[Kalidurga]

3. I agree

But, we still have to try to do our best to feed ourselves the best food possible in our circumstances. I have eaten more than my fair share of junk and it might be a contributing factor to me being sick. I have changed my eating habits quite a bit, but it's a bit like locking the horse out of the barn. But, I still am going to try to do better. I think that we also need to fight the things you mention, because it really isn't enough for individuals to do their best. My better eating habits are going to have little impact on changing things. But, if enough of us change then the system will have to change whether corporate shills and corporations like it or not, because they will not survive if enough people wake up and stop eating their garbage.

[Stuart G]

4. We "need to try to do our best to feed ourselves"... Without if possible. "the buzz."

In this interview, Moss discusses the buzz that people get when they eat foods with certain amounts of sugar, salt and fat. Most important, is this, that food buzz is planned by the food processors. Scientifically determined to give you the biggest buzz. It comes with a couple of bites if you are buzz affected. Some people don't like sugars, but I do. I am buzz affected. I know when I get the buzz he talkes about, but I didn't know that the processors seek that buzz for kids too. They don't care if it affects our kids, it is all about more sales. He talks about this in the book. Many of us get the buzz with salt too, and the too of them together make it stronger. At least for me....
And if this were about me, I don't think I would be writing this. It would be my problem, too bad for me. This food buzz, and the resulting weight problem and fat problem affects 40 to 50 percent of us. So it is a "we" problem. When kids eat some sugared cereal, they are not told that there is a "buzz" like they are "warned about" with booze or certain "illegal" drugs...This is a good interview for all to see.

[Kalidurga]

5. I get the buzz with salt and certain spice combos like what is in ranch dressing...

I can pass the candy aisle no problem. I am now able to pass by the chips, but I am still not able to give up my salt shaker. I really love salt. I am using less now, I think because of eating fewer processed foods so my salt buzz is achieved with less salt now. That is my theory anyway.

I have come to the same conclusion about individuals and obesity. It's not an individual problem anymore. It's systematic. But, that doesn't mean we are off the hook. In fact we are quite on it in terms of how much we are able to change for ourselves. We don't really get to decide where the buzz "foods" are located in the grocery store they are going to be placed right up by the cash register whether we like it or not. We don't get to decide whether GMOs are in food or not. We don't get to decide a whole lot of things. For example I went to a movie today. I didn't eat breakfast cuz I didn't have time to make the showing if I did. I thought I would just grab something before the movie. So, I went to a sandwich shop across the street. Nothing for me at all there. I mean nothing for the vegan me at all. I could have had a tomato and cheese sandwich. So, I went to the movie and asked what the popcorn was popped in and it turns out canola oil, so I got a medium bucket and ate around half. I was paranoid about the calories, but that is a whole nuther issue (turns out a bit under 300 for the portion I had so well within my daily calorie budget). So not a horrible choice, but that wouldn't do for everyday eating. And that is the problem a lot of people have to make choices like that everyday all day long because they might live in a food oasis or they might have very little money for real food or they just don't know better.