How would you describe your eating habits?

[El Pinko]

This is totally out of curiosity - nothing political in this one. (I think)



I mention this because the key change in my habits that led to my weight loss was changing from eating packaged/processed foods to making most of our meals ourselves.

So now, when I'm at the supermarket with my cart full of fresh (and frozen) vegetables, fruits, etc. I can't help but marvel when I notice how so many people's carts are

filled with nothing but "food products" - frozen pizza, "Go-Gurt", "Lunchables" - crap, crap, and more crap.

Anyway, it's anonymous, so be honest!

[rainy]

1. I eat almost all raw food, the way nature intended us to eat.

We are the only animal that cooks our food killing most of its value. No wonder we are so diseased.

[El Pinko]

2. I agree that raw foods are great.

But even eating homemade stuff that's been steamed, boiled or baked, is better than eating a bunch of HFCS & additive-laden preserved "stuff" that has been sitting on a shelf in a hermetically sealed package for weeks on end.

I have had friends that say "I eat it all the time and I'm fine", but that's because they're young.

That stuff will catch up to them one day.

My 95-year-old grandma didn't make it to that age by eating Applebees™ and State Fair Corn Dogs®.

[rainy]

11. I agree. The closest to the source the best. Steamed baked etc.

As long as it is real food with no chemicals added and not processed food stuff.

[ThomWV]

3. We cook from fresh ingredients but not exclusively, not by a long shot

We cook from fresh and frozen foods every night. We grow a large garden that actually supplies a lot of the food we eat with many nights having our dinner come completely from our own garden with the exception of meat and spices. However when I'm out riding my bike and far from home I'll still stop in a fast food joint and grab a burger sometimes. A couple of times a week I'll eat ice cream at night while watching Keith, and horror of horror, now and then we'll get a pizza. Overall though I think we eat well. Neither of us is overweight and we are both in our 60's now.

[mainegreen]

4. The overwhelming majority is home made from food grown in my state, purchased direct from the farmer

and Organic according to my organic standards, which are much higher than the government's.

[TechBear_Seattle]

5. I joined Weight Watchers a few month ago, and the strong emphasis was on fresh foods

Honestly, I was rather surprised, as WW has a line of pre-packaged foods and I figured I would be faced with a hard sell to buy them.

Turns out that WW markets the food as an occasional convenience and most definitely not as a meal replacement program like Jenny Craig. Both of the WW eating programs strongly emphasize fresh foods; one (their "core" program) goes so far as to make prepackaged foods something you have to "buy" as a snack or treat.

The reason is very simple: the prepackaged food industry relies very heavily on adding lots of salt, sugar and fats to the food. This allows it to have a shelf life and to withstand being frozen and reheated, and this is what explodes the waist line. Compare what is in, say, a serving of frozen chicken strips with the same thing made using sliced chicken breast, some bread crumbs and an egg. Or for that matter, actually look at what a single serving of the frozen chicken strips actually is: most people will cook and eat three or four servings at a time.

You have the same problem with restaurant food. Also, restaurant portion sizes are much larger than what you should eat at once, even if you do not include drinks, appetizers and desserts.

It is very, very tough to eat fresh nowadays. We are barraged with advertisments pushing extremely unhealthy food choices and eating habits, and some 40% of Americans do not have regular access to fresh foods. Best of luck sticking with your plan. :hi:

[Mabus]

6. We're trying

and we've done a pretty good job of weaning ourselves off of processed foods. I buy organic and locally grown whenever I can to supplement what my small garden doesn't have. But, overall, I've been cooking most meals from scratch and I think both our diets and our nutritional needs are better off. It helps that I've always liked cooking.

At first, it seemed more expensive to cook from scratch. But, as our diets have improved, I think we are actually eating less than we did before.

[PDJane]

7. My local supermarket has become a wasteland

of really bad food products; lots of salt, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and food addititves.

I now do a once per month trip to Costco for the non-perishable necessities, buy produce from the farmer's market, and meat and cheese from the same source.

My food intake has changed, and my tastes have changed; anything with lots and lots of additives no longer tastes edible to me. I eat out perhaps 3 times per month, and either share entrees or take half of my meal home.

[marions ghost]

8. Food IS political

Read "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan.

www.michaelpollan.com

"a searing indictment of today's food industry"

[ITsec]

9. We RARELY go out to eat...

I would say 99% of our meals are made at home. We have a rather large garden out back, so we grow most of our own veggies, then freeze or can them. We also grind our own wheat, and bake our own bread, buns and rolls. Although we do have a small amount of pre-packaged frozen foods, most of what is in the freezer is meat (beef, chicken, fish), or frozen veggies.

As it stands today, we could easily live 6 months without going to the store, if the SHTF.

[Arugula Latte]

10. I like GIRL food ;-) -- Veggies, salads, fruit, legumes, tofu, and I don't like meat.

I do have processed snacks like Oreo cookies from time to time. I know they're horrible for you, but I do exercise and my cholesterol is fabulous (140).