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from:msnbc.comChoosing whole foods can ward off a variety of ailments
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I think half of our physical ailments could be solved if people simply ate better, ate a lot less, and exercised. But many patients want pills and surgeries as solutions.
Eating anything isn't going to help me lose weight. Pick the right salad, or eat fish or low fat chicken, or the Weight Watchers ice cream bars.
How is anything eat any of that going to help me lose weight? Everything we eat has calories. Not eating is going to make me lose weight.
Funny how this never came up when they were trying to ram that healthcare crap bill through and kept touting the 'better outcomes' of other countries. Never once did they mention that perhaps its not because we receive worse healthcare, quite the contrary, we receive the best healthcare but have the least healthy lifestyles.
Michelle Obama has been working very hard on this.
Absolutely... Obesity (except in rare conditions) comes from eating far more than your body needs for energy, period.
So basically people want to eat too much of whatever they want (wasting food, in other words) and then get rid of the results with pills and liposuction and "body shaping".
Sadly, you are grossly misinformed. Obesity is a form of malnutrition. People get fat not from eating tons of food per say, they get fat from eating the wrong foods. None nutritious food.
The body craves nutrition in order to maintain itself.
Why do the poor have a higher rate of obesity? Because they are limited by income and location in relation to better food options.
Poverity is the single biggest player in obesity. People who live in the poor sections of any city usually also live in the highest crime area's as well. Supermarkets rarely if ever stay in business in those area very long due to crime and theft. Google the term "food desert" and you will see the facts support my assurtion.
Usually, what is then left for the local food shopper, as far as choice is concerned, is the local small bodega store. Selling substandard fruit and veggies and or pre-packaged low nutrition, high in HFCS and sodium.
When copious amounts of HFCS is ingested, it surpresses lipid produciton. Lipit production is basically what tells our body that we are full. If it is surpress, the body keeps eating under the belief that it needs more.
There have been many recent studies regarding this. However, a quick overview can be found by googling "how high fructose corn syrup works" at howstuffworks.com.
As far as the general population is concerned, we all have been lead down a path of ignorance regarding our food, it's production, it's nutritional level and how we should be eating.
Microwaves are a time saving device but studies have shown, much like can food heated at high temps to kill off microbes, when using a microwave, it just about kills off all the nutritional value of the food.
The food corporations in this country have been waging an on going war for our stomaches. It has nothing to due with nutritional value to them, it has everything to do with moving product. Fast food, soda's, prepackaged meals, margerine, skim milk, the list goes on and on. All these things I have mentioned are taking a massive toll on the human body. They keep pushing this garbage on us in one way shape or form, telling us it will make us healthy, save us time, do this or that for us, yet the rate of heart disease in this nation still goes up, the rate of cancer still goes up, obesity and diabetes are now coming up fast.
How can all these things be so good for us, if all these ailments are increasing? Because they aren't.
You want to decrease the above diseases I mentioned above? Limit food ads on TV, get rid of your microwave, buy your food from farmers markets or grow some of your own.
The rule of thumb is: eliminate the amount of steps it takes for a single vegetable to get to your dinner plate. I get mine from a local farmer. I take it home wash it and eat it. One step.
Oh and eat more vegetables and source your meat to local farmers. If you want to know what goes in to the beef you buy at the supermarket, read "fast food nation". I read it 10 years ago, since then I have never eaten fast food again.
When we as a nation stop trying to fix the symptoms and actually work on changing the cause, then things will be fixed.
Until then we are just eating ourselves to death.
TJ..."I get mine from a local farmer."
And you know he doesn't use herbicides and doesn't spray his crops with pesticides?
Food from a commercial farm that must use govt. approved herbicides and pesticides are often much safer than unregulated local farms where the farmer is free to spray whatever he can get at the local feed store all over the food.
Your right, but Mom is also what she eats. The majority of mothers that are over the age of 30 have put on the pounds. Look at them at the mall, at the beach, at Church, at the school meetings and pictures of them at the workplace. These moms are fat and are not making a good impression on their kids. If you see good healthy slim kids you usually see fit and trim moms and dads. If you see fat kids you usually see a fat family including the dog and the cat. These people just eat too much bad food. In the old days you would call these people "hearty eaters".
Mom and dad feed the kids.
Considering the consequences of obesity on children, being a "fat family" is a form of child abuse, IMO.
Just call me the peanut butter sandwich - supplements - high protein drink - stationary bike riding 86 year old kid!
They should give us a list of clean foods. Nobody is going to go around eating nuts and berries like grizzly bears in the wild. I want the meat and tater's ; I want the chicken wings; I want the
extra lean grilled burgers. I want the bacon, eggs hashbrowns and toast in the morning. And knowing this, I also realize these meats are all laced with traces of hormones and antibiotics.
You can read on the back of any package (called ingredients) to see if a food is "clean" or not. I think eggs might be the only "clean" item on your list... unless you chop up the potatoes for yourself and fry 'em up yourself! lol
Did you even read the article?
Also, are you a total idiot? Why do you need "them" to give you a list of clean foods? It's not rocket science, bozo -- it's the same sh*t doctors have been saying for 30 years: avoid processed foods with lots of chemicals and added fats and sugars. Eat fruits and vegetables and lean meats.
Get off your lazy, entitled ass and spend 5 minutes learning how to eat well, for the love of god.
Krullulon, save the drama your mama.
Mike, you are correct though, eating nuts and berries is exactly what we should do more of. Eat less animal meat and fat that you like so much, not more.
That was just plain mean and nasty, krullulon.
Mike, I agree with Krullulon... why do you need a list? Every newspaper, magazine, news website I see has numerous articles on healthy eating, that is unless you read comic books and the National Enquirer.
Check out the FDA website, they give you plain and simple directions to healthy eating. You can still eat all the foods you love in healthier variations: turkey bacon, turkey hot dogs, chicken sausage, etc. One my favorite foods is chili, but standard chili isn't very healthy, so I found a recipe for tofu chili that fooled both my teenage sons and husband. It is delicious. Get your head out from under the rock and check out your local library. The librarian will be happy to help you.
Really?.......you NEED a list of clean foods?
Here is your list, it's very easy and simple to remember.
Eat what is found in nature and doesn't come from a package.
See...simple right?!
The original poster has a point, to a certain extent.
A further point to be made would be that the least affluent members of society, those on WIC especially, don't really have the incentive to buy healthier foods, being that WIC generally covers the cheapest alternative (at least for my state of Tennessee). The processed foods found in the "middle" of the grocery store are generally cheaper than healthier alternatives. The healthier foods might cost more, thus raising the cost of the WIC program, but it could ultimately cost us more as a society as a whole generation of children raised on WIC don't understand that eating chicken nuggets, Cheez-Its and Kool-Aid for meals are not good eating habits.
Depending on were you live, I bet you can find a good source of grass fed beef. I don't eat that mystery crap sprayed with bleach that is sold at the supermarkets.
You will find that the grass fed beef is unbelievably yummy.
Talk to the farmer, know how and whom butchers their meat. Ask them how the cattle is fed and raised.
There are so many studies about the meat we eat and how it effects us, it shouldn't be difficult to find some good healthy beef in your area.
It's not difficult to find, just difficult on my budget. One steak is well over $30. Even ground beef is over my price point...
krullulon, you're suspended for a day for violating #1 of the Code of Honor.
Does that mean Rosie O'Donnell eats not only fat food, but also ugly food?
That was my laugh for the day! ;-)
Jobseeker, that was mean and ugly of you to make that comment. I have to wonder what YOU eat to make such comments about an individual.
AllThatAndBrains, for your agreement, you've convinced me you have none of what your name portends.
Still laughing at this, that was by the best comment I've read in along time. Great one Jobseeker, but you should point out that she must also eats stupid ignorant food as well.
I recently found out that at age 41 my kidney capacity is 138%. I know it doesn't make sense - but from what I understand about how they calculate it it's based on averages. I would hazard a guess that the reason mine is so high is because I grew up eating home cooked meals with very few chemicals in them.
My mom also told me to use common sense - more good advice from Mom! It just makes sense that the more chemicals you put in your body the harder it has to work to remove them, nice to see that science is finally catching up to good old fashioned common sense!
America needs to go on a diet!!!!
Learn to grow a garden! Take the food supply back or you will be eating Soylent Green!
Well, you can have your cake, and eat it, too, according to some very new research. Just have some "real" OJ with those taters, bacon, and eggs, and it greatly reduces any damage to the arteries. Trust me -- this is real science.
Drinking OJ with all that animal derived food doesnt somehow magically render that saturated fat harmless. Saturated fat clogs up your arteries. OJ is not artery draino. You gotta cut way back - preferably stop (if you already have heart disease) eating animal foods if you want to avoid heart disease. I suggest you get to reading Dr. Dean Ornish's books.
Heart disease and obesity was rare in Japan (traditional plant-based diet supplemented with fish) - until McDonalds moved into the neighborhood. Now obesity and heart disease is increasing dramatically there....
I think of all animal derived products we eat, milk and its derivatives (cheese) is the worst. Milk is made for baby cows to grow FAST, not for people.
Sad to say, Even though I know better - I love cheese - its practically an addiction - and its probably going to be the death of me... Death by Cheddar...
Get extra, extra sharp and you'll use less, but still enjoy!
"Drinking OJ with all that animal derived food doesnt somehow magically render that saturated fat harmless. Saturated fat clogs up your arteries. OJ is not artery draino."
Actually, it does all of that to a small degree. Google the effects of vitamin C on lowering bad cholesterol and increasing good cholesterol. You'll see that - sugar aside OJ is great for you.
there are no cheap easy short cuts: for diet, for exercise, for good quality living. you don't have to suffer either. put in a moderate amount of effort, do it every day, avoid the habitual excesses. treat your self now and then but don't cave in. sound boring? living well is it's own reward. good health is a nice big bonus.
60 years old, 6"'1", 159#, competeitive off road motorcyclist. no health issues except this darn broken foot. can't wait to get back on two wheels. non motorized this time.
After reading this article all I have to ask is:
Daddy would you like some sausage.
LOL I love that movie!!
I'm the backwards man, backwards man!
krullulon...maybe it's time for you to eat some fast food..all that good food is making you a rude idiot that spews venom. I bet you don't talk like that to others in front of their face...you would have been sent down to the floor on your butt!!! Grow up and learn how to live in a society.
Hey Mike, I agree with krullulon, did you read the article? It really isn't that hard to eat or find clean food. You don't need all those foods you are eating. You *choose* to eat those food. Us people don't go around just eating berries and nuts, but we do eat those instead of potato chips or oreo cookies. You can cook food with basic wholesome ingredients or find frozen meals without any additives or preservatives....it is not hard! You can even find all natural cookie dough...still has tons of sugar and such, but no hydrogenated oils and preservatives (so, yes, I definitely indulge in sweets, but am picky about which ones). Thing is, it comes frozen instead of just chilled...know why? Figure that out and maybe you can learn how to eat clean...
I regularly exercise (run and yoga) and try to eat healthy as possible and am in my thirties. My BMI is 20. I regularly get told by certain people that "you are so thin" or "you need to put some meat on your bones". Really?! They are so use to seeing overweight people they have a skewed view of what a good weight should be .....
Yes, America needs to go on a diet!
And...forgot to mention. Krullulon...you really could of said what you wanted in a much nicer way!
I'm 72, my husband is 87. He had a heart attach at 47 (smoker, stress at work/marriage)....we married in 1982.My genes say "pudgy," he's a lean guy. We work out at the Y or wherever we are 3x weekly, 45 minutes; weights/equipment; also walk 2 miles 3 other times a week weather permitting. No white flour, red meat once a week, salads for evening meal 3x a week, OJ, vitamins/supplements, fresh fruits, no-salt PB and black coffee every a.m. Minimal lunch (fruit, hard-boiled egg) 5x a week. Lunch OR dinner out once a week, eat whatever we want. I have a vodka martini, he has a scotch/rocks every evening before meal. He's 5'8, weighs 155; I'm 5'5, weigh 146. Both used to be taller, shrunk with age. Big sloppy family around the U.S., lots of friends, still work part-time, travel when we can. Last one standing wins!!
Thank you typewriter! My parents are your age and I wish everyone had your generation's health standards! You have room to "cheat" by dinning out, you have healthy booze standards and everything else is balanced. I never ever ever see this from my gen and those below me (I'm 32). We all grew up with Captain Crunch, fruit roll ups and Capri Sun. I've taken my mom's approach and limit my kids to one junky thing a day period. I can only hope I and my kids continue to moderate like your gen always has. It's an uphill battle, generation x and y and those that follow will never get (and they're portly and out of shape to show for it)!
Now, if the article had only mentioned removing wheat and dairy from our diets too it would've been perfect!
If you slowly stop eating junk, you lose your taste for it. My mother never saw a food that wouldn't be better served deep fried or swimming in butter. Washed down with Pepsi. I grew up on that trash. As a child and teenager, I was overweight -- not fat, because I loved sports, but pudgy.
For years now, I've been a vegetarian, borderline vegan. I eat about 80% organic. I never eat dairy products or meat. Fish or an egg a few times a year. I live on nuts, fruits, and veggies mostly. I just slowly replaced the junk, and now it looks, smells, and tastes nasty to me. I can't imagine having a slab of bloody raw meat in my kitchen, spreading germs and bacteria everywhere. Gross!
WOW! People with four good answers are 80% LESS LIKELY TO HAVE MAJOR CHRONIC DISEASES! Amazing! Why not use this to help our nation get healthier and reduce health care costs?
Require health insurance companies to offer FIT WEIGHT PREMIUM REDUCTIONS to those of us who eat, exercise and live healthy lives.
All you would have to do is appear for you annual physical (which in itself reduces health costs by catching illness early) within 15% of your fit weight, pass tests to show you don't smoke, drink excessively and that you exercise regularly and then you qualify for a FIT WEIGHT PREMIUM REDUCTION.
Who wants to pay a fat tax or unhealthy living tax? Why should people who work hard to stay healthy pay the same health insurance rates as those who have dangerous life styles?
Here's the quote from the article:
Those with four good answers (eating well, body mass index below 30, active, not smoking), compared with those with four bad answers (not eating well, BMI above 30, not active, and smoking), were 80 percent less likely to have any major chronic disease. (Imagine if a pill could reduce our risk of dying prematurely from any cause by 80 percent!)
While I agree with you somewhat, this is very narrow criteria. In other words, why should smoking and obesity be the only consideration for premiums? There are lots of behaviors that raise the risks of needing medical care. Sex, for example... if you're not using protection, you could bring on all sorts of costs for STD treatment or pregnancy care. Should the insurance company be offering discounts for healthy bedroom behavior? Or how about your driving habits... Should they offer tracking devices for your car to make sure you don't speed or drive aggressively?
While I hate paying more to treat people who constantly stuff their faces with steak and pie and mysteriously end up with heart disease and arthritis and colon cancer, perhaps a better solution than an obesity premium would be insurance where you can opt out of certain coverage. Like if you're not fat, you could opt out of coverage for illnesses that your doctor determines were caused by obesity. Of if you're not having sex, you could opt out of coverage for pregnancy and STDs. Just a thought...
Ye Gads!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My body is a cream cheese factory. Quick! Get me to a tub of clean, or I'll never get outta here alive.
Eat plastic and chemicals; you'll see.
IMHO we could all do better by trying to “Eat to Live” instead of “Living to Eat”. I was once standing while eating a just made fresh salad and asked to sit down so the meal was more enjoyable and not like a fueling. I pondered this and wondered if our meals should not be considered a fueling instead of social events. Then we might consider getting the best fuel(food) available for our bodies. After all, most people won't put inferior gas and oil in their precious cars, why not treat the body with the same or even better respect.
Have you ever seen Paula Dean or Paul Prudhomme?
You're right. People aren't fat because bad food is cheap, they're fat because they like bad food! Every bite has to be oily or salty or sweet, every dessert has to be the size of your face, and every meal has to be an event.
"alcohol consumption, use of firearms, sexual behavior,"...can this liberal media ever just have one article without sliding in firearms. By the way...what is the intent? If we carry firearms, we may live longer when being attacked by an assailant. If the title of the article follows through the entire theme suggesting we are what we eat, are some suggesting people eat firearms? If they are suggesting firearms are dangerous while eating, should we eliminate the knife and eat only finger foods? Get real...and give intelligent information and keep the liberal bias out.
Read the article again. This time try reading it without your conservative bias.
wisdom, the part about firearms was contained in a quotation from the study, not made by the "liberal media."
I think insurance actuaries prove that there are higher rates of death from shooting among those who own firearms. Duh.
I'm not a liberal, but my secret hope is that all you little boys who never outgrew your guns will shoot each other and be done with it.
As for your remark regarding firearms and eating, only a gun nut could come up with something that stupid. Well, wait. You guys probably are capable of shooting yourselves while eating.
Tyler, look the other way.
I agree that eating unprocessed foods is the ideal way to go. However, you can still become overweight by eating "clean" foods. I think you can indulge, but the way for everything in life is moderation. Let's not forget that some people have problems with weight, not due to excessive eating and/or lack of physical activity, but due to physical problems such as thyroid disorders. Moreover, some people are overweight because of medications they need to take for chronic illnesses not born out of obesity, etc. Not to mention, eating "clean" can be very expensive (I'm not referring to organic, either) and processed food is often inexpensive for those who can barely afford to put food on the table in the first place. Of course, sometimes there are ways to eat better on next to nothing, but not always. I am amazed at each of these discussions I see on here in how so many comments are devoid of compassion and logic. It saddens me that the human race is so bent on hurting itself.
Please explain the problem with the other 97% of obese people. Some cheap healthy eating can be found in the aisle with beans and rice.
Here you go, "nice" lady. Judging people on inaccurate information isn't what I'd call nice.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/06/27/health/webmd/main1757772.shtml
That one is from 2006 - but I can tell you the majority of obese people I know aren't that way because they stuff their faces with food. I'm not obese, yet. I have a thyroid condition that is slowly packing on the pounds, so far I've been able to keep the weight gain to a minimum but have no doubt eventually I'll lose this battle. I'm double whammied as not only does my body want to convert food into fat more quickly, but it sucks all the energy out of me. If and when that happens, will you judge me to be a slothful over-eater? Most likely.
brown and wild rice, yes, but white rice... a big no-no
Still have not received the answer why the mention of firearms was necessary in an article about eating.
Real men know how to handle a gun for protection. Little minded men need them so they can bully others.
In other words, smoking, unhealthy diets, alcohol, firearms, sexual behavior, driving, and drugs were the largest causes of death.
Where is the issue? Should they have omitted the firearms and published an incomplete list?
I would suppose the inclusion of firearms means being shot isn't healthy and could lead to a premature death....
if we all just listened to our own common sense we would eat green and clean. Mom always made me choke down those lima beans, and we were too poor to eat red meat every night!
Next time you're visiting McD, go ask the fat one with the triple Big Mac, supersized fries and 1.5 liter Coke if he ( she ) gives a siht about this article. ( Do the same with the smoker outside).
statistics wisdom. actuarial statistics. they looked at causes of death and ranked them. didn't go looking for the firearm data, it just came up in causes of death. they have found that gun owners die earlier. accidents by self, accidental shootings by others, suicide, deaths in a moment of passion, deaths from being in confrontational situations all happen more often to persons that own guns. it rises above the statistical average high enough to become a real identifiable risk factor.