The land where pizza is one of your five-a-day… because it is covered in tomato paste

The land where pizza is one of your five-a-day… because it is covered in tomato paste

www.dailymail.co.uk

It has given us the iced doughnut, the burger and the fattest people on Earth.

But now America is outdoing even itself when it comes to unhealthy food, by trying to claim pizza is a vegetable.

A school lunches Bill going before Congress aims to reclassify the junk food due to the tomato paste on the dough

Despite lacking significant nutritional content, this thin coating would be enough for pizza to go towards a daily count of fruit and vegetables.

The move has been derided as a cost-cutting drive so the U.S. government will not have to spend so much on fresh food for school lunc

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Alright, i don't live in the US but i thought this was particularly disturbing. Tomato paste is NOT a vegetable! Its full of sugar and preservatives and all sorts of other crap.

This of course is comming from the same people who claim frozen french fries are also a vegetable



Is there any wondering why the US struggles with childhood obeasity??

Look to your leaders for the problems guys...



www.dailymail.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

reply to post by Akragon


Isn't it insane?

You should check out Jamie Oliver's "Food Revolution". He did a show where he went to the US to the "fattest" city in America and tried to change their diets, including in the schools.

An eye opener doesn't even describe it. He actually gets banned from the school cafeteria because he's not allowed to film the CRAP they are passing off as food.

It was alarming, and heartwarming as he actually helped some families change their lives for the better.

And I though Regan was nuts saying Ketchup is a vegetable, this is pure fantasy. All to save a few dollars, destroying these kids health, to save a buck, what a joke.

Have you ever wondered why, in North America, the poorest people are the fattest? Shouldn't it be the opposite?

It's the "food" they are eating, the only food they can afford, and it's killing us all.

Greetings! I totally agree.

Just wanted to let you know... in a nice way... that this is not really breaking news. Been around for at least a week. I've read several articles about it and when I used the search engine (pizza, vegetable) they were all current articles posted about a week ago.

So... there's probably discussion in there too :-) Have a great day! And eat your veggies!

The reason for doing this is so some Republican twit can cut the budget for school lunches even further. "Let them eat tomato paste! Bwa-ha-ha!" Meanwhile the banks are getting bailed out and Halliburton keeps getting fat no-bid government contracts.

reply to post by Akragon


Well, I live in the US and I think this is total crap.

I can see where tomato paste would be a little bit healthier... it contains quite a bit of lycopene, but it does not make pizza a vegetable and is not a substitute for veggies. *eye roll* Seriously, I'm tired of people who claim such things making the rest of us look like a bunch of idiots.

How does this happen? Was there no point in the process, from conception to implementation, when a responsible adult said "Hey, wait, this is wrong..."...? Just how many people are involved in these decisions, and yet everybody allows it to fly...

Is it just me or does it seem like they're trying to make the future generations fat lazy and stupid?

Honestly this makes me sick, even if im in a different country...

something should be done about things like this.

To call a pizza a vegie, it should be full of vegie toppings, such as green pepper, onion, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, etc.
It should also be homemade with a whole wheat crust.

White flour crust, topped with a thin layer of tomato sauce, and laden with cheese and fatty meats does not qualify!

Can I pick it off of a plant? No? Then it isn't a vegetable YOU STUPID IDIOTS UP THERE IN CONGRESS!!!

What angers me even more than this silly-ass stupid declaration is the fact that they wasted EVEN ONE MINUTE discussing it, when we're faced with so many other REAL problems requiring REAL solutions.

It's yet another crying shame, and I'm wholly embarrassed by this.

Wiki - "In the USA, tomato paste is concentrated tomato solids (no seeds or skin) and usually no added sugars or seasonings," I am pretty sure that is true for the most part.

There is nothing wrong with pizza if it is made with good ingredients(not that greasy pizza hut crap), in fact it can be a well rounded meal with the right toppings.

But the pizza at my high school was pretty crappy as I recall. The whole piece of pizza itself should not be considered a vegetable, but if there is enough toppings and sauce to be a serving size, those ingredient certainly should be counted as serving.

Pizza by definition is just bread, cheese, tomato sauce, and possibly veggies and meat. All parts of a healthy diet. I think we should should direct our energy away from hating-on pizza itself, because bad ingredients (and balance of those ingredients) and processing is the issue, not delicious delicious pizza itself!

reply to post by CREAM


I guess you missed the part about French fries also being a vegetable?

Wait...French Fries aren't a vegetable?

reply to post by CREAM


Pizza isn't the problem. Pretending that a process cheese covered, greasy frozen vegetable and peperoni covered slice of bread is a vegetable, is the problem.

Add to that flavored milk, and you've got a recipe for disaster

but I'm sure the tomato paste they are using is top quality home made style with no salt or preservatives (lol)

reply to post by snowspirit

To call a pizza a vegie, it should be full of vegie toppings, such as green pepper, onion, mushrooms, olives, pineapple, etc. It should also be homemade with a whole wheat crust.

Unless the kids are eating an entire 16 inch pizza to themselves, there is no possible way to provide a full serving of vegetables on it. Beyond that, you are assuming they are using fresh vegetables.

Seriously guys, go watch an episode of "Food Revolution" and you'll see the top quality products they serve, even when those products cost MORE than fresh local products.

It's bought and paid for. The soda companies made deals, the flavored milk companies made deals, and most states have farmed out the food production to a single MASSIVE "kitchen" producing anything BUT food.

You know i was reseraching a bit today as to why there are so many fatties in america. Right on cue this type thread pops up remiding me lol


The only vegtables here are many members of congress


nd what about the whole tomato fruit vs veggie thing? Wouldn't tomato sauce be fruit juice lol . Screw what its classified as . Its a vegtable to me! and the grocery stores lol

reply to post by CREAM


Yes, it all depends on how it's made.
When we make pizzas for supper, mine would qualify as a vegie, with some dairy, because that's how I make it. I LOAD on the vegies. My husbands would qualify as servings of meat, dairy, and fats, both pizzas made with a whole wheat crust. I wouldn't classify his as a vegie though :shk:

It's hard to trust schools to make them properly, they're more likely to be bought frozen from somewhere.

That picture in your post has me wanting pizza now, right now

Originally posted by yourboycal2
You know i was reseraching a bit today as to why there are so many fatties in america. Right on cue this type thread pops up remiding me lol

The only vegtables here are many members of congress

Krispy Kreme burgers, deep fried Mars bars, heart attack grill..........
This recent cupcake craze has about 2 inches of sugar (icing) loaded on a little tiny cake

They're a rebellious bunch down there.

I saw a news reporter on Fox arguing about companies cutting back on salt. He wanted his excessive salt, already in his prepackaged frankenfood. He was very upset at something being made healthier. Same with the transfats.

Thankfully, there are still some sensible Americans, they'll be the ones that save the country

nd what about the whole tomato fruit vs veggie thing? Wouldn't tomato sauce be fruit juice lol . Screw what its classified as . Its a vegtable to me! and the grocery stores lol

That's true, a tomato is a fruit. To confuse things even more, corn is often classified as a grain, and potatoes as a starch, even though they're vegies.

This just reinforces my belief that real education comes from the home.

So obviously we can't count on government to make appropriate decisions for our kids. Well, while their ideas are extremely ridiculous, I really don't care. I've never assumed the government was responsible or even capable of caring for people.

Want healthy kids? Teach them healthy habits. Get them to follow a good set of nutritional guidelines at home, well before they go to public school. Pack their lunches and TEACH THEM early on what happens when you choose school cafeteria pizza and other junk over home made, wholesome, fresh, organic food. Kids aren't stupid, and while a sugary treat might be tempting, if they understand the consequences, and have learned self control and good judgment, they'll be fine.

I am a huge proponent of locally grown, fresh, unprocessed, organic vegetables, dairy and meat. We make almost everything at home. Despite what many are led to believe, buying fresh, raw ingredients and preparing them yourself is in many cases less expensive than than their processed alternatives. Not only are you eating healthier but you are learning new things all of the time as far as preparation and food science, and if get your family involved in preparing meals/canning/baking/etc, it reinforces the positive eating habits you are trying to instill in your kids and can be a pretty fun activity. I promise if you get your kids involved in the process of making healthy food they will be more likely to eat healthy foods.

Jamie Oliver rocks, by the way - maybe his show should be required viewing for Congress.

reply to post by Akragon

This of course is comming from the same people who claim frozen french fries are also a vegetable

While I'm fairly certain that virtually everyone would agree that eating fries all the time isn't healthy in the slightest, they still would be a vegetable, right? Or does a potato lose it's "vegetable qualities" as soon as it is cut into rectangles or curls?