Healthy eating only for the rich?

reply to post by Enrikez


Actually it's really cheap to eat health. Not sure why you think otherwise.

Originally posted by ufopunx
what that mean? we can't have childs if we are poor? do you think we always have the choice? the sate aren't here to support us on this case? Does that mean a child born in a poor family will be always poor?

I think the idea is to be financially responsible when it comes to having kids. If you have 2 parents making a total of 25,000 per year, having 7 kids is not responsible.

Mod Note: Trim Those Quotes - Please Review this link

[edit on 23-11-2007 by DontTreadOnMe]

reply to post by Flyer

No, its only the lazy people who are fat.

Really? while i agree that alot of lazy people are fat, not all fat people are lazy. I know a few overweight people who probably work 10 times harder than you do and are pretty much always on the go. The problem with society nowadays is that most people are stressed out due to pressures placed on us through impossible standards of living. Most people don't have time for excercise and high stress levels can actually counter any efforts you are making to try and lose weight. Also don't mention that our fast paced lifestyles practically force you to eat take out constantly. I dont remeber how many times i came off a 12 hour shift working in below freezing tempatures coming home not wanting to cook. Would you want to? We are bombarded with the fast food lifestyle and it has even infected the groceries we buy as more and more things are becoming instant or boxed. And finally yes the bad stuff does cost less than the healthy stuff.

I come from a city of 200 000 people. Last year the census showed 60% of all wage earners here in this city earned $8 - $10 an hour! Thats not even counting the people collecting disability or social assistance. In 2006 our 35 local foodbanks served 30 000 people in total on average on a monthly basis. So how do you expect that people are able to afford the healthiest food and able to afford that monthly pass to the gym?

So before you go and make ignorant conclusions, get your facts strait. This is a problem with North American society as a whole and cannot be blamed solely on the individuals.

Originally posted by skyblueff0
I'd say being a college student is difficult to live a healthy lifestyle, personally at my college the closest grocery store near campus is a 5-8 minute drive away.

Do you have a place to store and prepare food?

A mountain bike with rack, saddlebags and handle bar bag along with a milk crate size box on top of the rack will haul quite a few groceries with ease.

Looks like you're maybe 2-4 miles from the market.
I used to ride mine 2-3 miles to market, mostly for the exercise and also just for fun.
I liked to ride and it was just a touch uphill to the market.
And like you'd think, there was a headwind on the way home so the pleasantries of coasting home weren't there most times.

It didn't take all that much time for the trip.

Like any other product, try to get the best bike you can afford.

I recommend Nashbar very highly.
Bought a couple bikes from them and was pleasantly surprised to find that my $350. or so at the time mountain bike was the same bike as a highly rated StumpJumper priced at $750.
Same accessories etc.
Different paint and a Nashbar logo was the only difference I could see.

[edit on 23-11-2007 by Desert Dawg]

[edit on 23-11-2007 by Desert Dawg]

It really comes down to this for obesity.
If you consume more calories then you burn, you become overweight. It's really simple.

It's also pretty easy to eat healthy pretty cheap.

I really don't know what the big deal is???

Well for starters there are 14 known nutrients no longer in our soil due to the way we farm, or more to point, destroy farming.
Yes the poor can't afford most fruits and vegies because they are shipped in either from other countries or other states. Rarely do I see fresh organic vegies and fruits grown in my area, actually in the store.
I personally use Life Force products because with them I get over 120 nutrients from land and sea that you can not get in the foods we eat.
Obesity and diabetes are actually do more to an inbalance in our blood chemistry because we do not get the nutrients we need.
I have heard from thousands of people who drink Body Balance and Osteo Pro Care and are losing weight, cutting way back on their insulin, why because they are getting real food and balancing their systems.

We have answers to these problems, they just aren't mainstream yet. In fact things we did and knew about in the "hippy" culture are just now being touted as new discoveries.

www.lifeforce.net/18293301 Check this out and I can show you how we could even change the face of poverty without the scamming charities and non profits that simply steal the hard earned dollar of Americans.

We can either talk or do something. Anyone can talk, but real heros take action.

I'm okay with paying more for organic foods, since it's in my mind that it's going to families that actually give a damn about what they are producing. But as far as healthy food goes, you can always make your own healthy food, make yourself a salad for a week by just buying the basic ingredients you want at the grocery store. Problem is people don't exercise, they would rather go to some fast food place than prepare their own food.

Originally posted by metaldemon2000
We are bombarded with the fast food lifestyle and it has even infected the groceries we buy as more and more things are becoming instant or boxed.

The only bombardment I get of "fast food lifestyle" is the wind blown litter emitted from the fools who are engaged in such.

As far as I can tell... there is still no "fast food infection" in the produce or bulk foods department.

Don't want to cook when you get home? Cook on sunday... and reheat all week long.

I am,

Sri Oracle

No fast food lifestyle you say? Sorry how dare i mention that there being a fast food restaurant every block in every major city in north america. I guess it is also wrong for me to suggest that there being 2-3 micky d's establishments in 1 square kilometer is out of hand.
Oh btw to the person who mentioned calories, it is hard to constantly worry about what it is your eating when you are beyond busy and have no time. Impossible to have little free time you say? Have a family , youll understand. Also people who live in poverty care little for the calorie value and more about the price tag, its THAT simple.

Everybody has a choice to make. Wanna eat fast food then fine eat fast food, but there's not a sign in front of the restaurant saying come on in and eat this junk and gain weight. I know alot of people that eat alot of fast foods that are not fat because they buy the fish or salad instead. There are choices and not many but you can still eat healthy at a fast food restaurant.
The best choice someone can make is to buy the good stuff and bring your lunch to work. I know it's hard to do but it's healthier in the long run. All those fast food restuarants are tempting and hard to pass up when you're in a hurry but like I've said, " it's up to choice ". It's probably to late for the ones to far gone with weight but the next generation is right around the corner and they can make the difference. I hope obesity is a thing of the past years from now, but it's up to choice, education and exercise. Also people need to learn when their metabolism is slowing down and act on it. Time to eat better and exercise more when that happens.

Originally posted by Loki
This is probably one of the more ignorant things I've read today. While McDonalds does not help the matter in the slightest, not all fat people are lazy, and not all lazy people are fat. Some have Thyroid issues. Others simply can't seem to keep the weight off, no matter what.

You do, however have one point, and that is that portions in America, are, in a word, redonkulous.

Genetics is more to blame for obesity than laziness, though. Bad genes and a slightly poor diet is an instant recipe for obesity.

The laziest man I know weighs 120 lbs and eats junk at least twice a day, and rarely if ever works out.



[edit on 11-20-2007 by Loki]

Thank you Loki. I am one of those people. I eat decent, sometimes not at all because there is really not much food in the house. I eat a lot of soup, green beans, Pork and Beans, and I have a stash of meat in the freezer for those days when you want meat.(Mainly Chicken and Pork- 11.00 dollars for 2lbs the last time I bought fresh meat! Yeesh!) I excersise daily, plus my job(My job is mainly walking, and I do this for about 2 to 3 hours a day.) I am fat. I try to lose, but it just dosen't come off. I've been to dietatins, watched my calories, carbs, etc. The only time I pretty much lost weight was when I was pregnant... lol. My weight is managble, but my doctor tells me I need to lose weight because I am borderline diabetic, and I am really trying, but let's put it this way... it looks like I'm losing, but yet I pretty much stay the same weight.

Originally posted by Sri Oracle
[The only bombardment I get of "fast food lifestyle" is the wind blown litter emitted from the fools who are engaged in such.

As far as I can tell... there is still no "fast food infection" in the produce or bulk foods department.

Don't want to cook when you get home? Cook on sunday... and reheat all week long.

I am,

Sri Oracle

Excellent point.

I'm about a mile downwind from Route 66 - The Mother Road - and a multitude of fast food joints.

The desert wind can blow strong here and sometimes my lhalf acre is filled with fast food trash.
Much to the delight of one of my doxies who likes to chase things.
I try to feed him healthy, but the "cheese paper" - as Carls puts it - is more than tempting to him.

Early in the mornings when the winds are light and just right you can smell the maple cured bacon cooking.
Bacons an ok treat now and then, but the fast food joints use a lot of it.

Gotta admit I eat an In & Out Burger about once a week, but like anything else in life, mderation is the key.


A small addition to the garden post I made earlier, if you don't have a small plot of ground for a garden, growing tomatoes in a large pot is a very do-able deal.

There are a lot of things that can be grown in containers.

Do yourself a favor and get a gardening book and read up on both a small veggie garden and growing veggies in containers.

Tomatoes and Zuchinnia are excellent choices.
The doggone Zukes will grow with an absolute minimum of care.

I have a recipe for a terrific Zuchinni relish that surpasses by far the offerings by the local market.
I'll post it if some are interested....

Originally posted by metaldemon2000
btw to the person who mentioned calories, it is hard to constantly worry about what it is your eating when you are beyond busy and have no time. Impossible to have little free time you say? Have a family , youll understand.

worst excuse ever. clearly, you have enough time to post on the internet. during that post you could have made a nice salad.

reply to post by scientist


this reply is to scientist's posts specifically and the topic in general. I agree that it takes much, much more time and effort to eat healthy on a moderate budget than it does to eat nutritionally deficient foods. HOWEVER, let me relay this personal experience to you.

I went to university in the city of New Orleans (pre Katrina). for those who don't know, N.O. is and was one of the poorest cities in the US. As a freshman, I was not allowed to have a car at school. Thus, I was relegated to walking to the supermarket (about 4 miles to the closest one), taking the bus (actually 3 different buses just to get there - about an hour's ride), taking a cab for $10 (and that would make my food budget for a week go down to $30USD). I could not take the street car because there were no grocery stores on the street car line at all. So I was forced to eat the disgusting food at the cafeteria on a financed meal plan.

Next year when I brought my car, I was able to drive to Winn Dixie to buy food. Well, believe it or not the food in there was really disgusting. the produce was always, always brown, bruised, wilted, or just plain rotten and moldy with flies all around it. The meat looked like it would go bad the second you got it home. Don't even ask about fish lol. And on top of all this, it was hella expensive! Know why? because the people who had to go to that store because it was nearest to them didn't have the option of going to another store.

and don't say "well why don't they just go to the farmer's market and can all the produce they bought for $1 a case??". 1) if you're poor and struggling, you probably don't even know it's there, or know how to can, or have the spare money to buy in bulk, or buy a $200 canner. 2) if you can't walk or take a short bus ride to it, it's not a viable option.

so in conclusion, for some people yes it is just as viable (not easy, but viable) to buy healthy foods as it is to buy the crap. but for some people, it is near impossible on a small or even moderate budget. you're basically relegated to beans and rice every single day.

Hey men, great post!
It truly is all one big conspiracy.

In my theory, it is the manipulation prgram to make people stupid and keep the stupid in order to control them easier...

Around 1 calorie per minuted is consumed by brain function so it obviously matters what you use for your 'fuel'

Leonardo da vinci always used to say: I eat healthy so that I can think healthy...

By feeding us with junk food, they are making us more stupid.

Please dont forget that any meat bought from a super market will have been injected with water to bulk it out and colourants too, especially the packaged meats.
Almost all fruit and vegetables sold in sealed packaging is filled with a preserving gas.

and here's a story from a major news web site the other day about the amount of New Yorkers who are going hungry.. This was quite a shock for me to read and it would appear nothing else will be said about it until there are food queue riots...


"Over 1.3 million people, one in six New Yorkers, cannot afford enough food, with queues at soup kitchens getting longer, anti-poverty groups say.

The New York City Coalition Against Hunger says the number of people who use food pantries and soup kitchens in the city increased by 20% in 2007.

Some of the food distribution points are struggling to meet demand. "

full story;
news.bbc.co.uk...

Originally posted by MacSen191
Thank you Loki. I am one of those people. I eat decent, sometimes not at all because there is really not much food in the house.

So in one statement you say you DO eat well and in the same statement you say you DO NOT eat well. Seems to be a bit of discrepancy here.

The idea of "eating well" is completely relative and I would say that most people have no clue what it means to "eat healthy". If you ear eating soups and porn'n'beans from a big-box grocery story, or ANY food from a big grocery store, you are NOT eating healthy, period. Look at the ingredients in your foods. Avoid the following:

- MSG (also labeled under 12+ different names)
- Corn Syrup or High Fructose Corn Syrup
- Sugar
- Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, etc...)
- Partially hydrogenated-xyz
- Vegetable oil

Avoiding these foods, will prevent you from eating any fast food, and pretty much anything pre-packaged/pre-made. It's important to understand the negative impact these foods have on our bodies.

I think there is a major fallacy in what a lot of people here are posting and no one is calling them on it.

It's the 'eating healthy is easy' arguement. 'posting on the internet, you could have made a salad instead' mind-est.

This is not a game here. This is not people going off to bulk food barns because buying regular portions at regular supermarkets is 'obviously a mistake'. Are these arguements even considered valid?

Because someone is not an expert on eating, they are lazy? Here is something for you guys to chew on.

Not everyone can be an expert on everything. We as consumers and citizens expect at least a degree of transparency when it comes to the goods and services we purchase.

If you were to byuy stocks from a broker, you wouldn't have to be an expert on trading, or an expert on trading laws to assume that the stock you are buying is real and actually exists, right?

Do you expect everyone who owns a car to understand everything their mechanic does? Would you fault them for not knowing that their 'halogen fluid' doesn't exist and never needs to be bled and replaced?

And yet, these are things that happen. It's not about the person being scamed being lazy, it's about the so-called 'experts' taking advantage of a specialist society. In our north-american world, we are paid and get employment for being specialized. That means we know a lot about a very thin slice of the pie. We do not know a lot about everything.

Some posters on here may know everything there is to know about protiens, they may even be leading research into things no one knows about them yet, but they may not be able to locate the tire iron or know which way to turn a lug-nut. They may not know how to do their own brake-job, or change their own oil.

They may not understand financing and the ins and outs of variable rate mortages.

They may not understand MSG, trans-fats, or hormonally enhanced foods.

It doesn't mean they are lazy.

It only means that they are being scamed. Transparency needs to exist, especially where our health is concerned.

I'm sure everyone knows that brown rice and brocoli would be a fine healthy diet, but we live in the real world here. People want to eat food that appeals to them, they want to be able to trust that the food produced for them won't end up killing them. Just as they want to know that the $1, 500 they just spent to fix their vehicle is actually because there was something wrong with it.

And they have that right. It's not lazy to expect not to be taken advantage of.

If my mechanic told me that my flux-capacitor was only pumping 1.5 gigawatts, when it needs to be doing at least 2.1, I may be stupid enough to believe them, but who's shoulders does the blame really lie on? The mechanic, trying to sell me a part that doesn't exist, or the guy who doesn't understand how a car works?

Originally posted by jfj123
reply to post by Enrikez

 

Actually it's really cheap to eat health. Not sure why you think otherwise.

A big-mac costs more than a salad.

Meat and dairy make up 73% of US government food subsidies, but are only supposed to be 23% of our diet. We're supposed to get 9 servings a day of fruits and vegetables, and the government helps out - but with less than one percent of its farm subsidy money.

Does this not make sense to you?

Originally posted by metaldemon2000
Sorry how dare i mention that there being a fast food restaurant every block in every major city in north america. I guess it is also wrong for me to suggest that there being 2-3 micky d's establishments in 1 square kilometer is out of hand.

You choose the road that you travel... you, alone, prove that the tree makes a sound when it falls beside you. Take the road less traveled and you'll see less mcdonalds. I hadn't seen one my self in a while, I drove past a mcdonalds for the first time in a good little bit, a few weeks ago... they're pretty new-fangled looking these days.

Oh btw to the person who mentioned calories, it is hard to constantly worry about what it is your eating when you are beyond busy and have no time.

I do not constantly worry about what I eat because what I eat is always a whole food that my body needs. I have self control and allow nothing else into my mouth. When you have a clean conscience there is little to worry about.

Impossible to have little free time you say? Have a family , you'll understand.

I have 5 roomates, 2 dogs, 7 cats, 150 gallons of fish, and a wife in my house... does that count as a family? I still have plenty of time to cook rice and beans each day... on a wood fire, mind you. Time is free. Burn your candle slowly.

Also people who live in poverty care little for the calorie value and more about the price tag, its THAT simple.

"people that live in poverty" should not measure food on a scale of price or caloric value, but rather on one of nutritional value just like anyone else of sound vision.

I live admist an entire neighborhood that thinks it is poor. Solid built homes are nearly valueless here.

Although my earnings last year place me technically below poverty line, I believe I am wealthy.

While my neighbors beat back the weeds with gasoline implements,
my yard grows lush with herbs and vegetables.
As their houses decay a bit more each day in the elements,
my home becomes sturdier as new "salvaged" boards are tacked to it.

What I think, that I become.

If you think you're poor, the hate has got your soul.

Positive vibrations,

Sri Oracle