American diets getting worse

[villager]

American Diets Getting Worse

By LiveScience Staff

Eat your vegetables. Exercise. Don't drink so much beer. Blah. Blah. Blah.

Even fewer Americans in their middle and later years adhere to this healthy lifestyle advice than they did two decades ago.

Despite the well-known benefits of a lifestyle that includes physical activity, eating a diet high in fruits and vegetables, maintaining a healthy weight, moderate alcohol use and not smoking, only a small proportion of older adults follow this healthy lifestyle pattern, a new survey finds.

In fact, the numbers of those who do are declining, even though it's medically clear that positive lifestyle choices are associated with reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease as well as diabetes.

The number of people adhering to five healthy habits (exercising 12 times a month or more, not smoking, eating five or more fruits and vegetables daily, moderate alcohol use and maintaining healthy weight) has decreased from 15 percent to 8 percent between the period 1988-1994 and then 2001-2006. The results come from a comparison by investigators from the Medical University of South Carolina of results from two large-scale studies of the U.S. population.

<snip>

http://www.livescience.com/health/090527-healthy-lifestyle.html

[Taverner]

1. That's because more of us are getting laid off

Healthy diets are expensive

[paulsby]

3. bull

it just takes a little effort. to cook stuff from scratch, etc.

healthy PREPARED foods are generally more expensive than junk.

healthy staples are quite cheap.

[Taverner]

4. I cook from scratch, you cook from scratch

But take the masses who don't have the time you and I have....

Just a thought...

[paulsby]

6. consider

the average amount of time the "masses" spend watching tv.

[Taverner]

7. And they watch TV while they work

[paulsby]

8. look, the reality is it's laziness and habit

and lack of willpower that causes people to eat crap. not necessity.

there are all sorts of healthy meals you can prepare in next to no time, and for cheap.

tuna fish, especially when it goes on sale (in water) is very cheap.

an apple, a tuna fish sandwich, and glass of milk is damn healthy.

and takes about 5 minutes to make.

use nonfat dry milk and it's WAY cheaper.

people make their choices, and people live with their results.

in the case of persistently bad diet choices, the results are significantly diminished health and quality of life.

[Serial Mom]

14. But, somebody should/has to TEACH people this!

That is what has been ignored in past 5 decades or so.... prepared foods have been PUSHED on people by the food industry and the CHEMICAL industry that made prepared foods cheaper to make and to stay on food shelves longer! Along with the chemicals to make foods sweeter (high fructose corn syrup, aspartame, etc.) for a lot less cost etc.

[paulsby]

15. i don't deny that

but fwiw, the information is out there. MOST people know (to lesser or greater extents) that the crap they eat is not good for them.

they choose to ignore it.

for those that CHOOSE to empower themselves, the information is out there.

the internet. heck, cable tv has metric assloads of programs on healthy eating (food channel has some really good ones). books are often found. for FREE. imagine that. at the library.

my friend's church, for instance has an excellent program to help people eat healthier. they even get together and can stuff.

also, fwiw, there have been NUMEROUS instances of the "food industry" to include mcdonald's introducing healthy(er) alternatives. many simply did not sell. i recall McD's old "McLean" burger many years ago.

heck, even wendy's has a healthy alternative. their chili is quite nutritious - high fiber, low fat.

the food industry is rightly in the business to outperform their competitives. some in the food industry have consistently offered healthy choices, others have purveyed crap. it's up to the consumer to make their choices.

nobody shoves food down people's throats. they are the locus of control, and they live with the results

[fair trade soy chai]

18. I agree with you, but many adults are deaf to reason...

It's really an addiction--bad eating habits. And people feel threated if they think they won't be able to indulge anymore. They don't realize that there are better ways of eating.

[paulsby]

20. i used to be a personal trainer

i told people straight out that making change is going to be, to some extent, UNCOMFORTABLE.

that's really the gist of it. if people are not willing to go through some discomfort, they are not going to change.

making incremental changes helps (not overwhelming), and seeing positive changes.

the nice thing is that once eating right becomes a HABIT, it is almost as automatic as bad eating.

i am probably more anal than 99% of people in regards to what i eat, because i eat for performance.

[fair trade soy chai]

17. Really? Everyone who watches the boob tube is hard at work, too?

:rofl:

It's cool if you want to eat a certain way, but your excuses are lamola! And those who invest in excuses tend to be very fatalistic about life; they just don't think they can do anything and that is wrong as it can be. You do have power but you have to make the effort. Start small.

[Taverner]

21. I actually eat pretty healthy

I am in great health, physically. Emotionally in mentally - whole DIFFERENT story....

But I understand what its like to be poor, and not be able to afford good nutrition.

[paulsby]

23. i also understand what it means

to be poor. i've been there too. i still ate healthy. they are NOT mutually exclusive. lots of poor people DO eat healthy.

people could learn from some immigrant communities, where healthy cheap food knowledge is passed down and overrides the easy 'buy the tater tots" mentality.

[Taverner]

24. But just because you can doesn't mean you will...

Especially if time is of the essence...

[paulsby]

25. and it's still YOUR choice

which is my point.

people make their choices, and people reap the rewards or the consequences.

that's all i'm saying.

there are very things in life we have MORE control over than what we eat.

when i was poor, i CHOSE to eat healthy. it was my choice, and it's that simple.

fwiw, i had one of the best meals of my LIFE today.

just have to share.

geoduck is a frigging delicacy, but it's obscenely expensive. family member of mine spent $11 on a license to go harvest some and hit a frigging goldmine.

i sauteed it in olive oil with garlic, added some salt and pepper, sprinkled with cilantro (homegrown) and cheese.

it was frigging insane.

i have never had geoduck before. it is absolutely incredible.

having grown up on the east coast, i have eaten metric assloads of shellfish (i used to go clamming constantly), but i have never had a claim as sweet as the geoduck.

ok, sorry for the tangent. GEODUCK RULES!

[NickB79]

30. But if you're laid off, that would give you MORE time to cook and read cookbooks

And the average American's health would improve during a recession.

[Why Syzygy]

5. That's a myth.

You can actually eat better for less money.

http://www.google.com/search?q=cheap+healthy+diet&sourceid=navclient-ff&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS245US246

[LittleOne]

10. No Shit

Dinner of 4 oz of ground lean turkey, fruit smoothie, handful of radishes and bowl of salad cost less than $2.00. I keep a bowl of salad in the fridge and the smoothie was left over from breakfast. Dinner took me less than 10 minutes to make.

And I did it while watching a movie online and surfing DU.

[Taverner]

11. Do it everyday for a year

[paulsby]

13. there are LOTS of ways

to eat healthy and cheap. he gave one example.

you also do not always have to eat healthy. i eat occasional big macs, etc. i still maintain (as a competitive athlete) sub 12% bodyfat and a good lipid profile (and at 40+ years of age.

what is important is that your diet is primarily comprised of healthy, clean foods.

[LittleOne]

16. LOL

I don't have too. I have a ton of recipes to choose from. Good and cheap is easy if you just do a little research.

And I am 44 with a rocking little bod full of energy.

[paulsby]

2. it's frigging disgusting

there are few things in our lives that we have more control over than what we choose to eat.

every frigging time you cook, or buy some food, you exercise your free will in a decision that (taken in aggregate) will have PROFOUND influence on your health, your quality of life, etc.

for most people, it's a far more important issue than health insurance, genetics, etc. and completely within their control.

it's not frigging rocket science. and it makes a tremendous difference in longevity, health, vitality, immune system strength, resistance to disease, body composition, mood, etc.

[eilen]

9. Mostly people eat too much food

people have long held habits and they aren't going to change overnight. over-processed foods have to just be phased out. Pound for pound, healthy food is more expensive if you consume clean organic food in the same proportions as junk food. Grass fed meats and cheeses cost about twice as much. Organic food costs more. This is all true.

However, if you scale back the super size portions, (which you should do), the costs even out. That doesn't even account for the bonus of less health problems. Most would lose about 20 lbs if keeping to the USDA portions for a healthy diet which would put a good percentage under the category of "diet controlled diabetic" rather than "insulin depenent diabetic."

That and walking...

Honestly, soda actually costs less than spring water in some stores.

[paulsby]

12. in re: organic

i have yet to see ONE peer reviewed study that shows that organic food is healthier (and certainly not when you consider the cost) than non-organic.

we were talking health here, not "organics"

you do not need to consume "clean, organic" food to eat healthy food.

i am a nationally competitive athlete. i know that it takes effort (god forbid) to eat healthy. i'll eat crap sometime. not a problem. it's when people's diet revolves around crap and they eat crap to the EXCLUSION of good food, that it creates a problem.

you are correct that many people literally eat themselves into diabetes (not to mention obesity, hypertension, etc.)

[salvorhardin]

19. Nice to see so many posters claiming the moral high ground

I guess the phrase "walk a mile in their shoes" is considered superfluous these days.

If you live in a nice suburb, if you have the money, if you aren't working three jobs, if you have the education, and yes, if you value eating healthily, then it's easy, and often more affordable, to eat a healthy balanced diet.

But that's increasingly not the case, especially in urban and rural areas. See the thread I started on food deserts for fresh fodder for your self-righteousness.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=60692&mesg_id=60692

[paulsby]

22. i haven't seen people make moral claims

in this thread. maybe i missed something. what i do see is people RIGHTLY saying that the locus of control is the individual. nobody is forcing people to eat crap. they are making the decision.

i have been poor. and i have worked in the hood, and seen different people's eating habits.

the difference is staggering. go to a grocery store in a poor neighborhood and look at some of the food people stuff in their cart. that is a RELATIVELY new phenomenon. people have lost connection with their roots, their ancestor's habits. personally, my grandmother taught me to cook, and to appreciate food. that has stayed with me throughout my life.

i literally watched one (obese) person stuff a half dozen items in their cart and NONE of them were remotely "food". it was all processed food products. nothing stopping him from buying the huge bulk bag of brown rice, and some beef bones and making a healthy and cheap soup.

i noticed, for instance, that many very poor immigrants otoh still ate healthily. because they had always done so, eating basic "peasant food" that is actually quite nutritious - whole grains, and less refined food. at the same grocery stores the obese people were going to. but they were making intelligent food choices.

i spend 40-60 hrs a week in a police cruiser. i could very easily just constantly eat fast food crap. it takes some effort to pre-cook meals (you can cook a WEEK's worth of meals in a couple of hours and be set for the week).

but it's WORTH it.

i know a lot of bodybuilders who do this. they set aside a few hours on a sunday, sometimes even get together with friends, and prepare some nutritious soup, some protein bars, stuff like that.

[LittleOne]

26. Exactly

I live in the hood. I go to the hood grocery and I see what people put in their carts.

A 12-pack of soda represents my soy protein for the week. Pork chops on sale? Guess what I am eating this week. Chips and Little Debbie snack Cakes represents the crap I won't buy so the dog eats.

I am currently trying to make a go of it myself so my income is zip. I eat healthily because I can't afford to do otherwise. Two weeks groceries cost me less than $50.00. That puts me below food stamp levels.

It is a lack of education combined with slick marketing.

[paulsby]

27. thank you

if there is one theme i see on these threads it is that it's the fault of the corporate evil insect-o-fascist industrial complex that people are obese.

personal choices and responsibility never play a part.

sorry, homey don't play that.

of course many companies peddle crap. so frigging what? caveat emptor!

the choice rests with the individual. and the benefits do too

cheers

[LittleOne]

29. We must swap recipes...

I have a Carrot Cake recipe that is crack without the cake - it should be illegal. And it costs nada.

I was out walking my dog tonight. I think dog and gym membership comes out the same but you can't cuddle a gym membership. I see my hood neighbors whom I financially support via lawn care and odd jobs and just plain charity. They are drinking big bottles of soda and beer. That doesn't happen in my household. You get water and decaf and decaf is 12 oz of beans away from a distant memory.

I have made these choices. I don't have a moral high ground to stand on. I have a refrigerator full of food I have to freeze because I won't have it eaten by Monday.

I can't force anyone to eat right. I can only make the choices I make and if they make me feel good and perform excellently then bully for me.

But the more important thing is what can we do to help our fellow man learn to eat better? We are going to be poor for a very long time. If someone knows of a local advocacy group I am very interested in joining.

[paulsby]

31. my favorite foods

are almost always fermented, brined, aged, brewed, etc

i make my own gravlax, pickles, ceviche, kimchi etc.

i am also a HUGE fan of eggs. i make eggs nearly every morning, with herbs from my garden and gouda and goat cheese.

i SERIOUSLY want to buy a goat.

not sure if i'm zoned for that.

tonight, i deep fried some striped bass (that was a fatty treat).

i had it with cucumber kimchi, a black butte porter, and some collard greens.

i am also a FIRM believer in the power of pig fat.

i always have some fatback and some pork belly in the refrigerator. pork fat, fish sauce, ginger, olive oil, etc. are staples in my kitchen.

some family members of mine harvested some geoducks the other day. that is about the tastiest thing i have ever tasted.

[eilen]

28. I struggle with the same choices as everyone else

I might not live in the "hood" but I work in it and I am in the homes, poor or not, they are not much different from mine (but then I don't live in a palace McMansion either). I check the kitchen to make sure there is food in the cupboard, particularly if there is a diabetic in residence.
I am not making moralistic claims.

Habits are hard to change. Today is Friday, Friday is pizza night. We had pizza.
However, I can make the choice on whether I pig out or not. I had two slices, I probably should have had one and it's really good I didn't have three.

We probably should have cooked and made chicken (which we will have tomorrow). But I was really hungry and a tad tired and dehydrated, dh was the same so we went for the easy way out. Next week, our new strategy is to still get a pizza but the V-8, loaded with veggies on a ww crust.