The quality of food in America

[peternap]

A direct quote from The great Outdoors.

You know what the gourmet here wanted? Hotdogs! You know what they're made of, Chet? Huh? Lips and assholes!

Rice is looking better all the time!

[tanya]

Every now and then I can eat a hotdog not very often but I love Dove Chocolate and a lot of other junk food.  Vegies out of the grocer are always dissapointing because I am spoiled with my own from home.  LAtely though I have noticed white flour is making me sick.  I just can't eat as much as I used to even though I love all food, like breads, noodles etc. 

[MountainDon]

Once in a while we buy some Hebrew National reduced fat all kosher beef franks. Grill 'em, they're superb.

[glenn kangiser]

A link I got regarding vegetables - our garden is better than the store.

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/03/14/Vegetables-Arent-as-Good-for-You-as-They-Used-to-Be.aspx

[Sassy]

WND Exclusive GROUND CONTROL
Lose your property for growing food?
Big Brother legislation could mean prosecution, fines up to $1 million
Posted: March 16, 2009
8:56 pm Eastern

By Chelsea Schilling
© 2009 WorldNetDaily

Some small farms and organic food growers could be placed under direct supervision of the federal government under new legislation making its way through Congress.

Food Safety Modernization Act

House Resolution 875, or the Food Safety Modernization Act of 2009, was introduced by Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., in February. DeLauro's husband, Stanley Greenburg, works for Monsanto – the world's leading producer of herbicides and genetically engineered seed.

DeLauro's act has 39 co-sponsors and was referred to the House Agriculture Committee on Feb. 4. It calls for the creation of a Food Safety Administration to allow the government to regulate food production at all levels – and even mandates property seizure, fines of up to $1 million per offense and criminal prosecution for producers, manufacturers and distributors who fail to comply with regulations.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=92002

http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h111-875

[Sonoran]

I talked with a person from...Finland (it was a while ago)  I was asking him culture questions.  I asked him what he likes to eat, or what they consider a delicacy. 

He told me, hamburgers.

I was very surprised.  He says that his parents don't let him eat hamburgers very often because they are so unhealthy.

[glenn kangiser]

The bacteria in many of the restaurants around could make them unhealthy but aren't  they just meat, bread and salad in most cases... unless it is some of the major chains then it may be a mix of shredded cardboard and some kind of paste they can cook and call 100% beef.  Don't taste like it though. ...

[Sonoran]

I have always had the impression that beef isn't very healthy.  Even if it is organic and...well, real.   I thought it had a lot of cholestorol.

[MountainDon]

Beef has a lot of protein. If you don't eat it every day, and don't eat a lot of beef fat it's like egss; good for you.

We eat beef maybe twice a week, chicken, turkey and salmon fill in the beefless spaces. At 62 yrs of age my total cholesterol is under 190 with a very good HDL/LDL ratio. If I could only get my BP to cooperate...

[glenn kangiser]

Cholesterol is also specific to the individual.  Susceptible individual;s will have a lot more problem.  I don't seem to have any problem with it.  Note that not all cholesterol is bad either.  Studies push the info on the bad to sway your thoughts one way or the other by people with vested interests.   Don't trust most studies unless you know who is sponsoring them and why.  Follow the money.

[Windpower]

I was never a big fan of rice because it turns to massive quantities of gas (made that trip to Taiwan interesting)

but recently my wife has started cooking brown rice in a pressure cooker (much faster cooking time)

it tastes good and no gas

we eat beef less and less -- we buy it from a butcher shop --- not cheap but really good -- we like NY strips on the grill for a treat

other favorite is grilled chicken breasts that have been marinated in Italian dressing for a couple hours MMMMMmmm

and lots of salmon -- get the wild caught --that farmed stuff has things in it you do't want to know about 

organic veggies are best -- buy local if you can

one of the most dangerous things you can eat is trans fats or hydrogenated fats (like margerine or Crisco )

along with Aspartame and Chlorinated sugar (also called Splenda)

Splenda is really great as an ant poison though, just pour a bit on the ant hill and in a couple weeks, no ants

[Sonoran]

one of the most dangerous things you can eat is trans fats or hydrogenated fats (like margerine or Crisco )

Really?  Uh oh!  What about real butter(unsalted) vs. margarine?  I'm actually going to go do some research on it, so maybe I will answer my own question...if I do I'll post it.   

I generally eat a lot of butter...

Hmmm....after some research...

http://www.nahanniriverherbs.com/94,201

This site goes in depth about trans fat and hydrogenated fat, but it didn't answer the question about butter vs margarine.

http://my.clevelandclinic.org/heart/prevention/askdietician/margarine.aspx

This site talks about the difference between butter and margarine.  Summary:  Margarine is better than butter because butter has a LOT of saturated fat. (About half of the daily value in one tablespoon).  It claims that margarine makers are doing better jobs at reducing the trans fat in margarine.  Margarine tubs are generally better than the margarine sticks.  The softer it becomes at room temperature the better.  They make the margarine sound healthier because it doesn't have any trans fat, but they don't mention how much hydrogenated fat it has compared to butter.

[pagan]

From what I've read margarine is better if you really have to watch the cholesterol but if that is not a health concern you are better off with butter.

[Windpower]

Margerine is not food

try this

put out some butter and margerine out for the birds

they will eat butter but not margerine -- margerine is made from modified veg oil which your body was never designed to digest (since this stuff never existed until a few years ago ) it's just a few molecules away from plastic

If you want to avoid the small amounts of cholesterol in butter, consider olive oil, it is good for you and tastes great too

As a chemist I have come to the conclusion that if it doesn't exist in nature, you probably should avoid eating it, not to say that everything in 'nature' is good for you either 

[MountainDon]

Butter vs margarine

Trans fats are evil bad crap. They used to be in virtually all commercial bakery goods as well as all margarines.

Smart Balance makes a margarine that is totally free of trans fats; nothing hydrogenated in them. IMO, they are better for you than dairy butter. We've used it for years.

Cook with a blend of olive and canola oil.

[Jens]

As a chemist I have come to the conclusion that if it doesn't exist in nature, you probably should avoid eating it, not to say that everything in 'nature' is good for you either 

I agree wholeheartedly.  Don't try to fool yourself with fake crap, whether it be food, or building supplies, "But look at the realistic wood grain!" has never gone far with me. 

But then what do I know, I'm just a carpenter.

Yeah...holly berries?  Bad.  Free range, grass fed beef?  Good!  I have a strong feeling that the more blood is removed from the meat, the better it is for you as well.  I would love to hear about an actual study on that!  There must be some reason why that is a requirement for kosher.

[MountainDon]

Jens, my old boss and Jewish friend told me the reason for not eating blood was that the soul of the animal was contained in the blood.  But it didn't apply to fish.   

Thoughts?

[pagan]

My cousin is married to a Jewish woman and she says the same thing, Don.

[glenn kangiser]

Also spelled out in the Bible.

http://bible.cc/genesis/9-4.htm

I do not necessarily agree or disagree with all of the commentary linked here - just for reference.

[Jens]

That is the religious/spiritual view of it, that G-d said "the blood is mine" basically.  I wonder though if there is a health issue though.  Many of the unclean animals listed are definitely edible, but if one can avoid them, they don't subject themselves to toxins and such.  Pork and predators, while they may be tasty, are definitely unclean from a digestive standpoint.  Won't necessarily kill you, but aren't purely benificial either. 

My wife reading The Maker's Diet, kinda ruined me for some foods.  The idea/smell of pork turns my stomach a bit now.  Not that I think I am going to explode if I eat it, but if I can avoid it, I do.  Don't know if I, likewise, can eat predators anymore.

[glenn kangiser]

There could be health issues.  One example is mad cow.  It takes around 900 degrees to kill the disease although the meat will likely give it to you also.

The USDA will not allow companies to test for it  even if they voluntarily want to do it as they don't want people to develop issues with the meat supply.  To many big cattle ranchers dictate policy - can't have the small honest ones messing that up.  That would likely kill the big cattle industry here in the US.

USDA figures if they don't know about it the people will think there is no problem here.  Right now we are playing Russian Roulette with our meat.  I close my eyes when I swallow.  It helps.  I haven't got mad cow yet.

...that I know of.... hmm

...probably only the weak and susceptible will get it....

I'm tough....

Survival of the fittest, eh?