Given the poor health quality of Americans, are you in favor of strategies to improve food quality, reduce processed foods/sugar in our society? (1 Viewer)

[Metanoia]

Agreed. How would you propose we work toward achieving the affordable food part? Obviously, the affordable health care part is essential, but I was just attempting to focus more specifically on strategies to improve food quality in this thread.

Reintroduce victory gardens and/or community gardens. A huge segment of our population live in separate homes meaning space is available….

 

[Hello My Son]

This I don't understand. It's cheaper to eat at home. Fresh is less expensive than processed, for the most part.

I have personally found this to be the case too, but I have to wonder if there are some major regional differences for others. I have a dozen grocery stores within a 2 mile radius of my house, comprising Whole Foods, multiple Jewels, Aldi, Meijer, Target, Mariano's, Walmart, and a host of other health and local grocery stores that are very high quality in different ways.

But when I visit family in a smaller town, all they have is Dollar General and, if they're lucky, some low-quality local grocery stores. Definitely not ideal and people buy a TON of processed stuff in those places because they don't have many other options within a close distance.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

Where do you get the faith that we can make it work for everyone?

Um, the costs would be lower than what people are paying currently for private ins. This has been gone over a zillion times, the US pays out much more for worse outcomes than any other industrialized nation.

 

[TamleeB]

It is important to monitor both sugar and salt.

It is also important to monitor the endless preservatives and additives that are added to our food in order to give them "shelf life" Things have gotten much worse than years ago. I remember being shocked to learn in the dairy section, that there was "American Cheese". "American Cheese Food". and "American Cheese Food Product". not to mention Velveeta, a whole different choice. That was years ago, but at least they were clearly labelled.

Now we have Soy Oil, a product used in developing bio fuels, added to just about anything you eat. Because we have a lot of soy beans, gotta put them somewhere. Read the label on your bread.

Our bodies need salt. As for cheese, read labels. European cheeses are totally different than those sold in the US. Soy, one of the worst things for anyone who has thyroid issues. And yes…I totally agree with you about the importance of reading labels on breads. There is absolutely no reason for bread to have more than a few ingredients.

 

[Hello My Son]

It may be controversial but I think if you don't know how to cook anything at all you practically aren't a full adult

Not controversial to me. I learned to cook when I was very young, and I advanced the skill at 12-13. By the time I reached actual adulthood, it was a breeze to cook whatever I wanted, however I wanted to cook it. IMO it makes cooking fun, which would reinforce people to do it more often. It certainly had that impact on me.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

I have personally found this to be the case too, but I have to wonder if there are some major regional differences for others. I have a dozen grocery stores within a 2 mile radius of my house, comprising Whole Foods, multiple Jewels, Aldi, Meijer, Target, Mariano's, Walmart, and a host of other health and local grocery stores that are very high quality in different ways.

But when I visit family in a smaller town, all they have is Dollar General and, if they're lucky, some low-quality local grocery stores. Definitely not ideal and people buy a TON of processed stuff in those places because they don't have many other options within a close distance.

Again, what "strategies" are being proposed by this admin that will change the "quality" of foods in the US?

 

[Hello My Son]

What stategies have been used so far?

Everything the government, education, healthcare industries, and beyond have ever attempted to do. There's way too much to list.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

local grocery stores that are very high quality in different ways.

The Trump administration has officially eliminated several food safety committees, including the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods (NACMCF) and the National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection (NACMPI). Both were cut through the Executive Order titled "Commencing the Reduction of the Federal Bureaucracy." As the order stated, it eliminates offices and committees that the "President has determined are unnecessary."

“The termination of these two important advisory committees is very alarming and should serve as a warning to consumers that food safety will not be a priority at USDA in the foreseeable future," Brian Ronholm, director of food policy at Consumer Reports, shared in a statement provided to Food & Wine. "These expert panels provide impartial scientific advice and recommendations to USDA, FDA, and the CDC on public health issues related to food safety in the U.S. The failure to recognize and leverage the value of this scientific expertise is dangerous and irresponsible.”

The Trump Administration Eliminated 2 Critical Food Safety Committees — Is Your Dinner Now at Risk?

The Trump administration shut down two critical food safety committees, cutting off expert advice to the USDA, FDA, and CDC. The panels, which included top scientists and researchers, were working on preventing deadly foodborne illnesses and advising on regulatory standards.

www.foodandwine.com

 

[Hello My Son]

Donny is cutting USDA funding for school lunches, SNAP, meals on wheels.....so apparently the strategy is to cut nutrition.

are you in favor of that?

Spoiler: dont peek..

he will say yes, teh are providing bad food.

This thread doesn't have anything to do with any specific administration, present or past. Hence why my OP didn't mention presidents or policy or even specifically cite that politicians are the ones who have answers. I asked what we should do as a society.

After all, the science of nutrition and what constitutes healthy versus unhealthy choices does not change based on which politicians are in office at any given time.

 

[JMR]

, but will not touch a dietary vegetable.

I think they are taught that by their parents carping on "eat your vegetables" as if that would be a hard task. Same with elementary school teachers who introduce arithmetic with a warning "Pay attention, this is hard".

 

[Gimmesometruth]

Everything the government, education, healthcare industries, and beyond have ever attempted to do. There's way too much to list.

Donny is eliminating these strategies, what have you seen that he is replacing them with?

 

[Hello My Son]

I know, he starts the thread off assuming there are "strategies".

You don't believe there have ever been strategies to address the nutritional practices and health of Americans?

 

[Gimmesometruth]

This thread doesn't have anything to do with any specific administration, present or past.

We are living in the present, you are asking what strategies should be used, you cite that there are past policies, lets talk about what this admin is doing.

Hence why my OP didn't mention presidents or policy or even specifically cite that politicians are the ones who have answers. I asked what we should do as a society.

That would be......govt policy. I'm showing you those policies are being killed.

After all, the science of nutrition and what constitutes healthy versus unhealthy choices does not change based on which politicians are in office at any given time.

I didn't say human needs change, I said Donny is eliminating child nutrition funding for the poor. Do YOU think that strategy is a good one?

 

[JMR]

Our bodies need salt. As for cheese, read labels. European cheeses are totally different than those sold in the US. Soy, one of the worst things for anyone who has thyroid issues. And yes…I totally agree with you about the importance of reading labels on breads. There is absolutely no reason for bread to have more than a few ingredients.

Our bodies do need salt, but anyone shopping in an American super market is sure to be exceeding the daily requirement.
It's added to everything. I remember with shock learning the salt content of Cheerios, which my son adored. Scary food industry we have.

I'm not defending the overabundance of sugar. That is a real problem, and especially the introduction of huge amounts to infant diets.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

You don't believe there have ever been strategies to address the nutritional practices and health of Americans?

Yes, there have been, but you can't even discuss the current ones being cut.

 

[Hello My Son]

Again, what "strategies" are being proposed by this admin that will change the "quality" of foods in the US?

Again, this isn't about a specific president, as the science of nutrition and what constitutes healthy versus unhealthy behaviors doesn't get altered by which politicians are in office at any given time.

Perhaps you have some ideas specifically about improving Americans' nutritional health that you could share so that your posts will actually be on topic? Your posts are hyperfocused on a bunch of things that don't have anything to do with the topic of the thread, so unless you start contributing to the actual topic at hand, I won't be responding to any of your future posts in which you repeatedly fixate and desperately seek attention.

 

[instagramsci]

Not controversial to me. I learned to cook when I was very young, and I advanced the skill at 12-13. By the time I reached actual adulthood, it was a breeze to cook whatever I wanted, however I wanted to cook it. IMO it makes cooking fun, which would reinforce people to do it more often. It certainly had that impact on me.

My dad had me helping him prep vegetables and such from about that age

I didn't get to experiment with cooking as much til I moved out and had my own pots and pans and such

 

[Hello My Son]

Reintroduce victory gardens and/or community gardens. A huge segment of our population live in separate homes meaning space is available….

That's a very cool idea!

 

[Gimmesometruth]

Again, this isn't about a specific president, as the science of nutrition and what constitutes healthy versus unhealthy behaviors doesn't get altered by which politicians are in office at any given time.

I'm not talking about the POTUS, I'm talking about various food and food safety programs being cut. Is that a good strategy?

Perhaps you have some ideas specifically about improving Americans' nutritional health that you could share so that your posts will actually be on topic?

Sure, I don't think this admin should be cutting very important nutrition programs like SNAP, meals on wheels....

Your posts are hyperfocused on a bunch of things that don't have anything to do with the topic of the thread,

You already acknowledged past admins food/nutrition "strategies", now you want to limit this conversation to what individuals can do. Its very tough to make-up for what many poor families are loosing under the Trump food cuts.

so unless you start contributing to the actual topic at hand, I won't be responding to any of your future posts in which you repeatedly fixate and desperately seek attention.

I'm pointing out that you don't want to talk about either the basics of our food safety or basic nutrition programs.

Before you can start talking about better food choices, you should be able to trust that that more expensive food is safe to eat in the first place.

 

[Hello My Son]

My dad had me helping him prep vegetables and such from about that age

I didn't get to experiment with cooking as much til I moved out and had my own pots and pans and such

I illegally cooked in a restaurant when I was 13. Only basic stuff like steak, burgers, grilled chicken, fish, and some fryer stuff as well. Man, I got to eat like a king when I was working!

Small towns....nobody cared. We also had to grow a large garden and prep all that food every summer. I don't miss that work, but the food was always delicious!

 

[TamleeB]

Our bodies do need salt, but anyone shopping in an American super market is sure to be exceeding the daily requirement.
It's added to everything. I remember with shock learning the salt content of Cheerios, which my son adored. Scary food industry we have.

I'm not defending the overabundance of sugar. That is a real problem, and especially the introduction of huge amounts to infant diets.

Salt is added where it is not needed for sure. But, sugar is a secret enemy to our health. And yes, our food industry is very scary. We have been misled for years. Being told cereal is wonderful for you, and eggs and bacon are horrible. Eat your oatmeal, and don’t eat eggs. And don’t even get me started on the prevalence of statins to control “cholesterol issues”. Here…take a pill.

 

[Gimmesometruth]

Salt is added where it is not needed for sure. But, sugar is a secret enemy to our health. And yes, our food industry is very scary. We have been misled for years. Being told cereal is wonderful for you, and eggs and bacon are horrible. Eat your oatmeal, and don’t eat eggs. And don’t even get me started on the prevalence of statins to control “cholesterol issues”. Here…take a pill.

looks like a thumbs up for eliminating the USDA

 

[TamleeB]

looks like a thumbs up for eliminating the USDA

Where did I say that? I am totally open to you engaging in a discussion in what I actually said. You game?

 

[Hello My Son]

Salt is added where it is not needed for sure. But, sugar is a secret enemy to our health. And yes, our food industry is very scary. We have been misled for years. Being told cereal is wonderful for you, and eggs and bacon are horrible. Eat your oatmeal, and don’t eat eggs. And don’t even get me started on the prevalence of statins to control “cholesterol issues”. Here…take a pill.

I'm not a big salt person, but I definitely agree added and/or condensed sugar is the biggest culprit of obesity. Fat intake doesn't make people fat, even though unhealthy fats can cause other significant health problems. Excess sugar DEFINITELY gets converted to fat storage, and it's unnecessarily in so many foods. The biggest irony is all the added sugar in low/reduced fat and fat-free foods. That whole thing is so self-defeating....

 

[Gimmesometruth]

Where did I say that? I am totally open to you engaging in a discussion in what I actually said. You game?

I can describe what I see, I see an anti-USDA message. If you think the food industry should change, say how.