20 Worst Foods in America.

Osiris

Experimental Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2007
Posts
2,666
Media
0
Likes
13
Points
183
Location
Wherever the dolphins are going
Sexuality
No Response
Gender
Male
The thing that gets me (especially now that I am on a strict diet) is how mush salt and hydrogenated oils goes into American products while the same things in Europe have about half as much. Partly to do with the fact that unlike Europeans, we buy mass amounts of food and expect it to be good for weeks on end.

In Europe, refirgerators are half the size of American ones. Why? they buy fresher and buy for a day or so, not four months out. Freezers are also not as big there for the same reason. When America as a whole changes it's shopping habits, then we may see a change in the chemicals that go into our food. Until then, I remain on my restrictive diet.

Agnslz, can you smuggle me a Whopper next time you go to Burger King? Just don't tell my wife.
 

invisibleman

Cherished Member
Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Posts
9,816
Media
0
Likes
491
Points
303
Location
North Carolina
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
I'm picky about chocolate and cheese. That means no Hershey's or colby cheese for me. Fortunately I get a forty percent discount on all Godiva products at my job. :biggrin1:

McDonald's is ruining the physical health of people in every nation. That's sad. I know they're not solely responsible but Americans are known for their fast food ways and i'm embarrassed we've encouraged other cultures to indulge. What other country has all you can eat buffets? Oy.


Oh, no you din't. You got a mayne and fuggin' Godiva chocolate, too?!!!
 

AquaEyes11010

Expert Member
Joined
Sep 19, 2007
Posts
787
Media
10
Likes
167
Points
263
Location
New Brunswick (New Jersey, United States)
Sexuality
90% Gay, 10% Straight
Gender
Male
I think there's an even greater reason why so much junk food is so prevalent in the US. The government subsidizes food crops that are typically used in making many junk foods, yet offers little to nothing for farmers who raise vegetables and fruit. Why do these continue? Because there are big corporations with deep pockets who fund election campaigns. Think of how many ways we can process wheat, corn, soy and meat into the cheap junk out there, but because there's not much that can be done with leafy greens and fresh produce, there's little incentive to throw money to the producers. The more middle-men involved between the farm and your mouth, the more money is generated on the final product.

Meat in this country is very abundant and typically very fatty. Why? Because cheap grain (due to government subsidies) is fed to animals in superabundance to get them to market faster. Grass-fed beef takes longer to reach market size, and thus is more expensive, but is dramatically lower in bad fats and cholesterol. Feeding grain to cattle is the main reason we have E. coli outbreaks in beef. When cattle graze, their intestinal tracts have a more alkaline pH, and any bacteria growing in that environment would be killed by our more acidic intestinal tracts. Feeding grain to cattle results in a more acidic intestinal pH, which allows bacteria more accustomed to an environment similar to our own to grow, thus allowing the proliferation of potentially toxic strains of bacteria. The cattle themselves are also prone to infection due to their intestinal pH being thrown off balance, and this is the main reason they're fed antibiotics routinely (also because so many are crammed together in a small space and they literally walk through feces and urine about a foot deep by the time they're slaughtered).

I'm not a vegetarian by any means, but I am careful about the meats I choose for myself. I don't think meat is inherently bad, but they mass production of it done in this country can lead to some unhealthy possibilities. I also try to cram as many veggies into my daily diet as possible, and if I haven't eaten much in my day, I run a bunch through the juicer, throw it in a blender with a banana, frozen berries and some protein powder, and have a nice smoothie for dessert.
:)
 

LambHair McNeil

Experimental Member
Gold
Platinum Gold
Joined
Aug 21, 2005
Posts
201
Media
0
Likes
2
Points
488
Age
34
I'm picky about chocolate and cheese. That means no Hershey's or colby cheese for me. Fortunately I get a forty percent discount on all Godiva products at my job. :biggrin1:

McDonald's is ruining the physical health of people in every nation. That's sad. I know they're not solely responsible but Americans are known for their fast food ways and i'm embarrassed we've encouraged other cultures to indulge. What other country has all you can eat buffets? Oy.


McDonald's is a vivid example of "the evil" that is eating unwisely, but the problem begins and ends with individuals making poor choices...across the planet. As more societies conquer the issue of having enough food to eat, what (sadly) follows is wallowing in it. Its negative results are then magnified as more and more of us migrate to jobs that are less physical in nature and instead are more mental in nature.

We didn't necessarily eat healthier in "olden tymes", but we had to work our butts off to make a living. A lot easier to eat Aunt Louise's carmel apple pie by the mega-slice, with ice cream, if you're working a team of mules or out digging wells. We also died young enough from lack of advanced medical care...who cared if we had plaque accumulating in our arteries...something else was going to get us.

That "dynamic duo" of abundant food and easier lifestyles is a constant showing up across continents and cultures....those both very compatible with our own and those as different as can be from it. We may encourage it, but we encourage a lot of things that other cultures ignore us on when it suits them. I doubt someone sitting in Russia pounding down fried foods is doing it because of the USA's perspective on the matter.
 

joybunny

Experimental Member
Joined
Apr 23, 2007
Posts
599
Media
0
Likes
3
Points
161
Location
Texas
Sexuality
100% Straight, 0% Gay
Gender
Female
#20. Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonald's (5 pieces) with creamy ranch sauce.

And I thought I just hated their hamburgers!
 

dong20

Sexy Member
Joined
Feb 17, 2006
Posts
6,058
Media
0
Likes
28
Points
183
Location
The grey country
Sexuality
No Response
To their credit, IMO McDonalds ice-cream is pretty good. I recall ordering a 'large' McFlurry in Chicago a couple of years back and received what could best be described as a bucket of ice-cream!

I love ice-cream but after eating less than half I admitted defeat!
 

ZOS23xy

Sexy Member
Joined
Mar 22, 2007
Posts
4,906
Media
3
Likes
29
Points
258
Location
directly above the center of the earth
Ever go into a grocery store and notice how much of the material for sale is processed sugar and starch? Liquor stores are even worse.

And a lot of these products come with additives and no one is really sure if these additives are totally safe. Exposure for one two times a week, fine. But a lifetime of exposure?
 

Deno

Cherished Member
Joined
Apr 19, 2006
Posts
4,631
Media
1
Likes
409
Points
303
Sexuality
No Response
alot of time is spent in school teaching healty diets. Why would a government impose such a stupid law. Are not people responsible for anything these days. Like still telling people smoking is bad for you, well duh. It don't take a picture or a long list of statistics to tell someone if something is bad to eat. They probably won't read it, then they can use that as an excuse to eat it anyway.
 

Meniscus

Legendary Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Posts
3,434
Media
0
Likes
1,946
Points
333
Location
Massachusetts, United States of America
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
LOL I had the Outback cheese fries just the other day. I'm still too skinny.

I hate you.

Seriously, I was the same way at your age. Back then I was about 135 lbs., give or take 5 lbs, and I had a 31" waist. I really believed that I could eat whatever I wanted, as much as I wanted, without having to worry about getting fat. But now that I'm in my 30s my metabolism has slowed considerably, and even though I eat far less food than I used to, I keep gaining weight. I'm now up to 200 lbs. and a 38" waist.

If you exercise regularly, you may be able to avoid my fate. If you don't, I see a belly in your future. In either case, I would strongly encourage you to find low-fat, low-carb foods that you like. It's easier never to put the weight on than to try to lose it.
 

Meniscus

Legendary Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Posts
3,434
Media
0
Likes
1,946
Points
333
Location
Massachusetts, United States of America
Sexuality
99% Gay, 1% Straight
Gender
Male
I understand and am sympathetic to this view but I fear it is naive...The food industry will pander to whatever consumers have shown they will buy...

Don't look to the food industry to be the catalyst for a change to healthier food. Consumers will have to demand it with their dollars. That's really the only language industry understands.

My frustration is that I don't know how to use my money to show the industry what I want when there are no healthy options around. I'd happily give up McDonalds forever in favor of the fast food restaurant that serves tasty, affordable low-fat, low-carb food with lots of lean protein, vegetables, legumes, and fruit. I have a friend who used to live in California who said such options existed.

I'm pretty sure that you're right that the food industry isn't going to change, but that's the cynic in me. To put a more optimistic spin on it, I think we should remind ourselves that the men and women who work in the food industry are human beings, whose own families may be struggling with obesity, heart disease, and other nutrition-related health issues. Somehow we need to get the message to people that we want healthy alternatives. Good quality alternatives, not McDonalds' pitiful attempt at salads.

...unlike Europeans, we buy mass amounts of food and expect it to be good for weeks on end.

In Europe, refirgerators are half the size of American ones. Why? they buy fresher and buy for a day or so, not four months out. Freezers are also not as big there for the same reason. When America as a whole changes it's shopping habits, then we may see a change in the chemicals that go into our food. Until then, I remain on my restrictive diet.

Alas, I've never been to Europe, so I don't have a first-hand understanding of their eating and shopping habits. However, my friends who have lived there have told me similar things. I've also heard that wherever you live, there's almost always a market within walking distance.

For me, the nearest grocery store is over 10 miles away, and I think of myself as living "close" to town. A lot of people in Western Mass. live a good 45 minute drive--or more--from the nearest town. You see them in the stores filling up 2 carts, and buying enough food to last a month. When my parents renovated their kitchen, they put the old cabinets in the basement and filled them with canned goods, pasta, etc. They have 2 refrigerators and a large freezer. Going to their basement is like going to a mini-mart.

I think it may also have to do with the way Americans spend money. We like anything we perceive to be a bargain (whether it really is or not), so when we see "Buy 1 get 1 free" or "3 for $5.00" we buy more. Then we buy more than we need and either eat it, store it, or waste it. I think we end up eating more than we need and still wasting a lot. My parents still going shopping at least once a week. They clip their coupons and make a list of everything that's on sale, go to the store and stock up. Some day they're going to clean their freezer and discover food from 1995.

I think there's an even greater reason why so much junk food is so prevalent in the US. The government subsidizes food crops that are typically used in making many junk foods, yet offers little to nothing for farmers who raise vegetables and fruit. Why do these continue? Because there are big corporations with deep pockets who fund election campaigns. Think of how many ways we can process wheat, corn, soy and meat into the cheap junk out there, but because there's not much that can be done with leafy greens and fresh produce, there's little incentive to throw money to the producers...

Interesting points. It seems like the American farmer has always struggled in one way or another. Why grow fruits and vegetables which spoil quickly and are expensive to refrigerate and ship when they can grow cash crops that can be stored long-term, can be made into a variety of food products, and have various industrial uses (oil, wax, fuel, cosmetics, etc.)? Hmmm...a complex problem with no easy solution.