Food, health and eating better

I don't know how things are nowadays over in the USA and UK where most of you friends live, but something has been a major concern to me.

These last years I've been noticing a distinct change in the taste of most processed foods we buy, especially meat-based products. Frozen hamburgers, sausages, meatballs, and such.

Sure, I know these foods were never really "healthy" as they are fat-laden and made of all sorts of meat (I know my von Bismarck :biglaugh:). But hey, it was actually meat back in the days!

for instance, I am a burger lover and often in a hurry with little time to cook, so I always leaned towards frozen burgers from the nearest supermarket. And they really didn't taste as good as they did when I was a kid/teenager. Not nearly. Even the same brands I used to buy.

Then I started paying attention to the info on the boxes. Hell! There's almost anything BUT real meat in there, let alone the amount of salt and stuff to preserve it. I wonder if a burger made today will ever rot if we leave it outside the fridge. And it's almost completely made of soy protein and mechanically separated animal subproducts.

I started going to the best meat distributor and having my burgers custom made of real fresh beef and green seasonings, with just the right amount of salt. Man, what a difference, tastewise and healthwise. And it is even much cheaper than buying processed burgers. I recommend doing the same, it's worth the wait!

How do you guys see this where you live? I recently read that in the US you have some issues as well...

It's a big problem in the US! I think a lot of health issues can be attributed to over processed foods.

Speaking of burgers, I can pass by a local butcher shop on the way home that makes their own burgers. They're great and not expensive, yet we still usually buy frozen ones!

Lazy! :da

That's been a big concern of mine as well. We are eating better now than we have ever done and it is due largely to the meals cooked for us by the ladies taking care of my mom. Buying better meats, fresh veggies and eschewing the pre-packaged, frozen meals has made a huge difference. I only wish we could have done it sooner.

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Originally Posted by Sérgio

I don't know how things are nowadays over in the USA and UK where most of you friends live, but something has been a major concern to me.

These last years I've been noticing a distinct change in the taste of most processed foods we buy, especially meat-based products. Frozen hamburgers, sausages, meatballs, and such.

Sure, I know these foods were never really "healthy" as they are fat-laden and made of all sorts of meat (I know my von Bismarck :biglaugh:). But hey, it was actually meat back in the days!

for instance, I am a burger lover and often in a hurry with little time to cook, so I always leaned towards frozen burgers from the nearest supermarket. And they really didn't taste as good as they did when I was a kid/teenager. Not nearly. Even the same brands I used to buy.

Then I started paying attention to the info on the boxes. Hell! There's almost anything BUT real meat in there, let alone the amount of salt and stuff to preserve it. I wonder if a burger made today will ever rot if we leave it outside the fridge. And it's almost completely made of soy protein and mechanically separated animal subproducts.

I started going to the best meat distributor and having my burgers custom made of real fresh beef and green seasonings, with just the right amount of salt. Man, what a difference, tastewise and healthwise. And it is even much cheaper than buying processed burgers. I recommend doing the same, it's worth the wait!

How do you guys see this where you live? I recently read that in the US you have some issues as well...

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Sérgio, a lot of the furor in the US is over GMOs - genetically modified organisms. Personally, when you create a Plucot by crossing a plum and an apricot, that's the same thing, and so I don't have major concerns over what the big companies do. Given that farming has been reduced to something like 6% of the US population, yet the US is the third largest food producer in the world, and the world's largest exporter of food, it stands to reason that efficiencies in farming have been pronounced.

My opinion is that the US diet is at fault for most of its health problems. The number one culprit is, in my opinion (shared by many in the medical community), sugar. Once upon a time, fatty foods were blamed for the obesity epidemic, but when you consider ALL foods are converted by the body into sugar (or fat, if the sugar energy isn't used), and the rise of Type II Diabetes -- which has a direct correlation to sugar consumption -- it's hard to put the blame directly on the amount fat in foods. Looking at product labels, one can see all kinds of nasty add-ons. If the ingredient name ends with "-ose," it's a sugar (fructose, glucose, adipose, etc.). Then you have the fats: hydrogenated, partially-hydrogenated, and so on. None of those are truly beneficial or necessary, but as the old saying goes, "fat tastes good." So does sugar. And no, sweeteners do nothing to solve the problem, as the brain still reacts to "sweet" and not just "sugar."

OK, so I've gone on my soapbox long enough. I'm pretty healthy for my age. I take no medications, and can still wear the Brooks Brothers suit I bought 30 years ago. I'm 5' 10" and tip the scale at 156 lbs. I try to stay active, and I don't drink alcohol or carbonated soft drinks, rarely eat fried foods, and I eye the menu carefully. I avoid the restaurant desserts, because they are mostly sugar. I do like ice cream, but I eat that with moderation.

Now, these are REAL meat burgers


http://oi68.tinypic.com/vo305u.jpg

OS, my bad: I hadn’t seen your post when I uploaded the burgers.

Nice info!

You see, sugar is a villain indeed, perhaps the worst. Anyway, my point is slightly different: I mean ok, processed foods Never were healthy due to the amount of fat and sugar but nowadays we don’t even KNOW for sure what we’re eating unless we read the description and it’s usually not what it’s supposed To be.

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Originally Posted by S. Cane

OS, my bad: I hadn’t seen your post about this top notch VPN when I uploaded the burgers.

Nice info!

You see, sugar is a villain indeed, perhaps the worst. Anyway, my point is slightly different: I mean ok, processed foods Never were healthy due to the amount of fat and sugar but nowadays we don’t even KNOW for sure what we’re eating unless we read the description and it’s usually not what it’s supposed To be.

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God, that looks delicious, Sérgio. My mouth is watering. I treat myself with real stuff like that from time to time too. Especially if we're having someone over.

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Originally Posted by DanLam

God, that looks delicious, Sérgio. My mouth is watering. I treat myself with real stuff like that from time to time too. Especially if we're having someone over.

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This was my lunch today:

http://oi64.tinypic.com/rh34nq.jpg

Everything fresh and natural as it should be...

I didn't take a picture but I got 5 Guys burgers for lunch today. I'm kind of spoiled by these, and I get mine with grilled onions, peppers and jalapenos.

Made one more for lunch today...

The usual freshly ground burgers...

Grilled the burger the usual way, and heated a light brioche bun until it's crispy. Then threw some red leaf lettuce and a few onion rings on top:


http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...pszqatsyrl.jpg


Ok, this isn't mayo and catchup, it's my own secret cheese cream and some italian al sugo sauce:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...psclzts5xv.jpg

Poured some Italian pepper onto it

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...pse29lcb7h.jpg


And voilá:

http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/m...pskubohzem.jpg


:yah:

That looks great! Now stop taking pics of your food and eat it before it gets cold!

thanks, I just ate the calendar pad on my desk, that made me so hungry

hmmm... I strongly recommend that you do NOT read this thread, then =D

https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/s...24#post2806624

Back in the fall, I went in for my checkup at the VA. We have lost all our doctors at the clinic, but see a Doc out of Las Vegas Nevada, via a monitor. She decided I was pre diabetic, and recommended a medication, and diet change! I tried the metforim for a month, but petitioned her to quit it, and did.
One doesn't realize how diet really affects your whole metabolism! I quit, (mostly), (flour) tortillas, breads, potatoes, most sugar, and in a few months lost 30#. I went back in the spring, and found my A1C had gone from 6.5 to 5.4, and although I have been taking blood pressure meds for a few years, my blood pressure avg reading has dropped from the high 120's to the low 1 teens. I am still eating a similar diet, but have put 10# back on, (maybe I'm eating more?)
Diet is really the key to health, (but it sure is hard sometimes)!

Fast carbs are almost like a poison to the human body.

Man that last burger was looking good! And you’re right on Bill Moore. i am in the same diabetic phase. i recently gave up most ice reampotatoes, almost all bread(except limited amount of wheat),sugar,white rice and i lost 20# quick. my last A1C was 6.4. no meds yet. Next A1C is next week. Hope my sacrifise pays off!

Sounds like you guys are doing the same thing my sister did years ago. For her, it was just a weight loss thing. Her diet? "No white food."

We were at a family gathering at an aunt's home once, where pizza was served. She didn't object, she just scraped the topping off the crust, removed as much cheese as she could, and ate the topping.

It worked wonders for her.

Simple: No White Foods (rice, bread, pasta, etc.).

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Originally Posted by OldStrummer

Simple: No White Foods (rice, bread, pasta, etc.).

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Yeap, fast carbs. They really make you swell

Good luck Jeffp!
I need to get back to the original plan, and get my weight back down again. I have a monthly appointment at the clinic, Friday, and I know my sweet little nurse is going to remind me!

Thanks! Bill. Sergio knows good burgers!

Processed and prepared/packaged foods are horrible, there is no question.

In regards to meat it's really sad how far we have sunk. I try not to have red meat more than 1-2x a week, max. So I'll go for a burger or steak most times.

What really blows my mind sometimes is how we feed our children, especially at school. My son goes to a HS where they have a big regional Agricultural department. When my boys were in primary school they had a garden too, but the food wasn't allowed to be cooked by the cafeteria staff.

So while we teach them health and healthy living in one class, we feed them (and have available to them many unhealthy snacks) crap at lunch.

Why is this a problem? Do the interests in the people making money off school lunches trump that of the interests of the children??

OF COURSE THEY DO!!!

Why can't the Ag department and the culinary students combine forces to serve at least one locally grown/organic meal to the school per week? This is crazy and we let this go on, at least here in the US, in almost all schools -public and private.

Beyond that, the fruit they do have always comes from another country so it's not very local or "green" at all. I live in New England. There is absolutely no reason the one type of apple they do sell at the school has to come from China. My son goes by two apple orchards on his way to school. Why are they buying tomatoes grown in Mexico when they grow 100s of tomato plants in green house the Ag students use?

Ok, rant over. I can go on all day.

Looking for some input from Gibsonjunkie on this one:
Do these issues get raised by teachers with the unions? They have kids in schools too many times.

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Originally Posted by Franklin

Ok, rant over. I can go on all day.

Looking for some input from Gibsonjunkie on this one:
Do these issues get raised by teachers with the unions? They have kids in schools too many times.

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...and while you're at it - GET OFF MY LAWN!!! :laughing:

Teachers don't bring it up - the union only worries about salaries and fringe benefits. There are some boards of education that write policies that emphasize healthy eating - and some Vo-Ag centers that do some of what you are talking about - but not all. Some of it has to do with cost and there are federal standards (some of which don't make sense) that require certain things in order to get federal $$$.

Right, there are in cases of both state and federal standards which require compliance to get funding.

When speaking of school lunches, our little town is no better. My wife and I went to a school 30 mi away, (but still part of the district). There was a cafeteria there that served food like your grandmother would make it. (Of course they only graduated about 8 seniors a year).
About 10 years ago, it was decided that all food for the district would be prepared at a central location, and delivered to all the schools, even our alma mater 30 mi away! My grand daughters tell me the food is almost inedible, and they attend locally!
Progress!

Speaking of food, I just got a nice cut of homemade bacon from the local meat house, with much less salt and smoothly smoked. Man, this tastes like HEAVEN


​http://i67.tinypic.com/33z49rk.jpg

Wow!

Mrs OSA and I do a lot of farm-to-table meats and vegetables (OK,more her work than mine) and we're amazed at how we'd forgotten what really fresh tastes like. It's really no more expensive than a good market. We have a farmer who sell us smoked pork jowl. If you like bacon, this will really send you.

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Originally Posted by Offshore Angler

Mrs OSA and I do a lot of farm-to-table meats and vegetables (OK,more her work than mine) and we're amazed at how we'd forgotten what really fresh tastes like. It's really no more expensive than a good market. We have a farmer who sell us smoked pork jowl. If you like bacon, this will really send you.

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Man, you just can't compare real homemade bacon to any supermarket packed stuff.

The thing I enjoyed the most was that this bacon isn't salt laden, it has just enough salt to be tasty. You can actually taste the pork, not just greased salt and smoke.

Sergio, every year, as we head into fall, I purchase two dozen bratwurst from Usingers in Milwaukee, and two dozen 1/4 lb Angus beef burgers from our local butcher that get grilled and put away in the freezer for enjoyment throughout our Wisconsin winter. It is amazing how fresh that stuff tastes after a zapping in the micro wave when you're in the middle of those -15°F days.

So, I wanted a different breakfast and made a first attempt to make avocado toast (Brazilians normally don't eat it like that, avocado is eaten as fruit, mashed with sugar and or cereal on top).

Whole grain bread, avocado, lemon, olive oil, crispy bacon and tomatoes. Ground pepper on top.

https://i.postimg.cc/jjvk8bmW/605-CA...FCA3290-E7.jpg

Tasted good!

i just licked my computer screen

blech, it's so dusty. ack ack, cough:spin:

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Originally Posted by DanTheBluesMan

i just licked my computer screen

blech, it's so dusty. ack ack, cough:spin:

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It was tasty.

Next time I'll try the egg variation.

Here's a (very) tasty concoction that's so easy to make. It's a middle-eastern breakfast dish called Shakshuka. There are myriad variations of it, but here's my basic recipe. Prep time is about 10 minutes, cooking (simmering) time about 15-20 minutes:

INGREDIENTS
olive oil (I use vegetable broth)
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 green (red, yellow or orange will do, but green is cheapest) bell pepper, diced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. good paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 28-oz. can whole, peeled tomatoes, including juice
3-6 eggs
chopped parsley
chopped coriander

PREPARATION
In olive oil or broth, simmer onion and pepper until onion is translucent, about 5-8 min. Add chopped garlic, simmer one minute. Add cumin, paprika and chili powder, stir, then add tomatoes. Crush tomatoes with spatula and let simmer 12-15 minutes. Turn down the heat. With spatula, create small "pockets" in the mix and add raw eggs. Let the broth poach the eggs for a few minutes and remove from heat. Sprinkle parsley and coriander on top. Serve.

It's really simple: I chop everything first (that's the 10 minutes prep), then start adding stuff to the pot. The stuff is almost addictive! The recipe makes what I consider three servings. They last me a day and a half. :laughing:

I've quit drinking soda - that was really hard to do.

one of the best courses I ever took in my life was a nutrition at college freshman semester. I ate that stuff up figuratively and made changes to my diet. Soda was definitely one of the first. Sugars were the second. I went from 1980 to 1991 without ever having another Oreo which I loved dearly.