Nutrition: A Cultural Issue?

[Jacob Petersheim]

This doctor has been talking about all of the bad things provided in our food supply for some time. But he has stepped back and done a reality check.

No, he isn't doubting the problems we have with consuming poor food products, but he thinks something else must come first: self-control, caring, and taking responsibility. Not that this is any Earth-shattering revelation, but it probably is worth emphasizing.

I WAS DEAD WRONG About Sugar, Processed Food & Obesity

 

[Don Alaska]

The video does address some issues usually not taken into account. I am amazed when I look at photos of people in the 1950s and 60s and how slim and fit they appear to be. Smoking tobacco was an issue then ad it tended to make people thinner, but folks dressed better and addressed themselves better. I have seen pictures of my father fly fishing in a coat and tie. Women were usually home then too, and worked to prepare nutritious meals for those under their care, but now that they usually work outside the home, meals tend to be more processed and pre-prepared.

The introduction of high-fructose corn syrup into the American diet has contributed to obesity and other problems. It was deemed to be unfit for human consumption until the 1970s, when it suddenly became okay in the U.S. I think it is stilled banned in many, if not most, other nations. Lack of activity certainly has contributed to obesity as well. Children once played outside all day, but are now glued to video games. That leads to overweight issues as well as losing social skills that make human interaction better. The seed oil question is up in the air for me. I have seen and followed so many so-called "healthy" tends such as the move away from saturated foods toward "healthier" alternatives such as the move from lard and bacon grease to trans fats such as Crisco. That went on for 50 years or more until it was reversed in recent years. Now saturated fats such as coconut oil and lard and tallow are almost considered health foods today. I realize it is mostly the extraction methods that are concerning with seed oils, but I suspect that most of those extraction chemicals are destroyed when subjected to high heat. I just don't know.

Something definitely has happened to the basic food sources though. Wheat and rice have fed mankind for millennia, but I now know hundreds of people who cannot tolerate either of those foods. When you throw in dairy intolerance, the number is even higher.

Getting rid of dyes and preservatives may be a good first step, but it is the beginning of a long road.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

The introduction of high-fructose corn syrup into the American diet has contributed to obesity and other problems. It was deemed to be unfit for human consumption until the 1970s, when it suddenly became okay in the U.S.

Big business food makers wanted it, so the usual thing happened. They lobbied Congress, they lobbed a ton of money at them, and as usual big business got what it wanted.

I think it is stilled banned in many, if not most, other nations.

It's not banned everywhere, but it is in a lot of European countries, and their people are healthier as a result.

Personally, I firmly believe that Sugar in all of it's many forms, both natural and artificial, is very Addicting.

 

[Mary Stetler]

The video does address some issues usually not taken into account. I am amazed when I look at photos of people in the 1950s and 60s and how slim and fit they appear to be. Smoking tobacco was an issue then ad it tended to make people thinner, but folks dressed better and addressed themselves better. I have seen pictures of my father fly fishing in a coat and tie. Women were usually home then too, and worked to prepare nutritious meals for those under their care, but now that they usually work outside the home, meals tend to be more processed and pre-prepared.

The introduction of high-fructose corn syrup into the American diet has contributed to obesity and other problems. It was deemed to be unfit for human consumption until the 1970s, when it suddenly became okay in the U.S. I think it is stilled banned in many, if not most, other nations. Lack of activity certainly has contributed to obesity as well. Children once played outside all day, but are now glued to video games. That leads to overweight issues as well as losing social skills that make human interaction better. The seed oil question is up in the air for me. I have seen and followed so many so-called "healthy" tends such as the move away from saturated foods toward "healthier" alternatives such as the move from lard and bacon grease to trans fats such as Crisco. That went on for 50 years or more until it was reversed in recent years. Now saturated fats such as coconut oil and lard and tallow are almost considered health foods today. I realize it is mostly the extraction methods that are concerning with seed oils, but I suspect that most of those extraction chemicals are destroyed when subjected to high heat. I just don't know.

Something definitely has happened to the basic food sources though. Wheat and rice have fed mankind for millennia, but I now know hundreds of people who cannot tolerate either of those foods. When you throw in dairy intolerance, the number is even higher.

Getting rid of dyes and preservatives may be a good first step, but it is the beginning of a long road.

Wheat has been 'gmo-ed' as has corn. It is not the original einkorn. And then all the pesticides and herbicides added. They now put glyphosate on oats to dry them quicker. Pfas chemicals are in all the water of the world.
Margerine was originally invented to use to fatten turkeys but the turkeys would not eat it. So they fed it to humanst with clever marketing.
I was talking to a young mother whose kids were hyper. I suggested making some changes in their diet. She said what I was recommending--no sugar or processed
foods--- was impossible. I understand. When my kids were young it was definitely easier to feed them what they wanted. However, she did start a garden and the kids are helping. They planted vegetables that they liked.






food

 

[Marie Mallory]

This doctor has been talking about all of the bad things provided in our food supply for some time. But he has stepped back and done a reality check.

No, he isn't doubting the problems we have with consuming poor food products, but he thinks something else must come first: self-control, caring, and taking responsibility. Not that this is any Earth-shattering revelation, but it probably is worth emphasizing.

I WAS DEAD WRONG About Sugar, Processed Food & Obesity

I agree with most of this video. I will add socializing is very important also, we are too busy online and families aren't as close as they were.

This man died at 112 , and he didn't follow many health guidelines, then again some have perfect genes?

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Seeing his cigar reminds me of George Burns. He smoked cigars every day for decades, and he lived to be 100 years old.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Wheat has been 'gmo-ed' as has corn.

Ain't that the truth! And by the same people.

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

Yeah, that's all chalked up to industrial-scale farming, something that would never have gotten so out of control if not for globalism and heavy subsidies.

I was going to post a video from 1965 about how dairy farming was changing. I meant it to go under "nostalgia" but I figured 15 minutes was more than people want to sit through, but worse yet it showed the trend from family farms hand-milking to the beginnings of mechanization. I saw some of that first hand, Dad's family having been in dairy farming.

That led me to another video describing how that changed the economics enough to draw the interest of Wall Street. Before long public policy changed land valuations and thus property taxes, and soon many families first took assistance as leveraged mortgages and then got bought out and consolidated.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Yeah, that's all chalked up to industrial-scale farming, something that would never have gotten so out of control if not for globalism and heavy subsidies.

A lot of that started where I grew up with DeKalb Ag, Inc. They were in on the beginnings of "Hybrid Corn", aka GMO Corn.

I was going to post a video from 1965 about how dairy farming was changing. I meant it to go under "nostalgia" but I figured 15 minutes was more than people want to sit through...

I would have posted it. My view is just because I post something doesn't mean anyone has to read it, and the same goes for videos. It's still a free country, for the moment.

 

[Don Alaska]

Wheat has been 'gmo-ed' as has corn. It is not the original einkorn. And then all the pesticides and herbicides added. They now put glyphosate on oats to dry them quicker. Pfas chemicals are in all the water of the world.
Margerine was originally invented to use to fatten turkeys but the turkeys would not eat it. So they fed it to humanst with clever marketing.
I was talking to a young mother whose kids were hyper. I suggested making some changes in their diet. She said what I was recommending--no sugar or processed
foods--- was impossible. I understand. When my kids were young it was definitely easier to feed them what they wanted. However, she did start a garden and the kids are helping. They planted vegetables that they liked.






food

Eliminating processed food is not impossible, but it does take effort. I don't think sugar in small amounts is a bad thing. It makes things more palatable, just like salt. In large amounts however, it is a toxic substance. All sugars are not created equal either.

 

[Don Alaska]

A lot of that started where I grew up with DeKalb Ag, Inc. They were in on the beginnings of "Hybrid Corn", aka GMO Corn.


I would have posted it. My view is just because I post something doesn't mean anyone has to read it, and the same goes for videos. It's still a free country, for the moment.

Hybrid corn and GMO corn are not the same thing. Hybridization is a natural process that occurs without human intervention. GMOs however, are NOT natural and probably have led to many of the gastrointestinal issues that have popped up in the human and animal populations in recent years.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Hybrid corn and GMO corn are not the same thing. Hybridization is a natural process that occurs without human intervention. GMOs however, are NOT natural...

Yes, I know. But Hybrid Corn is not natural according to DeKalb Genetics Corporation... (Aka DeKalb Ag when I was a kid.) They described "Hybrid Corn" as the result of crossbreeding two genetically distinct types of corn to produce a stronger disease resistance and increased yield. Not GMO, but not natural either.

That was done by planting in alternating groups of rows of each type by their employees and then detasseled before pollination, typically a machine does the bulk of it, then teenagers pull any tassels the machine missed, and that is "human intervention."

As I'm sure you're aware, public opinion is not always supported by facts. Trying to convince people that something they think they know is wrong can be very difficult, if not impossible. People don't really care whether corn is really GMO or not, they still think it is.

 

[Marie Mallory]

Hybrid corn and GMO corn are not the same thing. Hybridization is a natural process that occurs without human intervention. GMOs however, are NOT natural and probably have led to many of the gastrointestinal issues that have popped up in the human and animal populations in recent years.

We try to avoid as many gmo's as possible. I wish we could do more organic gardening, but we are not able to take care of things like we use to.
I have compost started speaking of it needs turning. I did rake up leaves for it and added them plus some chicken manure, a couple weeks ago. Hope we can stay with it.
Hope to have a fall garden.

 

[Axel Slingerland]

Eliminating processed food is not impossible, but it does take effort. I don't think sugar in small amounts is a bad thing. It makes things more palatable, just like salt. In large amounts however, it is a toxic substance. All sugars are not created equal either.

Oops... I forgot this part.

No, you're absolutely right, it's not impossible. And it will take effort. If I could handle the cold and the work involved I would love to live off the grid somewhere along the railroad line near Talkeetna. That is what Cindy wanted and I am so sorry I couldn't help her get there. But while I love Elk Steaks and Moose Burgers, I even had Moose Rocky Mountain Oysters at the Million Dollar Cowboy Bar in Jackson Hole, Wyoming once, and I have always been a woodsy owl type, but I am not and never was a true outdoorsman, and Cindy was nowhere near where I was at. In 24 and a half year she never wanted to go camping.

I handled living in the woods outside Flagstaff, but in winter I couldn't do it. And Cindy would make it either. Living off the grid in temperatures so far south of common sense for us... Well, it was just out of the question for both of us. I didn't want us to become a "Couldn't handle living in Alaska" statistic.

 

[Sheryl]

It is not possible to grow enough food for the increasing population on decreasing farmland without finding ways to increase production.

Can any of us grow enough food to feed all our neighbors in our little garden areas? That includes meat as well as everything else.

 

[Don Alaska]

It is not possible to grow enough food for the increasing population on decreasing farmland without finding ways to increase production.

Can any of us grow enough food to feed all our neighbors in our little garden areas? That includes meat as well as everything else.

It depends on your diet @Sheryl . It is not practical for most people to grow their own grain, such as wheat, but it is possible to grow your own veggies if you are physically capable and have an acre or so of decent soil even here in the far north. Meat can be supplied by chickens, rabbits or ducks if you have the room. Dairy can be supplied by goats, or a cow if you have the space and where you live allows it. It is not easy for many but it is possible if you live in a somewhat rural area. When we had children at home, we had goats for milk, large gardens for veggies, road kill moose and hunting for meat, and lots of fish every year. We can no longer physically maintain that lifestyle, but we still grow our own vegetables and we have chickens for an egg supply.

You can often buy meat directly from farmers in your area. That goes for other foodstuffs as well, just find out how they grow the stuff. When I lived in North Carolina, I bought beef from a farmer who had two herds--one for friends and family that had nothing but grass feed, and one for market that was raised by conventional standards.

 

[Sheryl]

How 'bout all the millions of people who live in the cities? Somebody has to grow food to feed them.

We grow enough veggies in our garden to feed us and share some with our neighbors, but we can't grow enough to feed the whole country. We don't have room to grow any kind of meat. We have thought about having some chickens but by the time we build houses, buy feed, and have them inoculated, it would cost more than we would save.

 

[Don Alaska]

How 'bout all the millions of people who live in the cities? Somebody has to grow food to feed them.

We grow enough veggies in our garden to feed us and share some with our neighbors, but we can't grow enough to feed the whole country. We don't have room to grow any kind of meat. We have thought about having some chickens but by the time we build houses, buy feed, and have them inoculated, it would cost more than we would save.

Yep, self sufficiency is not for those who choose or who must live in cities, so they are at the whim of Big Agriculture. That is, in part, why I live where I do.

 

[Jacob Petersheim]

We grow enough veggies in our garden to feed us and share some with our neighbors, but we can't grow enough to feed the whole country.

At the same time though, there is a balance to be struck.

Right now the US exports massive amounts of food. I'm not suggesting exports are bad, but at what levels? Wringing the last drop out of lands probably isn't healthy for the lands themselves, much less those consuming foods pushed for maximum production over everything else besides "shipability."

So we end up with periodic dustbowls, ponded animal waste, loss of crop diversity, high levels of pesticides and herbicides, and year-round tomatoes that have no flavor.

Sure, there is more to it than that. It's nice to have some sort of blueberries in the store in January. But ag trade (in both directions) does seem to come with a lot of negatives.

 

[Mary Stetler]

I have not done it yet and I have back up preps. But I have wanted to try living off my little farm. We now have arrowroot in the pond and I am seeking some lotus to bring in. Daughter knows where some is but has not brought me any pods yet. This week is cattail week. We pick it and enjoy it. I have frozen it but the spears are not as good as fresh (my favorite vegetable) The bad growing weather this spring pointed out the need to prep--not just for Armagedon or political issues...
Weeds don't seem to be that affected. They do change where they choose to grow though.