Believe those who are seeking the truth. Doubt those who find it.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
PHI 2010 T 5:40pm
31 comments:
Elizabeth Molina
said...
We in America are used to convenience. Even a simple thing as putting a meal together is a thing of the past. But why should we? There are McDonalds on practically every corner. If you have kids even better! Free entertainment at the McDonalds playplace so they'll hook the kids at an early age. Broke? Well you can buy a .49 cent hamburger, or even better a .99 cent double cheeseburger. Don't feel like eating all american fare? Well theres always Taco Bell where you can get a burrito for .79 cents. Or KFC where you can get a 2 pieces of chicken for .99 cents. How is it possible for these companies to sell this food for so cheap? It is called mass production. Today, chickens are 2/3 bigger than they were a few years ago. It is illegal to inject animals with steroids and antibiotics, so they add it to their feed.
When my son was born 4 years ago, I made the decision to feed him only organic homemade food whenever possible. We had to cut our budget in many places because the cost of organic meat was very high. Now it is found more readily at many supermarkets. We get our produce from an organic farmer in the redlands. Suprisingly, it is cheaper than shopping at Publix. My son loves the variety of foods he eats. Now that he has started school it has become harder because his friends bring frozen kid cuisine entrees, lunchables, chef boyardee, and other kid friendly unhealthy meals to lunch. I feel bad denying him these foods but I am preparing him to be a conscientious eater. Parents often feed their kids fast food burgers without knowing that the beef is washed in ammonia. The fast food agencies will deny that ammonia is harmful to us. In the end, only we are responsible for what we feed ourselves. We should educate ourselves on the food we are buying.
I recommend that anyone interested in this topic watch Food Inc.
Putting meals together ARE very simple, but honestly it comes down to laziness. We have become a lazy society of consumers who easily rely on the FDA to govern what is good and what is bad. We know that eating a Big Mac from McDonalds is bad for our hearts but yet we still eat it, Super Sized. We buy KFC fried chicken because it tastes so good that we IGNORE the facts about fried food. The facts are there but as a lazy society, we make our decisions solely on the chance that "only this one time" will not affect us. In regards, to mass production, unfortunately, there is a demand therefore supply will follow. I can't blame the companies for wanting to enterprise on cheap anything. As consumers we have to do our research and conclude on experimentation and look at the facts. I don't think that food is cheaper when you buy it fast food. If you make it at home with fresh wholesome ingredients, then you are saving a lot. Elizabeth, I don't think you should feel guilty about teaching your child healthy eating. I actually commend parents who do. But I also think that you shouldn't deny your child of a small treat every now and then. I was raised by a very strict diet of no candy, no soda, no junk. But I am very thankful to my parents because I learned the importance of moderation.
jessica james Its hard to believe that lots of money and resources are spent on the animals when the food is so cheap. Just the othet day i went to my local grocery store and looking at the the meat there was so gross. Broken chicken legs, meat that looks like its been sitting there for months but due to the low proces people were buying it like crazy. Then on the other hand the prices of organic foods scare some people away. Lately ive been thinking i rathet pay more for my meat and know that the animals were handled right and werent in deploreable conditions. As for fastfood what arr some people to do your riding in the car with your child and there screaming there hungry and you know you have no time to go home and make a meal. Of course at the time bk or macdonalds sound like the solution. We have to makr a commitment to eat better so that we can live a healthier life. Lets not look at the price. It was always said that the good things in life arent free and they arent cheap either.
Saving up money doesn't mean to buy cheap food such as McDonald's, burger king, wendy's, sonic, etc... It means that you have to buy what is necessary for your health in order for you to not go to the hospital when you get sick for what you ate. Eating the right food which will give you calcium, minerals, proteins and vitamins is fundamental. Many buyers are unaware of the horrible story behind of the meat they eat. The cheap food are mostly hamburguers and fries; people do not realize about 70% of antimicrobial drugs used in America are given not to people but to animals, which means we're breeding more of those deadly organisms every day. And those animals are being feed by crops are massively fertilized with nitrogen and other chemicals. This society is rotten! And those food companies that sell their cheap food which are less nutritious and have lower-quality ingredients, often loaded with fats, sugars and other additives do not care about their costumers in the absolute. They just care about their money in their pockets.
Simone Miranda Mueller: Once sentence in particular caught my eye in the TIME magazine article: “This November, California voters approved a ballot proposition that guarantees farm animals enough space to lie down, stand up and turn around”. People must be joking if they call this progress in terms of animal rights. Being able to spin around and lay down is all an animal deserves? We concede prisoners more space to live. Humans should start treating animals as living creatures. Not out of selfish reasons because it might be better for our own health when you eat their meat, but because they deserve to be treated as living creatures, just like we are. Even though their brain is less developed, they can think, they have feelings and senses and they can definitively feel pain. Animal cruelty is not the only problem resulting from bad nutrition. Pollution, global warming and obesity are also issues we should care about. I know people are conscious about it, but for some reasons not willing to change their eating habits. I am an international student and I barely have enough money to live, but I am able to live healthy. I stopped eating meat and fish 20 years ago, for my own good and because I love animals and don’t want to be responsible for any animal cruelty. Often it is not the money that people don’t live healthy, it is laziness, bad habit, ignorance or simply “not knowing better”. Inform yourself, educate yourself, begin caring about yourself, the nature and the animals who live in. Be part of making this planet more beautiful instead of destroying it. Change your paradigm! Simone Miranda Mueller
I am sorry but for myself it has been very difficult for me to get and make something. When everything/everywhere we go to eat it's just a inconvenience that way we don't have to slave ourselves over a hot stove. But that's all I can really say I use to love to cook but now I don't do it it's 4 years since I've cooked.
I am sorry but for myself it has been very difficult for me to get and make something. When everything/everywhere we go to eat it's just a inconvenience that way we don't have to slave ourselves over a hot stove. But that's all I can really say I use to love to cook but now I don't do it it's 4 years since I've cooked.
As much as we may think we have free will, there is actually startling evidence to the contrary. As evolution shows we are hunter-gatherers first. Because of this lifestyle, our tastebuds and brains helped us recognize what foods provided the highest amount of calories in the least amount of time. THEY KNOW WHAT WE LIKE MORE THAN WE DO! We call these things cravings, and we all have ones that we truly enjoy. Notice however, that we will never have a burning desire to eat a carrot or an apple, but a plate full of our favorite guilt foods shows what we truly crave them above smarter choices. Taking a closer look we see that our favorite guilt plates contain high amounts of fats, carbs, sugars or a combination of all three.
We are all but defenseless to the massive corporations that feed themselves from our easily exploitable eating tastes fooling us with their masquerade meals. For example, what other country continues to recommend (subsidized)sugar packed cereals as part of a balanced breakfast? Or the fact that the cheese, meat and even bread served at Fast Food restaurants go through a chemical process of flavoring so that each burger, french fry or other food item has exactly the same taste and same empty calories dressed to seem like highly nutritious food.(SuperSize Me Film:2006)
If there is to be change in America, the whole food structure needs to be redefined in starting with the rollback of the many subsidies that were pushed into place by special interests groups in the first place. Furthermore, the boundaries of sustainabiubity need to be redefined. Referring to Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs and Steel", where he stated that the ratio of feed needed to produce meat is a 10 to 1 ratio. Meaning, that every night all America eats meat until satiated, some roughly 3.8 billion people could have been provided an equally nutritious meal made from grains.
We live in an America where there is so much temptations when it comes to the foods we eat. Not only it is tempting but I can agree that we have gotten so lazy when it comes cooking. Cooking can be tiresome but honestly it is the cheaper/healthier route than fastfood. I don't know about anyone else but fastfood isn't my thing such as McDonald's,Burger King,KFC,Popeyes, and especially Cheackers. All fastfood are bad and we kno but many of us may think it is a cheaper spending,the convenience because its on every corner. I can agree with Thea Matias because I too was brought up with moderation and I am also grateful to have parents like them. I believe healthy eating is very important, so again Elizabeth don't feel bad, that's awesome on how you're raising your young one. Sometimes we say, just one time won't hurt,but in my opinion, eating junk is fine as long its not a routine. Five to ten times a year won't hurt really. To conclude, fastfood is not cheaper or healthier to put in our system. Of course the government may want us to believe such, but its not true. They can lower their price as long as they want, fast food to me isn't the right road for healthy living. It destroys our bodies little by little believe or not.So we all should be wiser enough to stay aay from fast food.
I found the Time Magazine article very interesting as it touched up previous knowledge about the environmental damages done growing crops and especially cattle. What surprised me most were the things I didn't know. I had no clue fast food meals are so cheap because of the subsidies given by the government for the benefit of the economy. Unfortunately, that's capitalism for you. Money is on the mind and profit is all they see, further hindering the health of the people with fattening products. I can't imagine things changing unless they reconsider their regulations making higher standards for the products being produced. Another way things could change is if we stop buying the product. Our economy constantly tells us we have control as consumers: if we like it;they'll keep it, if we don't; they stop making it. Does anyone really see Americans backing down on fast food? All we can do is educate everyone about the circumstances. Even then, progress is barely considered a factor. Yesterday I read this article and that night I went to Burger King before meeting up with friends. I would like to say brainwashing is the answer but I guess you can say it's will without freedom.
I stopped eating meat only a few years ago, and initially it was motivated by the struggle for animal rights, and feeling guilty for consuming life, etc. Regardless, I always hated scare tactic anti-meat ad campaigns- those that attempt to persuade unsuspecting consumers into going vegetarian by parading horrific images of suffering animals in front of their faces. Vegetarians often get a reputation as being self-righteous and extremist groups like PETA only reinforce that stereotype. Whether its PETA or McDonalds, someone is always telling you what to do- that's just the nature of advertising, and the capitalist society we live in. Advertising is a business like anything else, and companies will always be in ruthless in their pursuit of profit. But back to the food...today I would say that my reasons for not eating meat are mostly health and habit related. Of course I still feel bad when I read a description of a pig in a factory farm (but thats all propaganda too, not unlike what the fast food companies do in their attempts to "brainwash" consumers) but when it comes right down to it, there is not much I can do about it except not buy their products. I don't eat meat because its simpler, healthier, and its a habit. It doesn't even occur to me to order a hamburger anymore- its just something I don't do. Not because I think I'm holier-than-thou, not because I particularly love animals, and not because someone told me to.
I did not find this article interesting at all. I am tired of hearing how the fast food industry is ruining this and that. It should be obvious that the fast food industry is feeling the pressure of the public, because most places have the healthy food option. So it comes down to the individual, don't support it and it will probably stop happening.
We have gotten to a point where everything is now convenience; even to what we eat must be convenient. That is why it is easier to go grab a 99 cent double cheeseburger with a large coke and fries at McDonald's rather than go make a home cooked meal. We complain that we need to maintain a budget and sometimes it is economical to go buy a KFC family meal than go to the market and buy the meat, vegetables and everything else we need to make a good healthy cooked meal at home. Home cooked meals have lost their appeal thanks to secret sauces and special deals and all other advertisements used by fast food industries to lure us in. Yet in reality the food that taste better and is enjoyed the most is the one at home. Of course there will always be that weekend where you don't want to cook. I mean it's natural, I do it. It's fine for that Saturday to go spend the ten bucks on the greasy yet yummy fast food. We aren't perfect but it is different being able to set aside that day and want something out of the ordinary as opposed to always eating fast food. Common it is not about the budget because we often spend more on one week of fast food than a week of groceries. It's just that we have gotten lazy and it is convenient for us.
Most of us complain that fast food is unhealthy and that we get ill and that we spend so much money on the food when it is no where good for us. So what do fast food industries do? They get value meals and healthy salads and healthy junk for us. But what is the difference? It comes from the same farm where all the feed for the animals have growth hormones and whatever else they use to make the animals bigger as well as their vegetables. So we still ingest the same stuff we were avoiding with their other food but for them it's all just a means to get more money out of us because we think we are at an advantage making McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, and etc selling us salads, fruit bowls, yogurt and whatever else they consider healthy. When in reality they are the ones with the advantage. Basically we actually spend more on buying "healthy foods" from a fast food industry than going to a market and buying our produce, our snacks, our meats, etc. We don't get to enjoy the home cooked meal because we are lazy to prepare and often times even embarrassed to take our brown paper lunch bag to school or work. So at the end we harm ourselves, the animals and the earth and we just help the fast food industry get richer out of us.
I have to say that I cook at least 6 days out of the week, it is not easy and it is very time consuming. I understand why so many people make the decision to eat fast food, it is cheap and fast, but does it serve its purpose? I believe it all comes down to how healthy you want to be. To me, being healthy is very important, I love to eat and I love to cook. What people fail to realize is that when they eat these very cheap and fast meals they are not getting any of the nutrients they need to be heathy. I think it is worth taking half an hour to an hour a day to cook a healthy, homemade meal. You will not only feel great becuase you can cook, but you will probably look better as well.
In this post you touched up on cooperate brainwashing of consumers. Major food companies know what they’re doing when it comes to marketing their products. Lets take, for example, Kellogg's. They market their cereals to children by making them sweet and giving each brand its own goofy, lovable character. At age three through five, children have difficulties saying, “Frosted Flakes,” rather they associate the cereal to its proper character, which is “Tigger.” In America, advertisers indoctrinate brand names into children who then sway their parents into buying the products. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Burger King; you name it, chances are that, that company is focusing their attention on your children.
David Acosta What can we do about it. It boils down to priorities and money. People usually talk the talk but dont walk the walk. As the saying goes you are what you eat. No one starts to eat healthier until after a heart attack or illness which is a bit too late. This article shed some light about the food industy I was not aware of. It appears that profit is only thing society cares about regardless of the consequenses.
April DeVona... This is a very prominent problem that keeps feeding the obesity cycle here in America. Convenient and cost efficient food options are taking over the industry therefor limiting healthy options to hard working Americans like myself.
Why can't there be a happy medium if one doesn't have the time to put together a wholesome meal?? Do we even have that option?? Europeans do .. take Mcdonalds for example, in Paris a Mcdonalds has smaller more realistic portions, they offer grilled chicken paninis and green salads with oh yes... real lettuce!! It seems the more we settle for less, the more they keep coming up with unhealthy and inedible options that is literally changing our American bodyscape!!
This is as much our fault and our responsibility as it is the FDA's!! (Which the bar has been set significantly lower decade after decade by the way..)
Personally I cook 4 days out of the week.. (I strive to at least..) I buy organic meats, and many many veggies!! The more colors in my fridge the better! This is how I was raised and I plan to raise my own. When I have children someday I WILL be that mamma that makes her own organic purees and food for my lil one. You've got to build that pallet young! Simple fresh Ingredients is essential to a healthy lifestyle and good tasting food! People let's not forget the taste and flavor which is why we enjoy food in the first place. So go out and buy some new spices and experiment!! You just might surprise yourself with a healthy meal that is both cost efficient, and super yummy!! If my place smells remotely close to my Italian Grandma's house, I know I'm doing something right.. ;)
Western societies have managed to avert – or postpone-- a **Malthusian disaster by adopting unnatural, inhumane and unsustainable agricultural methods. Following WWII, the United States replaced organic, sustainable, solar- based farming with fossil fuel-based farming. Today, over 20% of the oil imported is used in the production and transportation of food (Omnivores Dilemma, Michael Pollan, 2006). Fertilizers, pesticides, and state-of-the art farming equipment are completely reliant on fossil fuels. What will happen in 20-30 years when oil reserves are tapped, when the global population stands at over 10billion, when the fertile soil is eroded and when the clean water sources are polluted?
The earth’s current arable land, farmed according to organic methods, cannot support its 7 billion inhabitants. By returning to organic farming, we face global famines; by continuing with unsustainable and inhumane food production, we exacerbate the problem. There are a myriad of solutions to these problems. However, global leaders have demonstrated their unwillingness to place the common good ahead of national self-interest. This is evidenced by developing nations’ failure to cooperate on global warming and on setting carbon-emission standards. Are we doomed to extinction? Absolutely not. The human race is resilient, resourceful and has triumphed over every challenge. Unfortunately, those triumphs have often been preceded by catastrophic events.
** Thomas Malthus was an 19th century political economist that predicted wide-spread famines. He postulated that food shortages are inevitable since populations grow exponentially and food production grows arithmetically.
The reality is that fast food will never go away. There is too much money invested in fast food companys to even cut down on what we eat slightly. People have to care about themselves enough to stop eating fast food and decide to change their lives, but this is another topic that has little doubt for improvement. Yes, advertising has brain washed the majority of people into eating their junk food at cheap prices. The econmy is tanking and what more is there to do really? The sad part is people don't really realize that veggies cost less then junk food if you organize your budget. We'll never return to the days of fresh home cooked meals, so we must contiue with our way of life till we learn. I hope this happens sooner better then later...
Balance is what society needs to keep in perspective when presented with all of the convenient choices we have when deciding what we eat, where we eat it, and why we eat it. I love to hear some people complain about fast foods not being healthy but convenient and that’s why they choose them as their primary way of eating. My time is valuables to me; if making one less line at a fast food joint is going to open up my schedule then I’m going to find a more efficient way to meet my nutritional needs in a healthy way and simultaneously save time. How hard is it to make a turkey breast sandwich and paper bag it, put some baby carrots or an apple in a zip lock bag (or a small box of raisins) and maybe a small bag of plantain chips or baked potato chips you buy at the grocery store (not a costly vending machine). I’ll tell the whiners that it’s a lot less time than standing in a line at a fast food restaurant. In the defense of fast food restaurants, these days almost all of them now offer health choices on their menu for patrons to make “health conscious decisions”. I love to eat healthy, however thank goodness for McDonalds because every once in a while I love an Angus Burger and who can beat their French fries. In addition, fast food restaurants play a vital role in our economy. Just think of the dynamic of all the ways these restaurants employ Americans. From restaurant workers, to delivery drivers, to blue collar warehouse works, to executives, and all other parallel companies that support their operations. So stop making excuses and bag a lunch. And if you truly love the fast food grub then treat yourself and enjoy with GUSTO, on occasion.
This article has truly and deeply depressed me in various forms, so much so, that I don't quite know where to begin; first of all I am taking this semester, nutrition and economics as well as philosophy so I am lucky to understand this article from every targeted perspective. Treatments of these animals is cruel to begin with (it reminds me of the great contemporary philosopher peter singer's argument on animal rights) but if I was to leave that aside considering the fact that looking at it from an economic perspective which goal is to maximize profits and clearly this can be done if the demand for these goods increases, which it does because of American’s ignorance towards not only our rapidly Deteriorating Environment (which by the way we have been made aware recently also by ex-vice president Al Gore who I was able to see on campus) but also their own nutrition, the recommended amount of sodium and actually the maximum that a person should intake a day is 2.300g and an angus burger at McDonalds contains an alarming amount of 2,700g of sodium, meaning in just one of those burgers we eat exceed the amount of sodium we need in all our food daily!! thus, resulting in American's number one death causes heart Disease and strokes. and to conclude I would like to say that the USDA (united states department of agriculture) who is in charge of creating and publishing our dietary recommendations are not Completely giving us the most accurate information (because it is not in the fast food industry's best interest) therefore, not in the USDA's best interest either. so I ask you, who can we even trust anymore for these issues, could it be that even perhaps the government is brainwashing us? How ironic, that they are supposed to protect our best interests.
I completly agree with the article, farm animals are slaughter and kept in horrible living condtions all around the glove just because of their taste, the worst part is that they (in the quantities that we eat them) are not even healthy to our bodies. I notice some people argue about the "growing human population that needs to be feed" and is really sad, because shows that most people have zero knowledge on the matter. It takes around 60% of the basic grain that we produce to feed the farm animals, that means that humans only consume around a 40%, so there goes the theory about the "growing and hungry population". health problems? from eating meat? Pffff is nutricious, or at least we are lead to believe, but in reality the blood of almost all farm animals contain a substance that in the long run, give us arthritis, along with high cholesterol and all that wonderfull stuff. Im i a vegetarian? Of course not, i love meat, but a balance is required to maintain equilibrium in both, your body and in the world. so realistically speaking, we need to get our meat somewhere right? i would recomend to buy from organic places or branches that make their farm animals live in the fields and eat grass, rather than a place where they live in cages and are feed with steorid fueled concentrate.
these companies have emerged in our society due to necessity. There is a great deal of claim that we, as Americans are lazy consumers, most of it is true, however it would be biased to overlook the poverty in our country, and the need for cheap mass produced goods. A large fraction of our country views these fast food restaurants as a cornerstone of their diet, for example, in downtown miami I always see homeless people scouring the streets for spare change to get a mcdonalds burger for 99 cents. also, what about the whole industry it has created, the thousands of entry level jobs people take when needing money but without education, experience, or any other qualifications. For this industry to grind to a halt, There would need to be an ever cheaper, potentially more destructive entity to take it's place. - Arthur Torano
Heard of the phrase "You are what you eat" well...It really is a personal choice, but how can anyone think substances such as pesticides, capable of killing insects, can be good for you?.The aim of the factory farming operation is to produce as much meat, eggs, or milk at the lowest possible cost.Since the demand for meat is high, hormones are given to the animals, to introduce growth at an unhealthy rate. So think about it, in the long run you end up spending way more money from what you were saving from buying the "cheap" food. In a few years the "cheap" food will have you seating at a Hospital for obessity, heart diseases, blood disaes, and the medicine you will have to purchase then. Animals are not routinely given antibiotics and other medication which enters the food supply to humans. Some research suggests that this excessive use of chemicals in food can be linked to increased health problems and interferes with the healthy development of children. In America we tend too look for the "fastest"way of getting the food, but next time you are in the drive thru, try to remember that "You are what you eat".... -Tatiana Camargo
Now in a class of nutrition I have learned about the consecuences about eat cheap instead of having a good meal rich in nutrients, I am reading this article and I can see that is increible how industries spend a lot of money in those animals for a bad end, because those animals become the worst meal for humans. In America the percentage of obesity is
In America the percentage of obesity is increasing, specially in children. In my opinion, people should thing and decide what is better for them because many think that because of the econmic situation they should buy this fast food, but they don't see what is the danger that they are occasionate to their bodys. Instead of eating a big plate they can choise a healthy meal rich in nutrients because what you eat is what you are!
It is incredible how powerful can be the power of persuasion that the fast-food companies do to us. They spend millions of dollars on advertisements that follow us everywhere we look (tv,internet,streets etc)It is a strong message that we receive like a command and we obey. It is our choice to be conscious enough to decide whether to eat this junk food that would threaten ourselves or eat quality food that would keep our hearts pumping for a longer time.
Melody Rosado Fast food what a important invention hahaha. Was there fasts food in 1960's as unhealthy as it is today? And so many people are dying because they are overweight and we wonder why America is so obese. Look around there is a fast food joint on every corner. I'm exhausted when I get off work and school I have to kick myself not to stop at a taco bell to get a quick meal. But when I get home I love cooking a healthy dinner I feel so much better knowing what I'm putting in my body we only have one body and we need to respect that.
Society is merely reaching a drastic height of obesity only because we as adults/humans allow it to. What is at stake is our future; our children. Obesity in children is only increasing because WE the adults ‘give-in’ and feed our children garbage. Advertising or not we know its unhealthy and ‘fattening’. Growing up, my parents rarely fed me fast-food. My mother would always have home cooked meals ready AND she would serve my brother and I in small portions. Now that I have grown into my own person I still rarely ever eat fast food. Basically, if brought up to be a certain way; steering away from the main example is rare.
31 comments:
We in America are used to convenience. Even a simple thing as putting a meal together is a thing of the past. But why should we? There are McDonalds on practically every corner. If you have kids even better! Free entertainment at the McDonalds playplace so they'll hook the kids at an early age. Broke? Well you can buy a .49 cent hamburger, or even better a .99 cent double cheeseburger. Don't feel like eating all american fare? Well theres always Taco Bell where you can get a burrito for .79 cents. Or KFC where you can get a 2 pieces of chicken for .99 cents. How is it possible for these companies to sell this food for so cheap? It is called mass production. Today, chickens are 2/3 bigger than they were a few years ago. It is illegal to inject animals with steroids and antibiotics, so they add it to their feed.
When my son was born 4 years ago, I made the decision to feed him only organic homemade food whenever possible. We had to cut our budget in many places because the cost of organic meat was very high. Now it is found more readily at many supermarkets. We get our produce from an organic farmer in the redlands. Suprisingly, it is cheaper than shopping at Publix. My son loves the variety of foods he eats. Now that he has started school it has become harder because his friends bring frozen kid cuisine entrees, lunchables, chef boyardee, and other kid friendly unhealthy meals to lunch. I feel bad denying him these foods but I am preparing him to be a conscientious eater. Parents often feed their kids fast food burgers without knowing that the beef is washed in ammonia. The fast food agencies will deny that ammonia is harmful to us. In the end, only we are responsible for what we feed ourselves. We should educate ourselves on the food we are buying.
I recommend that anyone interested in this topic watch Food Inc.
Putting meals together ARE very simple, but honestly it comes down to laziness. We have become a lazy society of consumers who easily rely on the FDA to govern what is good and what is bad. We know that eating a Big Mac from McDonalds is bad for our hearts but yet we still eat it, Super Sized. We buy KFC fried chicken because it tastes so good that we IGNORE the facts about fried food. The facts are there but as a lazy society, we make our decisions solely on the chance that "only this one time" will not affect us.
In regards, to mass production, unfortunately, there is a demand therefore supply will follow. I can't blame the companies for wanting to enterprise on cheap anything. As consumers we have to do our research and conclude on experimentation and look at the facts. I don't think that food is cheaper when you buy it fast food. If you make it at home with fresh wholesome ingredients, then you are saving a lot.
Elizabeth, I don't think you should feel guilty about teaching your child healthy eating. I actually commend parents who do. But I also think that you shouldn't deny your child of a small treat every now and then. I was raised by a very strict diet of no candy, no soda, no junk. But I am very thankful to my parents because I learned the importance of moderation.
jessica james Its hard to believe that lots of money and resources are spent on the animals when the food is so cheap. Just the othet day i went to my local grocery store and looking at the the meat there was so gross. Broken chicken legs, meat that looks like its been sitting there for months but due to the low proces people were buying it like crazy. Then on the other hand the prices of organic foods scare some people away. Lately ive been thinking i rathet pay more for my meat and know that the animals were handled right and werent in deploreable conditions. As for fastfood what arr some people to do your riding in the car with your child and there screaming there hungry and you know you have no time to go home and make a meal. Of course at the time bk or macdonalds sound like the solution. We have to makr a commitment to eat better so that we can live a healthier life. Lets not look at the price. It was always said that the good things in life arent free and they arent cheap either.
Saving up money doesn't mean to buy cheap food such as McDonald's, burger king, wendy's, sonic, etc... It means that you have to buy what is necessary for your health in order for you to not go to the hospital when you get sick for what you ate. Eating the right food which will give you calcium, minerals, proteins and vitamins is fundamental. Many buyers are unaware of the horrible story behind of the meat they eat. The cheap food are mostly hamburguers and fries; people do not realize about 70% of antimicrobial drugs used in America are given not to people but to animals, which means we're breeding more of those deadly organisms every day. And those animals are being feed by crops are massively fertilized with nitrogen and other chemicals. This society is rotten! And those food companies that sell their cheap food which are less nutritious and have lower-quality ingredients, often loaded with fats, sugars and other additives do not care about their costumers in the absolute. They just care about their money in their pockets.
Simone Miranda Mueller:
Once sentence in particular caught my eye in the TIME magazine article:
“This November, California voters approved a ballot proposition that guarantees farm animals enough space to lie down, stand up and turn around”. People must be joking if they call this progress in terms of animal rights. Being able to spin around and lay down is all an animal deserves? We concede prisoners more space to live. Humans should start treating animals as living creatures. Not out of selfish reasons because it might be better for our own health when you eat their meat, but because they deserve to be treated as living creatures, just like we are. Even though their brain is less developed, they can think, they have feelings and senses and they can definitively feel pain.
Animal cruelty is not the only problem resulting from bad nutrition. Pollution, global warming and obesity are also issues we should care about. I know people are conscious about it, but for some reasons not willing to change their eating habits. I am an international student and I barely have enough money to live, but I am able to live healthy. I stopped eating meat and fish 20 years ago, for my own good and because I love animals and don’t want to be responsible for any animal cruelty. Often it is not the money that people don’t live healthy, it is laziness, bad habit, ignorance or simply “not knowing better”. Inform yourself, educate yourself, begin caring about yourself, the nature and the animals who live in. Be part of making this planet more beautiful instead of destroying it. Change your paradigm!
Simone Miranda Mueller
I am sorry but for myself it has been very difficult for me to get and make something. When everything/everywhere we go to eat it's just a inconvenience that way we don't have to slave ourselves over a hot stove. But that's all I can really say I use to love to cook but now I don't do it it's 4 years since I've cooked.
I am sorry but for myself it has been very difficult for me to get and make something. When everything/everywhere we go to eat it's just a inconvenience that way we don't have to slave ourselves over a hot stove. But that's all I can really say I use to love to cook but now I don't do it it's 4 years since I've cooked.
As much as we may think we have free will, there is actually startling evidence to the contrary. As evolution shows we are hunter-gatherers first. Because of this lifestyle, our tastebuds and brains helped us recognize what foods provided the highest amount of calories in the least amount of time.
THEY KNOW WHAT WE LIKE MORE THAN WE DO!
We call these things cravings, and we all have ones that we truly enjoy. Notice however, that we will never have a burning desire to eat a carrot or an apple, but a plate full of our favorite guilt foods shows what we truly crave them above smarter choices. Taking a closer look we see that our favorite guilt plates contain high amounts of fats, carbs, sugars or a combination of all three.
We are all but defenseless to the massive corporations that feed themselves from our easily exploitable eating tastes fooling us with their masquerade meals. For example, what other country continues to recommend (subsidized)sugar packed cereals as part of a balanced breakfast? Or the fact that the cheese, meat and even bread served at Fast Food restaurants go through a chemical process of flavoring so that each burger, french fry or other food item has exactly the same taste and same empty calories dressed to seem like highly nutritious food.(SuperSize Me Film:2006)
If there is to be change in America, the whole food structure needs to be redefined in starting with the rollback of the many subsidies that were pushed into place by special interests groups in the first place. Furthermore, the boundaries of sustainabiubity need to be redefined. Referring to Jared Diamond, author of "Guns, Germs and Steel", where he stated that the ratio of feed needed to produce meat is a 10 to 1 ratio. Meaning, that every night all America eats meat until satiated, some roughly 3.8 billion people could have been provided an equally nutritious meal made from grains.
We live in an America where there is so much temptations when it comes to the foods we eat. Not only it is tempting but I can agree that we have gotten so lazy when it comes cooking. Cooking can be tiresome but honestly it is the cheaper/healthier route than fastfood. I don't know about anyone else but fastfood isn't my thing such as McDonald's,Burger King,KFC,Popeyes, and especially Cheackers. All fastfood are bad and we kno but many of us may think it is a cheaper spending,the convenience because its on every corner. I can agree with Thea Matias because I too was brought up with moderation and I am also grateful to have parents like them. I believe healthy eating is very important, so again Elizabeth don't feel bad, that's awesome on how you're raising your young one. Sometimes we say, just one time won't hurt,but in my opinion, eating junk is fine as long its not a routine. Five to ten times a year won't hurt really. To conclude, fastfood is not cheaper or healthier to put in our system. Of course the government may want us to believe such, but its not true. They can lower their price as long as they want, fast food to me isn't the right road for healthy living. It destroys our bodies little by little believe or not.So we all should be wiser enough to stay aay from fast food.
I found the Time Magazine article very interesting as it touched up previous knowledge about the environmental damages done growing crops and especially cattle. What surprised me most were the things I didn't know. I had no clue fast food meals are so cheap because of the subsidies given by the government for the benefit of the economy. Unfortunately, that's capitalism for you. Money is on the mind and profit is all they see, further hindering the health of the people with fattening products. I can't imagine things changing unless they reconsider their regulations making higher standards for the products being produced. Another way things could change is if we stop buying the product. Our economy constantly tells us we have control as consumers: if we like it;they'll keep it, if we don't; they stop making it. Does anyone really see Americans backing down on fast food? All we can do is educate everyone about the circumstances. Even then, progress is barely considered a factor. Yesterday I read this article and that night I went to Burger King before meeting up with friends. I would like to say brainwashing is the answer but I guess you can say it's will without freedom.
Cristopher Dollar
I stopped eating meat only a few years ago, and initially it was motivated by the struggle for animal rights, and feeling guilty for consuming life, etc. Regardless, I always hated scare tactic anti-meat ad campaigns- those that attempt to persuade unsuspecting consumers into going vegetarian by parading horrific images of suffering animals in front of their faces. Vegetarians often get a reputation as being self-righteous and extremist groups like PETA only reinforce that stereotype.
Whether its PETA or McDonalds, someone is always telling you what to do- that's just the nature of advertising, and the capitalist society we live in. Advertising is a business like anything else, and companies will always be in ruthless in their pursuit of profit.
But back to the food...today I would say that my reasons for not eating meat are mostly health and habit related. Of course I still feel bad when I read a description of a pig in a factory farm (but thats all propaganda too, not unlike what the fast food companies do in their attempts to "brainwash" consumers) but when it comes right down to it, there is not much I can do about it except not buy their products. I don't eat meat because its simpler, healthier, and its a habit. It doesn't even occur to me to order a hamburger anymore- its just something I don't do. Not because I think I'm holier-than-thou, not because I particularly love animals, and not because someone told me to.
I did not find this article interesting at all. I am tired of hearing how the fast food industry is ruining this and that. It should be obvious that the fast food industry is feeling the pressure of the public, because most places have the healthy food option. So it comes down to the individual, don't support it and it will probably stop happening.
We have gotten to a point where everything is now convenience; even to what we eat must be convenient. That is why it is easier to go grab a 99 cent double cheeseburger with a large coke and fries at McDonald's rather than go make a home cooked meal. We complain that we need to maintain a budget and sometimes it is economical to go buy a KFC family meal than go to the market and buy the meat, vegetables and everything else we need to make a good healthy cooked meal at home.
Home cooked meals have lost their appeal thanks to secret sauces and special deals and all other advertisements used by fast food industries to lure us in. Yet in reality the food that taste better and is enjoyed the most is the one at home. Of course there will always be that weekend where you don't want to cook. I mean it's natural, I do it. It's fine for that Saturday to go spend the ten bucks on the greasy yet yummy fast food. We aren't perfect but it is different being able to set aside that day and want something out of the ordinary as opposed to always eating fast food.
Common it is not about the budget because we often spend more on one week of fast food than a week of groceries. It's just that we have gotten lazy and it is convenient for us.
-Idania Guerra
Most of us complain that fast food is unhealthy and that we get ill and that we spend so much money on the food when it is no where good for us. So what do fast food industries do? They get value meals and healthy salads and healthy junk for us. But what is the difference? It comes from the same farm where all the feed for the animals have growth hormones and whatever else they use to make the animals bigger as well as their vegetables. So we still ingest the same stuff we were avoiding with their other food but for them it's all just a means to get more money out of us because we think we are at an advantage making McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, and etc selling us salads, fruit bowls, yogurt and whatever else they consider healthy. When in reality they are the ones with the advantage.
Basically we actually spend more on buying "healthy foods" from a fast food industry than going to a market and buying our produce, our snacks, our meats, etc. We don't get to enjoy the home cooked meal because we are lazy to prepare and often times even embarrassed to take our brown paper lunch bag to school or work. So at the end we harm ourselves, the animals and the earth and we just help the fast food industry get richer out of us.
- Vanessa S
I have to say that I cook at least 6 days out of the week, it is not easy and it is very time consuming. I understand why so many people make the decision to eat fast food, it is cheap and fast, but does it serve its purpose? I believe it all comes down to how healthy you want to be. To me, being healthy is very important, I love to eat and I love to cook. What people fail to realize is that when they eat these very cheap and fast meals they are not getting any of the nutrients they need to be heathy. I think it is worth taking half an hour to an hour a day to cook a healthy, homemade meal. You will not only feel great becuase you can cook, but you will probably look better as well.
RE: Mind Control and Nutrition
In this post you touched up on cooperate brainwashing of consumers. Major food companies know what they’re doing when it comes to marketing their products. Lets take, for example, Kellogg's. They market their cereals to children by making them sweet and giving each brand its own goofy, lovable character. At age three through five, children have difficulties saying, “Frosted Flakes,” rather they associate the cereal to its proper character, which is “Tigger.” In America, advertisers indoctrinate brand names into children who then sway their parents into buying the products. Coca-Cola, Pepsi, McDonald’s, Burger King; you name it, chances are that, that company is focusing their attention on your children.
David Acosta
What can we do about it. It boils down to priorities and money. People usually talk the talk but dont walk the walk. As the saying goes you are what you eat. No one starts to eat healthier until after a heart attack or illness which is a bit too late. This article shed some light about the food industy I was not aware of. It appears that profit is only thing society cares about regardless of the consequenses.
April DeVona...
This is a very prominent problem that keeps feeding the obesity cycle here in America. Convenient and cost efficient food options are taking over the industry therefor limiting healthy options to hard working Americans like myself.
Why can't there be a happy medium if one doesn't have the time to put together a wholesome meal?? Do we even have that option?? Europeans do .. take Mcdonalds for example, in Paris a Mcdonalds has smaller more realistic portions, they offer grilled chicken paninis and green salads with oh yes... real lettuce!! It seems the more we settle for less, the more they keep coming up with unhealthy and inedible options that is literally changing our American bodyscape!!
This is as much our fault and our responsibility as it is the FDA's!! (Which the bar has been set significantly lower decade after decade by the way..)
Personally I cook 4 days out of the week.. (I strive to at least..) I buy organic meats, and many many veggies!! The more colors in my fridge the better! This is how I was raised and I plan to raise my own. When I have children someday I WILL be that mamma that makes her own organic purees and food for my lil one. You've got to build that pallet young! Simple fresh Ingredients is essential to a healthy lifestyle and good tasting food! People let's not forget the taste and flavor which is why we enjoy food in the first place. So go out and buy some new spices and experiment!! You just might surprise yourself with a healthy meal that is both cost efficient, and super yummy!! If my place smells remotely close to my Italian Grandma's house, I know I'm doing something right.. ;)
Western societies have managed to avert – or postpone-- a **Malthusian disaster by adopting unnatural, inhumane and unsustainable agricultural methods. Following WWII, the United States replaced organic, sustainable, solar- based farming with fossil fuel-based farming. Today, over 20% of the oil imported is used in the production and transportation of food (Omnivores Dilemma, Michael Pollan, 2006). Fertilizers, pesticides, and state-of-the art farming equipment are completely reliant on fossil fuels. What will happen in 20-30 years when oil reserves are tapped, when the global population stands at over 10billion, when the fertile soil is eroded and when the clean water sources are polluted?
The earth’s current arable land, farmed according to organic methods, cannot support its 7 billion inhabitants. By returning to organic farming, we face global famines; by continuing with unsustainable and inhumane food production, we exacerbate the problem. There are a myriad of solutions to these problems. However, global leaders have demonstrated their unwillingness to place the common good ahead of national self-interest. This is evidenced by developing nations’ failure to cooperate on global warming and on setting carbon-emission standards. Are we doomed to extinction? Absolutely not. The human race is resilient, resourceful and has triumphed over every challenge. Unfortunately, those triumphs have often been preceded by catastrophic events.
** Thomas Malthus was an 19th century political economist that predicted wide-spread famines. He postulated that food shortages are inevitable since populations grow exponentially and food production grows arithmetically.
Sara Estopinan.....
The reality is that fast food will never go away. There is too much money invested in fast food companys to even cut down on what we eat slightly. People have to care about themselves enough to stop eating fast food and decide to change their lives, but this is another topic that has little doubt for improvement. Yes, advertising has brain washed the majority of people into eating their junk food at cheap prices. The econmy is tanking and what more is there to do really? The sad part is people don't really realize that veggies cost less then junk food if you organize your budget. We'll never return to the days of fresh home cooked meals, so we must contiue with our way of life till we learn. I hope this happens sooner better then later...
Balance is what society needs to keep in perspective when presented with all of the convenient choices we have when deciding what we eat, where we eat it, and why we eat it. I love to hear some people complain about fast foods not being healthy but convenient and that’s why they choose them as their primary way of eating. My time is valuables to me; if making one less line at a fast food joint is going to open up my schedule then I’m going to find a more efficient way to meet my nutritional needs in a healthy way and simultaneously save time. How hard is it to make a turkey breast sandwich and paper bag it, put some baby carrots or an apple in a zip lock bag (or a small box of raisins) and maybe a small bag of plantain chips or baked potato chips you buy at the grocery store (not a costly vending machine). I’ll tell the whiners that it’s a lot less time than standing in a line at a fast food restaurant.
In the defense of fast food restaurants, these days almost all of them now offer health choices on their menu for patrons to make “health conscious decisions”. I love to eat healthy, however thank goodness for McDonalds because every once in a while I love an Angus Burger and who can beat their French fries. In addition, fast food restaurants play a vital role in our economy. Just think of the dynamic of all the ways these restaurants employ Americans. From restaurant workers, to delivery drivers, to blue collar warehouse works, to executives, and all other parallel companies that support their operations. So stop making excuses and bag a lunch. And if you truly love the fast food grub then treat yourself and enjoy with GUSTO, on occasion.
BEATRIZ ACOSTA
This article has truly and deeply depressed me in various forms, so much so, that I don't quite know where to begin; first of all I am taking this semester, nutrition and economics as well as philosophy so I am lucky to understand this article from every targeted perspective. Treatments of these animals is cruel to begin with (it reminds me of the great contemporary philosopher peter singer's argument on animal rights) but if I was to leave that aside considering the fact that looking at it from an economic perspective which goal is to maximize profits and clearly this can be done if the demand for these goods increases, which it does because of American’s ignorance towards not only our rapidly Deteriorating Environment (which by the way we have been made aware recently also by ex-vice president Al Gore who I was able to see on campus) but also their own nutrition, the recommended amount of sodium and actually the maximum that a person should intake a day is 2.300g and an angus burger at McDonalds contains an alarming amount of 2,700g of sodium, meaning in just one of those burgers we eat exceed the amount of sodium we need in all our food daily!! thus, resulting in American's number one death causes heart Disease and strokes. and to conclude I would like to say that the USDA (united states department of agriculture) who is in charge of creating and publishing our dietary recommendations are not Completely giving us the most accurate information (because it is not in the fast food industry's best interest) therefore, not in the USDA's best interest either. so I ask you, who can we even trust anymore for these issues, could it be that even perhaps the government is brainwashing us? How ironic, that they are supposed to protect our best interests.
BEATRIZ ACOSTA
I completly agree with the article, farm animals are slaughter and kept in horrible living condtions all around the glove just because of their taste, the worst part is that they (in the quantities that we eat them) are not even healthy to our bodies. I notice some people argue about the "growing human population that needs to be feed" and is really sad, because shows that most people have zero knowledge on the matter. It takes around 60% of the basic grain that we produce to feed the farm animals, that means that humans only consume around a 40%, so there goes the theory about the "growing and hungry population". health problems? from eating meat? Pffff is nutricious, or at least we are lead to believe, but in reality the blood of almost all farm animals contain a substance that in the long run, give us arthritis, along with high cholesterol and all that wonderfull stuff. Im i a vegetarian? Of course not, i love meat, but a balance is required to maintain equilibrium in both, your body and in the world. so realistically speaking, we need to get our meat somewhere right? i would recomend to buy from organic places or branches that make their farm animals live in the fields and eat grass, rather than a place where they live in cages and are feed with steorid fueled concentrate.
Luis Canales
these companies have emerged in our society due to necessity. There is a great deal of claim that we, as Americans are lazy consumers, most of it is true, however it would be biased to overlook the poverty in our country, and the need for cheap mass produced goods. A large fraction of our country views these fast food restaurants as a cornerstone of their diet, for example, in downtown miami I always see homeless people scouring the streets for spare change to get a mcdonalds burger for 99 cents. also, what about the whole industry it has created, the thousands of entry level jobs people take when needing money but without education, experience, or any other qualifications. For this industry to grind to a halt, There would need to be an ever cheaper, potentially more destructive entity to take it's place.
- Arthur Torano
Heard of the phrase "You are what you eat" well...It really is a personal choice, but how can anyone think substances such as pesticides, capable of killing insects, can be good for you?.The aim of the factory farming operation is to produce as much meat, eggs, or milk at the lowest possible cost.Since the demand for meat is high, hormones are given to the animals, to introduce growth at an unhealthy rate. So think about it, in the long run you end up spending way more money from what you were saving from buying the "cheap" food. In a few years the "cheap" food will have you seating at a Hospital for obessity, heart diseases, blood disaes, and the medicine you will have to purchase then. Animals are not routinely given antibiotics and other medication which enters the food supply to humans. Some research suggests that this excessive use of chemicals in food can be linked to increased health problems and interferes with the healthy development of children. In America we tend too look for the "fastest"way of getting the food, but next time you are in the drive thru, try to remember that "You are what you eat"....
-Tatiana Camargo
Now in a class of nutrition I have learned about the consecuences about eat cheap instead of having a good meal rich in nutrients, I am reading this article and I can see that is increible how industries spend a lot of money in those animals for a bad end, because those animals become the worst meal for humans. In America the percentage of obesity is
In America the percentage of obesity is increasing, specially in children. In my opinion, people should thing and decide what is better for them because many think that because of the econmic situation they should buy this fast food, but they don't see what is the danger that they are occasionate to their bodys. Instead of eating a big plate they can choise a healthy meal rich in nutrients because what you eat is what you are!
It is incredible how powerful can be the power of persuasion that the fast-food companies do to us. They spend millions of dollars on advertisements that follow us everywhere we look (tv,internet,streets etc)It is a strong message that we receive like a command and we obey. It is our choice to be conscious enough to decide whether to eat this junk food that would threaten ourselves or eat quality food that would keep our hearts pumping for a longer time.
Melody Rosado
Fast food what a important invention hahaha. Was there fasts food in 1960's as unhealthy as it is today? And so many people are dying because they are overweight and we wonder why America is so obese. Look around there is a fast food joint on every corner. I'm exhausted when I get off work and school I have to kick myself not to stop at a taco bell to get a quick meal. But when I get home I love cooking a healthy dinner I feel so much better knowing what I'm putting in my body we only have one body and we need to respect that.
Society is merely reaching a drastic height of obesity only because we as adults/humans allow it to. What is at stake is our future; our children. Obesity in children is only increasing because WE the adults ‘give-in’ and feed our children garbage. Advertising or not we know its unhealthy and ‘fattening’.
Growing up, my parents rarely fed me fast-food. My mother would always have home cooked meals ready AND she would serve my brother and I in small portions. Now that I have grown into my own person I still rarely ever eat fast food. Basically, if brought up to be a certain way; steering away from the main example is rare.
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